NYC on the Cheap: What to Do - HSBC presents Week of Wimbledon

Activities include:

Complimentary Strawberries and Cream: Stop by our carts for a traditional Wimbledon treat distributed between 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. daily.

For more info...

NYC on the Cheap: What to Do - SummerStage 2009

SummerStage '09 is almost here...

Some events are ticketed, some are not.
Some require a modest fee or donation, most do not.
Actually, most events are FREE.

Check out this summer's events now!

NYC on the Cheap: What to Do - Free Yoga classes in Brooklyn

Every Monday night, from 6:30pm to 7:30pm, the YWCA of Brooklyn offers a free yoga class, with mats provided. What do you need to do?

1. Call Marie Guillaume to reserve your spot (718-875-1190 ext. 290);
2. Wear comfortable clothing; and
3. Arrive approximately 15 minutes before class stars.

Class is located at the YWCA of Brooklyn, on the 8th Floor of 30 Third Avenue (at State Street) in Downtown Brooklyn.

Free NYC Walking Tours

Free downloads of podcasts showcasing NYC sites that have been made famous in films and on TV are now available!

Courtesy of the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, these hour-long podcast tours highlight the significance of each site & start downtown, in places like Tribeca, City Hall, and Battery Park. Click for more info and/or to download.

NYC on the Cheap: What to Do - River to River Festival

Founded after September 11th in an effort to revitalize Lower Manhattan, the River to River Festival is now in its seventh year. The festival runs June through August, featuring free performing arts events at a number of locations downtown, including:

• Battery Park;
• Castle Clinton;
• The Elevated Acre at 55 Water Street;
• Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts;
• One New York Plaza;
• Rockefeller Park;
• Seaport;
• Wagner Park;
• the World Financial Center; and
  
• Zuccotti Park.

Sign up for alerts by email or text or check in frequently on the site calendar for upcoming performances of the spoken word, dance, play, and/or concert variety. From indie pop to Puccini, this is one festival you won't want to miss!

Bike Downtown Manhattan...For FREE!

Now through September 30th, the second annual Bike Around Downtown program is officially ON!

What this means: Registered members (it's free to join) can pick up a free rental bike at the Bike & Roll kiosk at the South Street Seaport for a free three-hour session, courtesy of the Downtown Alliance. Bikes can be returned back to the Seaport kiosk, or at Bike & Roll kiosks on Governors Island, Pier A in Battery Park or 12th Avenue and 43rd Street.

Why do they call it a "free rental," you ask? Because, when you register, you'll be asked for your credit card to leave a deposit. For more details on availability of helmets, wagons, and baby seats, read on!

Quamut

Every once in a while, I check quamut.com to see about the free how-to guide. They started out as a daily freebie, but have since changed to a weekly guide. Still, I've chanced upon a variety of topics, ranging from stargazing to bbq grilling (this week's topic, and just in time for Memorial Day!). And should you find a topic of interest to you, you can opt to read online and/or download the guide in pdf format. So nifty.

Free photobook @Picaboo.com

I ordered my very first photo book recently as a memento for a good friend, and managed to get a great deal: it was FREE. (Plus $7.99 for shipping via UPS Ground, of course.) That's a $9.99 value, folks. How did I do it? I clicked through this link to get a discount code, downloaded the Picaboo software, and put together a 20-page softcover book containing 60+ images. Production time is 3-5 days, and shipping will take another 3+ days, so I'll likely update about quality after I receive the order.

The only downside to ordering was that my internet had been too spotty to transmit a 27MB photobook due to bad weather. Which I didn't know until I called Picaboo's customer service line - which is open to 7pm PT (or 10pm ET...how phenomenal!) - and, after a superbly thorough diagnostic session that determined that my faulty connection - and not Picaboo - was the problem, the CSR instructed me to send my file to her via yousendit so that she could upload the album for me to place the order. Simple, no?

AND, to complicate things even further, I mistakenly typed the wrong shipping address, but, because I emailed Picaboo immediately, I was able to take advantage of their policy of allowing cancellations made within an hour of ordering. So I promptly cancelled my first order, placed my second, and emailed the CSR back with the new order # so that she could apply my one-time introductory offer to my new order. Phew. All in an hour's work!

Seriously though...major kudos to the knowledgeable, friendly & uber helpful CSR's at Picaboo - it couldn't have been done without you!