Kayaking +

Hi friends!

So we've partaken in free kayaking before (at Pier 96), but today we had quite a fun adventure!  

We got to Hallet's Cove around 3:30pm and launched from a tiny sandy beach.  The thing that makes this place better than Pier 96 is that you have a nice view of the city and aren't confined to tiny rectangular space between 2 piers.  It's very open, you have much more space and the people running the place are much more lax.  

We even discovered a little "bonus" to arriving late like we did.  (Free kayaking happens between 1:00-5:00pm.)  After we finished cruising around at around 4:30pm, we were asked if we wanted to take a 40 minute ride upstream to return the kayaks to their home base on Long Island City.  At first I was like cool, they must have been super impressed by our rowing skills ;)! But I soon realized that I had just volunteered myself for some manual labor.  The trip itself to LIC was great!  We got to go under bridges, dodge boats, and crash into some waves.  It was quite a workout (for me) but fun!

Upon arriving at the boathouse in LIC though, we were all of the sudden being ordered around to wash all the boats, jackets, etc which took quite some time considering there were about 15 kayaks.  We hesitantly agreed considering the free and fun adventure we just went on, but were even more willing to put our bodies to work after we heard talk of a free BBQ after everything was put away.  Here's Brian working quickly with the smell of the grill going behind him!

 

We were pretty satisfied by the end of it all, but just to top it off a group of girls hanging out of a sweet ride stopped us on our way to the train and offered us... their candied apples...?

I gave them a strange look, but of course Brian jumped at the opportunity.  They apparently had just come from a baby shower and were going to hit the clubs but didn't want their party favors to melt away in their car.  Okay then... 3 candy apples for us!

 

For more fun summer fitness activities in or near Socrates Sculpture Park, go here!

Meet Wendy @ MoMA PS1

Well friends, Brian and I are going to try to get this baby up and running again!

And at what better time than the opening of Wendy & the start of the MoMA PS1 Warm Up Music Series!

While we've been to PS1 a number of times, today was actually our first time at Warm Up.  We just so happen to know one of the designers of this year's winning Young Architects Program (YAP) Competition (!!!) so talk about a good excuse to get out there :)  Check it out!  And enjoy the photos I took below.

Wendy was definitely the highlight of our visit to PS1.  She's absolutely stunning and helped keep us cool on this very warm and humid day (how sweet is she!).  Make sure you take the time to view her at all angles and learn a little bit about how she is cleaning the air you breathe and is made of recyclable materials and is in general, awesome.

She also creates a beautiful backdrop to the great performances that you will see while at Warm Up.  Click here for the lineup for this summer and keep in mind that the drinks and food are bit on the pricey side.  Bring your own bottle of water so you can stay hydrated! You can refill inside the museum at one of their many water fountains.  Otherwise a bottle of water will cost you $2, beer $6, and M. Wells food $3-$10.

The art inside the actual PS1 building is a bit hit or miss, but for me the hits make it worth it.  Here is one of the hits from today:

Yes, the ceiling is cut open!

So now onto the part where I explain how you can do all of this on the cheaps!

First of all, any visit to PS1 can be free of charge with an admission ticket from MoMA.  The trick is to go to MoMA during Target Free Fridays (every Friday from 4-8pm).  Even these free admission tickets include free admission to PS1 on the back!  Double save!  My fave! ;)  Just make sure you go to PS1 within 30 days.

Fortunately, if you get into PS1 for free, you also get to see Wendy for free!  Unfortunately, if you want to go to a Warm Up event you still have to pay for a $15 Warm Up ticket. I know, I cried a little bit too. But on the plus side, the event is all day (2-9pm), you get constant musical entertainment and you get full access to the museum while you're there!  It's actually a pretty sweet deal.

Being among the art-obsessed, I went ahead and registered myself and Brian for dual MoMA membership today.  For $140 total, we both get free admission to MoMA, MoMA PS1, Warm Up, store discounts, etc.  Here's more info on membership.  Because of Target Free Fridays I've never actually paid admission to the MoMA or PS1.  And I go there at least 5 times a year.  At this point, I figure I can give back a little bit since the museum has provided me an abundance of entertainment and inspiration over the years.  So that's an option too depending on your level of love for the arts :)

ALSO while you're in the PS1 neighborhood, you might as well stop by 5 Pointz!  It might be gone soon :(.

2011 Free Summer Movie Guide

Hello internets! It's been awhile! I've decided to live an opulent lifestyle and have subsequently abandoned this blog. Fortunately, I'm a generous robber baron (think Carnagie) and have decided to once again compile a list of free outdoor summer movies. Remember all films start at dusk and you should try to get there as early as possible to ensure you'll get a good spot (Pack a picnic and enjoy the sunset beforehand! The ladies love it.) If my giant philanthropist hands and heart feel up to it, I may update this as film schedules are released. Enjoy the films! Maybe I'll see you there (from one of my many roof top terraces, of course)!

5/15- Warriors- Habana Outpost
5/22- Crooklyn- Habana Outpost
5/25- Ocean's Eleven- Stuy Town
5/27- Top Gun- Intrepid
5/29- Moving- Habana Outpost

6/1- Some Like it Hot- Stuy Town
6/3- The Swimming Pool- Cedar Hill
6/5- Quicksilver- Habana Outpost
6/7- Teddy Bear- Bohemian National Hall
6/8- Legally Blonde- Stuy Town
6/8- Entre Nos- Tavern on the Green
6/10- Those Happy Days- Washington Square Park
6/12- Selena- Habana Outpost
6/14- Melancholic Chicken- Bohemian National Hall
6/15- True Grit- Hoboken Pier A
6/15- Ocean's Twelve- Stuy Town
6/17- A Summer's Tale- Washington Square Park
6/17- Singing in the Rain- Snug Harbor
6/19- Krush Groove- Habana Outpost
6/20- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest- Bryant Park
6/20- Desperately Seeking Susan- Elevated Acre
6/21- How to Drown Dr. Mracek, the Lawyer- Bohemian National Hall
6/22- The Fighter- Hoboken Pier A
6/24- Spiderman- Intrepid
6/24- Contempt- Tompkins Square Park
6/24- Moonstruck- Snug Harbor
6/25- Iron Man 2- Roosevelt Island
6/26- Above the law- Habana Outpost
6/27- The 39 Steps- Bryant Park
6/27- The Godfather Part II- Elevated Acre
6/27- March of the Penguins- Astoria Park
6/28- Thanks for a Good Morning- Bohemian National Hall
6/29- Breakfast at Tiffany's- Hoboken Pier A
6/29- Between the Folds- Tavern on the Green
6/30- Raging Bull- Tompkins Square Park

7/1- Mr. Hulot's Holiday- Tompkins Square Park
7/3- Grease- Habana Outpost
7/4- Easy Rider- Bryant Park
7/5- Whisper- Bohemian National Hall
7/6- Friday- McCarren Park
7/6- Clermont Ferrand Short Films- Socrates
7/6- The Social Network- Pier 63
7/7- Coming to America- Tompkins Square Park
7/7- Manhattan- Brooklyn Bridge
7/8- The Goonies- Intrepid
7/8- The Karate Kid (2010)- Pier 46
7/8- Towards Zero- Pier I
7/8- Mars Attacks!- Snug Harbor
7/8- Prometeo Deportado (Ecuador)- Unisphere
7/8- Momma Mia- Narrows Botanical Gardens
7/9- The Goonies- Roosevelt Island
7/10- Roller Boogie- Habana Outpost
7/11- Saturday Night Fever- Coney Island
7/11- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes- Bryant Park
7/11- The Brother from Another Planet- Elevated Acre
7/12- The Bitch's Diary- Bohemian National Hall
7/12- Men in Black- Valentino Pier
7/13- Wayne's World- McCarren Park
7/13- Who Wants to Kill Jessie- Socrates
7/13- The Invisible Man- Pier I
7/13- Easy A- Pier 63
7/13- The King's Speech- Hoboken Pier A
7/13- Mad Hot Ballroom- Tavern on the Green
7/14- The Warriors- Tompkins Square Park
7/14- Ghostbusters- Brooklyn Bridge
7/15- Despicable Me- Pier 46
7/15- My Father's Glory- Pier I
7/15- Antz- Snug Harbor
7/15- Africa United (Africa)- Unisphere
7/17- Saturday Night Fever- Habana Outpost
7/18- Rango- Coney Island
7/18- In the Heat of the Night- Bryant Park
7/19- Twosome- Bohemian National Hall
7/19- Bring it On- Valentino Pier
7/20- Ghost World- McCarren Park
7/20- Caramel- Socrates
7/20- Invasion of the Body Snatchers- Pier I
7/20- The Kids Are All Right- Pier 63
7/20- The Social Network- Hoboken Pier A
7/21- Star Trek- Tompkins Square Park
7/21- Sweet Smell of Success- Brooklyn Bridge
7/21- West Side Story Dance and Sing a Long- Prospect Park Bandshell
7/22- Back to the Future- Intrepid
7/22- The Princess Bride- Pier 46
7/22- Children of Haiti (Haiti)- Unisphere
7/22- Wally- Narrows Botanical Gardens
7/23- Star Trek- Roosevelt Island
7/24- Breaking- Habana Outpost
7/25- Top Gun- Coney Island
7/25- The Lady Eve- Bryant Park
7/26- Dissolved and Effused- Bohemian National Hall
7/26- Lords of Dogtown- Valentino Pier
7/27- Ferris Bueller's Day Off- McCarren Park
7/27- The Good, The Bad, The Weird- Socrates
7/27- The Birds- Pier I
7/27- The Other Guys- Pier 63
7/27- Waiting for Superman- Hoboken Pier A
7/27- Food Curated- Tavern on the Green
7/28- Arthur- Tompkins Square Park
7/28- Basquiat- Brooklyn Bridge
7/29- Toy Story 3- Pier 46
7/29- Kung Fu Dunk (Taiwan)- Unisphere
7/31- Dirty Dancing- Habana Outpost

8/1- Iron Man 2- Coney Island
8/1- Iron Man- Waterside Plaza
8/1- Cool Hand Luke- Bryant Park
8/1- Karate Kid- Cunningham Park
8/2- Wall-E- Valentino Pier
8/3- Clueless- McCarren Park
8/3- The Straight Story- Socrates
8/3- Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!- Pier I
8/3- The Fighter- Pier 63
8/3- Wizard of Oz- Hoboken Pier A
8/4- Pope of Greenwich Village- Tompkins Square Park
8/4- An American Tale- Brooklyn Bridge
8/4- Metropolis with Alloy Orchestra- Prospect Park Bandshell
8/5- E.T.- Intrepid
8/5-Sugar (Dominican Republic)- Unisphere
8/5- How to Train Your Dragon- Pier 46
8/5- Young Frankenstein- Narrows Botanical Gardens
8/6- Up- Roosevelt Island
8/7- Heathers- Habana Outpost
8/8- Annie Hall- Coney Island
8/8- Spiderman 2- Waterside Plaza
8/8- Airplane!- Bryant Park
8/8- Toy Story- Astoria Park
8/8- Breakfast with Scot- Cunningham Park
8/9- Karate Kid (1984)- Valentino Pier
8/10- Jurassic Park- McCarren Park
8/10- At the Edge of Russia- Socrates
8/10- Return of the Swamp Thing- Pier I
8/10- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World- Pier 63
8/10- Despicable Me- Hoboken Pier A
8/10- Appetite City- Tavern on the Green
8/11- Kick-Ass- Tompkins Square Park
8/11- Breakfast at Tiffany's- Brooklyn Bridge
8/11- Rent- Cunningham Park
8/12- Shrek Forever After- Pier 46
8/12- Heliopolis (Egypt)- Unisphere
8/14- Risky Business- Habana Outpost
8/14- Tron: Legacy- Roosevelt Island
8/15- Moonstruck- Coney Island
8/15- Spy Kids- Waterside Plaza
8/15- High Sierra- Bryant Park
8/15- Shrek- Astoria Park
8/15- Despicable Me- Cunningham Park
8/16- The Fast and the Furious- Valentino Pier
8/17- Biutiful- Socrates
8/17- Mars Attacks- Pier I
8/17- The Town- Pier 63
8/17- Tangled- Hoboken Pier A
8/17- Carol Channing: Larger Than Life- Tavern on the Green
8/18- Rosemary's Baby- Tompkins Square Park
8/18- Grown Ups- Cunningham Park
8/18- Crooklyn- Brooklyn Bridge
8/19- Jurassic Park- Intrepid
8/19- Tangled- Pier 46
8/19- The Accordion Kings (Columbia)- Unisphere
8/19- Over the Hedge- Narrows Botanical Gardens
8/21- St. Elmo Fire- Habana Outpost
8/22- Justin Bieber: Never Say Never- Coney Island
8/22- The Incedibles- Waterside Plaza
8/22- Dirty Harry- Bryant Park
8/22- Saturday Night Fever- Astoria Park
8/23- The Iron Giant- Valentino Pier
8/24- Silent Film Festival- Socrates
8/24- Toy Story 3- Hoboken Pier A
8/25- The Godfather- Tompkins Square Park
8/25- Rosemary's Baby- Brooklyn Bridge
8/26- Libertador Morales, el justiero (Venezuela)- Unisphere
8/28- Purple Rain- Habana Outpost
8/29- How She Move- Coney Island
8/30- Pump Up the Volume- Valentino Pier

9/1- Stake Land- Tompkins Square Park
9/1- Audience Choice- Brooklyn Bridge
9/3- The Incredibles- Roosevelt Island
9/4- Teen Wolf- Habana Outpost
9/6- Highlander- Valentino Pier
9/7- Cabaret- Stuy Town
9/8- Two Days in Paris- Columbia University low library steps
9/11- Blues Brothers- Habana Outpost
9/13- Pee Wee's Big Adventure- Valentino Pier
9/14- Austin Powers- Stuy Town
9/18- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly- Habana Outpost
7/21- The Devil Wears Prada- Stuy Town
9/25- The Harder They Come- Habana Outpost

10/2- 5 Easy Pieces- Habana Outpost
10/9- Edward Scissor Hands- Habana Outpost
10/16- Gremlins- Habana Outpost
10/23- The Empire Strikes Back- Habana Outpost
10/31- Rocky Horror Picture Show- Habana Outpost

Things noticed: What the heck is Crooklyn and why is it showing twice? Someone should coordinate when they show originals and sequels (Godfather, Toy Story). I think this is the first time I've heard of a concert film at an outdoor screening (Beiber). You can pick who you want to accompany the good and the bad, either the ugly or the weird. Saturday Night Fever 3 times? Really? How does that happen? Welcome Coney Island to the outdoor screening game. About time, amIright?

In addition to the outdoor screenings:
Huckleberry Bar continues their indoor screenings every Monday. More info here.

Like German Cinema? Who doesn't. This summer, the Neue Gallery presents Vienna 1900 every Monday at 4pm. More info here.

The Queens Museum has a spring movie series exploring surveillance. Mondays at 2pm. More info here

Kate's Joint in the east village was playing films in the bar on Mondays, That may still be happening.

Motorcyclesploitation? Cine Meccanica at Otto's Shrunken Head plays the best worst motor cycle films every Tuesday. More info here.

Regal Cinemas jacked up the price of their summer kids series. Tuesday and Wednesday matinees are now a whopping $1. More info here.

Wally's Square Root Cafe has a summer movie night with food specials and free popcorn. More info here.

The Rubin Museum of Art presents Cabaret Cinema every Friday (Screenings are free w/$7 bar minimum). More info here.

The Sony Wonderlab has free screenings every Saturday. More info here.

The Church Lounge at the Tribeca Grand Hotel has free screenings every Sunday. More info here

Ace Hotel had weekly Sunday screenings during the winter, looks like they're a bit more sporadic this summer. Or maybe they just update their website more sporadically. More info here

The Museum of the American Indian has free screenings (often for the kiddies on the weekend) more info here

Also, keep an eye on your public libraries! Free screenings abound! More info here

For more info on the outdoor venues visit the links below:
Intrepid Summer Movie Series- "Celebrating some of our favorite heroes"
Movies with a View at Brooklyn Bridge Park- Come out early for DJs and a short film before the feature. (Moved this year to the new Pier 1)
HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival- Get there early, the lawn opens at 5!
Outdoor Cinema at Socrates Sculpture Park- Each week film, food and performances focused on a different culture
Movie Nights on the Elevated Acre- Classic New York features paired with independent shorts. This fills ups fast, so get there early (Opens at 6)!
Movies Under the Stars (Pier I at 70th St)- Best theme so far this year: Terror through the decades.
RiverFlicks for Grownups (Pier 63)- Watch all of your favorite blockbusters from 2009
RiverFlicks for Kids (Pier 46)- New and classic films for the whole family
Celebrate Brooklyn at Prospect Park Band Shell- A series of films played with live music scores. $3 suggested donation.
Summer Screen- McCarren Park Ballfields (Bedford and North 12th)- Movies with "a nod to our adolescent idols and crushes"
Films on the Green- Tompkins Square Park, Central Park, Washington Square Park- French musicals
Movie Night in Astoria Park- Astoria Park Lawn- Family friendly movies on the Astoria waterfront
Movies Under the Stars at Habana Outpost- Make yourself a margarita on a bike blender while you watch films allllll summer
Movies Under the Stars- Snug Harbor Staten Island- Come out to the Neptune Fountain Stage early for music from local bands.
Movies Under the Stars- Pier A Park, Hoboken, NJ- Yes it's in Jersey, but it's just as easy to get to Hoboken as a lot of the outer boroughs. So hop on the PATH to check out a series of just released films with the Manhattan skyline as your backdrop.
Films in Tompkins Square Park- Catchy name, great films!
Coney Island Flicks on the Beach- Bloomberg begs you! Come for the free movie, stay for a hotdog!
RCN Movie Nights at Waterside Plaza- Because cable has all the best movies! Promises to be family friendly, so maybe more Beiber?
Movies Under the Stars- Cunningham Park Queens- Free popcorn!
Passport Fridays at the Unisphere- Celebrate a different culture every Friday with dance/music and a film
Movie on the Oval- Peter Cooper Village/Stuyvesent Town- Includes prefilm entertainment and food from your favorite food trucks
The Scene at Tavern on the Green- Food Trucks and films in Central Park
Friday Movie Night- Narrows Botanical Gardens- Come to Bay Ridge for some family friendly movies in the garden
Summer on the Roof- Bohemian National Hall- Czech films and Manhattan views
Roosevelt Island Outdoor Movie Series- Saturday Night is Family Night
Red Hook Summer Films- Valentino Pier- Enjoy the view of Lady Liberty


The links below were film fests in 2010 so we'll wait and see what 2011 brings...

Tony Dapolito Recreation Center Rooftop Film Series- July: Film Noir, August: The Vault of Horror Flicks
Summer Starz- East River State Park (N 8th St and Kent Ave)- Family friendly films
Reel Harlem- Morningside, Marcus Garvey, Jackie Robinson, and St. Nicholas Parks in Harlem- Films mostly feature black music, arts and activism. Events also include short films and music
Brooklyn Film Works- The Old Stone House, Washington Park Brooklyn- Classic films culminating in films by students age 12-16
Ortine Cafe- 622 Washington Avenue Brooklyn, NY, 11238- July is Roald Dahl month! Can't wait to see what August will bring
One Front Street- The Kings County Cinema Society has started a film series every Sunday on the wall of Grimaldi's in Dumbo. I'm excited to see what they'll bring us!
Imagenation Film Festival- St. Nicholas Park, Harlem- Show up early for performances before the films.
Parks Summer 2010 Movie Series- In a park near you- If there weren't already enough film festivals in city parks this summer, the Parks Dep't is taking the show on the road and bringing family friendly films to a park near you. And while most film fests pick a day of the week this is typically every Wednesday-Saturday. Yes some of the films and locations repeat but can you really blame them? And besides maybe it'll be easier to find a showing that works with your schedule.
Central Park Film Festival- This year's theme "Iconic New York." The film's are at the Mineral Springs, which is just north of Sheep Meadow at 69th St on the western side of the park.
Family Movies in the Park- Jamaica gives you a lot of options with multiple screenings in multiple parks AND classic film Fridays. Maybe you wanted to fall asleep on the A train after all.


Alright! Not a bad place to start if I do say so myself. If I missed anything let me know and I'll get it on the list! Go see free movies! Justify to your parents back home why you pay so much to live here!

Jet Setters

We're off to Austin this weekend with our JetBlue All You Can Jet Pass! WOO!

Onto Orlando!

Burgers & Cupcakes

I'm pretty sure we've mentioned these folks before... (right?!) but Burgers & Cupcakes is amazing and deserves another shout out.

Brian and I ate there tonight... after not having done so in a while.  "But, why?" you ask.  IIII DON'T KNOWWW! I asked Brian that very same question about 10 times throughout our meal.  I think they have the most delicious fries ever (the thin and crispy kind-- raaahhh)  and I think their cupcakes kick all those other NYC bakeries to the curb (no names mentioned here :X).  And their burgers are great too!  My fave is their Lemon Grilled Chicken Burger with goat cheese.  Mmmm.

And what really makes this place great are the friendly workers.  They gave us free cupcakes tonight after our meal!  And theeen as we were walking out the door they gave us NINE MORE FREE CUPCAKES.  I meeeaaaan, come oooonnn.  They also have a frequent eaters card so you can get 1 free meal every 5 meals or something like that ;)

And they have a new Banana flavored cupcake that our buddy John claimed was the best cupcake he has ever had.  (He was one of the recipients of our free cupcake gifts)  Others in our box included strawberry, blueberry, mint chocolate chip, chocolate ganauche and red velvet... all with either their AMAZING butter cream frosting or cream cheese frosting or...other amazing frostings.  Photo below.  Drool away!!

(Okay, so the picture quality isn't that great.  Had to iphone this one.)

Last Minute Frights

When our Tuesday evening plans fell through, we stumbled across some exciting last minute plans...

A free prescreening of The Last Exorcism! Thanks to www.filmmetro.com and www.gofobo.com!

We thought we were going to be too late to get in but lucky for us there was a premovie Q & A with Eli Roth! I guess we missed some of the Q & A but the parts we did catch were great. Eli had to change his Facebook to a pseudonym because the all the people he used to go to school with try to get him to pass screenplays to Quintin Tarantino. And in even better news, Roth's next project is producing a film he cowrote with RZA that is going to be a spaghetti western style kung fu movie with proper Chinese actors dubbed in English by rappers. Yeah, simmer on that for a minute.

And then we watched The Last Exoricsm! Which was a pretty cool film and definitely worth a viewing. As I said on my "twitcrit" review: It kept the guy sitting next to me guessing (loudly) the whole time! Ah crowded movie theaters...

July in Review

Wow, is it August already? All the hot, sticky days have seemed to run together into a big gooey mess.

So how was your July?

I know the blog hasn't been so active, but don't worry, that doesn't mean we've given up the cheap lifestyle. Quite the contrary.

In July, summer concerts were in full effect.

We hit up the Siren Festival at Coney Island. Ted Leo was great and Night Marchers were my band discovery of the show. Like every day this summer it was stupid hot out so we saw a few sets and then hit the beach to relax to the sights and sounds of drunk teenagers getting in fights.

Next it was another Brooklyn summer institution, the Jelly Pool Parties! Windnie went shopping while I met up with some Brooklyners to see Murder City Devils. Good times were had and a lot of free Amp was drank. Again, hot as balls, shade at a premium, dehydration: inevitable. But man, was that a great show!

Then Weasel came to visit! He wanted to check out Cap'n Jazz and Lightening Bolt at the Pool Parties but since they don't really like water they moved the show indoors at the first sight of rain and promptly sold out. Weasel was a good sport however and that night we went to that Sunday institution: Asssscat 3000 at UCB! I think he had a good time, or at least pretended to.

Let's see, then there was a grill out and Sonic Youth at Prospect Park Bandshell to Celebrate Brooklyn! Grilling out is awesome! And it was a good time, laying on a blanket outside the fence and pretending we were from the 90s.

Last but not least, Lincoln Center's Out of Doors concert series. We went to check out Balkan Beat Box but weren't that impressed. Maybe because they had to follow Mucca Pazza who were incredible!

[Added by Windnie]: We also went to the Dragon Boat Festival---where I fell asleep. But pre-nap it was nice!

Sprinkle in a couple outdoor movies, a trip to the Met, some half priced Pinkberry and a big dose of Windnie moving into her new apt just up the street and you've pretty much summed up our July.

Hope yours has been just as great! A lot of these fests still have plenty of shows left in them so be sure to check them out in August!