Mermaid Parade!

Probably one of the craziest parades in NYC, this hours long fest taking place on Coney island features hundreds and hundreds of mermaids and other sea-folk. Child mermaids, painted mermaids, naked mermaids, it's just amazing! If the weather clears up I will most definitely be there, see some pictures from a few years ago attached.

Hint: Bring water and food and sit down below the barriers to get a good spot. The parade lasts sooo long (more mermaids join every year!) so you may want to bring something to sit on as well. PLUS after the parade you can enjoy the crazy/beautiful shores of coney island beach.

Here are the details!

This weekend = Mind boggling creative fun!

Here are two kick-ass looking, inspirational, community based crazy creative events happening this weekend:

Figment, an all out anything goes art fest on governor's island (which I'll have to do an entire post about sometime soon)

And Come Out and Play where hundreds of new, innovative games are taking place all over our city.

And, as promised, both are FREE!!! I only bring you guys the best, natch.

The Art Parade Comes to Town!

Some days I ask myself, where can I find glittery half naked people hula hooping on roller skates, wal mart protestors "asking" for lower wages, blow up purple octupi and an all out crazy art filled explosion? and on those days I am answered "the art parade of course!" Lucky for us it comes to town tomorrow, Saturday the 8th at 4pm. Running on West Broadway between Houston and Grand it truly is a sight to be scene (and loudly yelled into), get there early for a good spot!

Museum Mile!

Tonight is another one of those annual favorites, museum mile festival! run on over now to the upper east side for a whole array of your favorite museums open for free, plus chalk drawing on the street and street performers! whoo hoo!

Bank of America Freeness in May

So yesterday Bea, Roma, Ethan and Ben and I trekked over to the Bronx zoo planning on spending massive amounts of money merely to oogle wild creatures in their own habitat (we probably could have just gone to the village but what can you do). It was to our surprise and delight that when purchasing tickets with our Bank of America cards, we got two free tickets each! Crazy right? I did some research and it turns out that May is free museum month with your BOA card (trust me though, this isn't an advertisement, I'm pissed that the bank never filled me in on this deal) turns out that for the next four days (as it ends in May) us New Yorkers with the cards can get 2 free admission tickets to places like the New York Aquarium, Moma, and the Whitney. Find a full list here, then send them an email praises their efforts put lauding their publicity!

Meatpacking District Design Week!

Hello my loves! I'm so sorry to have missed an entire week of NYC goodness with all of you but I was off burning myself to a crisp in sunny Florida. Luckily, I've made it back in time to catch the tail end of the the Meatpacking District's Design Week! (It's FREE!) Located in various venues throughout the district this week promises avant garde fashion, furniture and even, everyone's secret fantasy since watching those randy children in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, scented wallpaper (ok you can't lick it but close enough!) Today is the last day so pop yourself over to Bodum Cafe, 413 west 14th Street by 9th avenue and grab a free coffee while you scope out the guide to the weekend's (well now it's day's) festivities!

Best Day Ever (rice balls, pinkberry and modern art oh my!)

Just walked in from spending one of the best NYC days ever (though I tend to have a lot of those) with my bud Aaron. It's Friday night and if you're looking for an all star line up of cheap yet amazing fun (it's date night too) then you've gotta check out the below.

1. Dinner (or lunch or bfast) at Oms/b. Located on 45th street between Lex and 3rd (take 456 to Grand Central) this little haven of a shop offers up dozens of rice balls ranging from crab salad to salmon roe to ume plum, these mounds of delight are healthy, refreshing and varied, and, get this, cheap! Aaron and I each got the A box where you can chose any three balls of your liking plus a soup for 7 50. If you're willing to let them chose you get 3 balls a soup and an appetizer for 6.50, a heck of a deal and lunch! The plum was a bit too sour for me but I almost died when I bit into the flavorful eel (not the baked one the one with rice and eel on top) and the light crab salad. Heaven.

Next, take a 15 minute walk up to 53rd between 5th and 6th and check out Moma. (Free on Fridays 4-8) This weekend is the last you can check out inquisitive photography by Jeff Wall and the Comic Abstractions closes on the 11th but my favorite current exhibit by far is the installation Projects 85: Dan Perjovschi. Featuring humorous and provocative sketch drawings taking up three floors of wall space, and creeping around the sides, this piece offers not only comic respite but food for thought. Lay back on the plush black benches (I literally lay on them for about 15 minutes dissolving into laughter) and enjoy! The sculpture garden outside is great too, just don't run or spin through the giant metallic pieces winding around the space, the security gaurds don't like it too much :)

Last but not least take another walk to 32nd between 5th and 6th for
3. Pinkberry dessert! Hard to describe (like tart yogurt?) but beyond addictive, these bowls of deliciousness might be more than the regular cost of ice cream (5.95 for a medium with three toppings) but you'll never get over the incredibleness they can contain on a hot muggy day (or any day infact). Ask for it with rice cakes, (a chewy substance they hide below the counter so it's not on display for the mere mortals), raspberries and chocolate chips and it's the perfect end to the PERFECT NYC day.

Free as I like it (Picasso would too)

Here's a list of museums in the city and the nights they have "pay as you wish" aka free days. Keep in mind that many museums are pay as you wish all the time (ie the Met, though the guards might stare you down if you don't give a buck or two) these are just the nights that museums allow you to go all out on your broke-ness. These nights can be more crowded but enjoy away!

Tuesdays:
Brooklyn Botanical Garden, all day!
Wave Hill, all day


Thursdays:
New Museum of Contemporary Art, 6-8pm (note! I got this one from another website, it might need verification!)
Children's Museum of the Arts, 4-6pm

Fridays:
MOMA, 4: 30- 8: 15pm
Whitney, 6-9pm
Guggenheim, 5:45- 7:45pm (last ticket issued at 7:15)
Asia Society, 6-9pm
Bronx Museum of the Arts, All day!
International Center of Photography, 5-8pm

Saturdays:
Brooklyn Botanical Garden, 10am-noon
Jewish Museum, 11 am - 5: 45pm
Wave Hill, 9am- noon
Studio Museum in Harlem, First Sat of each month

what about the met you ask? sillies, it's ALWAYS "pay as you wish"! ;)

DISCLAIMER: clearly I do not advocate putting these fine fine institutions, least of all the Met, out of business by failing to pay admissions. For the time being while we are broke 20somethings though, I think we could all use a little relief. Those of you who will actually be making big bucks some day can pay back for the rest of us when you wish you were young and eating only mac and cheese again!

Toga Toga Toga

Hey! I just got wind of a new event from the Met College Group, a free toga party at the Met to celebrate the opening of their new greek and roman galleries. I went to their Paris event last semester and it was a lot of fun, crowded but enjoyable with free drinks and desserts (no wine though) and best of all it's free!

To RSVP email metcollegegroup@metmuseum.org

and to check out more about the event go to

Met College Group

oh! And all you need is a student id so grad students or those with no expiration date need not fear (plus, they never even checked my id last time) hurrah!