Thanks Style Me Cheaply for the heads up on this event:



For one day only, Lucky Magazine is bringing back its Lucky Shops Event this Thursday on Bleecker Street from 6-9pm. Many of the shops have free food, wine, cheese and freebies, so click the map to check out what's going on!

Click here for free coupons and more details.

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FILTER magazine is holding screenings for It's Kind of a Funny Story, starring Kier Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis, and Emma Roberts. RSVP to the screening in NYC TONIGHT! Seating will be on a first come, first served basis, so arrive early!

There will be Q&A after the show.


September 29th
7:00pm

Chelsea Cinema 9
260 West 23rd Street
New York, NY 10011

Click to RSVP (scroll to bottom of the page)

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Threadless has launched a limited time pop-up store in the Lower East Side which will offer a selection of classic Threadless designs, interesting/rare designs along with their new upscale Select line, which are original Threadless designs, tinkered on, blown up, scaled back, with the original concepts intact. They're printed with water-based inks and made from premium materials, like pima and organic cotton.

Oh, and did we mention there's a FREE PARTY tonight?


From Threadless:

Threadless is launching a new premium line of clothing!

Come party at the Threadless NYC pop-up shop on Wednesday, September 29th at 7:00 PM. Be the first to peep this new clothing line and meet your favorite Threadless staffers in person.

Did we mention there will be a killer set performed by DJ Neil Aline?

Threadless Pop-Up Shop
186 Orchard
New York, NY 10002
RSVP: http://threadlessselectlaunchparty.eventbrite.com/

Drinks provided by Bear Flag Wine, AriZona Beverages and Goose Island Beer Company.

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Theater Communication Group is bringing back its Free Night of Theater program in cities across the nation. Patrons can choose between a number of different plays in their region, and New York has free shows throughout the entire month!

Tickets may be reserved online beginning at 10am on 9/29. You can reserve one pair of tickets per person.

Titles that caught our eye:
• (oh my god I am so) THIRST(Y)
• As If
• Banished Children of Eve
• DNA PRESENTS: RAW material
• Once Upon a Time in New Jersey – A New Musical Comedy *

*NYCRD cannot guarantee a lack or abundance of fist pumping in this show.

Check out their website for more info.

-- D. Kareem, NYCRD Contributor

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Thanks to the skint for the heads up on this launch party tonight!

Be sure to download the invite and take it with you.
It's that time of the year again when the weather gets cooler, the kids go back to school, and NFT releases a brand new New York guide. This year is super special because we've completely redesigned it from front to back--new neighborhood descriptions, curated lists of our favorite picks, a new page on the High Line...we're not messing around for 2011. Check out an online preview. Help us celebrate by stopping by Brass Monkey on September 28 at 6 pm for a complimentary 2011 guide and drink. We love Brass Monkey because it's one of the few spots in the Meatpacking District that you don't need to be a supermodel or i-banker to get in the door. (Note: If you happen to be a supermodel or i-banker, you're still invited and we hope you come. We don't judge.) Remember, the free stuff runs out fast, so don't be late! Download the PDF invite to bring with you.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Brass Monkey
55 Little West 12th St
New York
NY
212-675-6686
www.brassmonkeybar.com

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Chick lit aficionados, you would've had a blast the other night. After the crazy weather passed, I went out to DUMBO and hung out with Lindsey Kelk, author of I Heart New York. The UK transplant-turned-NYC editor celebrated the overseas edition of her novel at powerhouse arena with friends and fans.

I was wowed by the space. The venue is a bookstore that converts into an awesome warehouse-like venue at night. There was a nice crowd of fans and friends to add to the ambiance. While mingling and sipping on wine compliments of powerhouse books, the adorable Ms. Kelk walked in with a navy blue dress and red Mary Jane pumps. Super cute and friendly, she walked around and talked to everyone. She sat down for a few to read the first chapter, which was full of witty banter about a girl who discovers her boyfriend cheating at her bestie's wedding.


More discussion, wine and book signings followed the reading. I took a photo with the lovely lady, whose shy, humble and witty attitude made me want to go read the book ASAP. Go grab it, especially if you're looking for a book about a girl who falls upon life and love in NYC!

--Jasmine Senaveratna, NYCRD Contributor

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Grethe is a white 50-something year old woman who lost her husband all of three weeks before. She’s lives in Chicago, not far from her son Connor and his partner Daniel. As she mourns the loss of her husband, she’s surprisingly hopeful with the new addition to the family: Connor and Daniel’s soon-to-arrive adopted daughter Penny. What Connor failed to tell her was that her new granddaughter was black. And 13 years old.

Though Grethe misses her husband, she sees her new situation as a chance to explore a life she never had as a Midwestern homemaker. She writes a letter to Mhambi, an old ‘friend’ from college who happens to be a debonair Nigerian poet living in London. Their reconnection awakens long-forgotten emotions, and Mhambi comes to visit Grethe a couple of months later, much to the dismay of her still-grieving son Connor. It certainly doesn’t help that Penny’s adjustment to her new family isn’t going as swimmingly as Connor and Daniel had hoped; the couple ponders sending her back to the agency she came from.

Playwright Cody Daigle composes a script that elicits belly laughs, sympathy, and perhaps even a tear (not from me, of course). Rather than being conduits for a single protagonist’s story, each character is a complete, 3-dimentional person who shows a range of emotions. Grethe’s character is especially brilliant. While she starts out as a slightly over-bearing, judgmental mother, we see her express true concern for her son and his partner, extend a loving hand to her adopted granddaughter, and exhibit giddy, almost teen-like behavior around Mhambi. Each of the actors conveys their character’s emotions and motivations effectively, and the cast’s chemistry on stage is outstanding!

I found this show to be unusually optimistic in its portrayal of old(er) age. Grethe has just lost her husband, but rather than wallowing in her grief and feeling sorry for herself, she took the opportunity to change her life. Mhambi comes, and their connection is instant! And what makes this situation more relatable to me is that it’s far from ideal circumstances. He lives in London, it’s only a few months after her husband’s death, and her son is still very much grieving his father’s death. She’s no spring chicken, and she hasn’t seen this man in 35 years, yet her confidence and affection for him outweigh any insecurity she might have about her age, condition, or situation. It’s certainly not rainbows pouring out of a casket; neither is it gloomy and morbid. I walked away thoroughly entertained.

But if you go, bring a seat cushion. 2.5 hours (including an intermission) is a long time to be sitting on a hard wooden seat!

A Home across the Ocean
The Studio at Theatre Row
By Cody Daigle
Directed by Dev Bondarin
410 W 42nd St.
212-239-2600
www.mtworks.org

Through October 2, 2010:
Tuesdays, 7pm
Wednesdays - Saturdays, 8pm

Tickets are $18.00 and are available at telecharge.com or by calling 212.239.6200. For more information visit mtworks.org.

-- D. Kareem, NYCRD Contributor

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Apparently September is National Honey Month, so honeydrop beverages will be celebrating at Bowery Whole Foods on Thursday, September 30th from 12pm-4pm by passing out FREE honeydrop bottles! The samples include Be Alive (Blood Orange), Bee Calm (Chamomile) and Bee Strong (Blueberry).

honeydrop is actually a brand new company that makes organic beverages sweetened only with organic honey. CEO David Luks created this healthy drink that has 0 sugar, chemicals, high fructose corn syrup or other additives - not to mention it has fewer calories.

Stop by Bowery Whole Foods for your own free sample to see what the buzz is about!

Thursday, September 30, 2010
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Bowery Whole Foods
95 East Houston Street
New York, NY 10002

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Deals and steals are everywhere in NYC! Here are the highlights from last week’s postings.

• Are you wo/man enough to live up to the Frutober challenge? You could cut your month’s expenses by 40%!
  
• Get free tickets to Lombardi on Broadway ($230 value) from 1iota! Click for info.
  
• Visaprint is giving you free tote bags, note pads, and other printed items. Totally free! Click for info.
  
• In Style mag and Saks Fifth Avenue are teaming up with Foursquare to give you free Nars lipstick. Click for info.
  

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[The view of the dining room in the Astoria Manor upon entering.]

[ChickenFlauta from El Coyote]

[Garlic Shrimp from Cafe Ole]

[Vat of carmelized onions for the burgers at 5 Napkin Burger]

[Me with a chef from Dino's Bar and Restaurant]

October isn't just the month for carving pumpkins, binge eating on candy, and dressing like a skank for Halloween, it's also National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Just about everyone has been in some way, affected by cancer and about 40,000 women are estimated to die from breast cancer this year. So instead of embracing all of the orange and green of the season, try out pink!

PrettyCity.com, the geniuses behind events like this and this are bringing back the 6th annual Pretty in Pink month-long event. For the 31 days of October, enjoy beauty services at NYC's most amazing spas for only $31 a pop. Some services include: lash extensions, teeth whitening, massages, facials, haircuts, and a ton of other things.

A lot of the services are usually hundreds of dollars, so imagine what you'll be saving!

To participate in this amazing offer, sign up here at the PrettyCity website and also check out which spas are participating. If you're not sure how this relates to National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, here is how it works: each participating location pays a fee to participate, and 100% of the fees raised are donated to Bright Pink, a non-profit providing education and support to women at risk for breast cancer. Getting pampered while you donate to a good cause, how could you not?

-- Samantha Chin, NYCRD Contributor

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InStyle magazine has teamed up with Saks Fifth Avenue and Foursquare to offer styling tips a free lipstick from Nars!

To redeem this offer, you need to sign up for an account at Foursquare.com, follow InStyle, and then download the FREE foursquare mobile application to your phone.

Then, follow these three steps:

1) Visit a participating Saks Fifth Avenue store in Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Boston, Chicago, New York City, Phoenix, San Francisco, Short Hills, NJ, or Troy, MI.

2) Check-in at InStyle-branded hot spots located in four departments throughout Saks Fifth Avenue—in Shoes, Beauty, WEAR and Women’s Contemporary—to unlock exclusive shopping tips from InStyle editors.

3) After visiting two or more hot spots, head to the store’s General Manager’s office, show off your check-ins, and nab that new Nars Pure Matte lipstick (while supplies last)!

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Last year I did a very successful money saving experiment called Frutober. The name is derived by combining the word “frugal” with “October” and stands for spending money very wisely for the month, mostly by cutting back on eating out and paying for entertainment. Last I was able to cut my living expenses for the month by 40%! You can read all about it here.

I plan to do it again this year and I’m calling out to readers to join me.

The rules are simple – you allow yourself a $75 food budget, no exceptions. This forces you to carefully choose your groceries and select when you pay for food. You are allowed to eat free food (whether it be from work, a friend who offers out of their own kindness, or food at an event/party) and this does not detract from your budget. You are allowed and encouraged to eat food from your cupboards and freezer that you have accumulated over time. Of course stock piling on purpose in September is cheating, but I’m not going to judge that.

Since everyone needs a life, allow yourself an additional $25 dollars to spend on going out. This is your “party/entertainment budget” and will probably be spent on open bar tips for the bartender and Vitamin Waters the day after (this is experience speaking).

You are definitely not supposed to buy clothes or other frivolous items during this month (unless you can justify it out of your entertainment budget), so you are encouraged to stay away from stores and to avoid online shopping at all costs. However, feel free to use gift cards or stores credits you have accumulated – just don’t too much spend over.

Toiletry purchases (soap, aspirin, vitamins, detergent, etc.) are up to your discretion during Frutober. However, you are encouraged to use toiletries you may have stock piled to increase your personal savings ratio.

The single pre-meditated purchase you are allowed (and highly encouraged to make) in September is…. your Halloween outfit!

Halloween is the night you are finally let of the hook to celebrate how you would normally. So if that involves an expensive bar ticket or a cab ride home, give it to yourself for a job well done!

Feel free to blog along with me if you’re interested in doing your own personal Frutober, but I’m also doing an open call looking for contributors who would like to share their own Frutober experiences. Benefits will include insider invites to parties and events where you can party for free (save bartender tips) with other NYCRD contributors! Apply now to be a Frutober contributor by emailing NYCRD at nyc recession diary @ gmail. com.

--Katharine Ricci, NYCRD Executive Editor

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There is no exhibitionist in me, but I don't mind looking at others in their underwear. And for some reason, this happens often enough in NYC to please me (thanks to the Naked Cowboy, college and the models at Abercrombie & Fitch).

ANNOUNCEMENT: PLEASE LIKE NYCRD ON FACEBOOK FOR SPECIAL FACEBOOK ONLY OFFERS!

Lots of museums have free days, as Newyorkology reports. However, Smithsonian Magazine is mixing it up by naming September 25 FREE MUSEUM DAY. Everyone can register for a FREE ticket to a museum on September 25 thanks to Smithsonian Magazine. Tell a friend and you both can register for the same place and make it a special day out!


For your Free Museum Day ticket, fill out this online form. Your ticket will be emailed to you and you must print it to redeem.

Close to 80 New York museums are participating.

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On 93rd and Third Avenue there is a place that takes you away from the hustle and bustle of the city and lets you nosh on delicious food while there. Marmara is the place, and a variety of tasty Turkish cuisine is what you will get.

The Lower East Side of New York used to be a downright scary place, but it's morphed into arguably one of the coolest neighborhoods in the city. It's also the designated location for New York Magazine and (capsule)'s first ever New York Shop Walk.

On Tuesday and Wednesday September 21-22, shoppers of every kind are invited to visit the LES for two days of deals and discounts at some amazing stores. There are men's stores, women's stores, restaurants and cafes, galleries and even a skateboard shop and spa participating; there will be something for everyone. On the two days of shopping, the stores will be open from 12-8 pm. In a neighborhood that basically oozes cool, the New York Shop Walk will sure to be the first of many.

It would be a day of shopping without some FREEBIES! During the day at the ShopWalk Lounge enjoy complimentary snacks and beverages, mingle with friends and fellow shoppers, and take advantage of other promotions.

At night indulge in complimentary mini spa treatments at the Lounge, courtesy of Valley, and toast your new purchases with a glass of wine, compliments of Bear Flag Wine from 6–9PM.

For participating stores, a map, and any other information on the 2010 New York Shop Walk, click here!

--Samantha Chin, NYCRD Contributor

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Attention all - act now to get two legit free tickets to see LOMBARDI on Broadway from 1iota!

I just confirmed my two free Broadway tickets to next Tuesday, Sept 28 so this is really exciting. If 1iota confirms your tickets, you are guaranteed! The available performances are for Sept 23 - Oct 2.

The tickets are regularly $115 - so I just got $230 worth of entertainment for $0.

If you can't get confirmed free tickets from 1iota, get really discounted tickets by clicking here ($49-$79).

Click here to register with 1iota and get your free Lombardi Broadway tickets.


More info on the show: http://www.lombardibroadway.com

--Katharine Ricci, NYCRD Executive Editor

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Today ONLY you can get a free medium french fries from McDonalds. Go Go Go!

Print the coupon.


Thanks to NYC Daily Deals for the heads up!

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If you're the type with a Tuesday afternoon to kill, we A) envy you and B) present you with Fashion Interaction's “Brunch, Jazz and Bellinis,” a free event being held tomorrow:

“Brunch, Jazz and Bellinis” will kick off the day at 11am, followed by lunchtime 10 minute-massages at noon. Beauty experts will give you the latest tips for fall 2010 from 2-4pm, and then Professional Fashion Stylists will provide personal shopping assistance from 4-6pm. From 6-9pm, we will be hosting a wine tasting, DJ’s and live music. There will be gift bags available with special goodies as well. Plan for a full day of shopping, fun, and entertainment, and stay tuned for more details!


Event: "Fashion Interaction"
When: Sep 21, 2010 11:00 AM — 9:00 PM
Where: AVENYC
15 West 28th Street Suite 10B New York NY 10001
FREE, 11am-9pm
Live music performances from AFP artist's Barry Komitor and Abby Bernstein.
RSVP: events@artforprogress.org
DJ sets from Brett Crenshaw and DJ Jago (Clash of the Artists Champion)

Wine Tasting courtesy of Winerium
10 Minute Massages from Julia Webb

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At Vistaprint you can get all kinds of cool printed materials for free! Check out some of their current offers, which includes:

Tote Bags: 1 Bag FREE
Perfect for everyday use, these 100% canvas tote bags can be customized with your name and message. Choose from 24 designs.

FREE Tote Bags

Sticky Notes: Reg. $4.99 - FREE
Personalized sticky notes are perfect for work or home. These adhesive 3" x 3" pads (with 50 sheets each) are full-color, easy to customize and available in quantities of one pad to 2,000 pads.

Note Pads: Reg. $8.99 - FREE
For business notes, shopping lists and more. Fifty full-color sheets per pad. Choose from hundreds of designs. Optional magnetic backing (offered at checkout) keeps pad handy.

Postcards: 100 Starting at $24.99 - FREE
Use standard postcards to stay in front of your customers with quick announcements, special offers and more.

Address Labels: 140 for FREE
Convenient self-sticking labels are useful for letters and packages, or to label books and other items. Hundreds of full-color designs.

*This is a NYCRD Social Circle Deal. Our sponsors rock! Opinions our own.

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Deals and steals are everywhere in NYC! Here are the highlights from last week’s postings.

• Get Free Chips and Queso at Chili's!
  
• Your Retailer Helper tracked down 27 (yes 27!) shopping coupons to save you money. You can’t afford not to check this out! Click for info.
• BOGO Jamba Juice smoothies with this printable coupon through Wednesday! Click for info.
• Dish du Jour Magazine will be holding their 9th Annual Food and Wine Tasting: The Cuisine of Queens and Beyond next Tuesday 9/21 at the Astoria World Manor from 6-9 p.m. Buy tickets!
• Start your own business by selling Avon!

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Drinking on an NYC rooftop never really gets old. However it gets a little chilly outside once fall comes around, so Time Out New York is preparing to throw its last event for the On the Rooftop series on Tuesday, September 21.

This time, Time Out has chosen the super cool Showtime House at the Cassa Hotel. The Showtime House is a place of design and technology inspired by some if Showtime's hit series, such as Californication, Dexter (personal favorite), Weeds, Nurse Jackie and more.

Tickets are $25 and include a two-hour open bar from 6-8 pm featuring beverages by Stella Artois and Bushmills Irish Whiskey. Portions of the proceeds will go to the Food Bank for New York City. Officially end the summer and the On the Rooftop series with a drink in your hand, overlooking our gorgeous city.

On the Rooftop at Showtime House
Tuesday, September 21
6-8 PM
Showtime House at the Cassa Hotel
70 W. 45th St.

To purchase tickets, please click here.

-- Samantha Chin, NYCRD Contributor

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