^^ jj it is first-come first-served, so no guarantees of getting in. The mambo to hip-hop sounds really interesting, some of the best music ever came out of the South Bronx in the 60s-80s.

Crocodile lounge (325 E 14th St) is a bar where you can get beer and a personal pizza (a big one) for $3 during happy hour (I think it was until six). That's right folks, a beer and a whole pizza for three dollars!!! In NYC!

Here's a new free spot in Times Square -- Charmin promo toliets.

^^Thats good, theres never anywhere to pee in times sqare.

Actually, there are some really nice toilets at the ESPN center!

It's a privilege to pee.

Christina, this is a brilliant thread.

Great minds think alike, and so do we. Will you permit me add my recently-updated 2 NYC cents?

Ayun, I love your list. Very exciting to see some of my "top secret, never share" places have already been exposed. This is great, and since I live here and get lots of company, I'm printing it out. Those naysayers who come to NYC, and don't know what to do or eat will now have the list to peruse. Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by Ayun:
It's a privilege to pee.

Ayun, it's a privelege to have the East Village Inky creator post on the C + F NYC thread. I'm a big fan.



It's fun to read your list and see which places I frequent too, + which ones I've never heard of.

Haci R, I totally keep a mental list of convenient places to pee in the city. Sometimes it's a challenge to find one. Which can be very, very bad.

I know Marty! I always feel a little bad for people who come here and don't have a good time, because clearly they missed out on all the good stuff and ended up suckered into tourist crap. That being said, sometimes I wonder if I should keep certain places to myself

TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT

(that's Friday, Dec. 14), you can see a performance of "trip hop duo" (for lack of a better term) Electric Kulintang for $12. They're billed as a Filipino trip-hop duo, but only one person is Fil-Am, the other is Cuban. Sounds pretty cool though!

They are performing at:

Abrons Arts Center at Henry Street Settlement
466 Grand St at Pitt St (Lower East Side)
(212-598-0400)
8 pm
$12

You can listen to samples on their website.

hey, thanks, marty and christina. i love new york!

and ooh, ooh, anyone in New York w/ some holiday dough to blow, go see August: Osage County by Tracy Letts at the Imperial.

It is a masterpiece - blackly comic, moving, juicy as all get out, and at 3 hours long, a lot of bang for the buck. It'll restore your faith in theater, or give you some if you never had any to begin with...

and if anyone needs to see Santa, he'll be at ABC Carpet and Home for another 3 days - tomorrow and next weekend, noon to five. Not much of a line, and you get a lollipo, in addition to a brief audience with the great man. Possibly the reason my 10 year old daughter has yet to admit disbelief.

quote:

Originally posted by Ayun:
and if anyone needs to see Santa, he'll be at ABC Carpet and Home for another 3 days - tomorrow and next weekend, noon to five. Not much of a line, and you get a lollipo, in addition to a brief audience with the great man.

Ummm, Ayun, are you sure it's not Dick Cheney hiding under that beard?

Hi all!
Just got back from NYC and wanted to add some of my own entries:

Museums:
Here is a great site that shows which museums are free on which days:
http://www.ny.com/museums/free.html
http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2007/09/new_york_museum_1.php

Frick Collection (upper east side)- renaissance art displayed in a gorgeous mansion with all the trimmings- chandeliers, rugs, upholstery, etc. probably worth as much as the paintings! Free audio self-guided tours. Free on Sundays at 11am-1pm

Transit Museum (Brooklyn- Borough hall subway stn) - learn about the development of the new york subway and explore old subway cars! There is a 2 for 1 coupon in the free MTA subway maps

The Cloisters (Inwood- northern tip of Manhattan- take the A train to the 190th st or 200th st stops) - Met's sattelite gallery displaying Medieval art and architecture. Free with same day admission to the Met (either way, it's pay what you can). Catch a really informative free tour at 3pm each day.

(the Met, Museum of Natural History, as always are awesome and suggested donation only. MoMA is free on Friday's from 4-8pm but be prepared to go early or line up, epsecially during busy season!)

Bring your student card if you have one! Tons of discounts available!

Food
99cent Fresh Pizza- 151 E 43rd st (43rd st just west of 3rd ave). It's not particularly spectacular - but it's cheap, huge slices for 99cents (what you'd get for 2.50+ at a "normal" place) and close to Grand Central Station! And because there's such high turnover the pizza is quite fresh.

GoGo! Curry- 273 W 38th St (at 8th st) Japanese Curry. Not spicy, more like a gravy. But it's huge portions of pork, chicken, sausage, egg, and/or shrimp over rice for $7-12, which is a nice meal for 2, or if you're realllly hungry, for one.

Dosa cart at Washington Square Park

For a nicer (but casual) sit down meal with table service, Kefi (Greek Restaurant) on the Upper West Side (222 W 79th St - at broadway) was fantastic - entrees in the $10-15 range, and everything we had was wonderful. Extremely fast and courteous service.

Free Internet
Non new yorkers can surf the net at any NY public library. Just ask nicely and they'll give you a 15 or 30 minute time slot. The biggest one is at 5th ave and 40th st behind Bryant Park (go up to the top floor and follow signs to the reading room).

Plays
And Highly, highly, HIGHLY second the rec for August: Osage County. Tickets in the last 3 rows of the mezz are only $26.50 and it is a great view - better than a lot of the orchestra imo since the set is like a house and scenes take place "upstairs"

Rush Tickets- many plays sell rush or standing room tickets for around $25 the day of. Check the list below to see different plays' policies:
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/boards/index.php?category=&rush=show&order=

You are the play/the performers are the audience.

"Etiquette" is being performed until Feb. 1 at a cafe table for 2 in Veselka's coffee shop.

Tickets are $20 for both audience members/actors. So $10 apiece. Buy tickets here.

Part of the Under the Radar theatre festival. It's the first time that "Etiquette" has been performed in a truly public (non-theatre-affiliated) space. It sounds fascinating! Erases boundaries of performer, space, and audience. But in an emotionally moving, accessible way, not abstract-arty-I-don't-get-it way.

quote:

Editorial review:
'Etiquette' is a half-hour experience for two people in a public space. You sit across from each other at a table in a restaurant wearing headphones that tell you what to say to each other, or to use one of the objects positioned to the side. 'Etiquette' exposes human communication at its most delicate and explores the difficulty of turning our thoughts into words we can trust. For it to work you just need to listen and respond accordingly. 'Etiquette' will be performed by ticket buyers at Veselka Restaurant. Latecomers are not admitted, please arrive early. Walk-ups are welcome but reservations are strongly suggested. Come early or stay late and grab a bite at Veselka. They've created a special sampler of their famous Ukrainian delicacies especially for 'Etiquette' patrons.

From the Village Voice review:

quote:

But though he'd heard raves for Etiquette, Russell had some trepidation about including Rotozaza. He says he dislikes work requiring audience participation: "I hate these things. Hate them. Run screaming from them." But when he performed Etiquette in Edinburgh in late August, he found himself moved by the intimacy the piece conjures. "I did it with a complete stranger," Russell recalls, "and afterwards we had to walk around for half an hour together. We felt like we had a relationship. If you're a romantic like me, it blows your mind."

quote:

Originally posted by christina-in-brooklyn:
LODGING

Since I live here, I'm clueless as to where to go for a safe room for less than $100 a night, but of course they exist! Take heart. There are suggestions here and here and here and here . My casual internet research seems to show several midtown/downtown hostels with dorm beds priced around $27-$35 a night. So there you are.

Actually, just hitting up Priceline--or any of those sites can work. If you do have a little bit o' cash to spend, coming into the city on an off-weekend will work toward your benefit. When checking into any hotel, never be afraid to ask for a free upgrade. It's an old Vegas trick, and it works. Unless the hotel is completely booked up, if their luxury suite just so happens to be vacant for the weekend, it could be yours. All you gotta do is ask. And no matter how strapped for cash you might be, never fail to give a tip--instant karma!

This thread is awesome, as a person planning a trip to NY in the near future its a god send!

thanks a bunch!