Archive for the 'Know Your City' Category

I just left midtown and apparently there was a suspicious bag that had been unattended for a couple of hours. So the cops broke out the yellow tape and blocked traffic while they waited for the fire trucks to show up. 42nd St was completely empty between Broadway and 8th, which was strange and oddly peaceful.

Symphony Space offers some of the best entertainment in the city; movies, lectures, dance, live music and theatre. But because of my financial situation(or lack thereof), often I’m torn between my desire to be well cultured and my desire to eat.

That’s where the Symphony Space Card comes in handy. For $30 you can get “The Card“, and then whenever you buy tickets, you get a discount:
selected readings - from $25 to $15
movies - from $10 to $6 (plus four free passes with free popcorn)
selected music events - $21 to $16
and all other events are available to you at member prices, which are usually about $5-10 cheaper than regular price. Even if all you do is use the free movie passes it’s completely worth it.

Buy one now, cause I just got an email saying it’s a special introductory offer, so who knows how long it’ll last.

I have it on good authority that Madonna will be making a surprise appearance at GAY Saturday at The Roxy on Saturday night. She won’t be performing (at least, is not planning on it) but will be there to introduce her new single. So get out there and ‘Shake Your Love’. . .wait. . . that was Debbie Gibson.

OK, I make fun, but the 13 year old girl in me is actually kindof excited.

UNCOOLKIDS would like to remind you that this is just a rumor and takes no responsibility if she doesn’t show.

In the spirit of October and Halloween, I spent the last couple of days checking out a few cemeteries.

The first one I went to was Greenwood, located on 25th St and 5th Ave in Brooklyn. Massive, peaceful and quiet would be the three adjectives I would use to describe this place. After spending three hours wandering, eventually becoming disoriented and lost, I think I only saw a small portion of the grounds, and never came across another person. The graves were all packed in tight, which made it beautifully macabre, and the headstones ranged from tiny slabs to beautiful cement statues to enormous crypts. I swear that some of these people are buried in places larger than my apartment.

The second cemeterie(s) I checked out was New York Marble Cemetary. It’s split into two parts, one on 2nd St between 1st and 2nd Ave, which you can see through the gate, and one on 2nd Ave between 2nd and 3rd St, which is completely hidden except for it’s entrance. It’s normally closed to the public, but I was able to go in as part of Open House New York. I have to admit I expected it to be a little more “secret garden”. It actually was pretty plain, most of the markers were just slabs on the ground, with a couple of larger tombstones thrown in. But then I learned it’s history and how it’s built, which I found fascinating. Apparently back in the early 1800’s there was a problem with cemeteries corrupting the water supply, so NYMC corrected the problem by building marble vaults the size of small rooms underground. Entire families would be buried in the vault, marked overhead with only a marble slab. So the entire area underground is pretty much hollow. Very interesting.

I apologize, all this talk of architecture takes away from the mood, so let me leave you with these photos to put you back in the spirit of the month:

Greenwood Cemetery:

New York Marble Cemetery:

Recently it’s come to my attention that there are a couple of theatres in town that offer cheap tickets to those of us who are out of college, but still not at the point financially where we’re comfortable dropping $85-$100 a seat, and don’t have the time to go wait in line at TKTS, the half price ticket booth.

Roundabout Theatre Company has a program called HipTix. If you are 18-35 you can sign up with them in advance (which really means nothing more than logging onto the website and giving them your name and address) and then you’re eligible for $31.25 tickets. They are not usually in the best locations, but you’re also saving about $50. They also have special ‘HipTix’ parties, one performance during the run of a show with snacks and an open bar in the lounge after the show.

Playwrights Horizon also offers a discount to patrons under 30. You can buy a ‘30 Under Flexpass’ subscription, 4 tickets for $80 or 6 tickets for $120. And you can use them in any combination, for example with the 4 ticket subscribtion: use 2 tickets at one show but go to 2 other shows by yourself, or use all 4 on one show, or go see 4 shows by yourself. . . you get the idea. If you don’t want to commit to a whole season, they also offer HotTix, which are $20 tickets an hour before showtime (subject to availability), you just have to show up with an ID. Both ways you end up saving about $40 a show.

Even the New York City Opera is getting in on it. Their Big Deal memberships are for anyone 21-35, and after an enrollment fee of $50 you can buy one ticket to every opera for $30. It seems to me that if you just wanted to check out an opera once, it would be cheaper to just buy a single seat, but I think it becomes a deal after 4 operas, if you want to go regularly. They also have pre-opera Big Deal receptions and events.

You can join the Theatre Development Fund if you fall into one of the following categories: students, teachers, union members, seniors (62 or over), civil service employees, staff members not-for-profit organizations, performing arts professionals, members of the armed forces or clergy. TDF offers tickets for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, usually for $32 or less. The availability is constantly changing, and they are on sale up to two weeks in advance.

Of course if none of this works for you, you can always try to get rush or standing room seats. Most theatres only do it for students, but there are some who will sell cheap seats to anyone the day of the show, and since we live here we can afford to be flexible, making it easier to get discounts.

If you’re picky about the location, none of the above may work for you. If you insist on buying full price tickets, at least look for some deals. Joining TheatreMania, Playbill, Hot NYC Deals, Hit Show Club or Best of Broadway: Broadway Bucks gets you access to coupons. And always check Broadway Box, an online collection of the aboves discount codes.

So there ya go, a bunch of different ways to get to see Broadway shows for less. Now if you can just make the plans to actually go. . .

MOMA is now offering audio broadcasts online. You can either download them onto an MP3 player and take them with you to the museum, or listen to them online with a slideshow of the pieces they are discussing.

You’ve got until the end of the month to put your name in the SNL lottery for tickets. Email snltickets@nbc.com with your contact info or go to the NBC website for details.