One of the best things about living in New York is that you have a frequent and constant access to free shit. And I'm not talking about the "best things in life are free" free shit, but actual tangible, edible, drinkable, appreciate-able (sp?) free food, drink, and events. I discovered FreeNYC several years ago, and have since then been receiving a constant flow of free shit in my inbox every morning at promptly 9am. (Ever since I got my BlackBerry, this prompt 9am email has also had the dual purpose of reminding me to stop whatever I am screwing around with and leave immediately or I will be late for work--such a convenient little "ping!")
Today I am writing about free shit because of the sheer quality of the past two days' free events. Yesterday my friend Sam had a wonderfully free afternoon. We first attended our usual 6pm class at the magnificent Yoga to The People. Technically YTTP is donation based, not free, but my $2 donation had such a meager effect on my wallet that I will allow myself to think of it as so. (For fellow yogis out there--I highly recommend YTTP--the instructors are incredibly talented, and payment is optional. They have 3 studios in the city). After a sweat-drenched workout during which a man named Reggie aggressively roared when encouraged to "release his emotions" during our downward facing dogs, Sam and I headed to the FreeNYC-recommended Taste of Times Square festival. For 10 $1 food tickets, we gorged ourselves on decadent mushroom ravioli, delicious lump crab cakes, heaping plates of mussels, cheesy eggplant parmigiana lasagna, grilled salmon sliders, tuna tartar with salads of pickled beets and grapes, grilled vegatable skewers and warm brownie dessert. Over 40 Times Square restaurants served their fare for $1-4 over the course of two New York avenues, bringing plethoras of cheap foodies. Sam is one of the types of friends that I mentioned in my previous posts--the kind that despite being a perfectly healthy and non-culinary educated individual, keeps her TV constantly tuned to the Food Network, and we both had a ball with our large selections of free-ish food.
After a wonderful $12 dollar evening, I woke this morning that this second Tuesday of June marks the annual Museum Mile Festival! The Museum Mile Festival is an epic display of free shit--the many museums among the Mile, including the Guggenheim (photo above) and the Met are open to free-shit lovers everywhere. From 6-9, anyone is welcome to enjoy art and refreshments at the 9 museums participating. And to top it all of, thanks to the Thrillist listserv, I've scored an invitation to a three hour Absolut Vodka sponsored open bar for me and a +1 tonight. My best friend, Rachel, has just gotten back from Italy and I can think of no better way to celebrate her arrival in the land of the free and the home of the brave than with gratis cocktails (or you know...shots) and complimentary art.
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