COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Not NYC’s most famous freebie, but with a jaw-dropping view and great flicks, the Brooklyn Bridge Movies With a View film series is one of the city’s treasures. See p. 258.

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lot of great bargains in this world don’t withstand close A 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 at any price. Sleeping for cheap may be notoriously difficult in NYC, but there are some great exceptions. When it comes to stocking up, the Big Apple’s big volumes make for unexpectedly great bargain-hunting. Add in cheap

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ethnic food and giveaway avant-garde theater, and an urban adven- turer can go very far on very little. What follows is the best of the best. 1 Best Entertainment Bets ● Best Parade: watch some aging monsters of New Yorkers are pros at assem- rock, when the Lower East Side bling en masse. My favorite offers up the same three chords pageant is one of the city’s for free? Arlene’s Grocery (95 most inclusive, the Greenwich Stanton St.; & 212/358-1633) Village Halloween Parade, is the tri-state’s best place to with elaborate costumes and a play rock star, with a real-live healthy dose of gallows humor rock band standing in for soul- making the festive spirit infec- less laser discs. See p. 276. tious. See p. 21. ● Best Cultural Center with ● Best Outer-Borough Beer: Pete’s Candy Store (709 Parade: As New York events Lorimer St.; & 718/302-3770) become more and more com- does its part to keep Williams- mercialized, it’s nice to have burg elevated and enlightened, one occasion that’s defiantly bringing in a bushel of live do-it-yourself. Coney Island’s music and readings. Quiz, Mermaid Parade brings low- spelling, and Scrabble nights budget finery to the Atlantic round out a full schedule of shore. Classic cars serve as the free diversions. See p. 280. chariots for a procession of ● Best New York Studio-Sized mermaids and Neptunes who Music Venue: The stage is tiny will never stand accused of and the seats are few, but the being overdressed. See p. 18. back room of The Lakeside ● Best Festival: Week Lounge (162 Ave. B; & 212/ began as a single day 30 years 529-8463) brings in improba- ago and now stretches across bly big acts. Rock and rock the month of August. Film, tributaries can be found on jazz, and food festivals are most nights, and there’s never a among the highlights to be cover. See p. 225. found along lovely brownstone ● Best Jazzy Venue: Low-pre- blocks Uptown. See p. 19. tense Brooklyn meets Euro ● Best DIY Rock Show: Why trek sophistication over pints of out to the Nassau Coliseum to Hoegaarden at Williamsburg’s

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Zebulon (258 Wythe Ave.; Doors (70 Lincoln Center & 718/218-6934). Afrobeat, Plaza; & 212/546-2656) festi- funk, and improv jazz can be val presents hundreds of acts heard here for no cover. See every August. The range is stag- p. 236. gering, covering jazz and dance and opera and everything in ● Best Concerts for Skipping Out between. See p. 247. on the Office: The worker bees of the Financial District have ● Best Movie Screenings with a long taken advantage of the Roof: Spring for a membership great classical performances at MoMA (11 W. 53rd St.; heard during the “Concerts at & 212/708-9400) and not only One” series at Trinity Church will you get free museum (74 Trinity Place; & 212/602- admission, you’ll also have the 0747) and St. Paul’s Chapel run of the institution’s three (Broadway and Fulton St.). St. theaters. The fare tends to be Paul’s hosts lunchtime Mon- arty, but the range of offerings days, and Trinity handles is stunning, and $75 is a great Thursdays. The acoustics are price for a year’s worth of flicks. great in both churches and the See p. 252. $2 suggested donation doesn’t ● Best Movie Screenings With- begin to reflect the caliber of out a Roof: Forty-Second Street talent. See p. 316. welcomes movie fans with an ● Best Summer Music Festival: eclectic selection of classics Every year SummerStage (Cen- during the HBO Bryant Park tral Park; & 212/360-2777) Summer Film Festival (& 212/ seems to get better organized, 512-5700). The lawn crowds channeling music fans by the up quickly, but that only truckload into a small arena in enhances the festive atmo- the middle of Central Park. sphere. See p. 257. Though several shows a year ● Best Movie Screenings on a are benefit performances with Roof: Come summer nights, steep ticket prices, the calendar God dims the overheads, and is still littered with huge names indie films play on rooftops (and playing for free. See p. 250. in parks and schoolyards) across ● Best Summer Music Festival Brooklyn, Manhattan, and That’s Not SummerStage: The Queens. Rooftop Films (& 718/ massive Lincoln Center Out of 417-7362) has fast become a

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local institution, with original, less formal, but somehow the well-selected fare. See p. 255. troupe manages to cast its spell. See p. 264. ● Best Movie Date Night: Friday nights the Rubin Museum of ● Best Free Dance: Modern and Art (150 W. 17th St.; & 212/ experimental dance has a home 620-5000) throws open its during Movement Research at doors. You can tour intriguing the Judson Church (55 Wash- Himalayan art for free, and for ington Sq. S.; & 212/539-2611). $7 you can treat yourself to a Dancers and choreographers martini and a movie. The Caba- vary from week to week, but the ret Cinema series brings an talent level stays consistently eclectic selection of films, high. The series only seems to along with the occasional be getting better, especially now related celebrity, for just the that the Judson Church has price of a tipple or a snack at installed its lovely new dance the bar. See p. 251. floor. See p. 274. ● Best Outdoor Summer The- ● Best Comedy Troupe: The ater: Forsooth, New York’s founders of The Upright Citi- greatest summer asset is no zens Brigade (307 W. 26th St.; secret. Shakespeare in the Park & 212/366-9176) have gone (& 212/539-8750) hooks up on to movie and television for- tens of thousands of bard tune and fame, but the institu- hounds with the best in Eliza- tion’s classes continue to crank bethan drama (using some of out rapier wits. Improv nights today’s best actors and direc- here are cheap when they’re tors). The Delacorte Theater’s not free, and the legendary site in the middle of Central ASSSSCAT 3000 is not to be Park is well nigh enchanted. missed. See p. 279. See p. 263. ● Best Readings: The great writ- ● Best Outdoor Summer Theater erly look of KGB Bar (85 E. 4th That Isn’t Shakespeare in the St.; & 212/505-3360) is well Park: Energetic performances matched by the great writers substitute for big names and big who come through almost every budgets in downtown’s alterna- night of the week. Enough qual- tive Shakespeare in the ity words have been spilled Park(ing) Lot (& 212/877- beneath the Soviet-kitsch fur- 0099). The setting couldn’t be nishings to justify the publishing

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of KGB anthologies, in addition time. The Union Square branch to a journal. See p. 288. of Barnes & Noble (33 E. 17th St.; & 212/253-0810) has no ● Best Readings in a Bookstore: difficulty booking the literati New York has many great liter- glitterati—check out their cal- ary events at its mom-and-pop endar for a steady stream of shops, but the little players famous scribes. See p. 285. don’t have quite the juice to bring in huge names every 2 Best Cheap Eats ● Best Investment of $1 (Bagel): Sullivan St. Bakery (533 W. New York exported the bagel to 47th St.; & 212/265-5580) is the four corners of America, but closer to a piece of bread than after the indignities that have a Noo Yawk slice, but it’s long been performed (piña colada on old-world charm. Subtly fla- bagels?) we should ask for them vored with rosemary and olive back. Fortunately, New York oil (no tomato or cheese), the still has the best, and a single dough manages to be simulta- bill will let you sample one at neously fluffy and chewy. See Absolute Bagel (2788 Broad- p. 72. way; & 212/932-2052). With ● Best Investment of $2.25 (Ses- flavor and texture honed to per- ame Pancake): The dumplings fection, you can’t make a better at Vanessa’s Dumpling House carb investment. See p. 73. (118a Eldridge St.; & 212/625- ● Best Investment of $1.50 (Hot 8008) are justly famous and a Dog): For cheap protein and total steal at four for $1. Less quick bursts of patriotic fervor, publicized but equally deli- New York’s dogs can’t be beat. cious are the sandwiches, Gray’s Papaya (2090 Broad- which go gourmet by packing a way; & 212/799-0243; plus big wedge of sesame pancake other locations) is the best of with fresh cilantro, carrot, and the fruit-drink-and-wiener pur- tender Peking duck. See p. 53. veyors, with flavorful, lightly ● Best Investment of $2.50 charred links that’ll only set (Tacos): Served in a double you back a buck and a half. See layer of supple corn tortillas p. 66. and topped with fresh tomatillo ● Best Investment of $2 (Pizza sauce, the tacos at Zaragoza Bread): The pizza bianca at the (215 Ave. A; & 212/780-9204)

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burst with flavor. At just $2.50 carrots, daikon, onion, and for standouts like beef tongue cilantro on a baguette) is more and buttery roast pork, they’re than just an ingenious blending the cheapest way to get south of European and Asian flavors— of the border without leaving it’s one of the apexes of human NYC. See p. 62. civilization. You’ll find my favorite at Saigon Vietnamese ● Best Investment of $3 (New Sandwich Deli (369 Broome St.; York Slice): First-time visitors to & 212/219-8341). See p. 56. Sal’s & Carmine’s Pizza (2671 Broadway; & 212/663-7651), ● Best Dirt Cheap Sit-Down spurred to spontaneous compli- Meal with Atmosphere: Cheap ments by the spectacular pies, Asian too often means over-lit, can expect to hear back “Well, dingy cafeteria settings. Not so where the hell you been this at Galanga (149 W. 4th St.; whole time?” One taste of the & 212/228-4267), and Galanga crispy crust and character-full Garden (136 Ninth Ave.; & 212/ sauce and you’ll be asking 675-3330). Stylish, modern yourself the same question. See interiors make for great date p. 75. atmospheres—enough that the spicy, fresh Thai food seems ● Best Investment of $3.50 (Buf- almost a lagniappe. See p. 62. fet): The competition between two Chinatown buffet restau- ● Best Burger: New Yorkers have rants has driven prices into the voted with their palates by ground. An almost comical keeping the Corner Bistro (331 price of $3.50 covers four fresh, W. 4th St.; & 212/242-9502) tasty Chinese entrees over rice busy at every hour. With the at my favorite, Yi Mei Gourmet succulent, unpretentious $5.75 Food (51 Division St.; & 212/ burgers here, it’s no wonder. 925-1921). See p. 53. The city’s expense-account $18 rivals at the fancy-shmancy ● Best Investment of $4.50 (Sand- places don’t even come close. wich): For me, the bánh mì See p. 62. sandwich (pork pâté, pickled 3 Best Living Bets ● Best Free School: With college definite anomaly: The 1,000 stu- tuitions spiking endlessly dents here get their education upward, Cooper Union (Cooper for exactly $0 and 0¢. The rest of Sq.; & 212/353-4120) is a us are invited in for exhibitions,

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readings, and lectures. See ● Best Grooming: Style-conscious p. 141. New Yorkers flock to Bumble and bumble salon for the latest ● Best Free Smarts: The Graduate looks. Savvier souls sign up for Center at the City University of the model calls at their school, New York (CUNY) (365 Fifth Bumble and bumble.University Ave.; & 212/817-8215) keeps (415 W. 13th St.; & 866/7-BUM- adults educated with a terrific BLE [728-6253]). If you’re selection of lectures, seminars, selected for the stylist training and panel discussions. Fees are program, you’ll get a free cut, a reasonable, and big chunks of head full of styling products, the program are on the house. and an invitation to call back in See p. 148. a few months to do it all over ● Best Gyms: Stay thin without a again. See p. 165. fat wallet. For less than 14¢ a ● Best Boat Ride: Transform day, 29 gyms and rec centers yourself into river traffic can belong to you. The facilities through the programs at the of the Department of Parks and Downtown Boathouse (Pier 40, Recreation (& 212/360-8222) Pier 96, and at 72nd St.; & 646/ include tracks, weight rooms, 613-0375). They’ll loan you a dance studios, and boxing rings. kayak and let you paddle For $75 a year ($25 more), you around their west side piers. If get access to the swimming you get your strength up, you’ll pools, too. See p. 170. be eligible for a longer ride into New York Harbor. See p. 176. 4 Best Shopping Bets ● Best Thrift Shopping: Housing ple living with HIV and AIDS). Works Thrift Shop (143 W. See p. 194. 17th St.; & 212/366-0820, plus ● Best Department Store: Century other locations) brings fashion- 21 (22 Cortlandt St.; & 212/227- able clothes and furniture down 9092) is the Shakespeare in the to prices real people can afford. Park of shopping—everybody The inventory is lightly used knows about it, it’s in great and quick to turn over, and the demand, and despite New money you spend goes to sup- Yorkers’ high expectations it port a great cause (housing, rarely comes up short. Amazing services, and advocacy for peo- selection and equally amazing

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FREE New York’s Top Five Best-Kept Free Secrets

1 The former military base that is Governors Island (& 212/440- 2202) opens up to the public in summer months, with pictur- esque free ferry rides through New York Harbor leading to the city’s best picnic grounds. Programming has been quickly metas- tasizing—music, art, and even an auto show have been added to the existing roster of historical tours. See p. 113. 2 Three gallery spaces at the National Museum of the American Indian (1 Bowling Green; & 212/514-3700) host well-curated 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. 94. 3 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. 120. 4 For more than a hint of the natural world, light out for Green- Wood Cemetery (& 718/768-7300; www.green-wood.com) in Brooklyn. Almost 500 acres of ancient trees and glacial ponds are interspersed with the graves of New York celebrities and Revolu- tionary War history. There are also wild parrots. 5 Malcolm Forbes’ affection for his idiosyncratic collections is obvi- ous from the well-crafted displays at the Forbes Magazine Gal- leries (62 Fifth Ave.; & 212/206-5548). As you wind through model boats, toy soldiers, Monopoly boards, and trophies, you just may find Forbes’ enthusiasm rubbing off on you. See p. 91.

prices draw in the crowds 7 days chase a wedge without empty- a week. See p. 202. ing your purse is another issue. Thank the cheese gods then for ● Best Gourmet Food Shop for the East Village Cheese Store Tightwads: Tracking down (40 Third Ave.; & 212/477- fancy fromage is not a difficult 2601), which has refrigerator task in NYC, but to actually pur-

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shelves full of $1 and $2 spe- tail party hosts and hostesses to cials up front, and $2.99 per stock up for next to nothing. See pound bargains at the counter. p. 209. This is the ideal place for cock- 5 Best Exploring Bets ● Best Exhibits: The main branch nights are a liberating scene. of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Contemporary artwork that Building (Fifth Ave. and 42nd St.; skews low-fi, playful, and inter- & 212/869-8089), formerly the national fills the upstairs galler- Humanities and Social Sciences ies, and the LES comes out to Library, puts on terrific shows in mingle. See p. 106. the hushed interiors behind the ● Best Art Museum: MoMA PS1 lions. Rare editions and manu- (22–25 Jackson Ave.; & 718/ scripts are often on display, 784-2084) puts on great art accompanied by thoughtful cap- shows just a stop away from tions that make equally illumi- Manhattan in Long Island City. nating reading. This is also the The museum is housed in a home of the original Winnie-the- beautiful conversion of a Renais- Pooh. See p. 114. sance Revival public school, and ● Best Tour: The mayor and the the interior spaces have been city council still have their inventively redone to comple- offices in graceful old City Hall ment the cutting-edge art dis- (Broadway, at Murray St.; played here. Entrance is by & 212/788-2170). An under- suggested donation. See p. 111. publicized free tour of the ● Best Dirt Cheap Date Night: premises allows you to catch First Saturdays at the Brooklyn glimpses of NYC politico Museum of Art (200 Eastern celebs, while admiring gor- Pkwy.; & 718/638-5000) are geous portraiture, architecture, among the best parties of the and George Washington’s desk. year. You can generate conver- See p. 127. sation fodder at exhibits, films, ● Best New Art Giveaway: The and lectures. You’ll also find live recently constructed home of music, should all that talk lead to the New Museum (235 Bow- a little dancing. See p. 99. ery; & 212/219-1222) may ● Best Natural Oasis: Visions of scream maximum security rhododendron valleys, water- prison, but the free Thursday falls, and wetlands conjure up

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only one place in New York: Ringling Brothers and Barnum the Bronx. If you’ve never seen & Bailey circus (& 212/465- the New York Botanical Gar- 6741) comes to town. Once a den (200th St. and Southern year around midnight, the ele- Blvd.; & 718/817-8700), you’ll phants (sometimes accompa- be amazed at the biological nied by zebras and camels) diversity here. It’s arguably the stroll through the Queens–Mid- country’s greatest public gar- town Tunnel and across town den. See p. 131. to Madison Square Garden. As far as New York wildlife goes, ● Best Elephant Procession: this spectacle is hard to beat. Forget Republican conven- See p. 134. tions—New York’s best ele- phant show occurs when the 6 Best Sleeping Bets ● Best $25 Night in Manhattan: ● Best Stay with Free Parking and The sleek lobby of the Broad- Swimming Pool: Enjoy interstate way Hotel & Hostel (230 W. amenities right in the heart of 101st St.; & 212/865-7710) the city at the Travel Inn (515 belies the backpacker-friendly W. 42nd St.; & 888/HOTEL58). pricing. Unlike other local hos- The sun deck, outdoor pool, tels, this one limits its dorm and parking spaces all come for rooms to just two guests. Share free. A double starts around a bunk room with a buddy and $140, which isn’t all that much you’ll each be overnighting for more than it would cost just to just $25. See p. 42. park. See p. 38. ● Best $45 Shared Night in Man- ● Best Taste of West Village hattan: If you’re traveling with Brownstone Life: The Larch- your entourage, check out the mont Hotel (27 W. 11th St.; Off Soho Suites Hotel (11 Riv- & 212/989-9333) has as prime ington St.; & 800/633-7646), a location as you could wish a converted tenement in the for at any price. The accommo- middle of downtown. The dations here come with shared house specialty is apartment- bathrooms, which knocks the like suites. Low season rates rates down to very affordable drop to $179, or around $45 territory (a single can be as low per person if you’re with three as $90). See p. 31. fellow travelers. See p. 30.

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● Best Taste of East Village ● Best Taste of Cotton Club-Era Townhouse Life: Avenue C Harlem Life: Don’t be scared off may be party central these by the name; the Harlem Flop- days, but the quirky themed house (242 W. 123rd St.; & 212/ rooms at East Village Bed & 662-0678) isn’t about mattresses Coffee (110 Ave. C; & 212/533- on a basement floor, it’s an hom- 4175) reflect the neighbor- age to the musicians and artists hood’s old-time arty charm. who stayed here during the last Sound-proof windows in front Harlem Renaissance. Tasteful ensure you get no more of antiques add to the atmosphere nightlife than you want. Singles of a restored 1890s row house, start at $120 and doubles aren’t which hosts doubles for around much more. See p. 29. $125 a night. See p. 43. FREE & DIRT CHEAP CALENDAR OF EVENTS New York knows how to throw a In addition to the numbers listed party. Throughout the year, you can below, NYC Visit, the city’s conven- find massive celebrations of ancient tion and visitor’s bureau, has the low- tribal affiliations, sexual orientations, down on most events (& 212/484- and pagan holidays. Most of these 1222; www.nycvisit.com). celebrations come free.

JANUARY Midnight Run in Central Park FREE For a saner New Year’s night than the Times Square hell, one option is to hook up with the New York Road Runners Club. Their annual 4-mile Midnight Run takes racers from 72nd Street to 102nd, and back around. The registra- tion fee will set you back between $30 and $55, but if you don’t feel an absolute need to get winded in the small hours, you can enjoy the pre-run dancing, costume show, and fireworks display for free. Dancing begins around 10pm and the parade starts an hour later. Gather near the Central Park Bandshell, just south of the 72nd Street Transverse. & 212/860-4455, www.nyrr.org. Subway: B/C to 72nd St.; 6 to 68th St. Midnight December 31 (Jan 1). Brooklyn New Year’s Prospect FREE There’s no borough envy in Brooklyn as rival pyrotechnics welcome the new year above Pros- pect Park. Enjoy the fresh air as the embers cascade above the Grand Army Plaza at the stroke of midnight. Prime viewing areas

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include West Drive and along Prospect Park West, between Grand Army Plaza and 9th Street. & 718/965-8999, www.prospectpark. org. Subway: 2/3 to Grand Army Plaza; B/Q to Seventh Ave. December 31 (Jan 1). Idiotarod Late January and Brooklyn’s brains turn to mushing. The plan: to replace lovable blue-eyed sled dogs with teams of liquored-up bipeds, and have them drag shopping carts instead of sleds. The result is more Cannonball Run than athletic exposition, with a secret starting point in Brooklyn (to stay one step ahead of Johnny Law). Some years there’s a registration fee to participate, but the event is free to watch. www.cartsofbrooklyn.com. Last Saturday in January. FEBRUARY Chinese New Year FREE Come February, Chinatown will be par- tying like it’s 4709, in honor of the lunar new year. The annual parade sees a firecracker celebration and dragon and lion dancers winding through Mott, East Broadway, and the Bowery. & 917/660- 2402, www.betterchinatown.com. Subway: J/M/N/Q/R/Z/6 to Canal St. Late January or early February. MARCH Saint Patrick’s Day Parade FREE The green wave gathers momentum through Midtown and converges on Fifth Avenue, where 150,000 marchers (and at least that many spectators) cele- brate Ireland’s patron saint. Much of the crowd arrives well before the 11am start time. The entertainment continues with live music and drunken shenanigans at New York’s thousand-plus Irish pubs. Wear green or risk pinchery. The parade runs from 44th up to 86th streets, right past Patrick’s own cathedral. & 718/231-4400, www. nyc-st-patrick-day-parade.org. Subway: N/Q/R or E/M to Fifth Ave. March 17. APRIL Easter Parade FREE More an informal procession than a parade, people join and leave this Easter Sunday tradition as they please. Expect amazing hats and plenty of pastels. The stroll runs from 10am until 3 or 4pm, along Fifth Avenue between 49th and 57th streets. & 212/484-1222. Subway: E/M to Fifth Ave.; B/D/F to 47th– 50th sts.–Rockefeller Center. Easter Sunday.

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MAY Ninth Avenue International Food Festival FREE If some human in an obscure corner of the globe will shove it in his mouth and call it a comestible, odds are you can find it at this festival. Come mid- May, street-fair staples like Italian sausages and mozzerapa mingle with barbecued whole pigs, empanadas, and soy cupcakes from Ninth Avenue’s indigenous roster. Do not miss the hot-from-the-oven Greek pastries from Poseidon Bakery, between 44th and 45th streets. Ninth Avenue, from West 37th to 57th streets. & 212/581-7217, www.hellskitchen.bz. Subway: A/C/E/7 to 42nd St./Port Authority. From 9:30am to 6:30pm, Saturday and Sunday in mid-May. NYC Dance Parade FREE From the cross-pollination of African and Irish tap dances in the Five Points slum to an impressive 20th- century run of ballet, ballrooms, and breakdancing, New York’s dance legacy runs deep. In mid-May all of it goes on parade at once, a 6-hour affair with 10,000 dancers, many sporting elaborate getups. The parade boogies from 28th Street and Broadway down to St. Marks Place, where a wrap-up festival goes off in Tompkins Square Park. Free lessons are thrown in as well. & 267/350-9213, www.danceparade.org. Saturday, mid-May, rain or shine. Fleet Week FREE One week a year, New Yorkers get nostalgic over the sight of thousands of sailors on the make in the port of Manhattan. Squint and pretend it’s V-E Day. Along the west-side piers you can get an even closer look: Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine reps will let you tour some of the floating behemoths you spent all those tax dollars on. Demonstrations, tug of war competi- tions, and a ship parade are also on offer. & 212/245-0072, www. intrepidmuseum.org. Last week in May. JUNE Museum Mile Festival FREE The classiest fair in New York sees Fifth Avenue closed to car traffic so 50,000 culture vultures can take in Manhattan’s Gold Coast to the sounds of string quartets. Kids get live performances and special arts and crafts opportunities. Nine of the museums that give the mile its moniker offer free admis- sions. And the classiest part of all? No vendors. Fifth Avenue, from 82nd to 105th streets. & 212/606-2296, www.museummilefestival. org. Subway: 4/5/6 to 86th St.; 6 to 77th, 96th, or 103rd St. From 6pm to 9pm, usually the first Tuesday in June.

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Lesbian and Gay Pride Week The Street Fair Sham and March FREE The city It takes less than a New York bursts with Pride every June in a minute for a newcomer’s excite- week that begins with rallies and ment about “street fairs” and protests and ends in a dance, “block parties” to fizzle into the fireworks, and a parade. Pride reality of another traffic-clogged commemorates the June 27, exercise in low-end commerce. 1969, Stonewall Rebellion, For two exceptions to the rule, where gay men first stood against see the Ninth Avenue Interna- police harassment outside the tional Food Festival, above, and Stonewall Inn in the West Vil- The Feast of San Gennaro, below. lage. Just standing on a street corner downtown can be almost as entertaining as the parade, especially the spectacle of drag queens teetering on high heels as they rush across multiple lanes of traffic. & 212/807-7433, www. hopinc.org. Mid- to late June. Puerto Rico Day Parade FREE Fifth Avenue’s staid character goes into remission for the Puerto Rico Day parade. There’s salsa music and festive floats and millions of spectators lining the way. The parade has been running annually since 1958, and despite some ugly incidents, it remains a quality spectacle. Fifth Avenue, from 44th to 86th streets. & 718/401-0404, www.nationalpuertorican dayparade.org. From 11am to 6pm, the second Sunday in June. Make Music New York! FREE The longest day of the year begets this citywide musical celebration. Inspired by the French Fête de la Musique, thousands of musicians take to the sidewalks of New York (as well as the parks, community gardens, and clubs) to play just for the sake of playing. Although only a few years old, this sum- mer solstice event is quickly gathering momentum. & 917/779- 9709, www.makemusicny.org. June 21. Mermaid Parade FREE This moving freak show recalls the glory days of Coney Island. See p. 306 for more details. & 718/372- 5159, www.coneyisland.com/mermaid.shtml. Subway: D/F/N/Q to Coney Island/Stillwell Ave., then walk toward the Atlantic. Satur- day, near the summer solstice, 2 to 6pm.

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JULY Battery Park 4th of July Concert FREE New York puts the free back in freedom with an outdoor concert in Battery Park, featuring the likes of Emmylou Harris and The New Pornographers. There’s a festive, laid-back vibe, with blankets spread on the grass and New York Harbor in the background. Gates usually open at 1pm and the show starts around 3:30pm. FINE PRINT Some years require tickets, which are free, but must be reserved in advance online; make sure you log in when they become available in June, and stay persistent. & 212/835-2789, www.downtownny.com. Subway: R to White- hall St.; 1 to S. Ferry. July 4. Fourth of July Fireworks FREE In New York’s previous incarna- tion, you knew July 4th was coming because starting mid-June your sleep was interrupted by nightly amateur firework shows. With quality-of-life crackdowns, however, The Man has taken up a monopoly on the summer eye-candy. Fortunately, The Man does a nice job of blowing up stuff for our entertainment. Macy’s explodes 120,000 shells into the air from barges docked on the East River in the 20s and 30s or the Hudson. For East River years, try Hunter’s Point in Long Island City, Queens, or Greenpoint in Brooklyn. & 212/494-2922, www.macys.com. July 4. AUGUST Harlem Week FREE Harlem Day was first celebrated in 1975, and over the subsequent 3 decades it has grown from a day to a week to over a month of cultural celebration. Auto shows, film festivals, Uptown Saturday Nite, and Harlem Day are among the 150-plus events. & 212/862-8477, www.harlemweek.com. Sub- way: B/C to 135th St.; 1 to 137th St. The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York FREE Dragon boats date back thousands of years, to races conducted during celebra- tions of the fifth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. The boats’ appearance on Meadow Lake in Queens is a little more recent (1990), with a racing roster growing from four original teak specimens to doz- ens of sleek fiberglass models. Bands, theatrical and dance perfor- mances, and dumpling eating contests augment the races. Flushing Meadows Park, Flushing, Queens. & 718/767-1776, www.hkdbf-ny. org. Subway: 7 to Willets Point/Shea Stadium, transfer to the special event bus. Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 5pm, usually in early August.

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SEPTEMBER Howl! Festival of East Village Arts FREE Though the East Village’s legendary artistic past is increasingly obscured by layers of gentrify- ing paint, early September sees a return of the old contrarian spirit. The Howl! Festival serves up theater, live music, and art. Although there’s an admission charge for some events (usually reasonable, in the $5–$10 range), many are free, like the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Festival in Tompkins Square Park. Avenue A, between 7th and 10th streets. & 212/673-5433, www.howlfestival.com. Subway: L to First Ave.; 6 to Astor Place; N/Q/R to 8th St. Early September. West Indian–American Day Parade FREE New York’s biggest parade takes place a long way from Fifth Avenue, along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. Two million revelers (yup, 2,000,000) come together on Labor Day to move to Caribbean rhythms and dine on jerk chicken, oxtail, and roti. The route varies, but generally follows Eastern Parkway at Utica Avenue in Crown Heights down to the arch at Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Heights. & 718/467-1797, www.wiadca.com. Subway: 2/3 to Grand Army Plaza. From 11am to 6pm, Labor Day. September Concert FREE Under any other circumstances, a day bringing hundreds of performers to dozens of venues across all five boroughs would be cause for upbeat excitement, but the context of the September Concert is a somber one. To commemorate the World Trade Center attacks, the city fills with the healing sounds of music. Throughout the day, find free sounds in the city’s cafes, bars, libraries, squares, and parks. It’s a perfect excuse for people to be together. & 212/333-3399, www.septemberconcert.org. Multiple venues; check the website. From noon to 10pm, September 11. The Feast of San Gennaro FREE This is New York’s oldest and biggest street fair—11 days of zeppoles, pork braciole, and deep- fried Oreos in honor of the patron saint of . Little Italy main drag Mulberry Street becomes an extremely narrow small-town carnival. There are rides for the kids, cannoli-eating contests for the adults, and an abusive clown in a dunking booth that’s discomfiting for everybody. With the heavy emphasis on commerce and the beer-addled crowds, the fair gets old fairly quickly. Mulberry Street, between Canal and Houston, with runoff on Hester and Grand. & 212/768-9320, www.sangennaro.org. Subway: N/Q/R to Prince

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St.; 6 to Spring St. or Canal St. Starts the second Thursday in Septem- ber, from 11:30am to 11:30pm (to midnight Fri–Sat). OCTOBER New York’s Great Halloween Party FREE The hobgoblins of little minds can be found in haunted sites across 40 of the city’s back acres come Halloween. Central Park fills with excitable costumed children, looking for the perfect pumpkin among the 7,500 scat- tered among the straw at the Bethesda Fountain. Once the little demons have made their incisions they take the resulting jack-o’- lanterns north, to the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, mid-park at 110th Street. A parade is followed by an annual pumpkin sail, where the jack-o’-lanterns glow on the Harlem Meer as they float gently away. & 212/860-1370, www.centralparknyc.org. Subway: 6 to 68th or 77th St.; 1/2/3 or B/C to 72nd St. Saturday, a few days before Halloween (date varies). Greenwich Village Halloween Parade FREE For many New Yorkers, every day feels like Halloween. Come late October, the last thing we need to wade through is another crowd of freaks. Fight this instinct, however, and you will enjoy New Yorkers’ legendary gallows humor at the annual Halloween parade. This parade is one of New York’s most participatory events (anyone costumed can join); no one will think any less of you for not being covered in body paint or latex, but you run the risk of feeling like you’re in a wet-blanket minority. Parade runs up Sixth Avenue from Spring to 21st Street. www.halloween-nyc.com. Subway: C/E to Spring St.; A/B/C/D/E/F to W. 4th St./Washington Sq.; F to 14th St.; L to Sixth Ave. October 31, with the coming of night. NOVEMBER The New York Marathon The race ends in Central Park near Tav- ern on the Green, where you can watch the survivors, adorned in the glory of heat-retaining silver blankets, as they walk it off. The race begins in the morning, with the elite runners getting off around 11am. & 212/423-2249, www.ingnycmarathon.org. Subway (to Central Park): B/C to 72nd St. First Sunday in November. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade FREE New York’s favorite excuse for dragging bloated floating cartoon characters down the west side of the city comes with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Rocky, Bullwinkle, and Garfield join slightly-less-inflated

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celebrities to march down Central Park West and Seventh Avenue from 77th Street to the Mothership (Macy’s in Herald Sq.). Tip: Bal- loon fanatics can get a head start on the action the night before, when the balloons get their helium fixes on the broad sidewalks around the Natural History Museum from 3–10pm. & 212/494- 4495, www.macysparade.com. Subway: B/C to 72nd St.; A/B/C/D/1 to Columbus Circle. From 9am to noon, Thanksgiving morning. DECEMBER Lighting of the Tree at Rockefeller Center FREE Profes- sional ice-skaters make graceful turns, live music plays, and Hizzon- ner throws the switch on 30,000 bulbs strung along 5 miles of wire. Rock Center’s overflow crowd, many of whom have been waiting in the cold for 4 or 5 hours, cheer with relief. Even for grinches like myself, watching the tree come alive is a pretty cool moment, but they’d have to make the spruce levitate while spouting a fountain of $50 bills for me to want to weather that crowd twice. Better to come back at a more mellow time, especially if you can visit at dusk, when the tree is at its most quietly dramatic. & 212/332-6868, www. rockefellercenter.com. B/D/F to 47th–50th sts.–Rockefeller Center. At 9pm, the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. Alternatives to the Rockefeller Tree Lighting FREE It’s not like Rock Center has the only Christmas tree in . The Win- ter Garden at the World Financial Center sets 100,000 lights softly glowing. More elaborate rites can be found at Lincoln Center‘s Christmas celebration, usually held on the Monday after Thanksgiv- ing. A tree lighting supplements crafts booths and live music along Broadway from 61st to 68th streets. You’ll find plenty for the kids, and the crowds are a fraction of Rock Center’s. World Financial Center: & 212/945-0505, www.worldfinancialcenter.com. Subway: 1/2/3/A/C to Chambers St. Lincoln Center BID: & 212/581-3774, www.winterseve.org. Subway: 1 to 66th St./Lincoln Center. Festival of Lights FREE If you want to celebrate the other half of the Judeo–Christian cultural tradition, you can attend the lighting of Midtown’s menorah. This skyscraping candle-holder (at 32 ft., it’s the world’s largest) shines at sunset on the first night of Hanukkah, gaining another light on each of the following 7 days. Grand Army Plaza on Fifth Avenue, at . & 917/287-7770. Subway: N/R/Q to Fifth Ave.; F to 57th St. During Hanukkah.

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The Station at Citigroup Cen- ter FREE Most New Yorkers FREE A Brooklyn don’t have the surplus square Christmas footage for obsessive train sets, The big department stores offer but the does. the sidewalks plenty of enter- Thirty-two rail and trolley lines tainment with elaborate window ply the byways for the holiday displays, but for my money, New month between Thanksgiving York’s best free Christmas show and New Year’s. Visiting is free, is in Brooklyn. Homeowners from but the show is popular, so Bay Ridge to Bensonhurst run up expect plenty of company. the Keyspan bills to bring bulb FINE PRINT Check in advance to envy to their neighbors. Dyker make sure they have a spon- Heights is “Christmas Central,” sor—the trains don’t always with 100,000 tourists drawn run during a soft economy. Citigroup Center, 153 E. 53rd every year to the blocks around Street at . 80th and 86th streets, between & 212/559-1747, www.dunham Tenth and Thirteenth avenues. studios.com/cititour.htm. Sub- Unbelievably elaborate choruses way: E/M to Lexington Ave.; of mechanical Santas and snow- 6 to 51st St. Monday to Satur- men compete to prove the lights day 10am to 6pm; Sunday noon are always brighter on the other to 5pm. side of the fence. Take the D to New Year’s Concert for Peace 79th Street or the R to 86th at the Cathedral of St. John Street and walk toward the lines the Divine FREE Leonard of wide-eyed-munchkin-packed Bernstein inaugurated this minivans. Between Thanksgiving event, and in the subsequent and New Year’s. decades, it’s become a beauti- fully honed candlelit legend. Pop stars like Judy Collins join opera greats and world-class con- ductors in headlining the bills. The best seats are reserved and come with steep price tags, but general seating is free. Cathedral of St. John the Divine. 1047 Amsterdam Ave., at 112th Street. & 212/ 316-7490, www.stjohndivine.org. Subway: 1 or B/C to Cathedral Parkway/110th St. December 31, 7pm.

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