Not NYC’s most famous freebie, but with a jaw-dropping view and great flicks, theBrooklyn Bridge Movies With a View Film Series is one of the city’s treasures. See p. 12.

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COPYRIG

HTED M

ATERIAL

Alot of great bargains in this world don’t withstand close

scrutiny. Anyone who’s ever “won” a free weekend at a North

Carolina timeshare can attest to that. New Yorkers are lucky, however,

in having a menu of freebies and cheapies that aren’t just discards or

traps. From Shakespeare in the Park to car-less drive-in movies to

kayaking along the Hudson, there’s a host of remarkable activities here

that can’t be had in other cities for any price. In the dirt cheap realm,

the Big Apple’s big volume creates bargain opportunities left and right.

From cheap ethnic food to cheap avant-garde theater, an urban adven-

turer can go far on very little. What follows is the best of the best.

BEST OF THE FREE& DIRT CHEAP

APPLE

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• Best Manhattan Parade: NewYorkers are pros at assemblingen masse. My favorite pageantis one of the city’s most inclu-sive, the Greenwich VillageHalloween Parade, at whichelaborate costumes and ahealthy dose of gallows humormake the festive spirit infec-tious. See p. 25.

• Best Outer-Borough Parade: AsNew York events become moreand more commercialized, it’snice to have one occasion that’sdefiantly do-it-yourself. ConeyIsland’s Mermaid Parade bringslow-budget finery to the Atlanticshore. Classic cars serve as thechariots for a procession ofmermaids and Neptunes whowill never be accused of beingoverdressed. See p. 22.

• Best Festival: Harlem Weekbegan as a single day 30 yearsago and now stretches acrossthe entire month of August.Film, jazz, and food festivalsare among the highlights to befound along lovely brownstoneblocks Uptown. See p. 23.

• Best DIY Rock Show: Why trekout to the Nassau Coliseum towatch some aging monsters ofrock, when the Lower East Sideoffers up the same three chords

for free? Arlene’s Grocery (95Stanton St.; & 212/358-1633)is the tri-state’s best place toplay rock star, with a real-liverock band standing in for soul-less laser discs. See p. 29.

• Best Cultural Center with Beer:Pete’s Candy Store (709Lorimer St.; (& 718/302-3770)does its part to keep Williams-burg elevated and enlightened,bringing in a bushel of livemusic and readings. Backgam-mon, quiz, spelling, and Scrab-ble nights round out a fullschedule of free diversions. Seep. 31.

• Best New-York-Studio-SizedMusic Venue: The stage is tinyand the seats are few, but theback room of The LakesideLounge (162 Ave. B; & 212/529-8463) brings in improba-bly big acts. Rock and rock trib-utaries can be found on mostnights and there’s never acover. See p. 30.

• Best Jazzy Venue: Upper WestSiders can enjoy cover-free jazzon the weeknights at Smoke(2751 Broadway; & 212/864-6662). Retro and nouveaubebop, Hammond B-3 organs,and even a little funk fill out the diverse schedule. Drink

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minimums apply, but they’renot too onerous, especiallymidweek. See p. 33.

• Best Concerts for Skipping Outon the Office: The worker beesof the Financial District havelong taken advantage of thegreat classical performancesheard during the “Concerts atOne” series at Trinity Church(74 Trinity Place; & 212/602-0747) and St. Paul’s Chapel(Broadway and Fulton St.). St.Paul’s hosts lunchtime Mon-days, and Trinity handles Thurs-days. The acoustics are great inboth churches and the $2 sug-gested donation doesn’t beginto reflect the caliber of talent.See p. 37.

• Best Summer Music Festival:Every year SummerStage (CentralPark; & 212/360-2777) seemsto get even better organized,efficiently channeling musicfans into a stage area just off the Rumsey Playfield in themiddle of Central Park. Thoughseveral shows a year are benefitperformances with steep ticketprices, the calendar is still lit-tered with huge names playingfor free. See p. 46.

• Best Summer Music FestivalThat’s Not SummerStage: Themassive Lincoln Center Out of Doors (70 Lincoln Center

Plaza; & 212/546-2656) festi-val presents hundreds of actsevery August. The range is stag-gering, covering jazz anddance and opera and every-thing in between. See p. 43.

• Best Movie Screenings with aRoof: Every Sunday night guestcurators put together intriguingmini–film festivals for Ocularisat Galapagos (70 N. 6th St.,Williamsburg, Brooklyn; & 718/388-8713). The films are usu-ally shorts and a long way awayfrom anything you’ll find in amultiplex. See p. 50.

• Best Movie Screenings withouta Roof: Forty-second Streetwelcomes movie fans with aneclectic selection of classicsduring the HBO/Bryant ParkSummer Film Festival (& 212/512-5700). The lawn crowdsup quickly, but that onlyenhances the festive atmos-phere. See p. 53.

• Best Movie Date Night: Fridaynights the Rubin Museum ofArt (150 W. 17th St.; & 212/620-5000) throws open itsdoors. You can tour intriguingHimalayan art for free, and for$7 you can treat yourself to adrink and a movie. The CabaretCinema series brings an eclec-tic selection of films, along withthe occasional related celebrity,

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thrown in with the price of atipple or a snack at the bar. Seep. 47.

• Best Outdoor Summer Theater:Forsooth, New York’s greatestsummer asset is no secret.Shakespeare in the Park (& 212/539-8750) hooks up tens ofthousands of bard hounds withthe best in Elizabethan drama(using some of today’s bestactors and directors). The Dela-corte Theater’s site in the mid-dle of Central Park is well nighenchanted. See p. 63.

• Best Outdoor Summer TheaterThat Isn’t Shakespeare in thePark: Energetic performancessubstitute for big names and bigbudgets in downtown’s alterna-tive Shakespeare in the Park(ing)Lot (& 212/253-1813). The set-ting couldn’t be less formal, butsomehow the troupe managesto cast its spell. See p. 64.

• Best Free Dance: Modern andexperimental dance has a homeduring Movement Research atthe Judson Church (55 Wash-ington Sq. S.; & 212/539-2611).Dancers and choreographersvary from week to week, butthe talent level stays consis-tently high. The series onlyseems to be getting better, espe-cially now that the JudsonChurch has installed its lovelynew dance floor. See p. 76.

• Best Comedy Troupe: Thefounders of The Upright Citi-zens Brigade (307 W. 26th St.;& 212/366-9176) have goneon to movie and television for-tune and fame, but the institu-tion’s classes continue to crankout rapier wits. Improv nightshere are cheap when they’renot free, and the legendaryASSSCAT 3000 is not to bemissed. See p. 80.

• Best Readings: The greatwriterly look of KGB Bar (85 E.4th St.; & 212/505-3360) iswell matched by the great writ-ers who come through herealmost every night of the week.Enough quality words havebeen spilled beneath theSoviet-kitsch furnishings to jus-tify the publishing of KGBanthologies in addition to amonthly journal. See p. 93.

• Best Readings in a Bookstore:New York has many great liter-ary events at its mom and popshops, but the little playersdon’t have quite the juice tobring in huge names everytime. The Union Square branchof Barnes & Noble (33 E. 17thSt.; & 212/253-0810) has nodifficulty booking the literatiglitterati—check out their cal-endar for a steady stream offamous scribes. See p. 88.

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• Best Investment of 75¢ (Bagel):New York exported the bagel tothe four corners of America, butafter the indignities that havebeen performed (piña coladabagels?) we should ask for themback. Fortunately, New Yorkstill has the best, and 75¢ willlet you sample one at Kossar’sBialys (367 Grand St.; & 212/473-4810). With flavor and tex-ture honed to perfection, youcan’t make a better carb invest-ment. See p. 126.

• Best Investment of $1(Dumplings): Purveyors ofsuper-cheap dumplings can befound across Chinatown, butEldridge Street Dumpling House(118a Eldridge St.; & 212/625-8008) beats them all handsdown. The flavorful dumplingshere are handmade and cookedfresh right before your eyes.Most amazingly, a single green-back can be exchanged for fiveof them. See p. 108.

• Best Investment of $1.50 (PizzaBread): The pizza bianca at theSullivan St. Bakery (73 SullivanSt.; & 212/334-9435) is closerto a piece of bread than a NooYawk slice, but it’s long on old-world charm. Subtly fla-vored with rosemary and oliveoil (no tomato or cheese), the

dough manages to be simulta-neously fluffy and chewy. Amere $1.50 nails a nine-inchpiece. See p. 127.

• Best Investment of $2 (Tacos):Served in a huge corn tortillaand garnished with fresh picode gallo and guacamole, thetacos at Tulcingo Del ValleRestaurant (655 Tenth Ave.;& 212/262-5510) burst withflavor. Starting at $2 for stand-outs like chicken and carneasada, they’re the cheapest wayto pay a visit south of the bor-der without leaving NYC. Seep. 310.

• Best Investment of $2.50 (NewYork Slice): First-time visitors toSal’s & Carmine’s Pizza (2671Broadway; & 212/663-7651),spurred to spontaneous com-pliments by the spectacularpies, can expect to hear backfrom the eponymous propri-etors “Well, where the Hellyou been this whole time?”One taste of the crispy crustand character-full sauce andyou’ll be asking yourself thesame question. See p. 127.

• Best Investment of $3 (Falafel):I wouldn’t put any New Yorkfalafel over Rainbow Falafel &Shawarma (26 E. 17th St.;& 212/691-8641). A big fresh

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pita holds marinated onionsand crisp, flavorful falafel balls.The rest of the Syrian menuhere isn’t too shabby, either.See p. 114.

• Best Investment of $3.75 (HotDogs & a Drink): The best dogs in the East Village areimpounded at Crif Dog (113 St. Marks Place; & 212/614-2728). The house special getsyou a pair with a soda kicker.Protein cravings are accommo-dated well into the wee hours—4am on the weekends. See p. 120.

• Best Dirt Cheap Sit-DownMeal with Atmosphere: CheapAsian too often means over-lit,

dingy cafeteria settings. Not soat Galanga (149 W. 4th St.;& 212/228-4267), where astylish, modern interior makesfor a perfect date spot. Withsuch great atmosphere, foodthat is spicy, fresh, and originalalmost seems like a lagniappe.See p. 123.

• Best Burger: New Yorkers havevoted with their palates bykeeping the Corner Bistro (331W. 4th St.; & 212/242-9502)busy at every hour. With thesucculent, unpretentious $5.50burgers here, it’s no wonder.The city’s expense-account $15rivals at the fancy-shmancyplaces don’t even come close.See p. 123.

• Best Free School: With collegetuitions spiking endlessly up-ward, Cooper Union (CooperSq.; & 212/353-4120) is a def-inite anomaly: The 1,000 stu-dents here get their educationfor exactly $0 and 0¢. The restof us are invited in for exhibi-tions, readings, and a greatseries of lectures. See p. 147.

• Best Free Smarts: The GraduateCenter at the City University ofNew York (CUNY) (365 FifthAve.; & 212/817-8215) keepsadults educated with a terrific

selection of lectures, seminars,and panel discussions. Fees arereasonable and big chunks ofthe program are on the house.See p. 148.

• Best Cheap Bed: Who needs amint on his pillow and a bill for$250, when Big Apple Hostel(119 W. 45th St.; & 212/302-2603) can provide a goodnight’s sleep for under $40?You’ll get a high-rent location,too: right in the heart of theTheater District. See p. 161.

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• Best Gyms: Stay thin without afat wallet. For less than 14¢ aday, 36 gyms and rec centerscan belong to you. The facilitiesof the Department of Parks andRecreation (& 212/360-8222)include tracks, weight rooms,dance studios, and boxingrings. For $75 a year ($25more), you get access to theswimming pools, too. See p. 171.

• Best Grooming: Style-consciousNew Yorkers flock to Bumbleand bumble salon for the latestlooks. Savvier souls sign up forthe model calls at their school,Bumble and bumble.University

(415 W. 13th St.; & 866/7-BUMBLE). If you’re selectedfor the stylist training program,you’ll get a free cut, a head fullof styling products, and an invi-tation to call back in 8 to 10weeks to do it all over again.See p. 165.

• Best Boat Ride: Transform your-self into river traffic through theprograms at the DowntownBoathouse (Pier 40, Pier 96,and at 72nd St.; & 646/613-0375). They’ll loan you a kayakand let you paddle around theirwest side piers. If you get yourstrength up, you’ll be eligiblefor a longer ride into New YorkHarbor. See p. 176.

• Best Thrift Shopping: HousingWorks Thrift Shop (143 W. 17thSt.; & 212/366-0820, plusother locations) brings theprices of fashionable clothesand furniture down to levelsreal people can afford. Theinventory is lightly used andquick to turn over, and themoney you spend goes to sup-port a great cause (housing,services, and advocacy for peo-ple living with HIV and AIDS).See p. 192.

• Best Department Store: Cen-tury 21 (22 Cortlandt St.;

& 212/227-9092) is the Shake-speare in the Park of shop-ping—everybody knows aboutit, it’s in great demand, anddespite New Yorkers’ highexpectations it rarely comes upshort. Amazing selection andequally amazing prices draw inthe crowds 7 days a week. Seep. 202.

• Best Gourmet Food Shop forTightwads: Tracking down fancyfromage is not a difficult task inNYC, but to actually purchase awedge without emptying yourpurse is another issue. Thank

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New York’s Top-Five Best-KeptFree Secrets

1 As far as New York vistas go, it’s hard to beat the Brooklyn

Bridge at night with the Manhattan skyline twinkling in the

background. The Brooklyn Bridge Movies With a View Film

Series (& 718/802-0603) does its best to enhance the view

by projecting Brooklyn-angled fare against the epic scenery.

Compared to its Manhattan competitors, this event is much

more under control. The friendly, low-key crowd is perfect for

watching a flick with. See p. 54.

2 Though the National Museum of the American Indian (1 Bowl-

ing Green; & 212/514-3700) has seen the bulk of its collec-

tion moved to the Mall in D.C., the three gallery spaces here

still put on great exhibits of contemporary and historic Native

American art. The building itself, a magnificent Beaux Arts

customs house, is worthy of a visit of its own. See p. 235.

3 In addition to free Internet, 5,000 videos, 8,500 films, and

35,000 CDs, the Donnell Library Center (20 W. 53rd St.;

& 212/621-0618) is also the place Winnie-the-Pooh calls

home. The original Winnie and his pals Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga,

and Tigger have lived in Manhattan for 50 years now, most

recently in a glass case in the Central Children’s Room at

the Donnell. Oh yeah, they’ve got some books here, too. See

p. 253.

4 The New York Earth Room (141 Wooster St.; & 212/989-

5566) is just that: 140 tons of soil hidden away in a SoHo loft.

Even after multiple visits it’s a completely unexpected sight,

and a few whiffs of the earthy scent can be oddly rejuvenating.

See p. 260.

5 Malcolm Forbes’ affection for his idiosyncratic collections is

obvious from the well-crafted displays at the Forbes Magazine

Galleries (62 Fifth Ave.; & 212/206-5548). As you wind

through model boats, toy soldiers, Monopoly boards, and tro-

phies, you just may find Forbes’ enthusiasm rubbing off on

you. See p. 232.

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the cheese gods then for theEast Village Cheese Store (40Third Ave.; & 212/477-2601),which has a gigantic selection

at humble prices. This is theideal place for cocktail partyhosts and hostesses to fortifythemselves. See p. 207.

• Best Exhibits: The main branchof the public library, formallyknown as the Humanities andSocial Sciences Library (FifthAve. and 42nd St.; & 212/869-8089), puts on terrific shows inthe hushed interiors behind thelions. Rare editions and manu-scripts are often on display,accompanied by thoughtfulcaptions that make equally illu-minating reading. See p. 254.

• Best Tour: The mayor and thecity council still have theiroffices in graceful old City Hall(Broadway, at Murray St.;& 212/788-2170). This under-publicized free tour allows youto catch glimpses of NYCpolitico celebs, while admiringgorgeous portraiture and archi-tecture. As an added bonus,you’ll get to see the Board of Edin inaction, right next door atthe opulent Tweed Courthouse.See p. 267.

• Best Use of a Former FactorySpace in Queens: The perfunc-tory design of MoMA QNScouldn’t touch Long IslandCity’s SculptureCenter (44-19

Purves St.; & 718/361-1750).Maya Lin left a lot of roughedges, but the overall effect is reminiscent of a cathedral,complete with a catacomblikebasement. The intriguing sculp-tures and installation art shownhere further justify the trip toQueens. See p. 237.

• Best Art Museum: The P.S. 1Contemporary Art Center(22-25 Jackson Ave.; & 718/784-2084) puts on great artshows just a stop away fromManhattan in Long Island City.The museum is a beautiful conversion of a RenaissanceRevival public school, and theinterior spaces have beeninventively redone to comple-ment the cutting-edge art dis-played here. Entrance is bysuggested donation. See p. 250.

• Best Dirt Cheap Date Night:First Saturdays at the BrooklynMuseum of Art (200 EasternPkwy.; & 718/638-5000) areamong the best parties of theyear. You can generate conver-sation fodder at exhibits, films,and lectures. You’ll also find

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plenty of live music, should allthat talk lead to a little dancing.See p. 242.

• Best Natural Oasis: Visions ofrhododendron valleys, water-falls, and wetlands conjure uponly one place in New York:the Bronx. If you’ve never seenthe New York Botanical Gar-den (200th St. and SouthernBlvd.; & 718/817-8700), you’llbe amazed at the biologicaldiversity here. It’s arguably thecountry’s greatest public gar-den. See p. 270.

• Best Elephant Procession: For-get Republican conventions—the best elephant show occurswhen the circus (Ringling Broth-ers; & 212/465-6741) comes totown. Once a year, around mid-night, the elephants (sometimesaccompanied by their zebra andcamel comrades) stroll throughthe Queens–Midtown Tunneland across town to MadisonSquare Garden. As far as NewYork wildlife goes, this specta-cle is hard to beat. See p. 275.

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