Bad Bloggers

New Years Resolution: Be a better blogger...

New Years in NYC is overwhelming with options. The options are so daunting in fact that you almost want to stay home as you suffer from indecision.

For those of you who don't have a house show/party to trek to there are some New Years events that seem well worth $20-30 or are completely free:

 

New Lost City : New Years Eve. 3rd Ward's joint event with the underground party group New Lost City. Presenting two warehouses converted into four spaces emblematic of our city, gritty and glamorous. Full of aerial acts, female chandeliers, fire spinners, casinos, DJs, THREE large brass bands, and cheap drinks. Free champange and gifts if you don a feather mask. $29.

Surreal Estate's New Years Eve Bike Benefit. A pirate themed fundraiser for the Bedford Bike Lane Activist Defense Fund. Help support the crew who brought you the new and improved Bedford Ave Bike Lane after it was removed by the city for "safety" (aka Mayor Bloomberg catering to religious political factions for re-election). Three floors of pirates, DJs, booty loads of bands all for $20 (give a little extra if you can, these guys need your support they're up against some tough and rich opposition). Arg!

Radegast Bier Hall in Coney Island has the Coney Island Side Show performing so you can ring in the new year like a carney. FREE.

And to get rid of that hang over on New Years Day, join the Coney Island Polar Bear Club for their annual New Years Plunge!

Still want more options for New Years check out any of the links on the right they have some serious New Years Eve event guides.

-Alyssa

Brokelyn, since the Great Recession of 2008...

This is my new favorite website, maybe my only favorite website...

Brokelyn provides a response to the increasingly overpriced borough we all know and love as BK.
Both Mindy and myself are based in NYC but chose to reside and spend most of our time in Brooklyn. Brooklyn is the soon to be most populated and diverse borough (take that, Queens). And as a result of it's increasing popularity and dropping crime rate we've noted the spike in prices across the board. That is where Brokelyn, comes in. Brokelyn answers all of your questions about how to live cheaply in this overpriced city. Such "brokelyner" topics from shopping to health care to neighborhood excursions to starting your own Etsy are covered. Find your wallet a little thin these days and don't know where to take that hottie this weekend, check out Brokelyn's Cheap Date Guide. And now I know where to go for reasonably priced acupuncture.

Other things Brokelyners didn't know about this gorgeous borough:

• The oldest stone Dutch house in NYC is sitting in the industrial wasteland of Bushwick/Ridgewood...Onderdonk House has FREE (technically suggested donation) visiting hours on Saturdays from 1pm to 5pm. Grab some eats at Los Hermanos for a taco lunch or Northeast Kingdom for brunch.
• Anyone who's gone, raves about the NYC Transit Museum, located in the historic Brooklyn Heights neighborhood with $5 admission fee. Now you'll fully appreciate the subway system and it's humble beginnings in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.
  
• Though on the pricey end of things (aka $15) you can take a trolly tour through the Greenwood Cemetery, a perfect excursion for the pre-Halloween season. Or you could just walk through one of the most beautiful resting places for FREE.

That's all. Enjoy the temporary break in the cold this weekend.

-Alyssa

Mindy's Guide to Upcoming Shows

I fully intend to go to all of the following shows because I am a very ambitious person.

09/25 - Stark & Nimo - Goodbye Blue Monday
09/25 - Daniel Francis Doyle - Silent Barn
09/28 - Mono - BoweryBallroom
09/29 - Sister Suvi, Afuche - Sycamore
09/30 - Ava Luna - Death By Audio, in the MAZE
10/01 - THE STATE w/ Michael Showalter & Michael Ian Black - Bell House *
10/02 - Zs - Death By Audio, in the MAZE
10/03 - Micachu & The Shapes, A.C.M.E. - Le Poisson Rouge *
10/06 - tUnE-yArDs - Union Hall *
10/08 - American Contemporary Music Ensemble (A.C.M.E.) - Galapagos *
10/09 - Thee Oh Sees - Bell House

*Already secured a ticket

See you there?
- Mindy

Spacecraft and Farms and Sidewalks

Even though I am gone this weekend, I wanted to let you know that I added a few things to the calendar over the next few days, including:

• Friday Free screening of Apollo 13 on Intrepid's flight deck at Pier 86.
• Saturday: bk farmlands fundraiser at Compound Brooklyn in Bed-Stuy that will feature live music, DJs, original artwork, dance troupe, local food & drinks, growing display, cooking demonstrations, and games. All donations go toward creating more farmyards.
• Saturday & Sunday: Circa Now Sidewalk Sale on 6th St between Bowery and 2nd Ave where you can supposedly find vintage clothes, shoes, bags, furniture, and kitsch for as low as one dollar.

Have a happy weekend!

-Mindy

July 31st is EMPTY

I was looking at the NYC To Do List calendar today and realized that out of the entire month of July, Friday the 31st is the only day with NOTHING listed to do. Comment and let me know what's going on that day so we can fill it up. I mean, it's a Friday, so surely something is happening.

As for tonight's events:
I will be checking out the free screening of West Side Story (a personal favorite) at the Elevated Acre. I am sad, though, that I will be missing out on seeing Harold & Maude (another favorite) at Bryant Park. And if movies don't get you excited, Skeletons are playing a free show at Zebulon tonight. No excuses for staying in!

Lotsa Luv,
Mindy

Mindy's Mid-Week Crap

Not to be outdone by The Ging, I too have a few things up my sleeve for this week!

Wednesday:
I plan to be flat out ballsy and try and go to TWO free events in one evening.
First I will whisk down to Stuy-Town for a FREE performance by Kaki King from 6-9pm, and will then make the scramble to McCarren Park via the L train to catch the FREE showing of Evil Dead 2 (where hopefully Alyssa will somehow manage to save me a seat? wink?).

Thursday:
Bruar Falls without a doubt - we are in agreement there! But if you for some reason do not want to go (though I cannot fathom why), there is a FREE Kronos Quartet concert at Prospect Park Bandshell that looks pretty great - check out Celebrate Brooklyn for more details.

Friday:
Stark & Nimo play another set at Goodbye Blue Monday, in case you miss the Thursday show.

Saturday:
For those that could care less about Siren Fest this year (myself included), there are some cool FREE events happening for the 2009 Big Draw. I specifically would want to attend this at the World Financial Center Winter Garden from 11am-4pm:

Join Suzanne Bocanegra in creating drawings on outdated and recycled music scores that will immediately be performed in ongoing improvisations by the renowned American string group, Flux Quartet.

Location:
Between Vesey and Liberty Streets and West Side Highway and the Hudson River

Sunday:
A little Andre in the morning may be in order so that I can gather my senses, and then I will be off to the FREE Dirty Projectors show at the Williamsburg Waterfront!

Whew, Okay, Done.

xoxo,
Mindy

Midweek Update

It's Tuesday! And there is "nothing" to do. I call bullshit.

It's time for another FREE Secret Science Club at Bell House!
Tonight's speaker is Dr. Donald Johanson, the finder of Lucy the " 3.2-million-year-old early hominid—in the Afar region of Ethiopia. With about 40 percent of Lucy's skeleton intact, she represented a new species, Australopithecus afarensis." (Secret Science Club, July 5, 2009).

I know, too much nerd in one sentence for most of you. But if you miss Dr. Johanson's talk tonight about human development and evolution you can at least check out Lucy's remains at the Discovery Time Square Exposition.


Wednesday, is hump day. And if you're not humping or looking for a little something to set the mood; there's another Drink and Draw at 3rd Ward. With booze, boobies, and charcoal pencils. For $15, ($10 with a friend or date?) you can drink as much PBR as you want and sketch a live model as fast as you can. Bring your own art fart supplies.

Or if you aren't so artistically inclined there is the second, I know I didn't mention the first, FREE SummerScreen (formerly in the McCarren Park Pool now on McCarren's ball fields). Wednesday's showing is Evil Dead 2, you don't have to be an artist to appreciate the beauty of gore, comedy and an army of zombies.

And Thursday, last but not least, I'll demand your attendance at the amazing show happening at Bruar Falls! For ONLY $5 you'll be able to listen to the picnic in winter sounds of Jason Anthony Harris, the absurdly post-pop Stark and Nimo, the cool insanity that is Afuche, and the "unpredictable" Hi Red Center.

Be There or Be Lame!

-Alyssa


(quotation about Hi Red Center is from Pitchfork.com)

"What's going on tonight?"

Q: How many times have Mindy and myself gotten the question, "What's going on tonight?"
The answer is countless.

Why do you think we made a blog with information, reviews and CALENDAR WITH EVENTS COMING OUT OF ITS BEHIND?!

Now, no one I know can use, "I didn't know about that show/event?" as an excuse. It's on the calendar!

So let me now share some tips on how to stay connected to the NYC To-Do List. Firstly, sign up for a Google calendar! It's quick simple and kicks Outlook's ass. You can have email reminders for events sent to yourself, handy right?

Secondly, there is the crazy invention since the dawning of the blogosphere called RSS feeds? If you use Google Reader, Bloglines, My Yahoo!, any feed reader or have a bookmark tab on your web browser (they all have that right?) you can subscribe to the NYC To-Do List blog posts. It will provide you with the most up to date information and rants Mindy and myself have blogged. Just go to the bottom of this page and select "Subscribe: Posts (atom)". But don't get to addicted to RSS feeds or else you may not be able to enjoy all the amazing shit going on in the outerwebs (a.k.a. the place beyond your computer screen or "reality").

Speaking of which, here are some ways to spend your weekend and feed yourself at the same time!

Friday July 10th, TODAY!
The charming and talented Jason Anthony Harris will be playing a FREE show at Goodbye Blue Monday this evening at 9pm. Hungry too? Order some of the sandwiches and cafe eatery Goodbye Blue Monday provides and enjoy the show!

Saturday July 11th, Tomorrow.
Afuche, who we know and love (and not just because we know them) is playing with Rimsky and Hungry Hands in Ryan's Basement. To enter this show you'll need to know someone else who is attending, if you know Mindy or myself personally give us a ring! The show is FREE but donations are always accepted (donations in the form of cash or beer are especially appreciated). Cheap eats right around the corner at Fresco Tortillas, I'm sure members of Afuche will join me in giving Fresco their stamp of approval.

You don't know us personally?
Check out Huggabroomstock at Goodbye Blue Monday, there is a huge BBQ and music festival from 2pm to late night! Bring something to throw on the grill.

Sunday July 12th, The Day After Tomorrow (is a horrible movie).
Moviehouse @ 3rd Ward is BACK! And they are doing a FREE screening of two raunchy sketch comedies; Titsburg and Who Died? - The Frank Zip Story. Before the screening grab some more than "just a slice" of pizza at Roberta's (it's a little pricey but so delicious) and right near the Morgan L stop.

You are a broke hipster?
Your solution is at the Bushwick Country Club, from 2pm to 4pm FREE Ice Cream.Net and Bushwick Country Club have teamed up to provide you with FREE BBQ and FREE Maker's Mark Milkshakes while it lasts. Shoot some putt putt after stuffing yourself with some grilling and milkshakes. You'll still have time to make it over to the Moviehouse Screening, too!

And we would like to thank Heidi for her lovely posting about us on Skirts and Tights! This a shout out in response to a shout out. Hell yes! Even old school MTV didn't have that many shout outs at once!

-Alyssa

Weekend Triathlon

I'm no longer going to Cincinnati, OH for the weekend so I thought I'd provide the general public with my ultimate outdoor weekend in NY.

It's almost hot and sunny so take advantage of your momentary break in the clouds.

This is my master plan for a weekend triathlon out of and around NYC. A bike, food, wine, less than $20 and possibly a swimsuit is required.

Begin Saturday, early morning. Bike the 18 mile ride from Williamsburg, BK to The Cloisters along the Hudson River Greenway. Picnic with a bottle of wine and some food and then tour the Cloisters (pay only a $1, since it's donation anyway).


View Larger Map

Hop back on the bike and take the Hudson River Greenway down to Pier 96 on 57th St and the Hudson River. Downtown Boathouse offers free kayaking from 9am to 5:30pm every weekend. Kayak to your hearts content.

Or if you prefer swimming stop by the Riverbank State Park and enjoy views of the Hudson and an Olympic sized pool for only $2.

Get on the bike and finish up the last 10 miles or so back to BK.

Nap. And then head down to the FREE NYC Opera performance on the Pier at South Street Seaport!

Get up early Sunday and be prepared for a day full of hiking and the Hudson. Go to Grand Central Station to catch the Metro North to Croton-Harmon ($8.25 one way) and hike the 3 miles to the start of the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail at Croton Gorge Park. The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct have a FREE map of the trail from the Croton Dam Plaza to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, click above. Hike south along the trail and just north of Ossining is the large Crawbuckie Park, take a picnic if hungry. Continue south pass by Sing Sing. Continue until you've hiked the 15+ miles to Tarrytown (aka Sleepy Hollow). Eat food and visit the cemetery. Catch the train from Tarrytown Station back to the city ($8.25). Hikinglite has put together a rundown of the bike ride along the Croton Aqueduct Trail.

Get home and take another nap.

That's my actively filled weekend. Thank goodness it's starting to look like summer outside.

-Alyssa

Galactic Origins, Festivals and Acoustic Beach BBQs

Go see BLAST! Playing June 12-18 @ Cinema Village
You will be enthralled watching scientists try to get a telescope into space using a hot air balloon and all the things that can go wrong. I love this documentary. And at the IFC showing last night, I found out about FREE Stargazing at Columbia University. Tonight may not be the best night but for future reference, nerds here is your new date night excursion.

Starting tonight and until Sunday, is L Magazine's Northside Festival. Hundreds of bands and art openings will flood Williamsburg. Come and check out Arminda and myself put on some moves for Afuche, playing Saturday at the Hooves on the Turf Showcase, 1pm, Trophy Bar.

And the indie music booking agent, Todd P, will have an Unamplified Acoustic Show and BBQ on Rockaway Beach - Fort Tilden, noon this Sunday. The line up is overwhelming and unplugged, it's FREE and all ages! I'll be biking out there from Bwick when I recover from my hangover. Anyone want to join me?

-Alyssa

First Bryant Park Movie of the Summer

One of the few shining reasons I can manage to tolerate midtown is about to start again - Bryant Park Summer Film Festival! The lawn opens Monday at 5pm and McCool is saving space with her trusty lawn blanket. I plan to bring hummus and pita from Crisp and wine or something along that line will surely be involved. The movie starts at dusk and they always show a classic cartoon beforehand. Also, be ready to clap and dance to the old-school 80's HBO Feature Presentation clip.

Monday, June 15th:
The Sting (1973) starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford



-Mindy

Because 3rd Ward is sexy!

I love 3rd Ward, with an undying passion.

I love their workshops and classes on everything from silk screening to welding. I'm dying to take the woodworking classes. Plus, if you are a freelancer and join the Freelancers Union you can get discounted rates on every class 3rd Ward offers!

I also love their FREE EVENTS which almost always involve FREE DRINKS.

I'm a big fan of the Sweatshop Social Nights where they bring out home-brewed beer and a group, Bags for the People, show you how to sew reusable bags that are then donated to local greenmarkets. I'm happy to reduce the use of plastic!

Or the Handmade Music Nights, hosted by Create Digital Music, where I love to hit on nerdy boys and chug PBR.

And the Block Party they threw at the beginning of May was unbelievably awesome!

So keep it coming 3rd Ward, I want you so hard. So hard in fact that I should have made my Sex Cells submission about your gorgeous ass.

-Alyssa (aka Ginger)

P.S. Go check out the Sex Cells Gallery Opening this FRIDAY, FREE: drinks, sexting-porn and tunes from DJ Alden F. Fonda and Unicornicopia!

Alyssa and Arminda join forces

This blog has been on hiatus for a while, but behind the scenes, Alyssa and I have created a kick-ass calendar that we think fully encompasses some of the coolest FREE things happening in Brooklyn and the city for the summer (think of it as a one-stop calendar shop).

As a result, Alyssa is now co-pilot, the layout has been updated, and the calendar is on view for all to see.

xoxo,
Arminda

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