Evelyn Kanter’s NYC Guidebook |  See Johnny Depp before he was Captain Jack Sparrow, in a free screening of the classic film Edward Scissorhands. It’s this Monday’s selection at the Winter Film Festival in Bryant Park. The free screening is at 7 p.m. Monday, February 6th, at the CitiPond skating rink. And you can skate for free after the movie. Actually, you can skate for free before the movie, too, since skating at CitiPond is free all the time, unless you have to rent skates. The next film in the free Winter Film Festival is kid-pleasing Lady and the Tramp, on Monday, February 13th, and that starts at 5:30 p.m., in time for bedtime.
 Ryan Maguire’s is usually found on the list of best NYC Irish bars for St. Patrick’s Day. This weekend, it’s also on the list for best bars for SuperBowl Sunday, to root for the New York Giants to win SuperBowl XLVI. The restaurant/bar in the Financial District is offering $10 Pitchers, free shots for every NY Giants touchdown, and more. There are more than one dozen beers on tap, plus another dozen plus in bottles. Team it with a pizza or calamari, for less than $10. Ryan Maguire’s is at 28 Cliff Street, between Fulton and John Streets. The closest subway stop is Fulton Street on just about any numbered or alphabet subway. Oh yeah — Go Giants.
 Six huge plasma TV screens, more than a dozen beers on tap and nearly another dozen in bottles, and just a touchdown pass from the nearest subway stop in the heart of Greenwich Village. Bleeker Heights Tavern is one of those New York insider secrets, since there’s no sign to let you know it’s there, just like an old-fashioned speakeasy. It’s also upstairs, above a Five Guys burger and fries joint, close enough to get a medium rare delivered to your barstool. Bleeker Heights Tavern is at 296 Bleecker Street, 2nd floor, at Seventh Avenue South (212-675-6157). Go Big Blue!
 The proper way to enjoy a wee dram of a fine single malt Scotch whiskey is with a splash of water. Never pour a single malt over ice or mix with soda or some other vile addition that clouds the flavor. That’s what I learned in Scotland a bunch of years ago, when I traveled the Whiskey Trail and learned the difference between one single malt and another. And it’s what you will learn at the private tasting events in February sponsored by The Macallan, the award-winning single malt from the land of bagpipes, kilts and haggis. Sign up quickly for one of the Raise the Macallan tasting events February 21st to 24th in Soho, so you get the 90-minute session that best fits your schedule. Click here to sign up. Even with a confirmed reservation, be prepared to wait to get in, since the guys already inside probably are reluctant to leave and make space for you.
Many of us subscribe to Food & Wine magazine just to get the fabulous gourmet and healthy food recipes. But you can get the recipes for free with this special promotion that includes a free daily newsletter called Food & Wine Daily. Click here to sign up for the free Food & Wine magazine recipes and newsletter. Toyota is offering the chance to win a 2012 Toyota Camry sedan for yourself and a friend or relative on Super Bowl Sunday. Now that I have your attention: this free sweepstakes requires that you use the Shazam mobile app during the game between the New York Giants (Yay team! Go Big Blue!) and the Boston Patriots, being broadcast live on NBC on Sunday, Feb. 5. Start now by watching Toyota’s “Connections” commercial on Toyota’s YouTube channel, to get clues how to proceed. The press release I received from the Toyota advertising agency which organized this sweepstakes is full of boilerplate terminology like ‘fully integrated multi-channel social media marketing campaign”, but bottom line is there are two ways to enter – by viewing the spot online and using Shazam with the ad when prompted, or by filling out an entry form online, before the end of the SuperBowl game. You can enter daily up to the airing of the first Toyota commercial during the broadcast. Click here for the rest of the rules and information about how to win a 2012 Toyota Camry on SuperBowl Sunday. FYI — The Camry has been the best-selling car in the US for most of the last decade.  More than 150 museums in the USA are free this weekend, the first weekend of the month — but only if you are the owner of a Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit card. The two companies are once again offering their “Museums on Us” program, which includes such top cultural destinations as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Art Institute of Chicago, and even the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina. The free museum offer is valid the first weekend of every month all year, through December 29-30, 2012. Get free entry this weekend to the following top NYC attractions:
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Bronx Zoo
- New York Aquarium at Coney Island
- Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
- El Museo del Barrio
- International Center of Photography
- Museum of the City of New York
- New York Hall of Science, Queens
Click here for the entire, state-by-state list of free Museums on Us attractions. If you don’t have a Bank of America credit card, apply for one to get these free benefits.
 Feel like a Super Bowl champ, or at least an MVP, with this Sports Fanatic Package of sports-themed discounts from participating Hilton brand hotels in Manhattan. The package includes –
- Complimentary shoe rental at Bowlmor Lanes, the ultimate entertainment experience offering stylish, glow-in-the-dark bowling with big screen video walls,
- 20% savings certificate to Foley’s NY Pub & Restaurant, where the decor is authentic baseball memorabilia and collectibles,
- 15% off Bike Rental Central Park – rent a bike to explore Central Park and Manhattan by yourself or book a guided bike tour,
- $10 off full day rental at Bike and Roll New York – experience car-free fun with bike rental that includes hybrid bike, helmet, handlebar bag, lock, city map and more,
- $7 off day rate at Blazing Saddles Bike Rentals and Tours – discover NYC on a scenic and historical bike ride with fun and knowledgeable guides,
- discounts for Manhattan By Sail, for close up views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Governors Island, Brooklyn Bridge and the NYC skyline
The package is valid at Hilton Times Square, Hilton New York Fashion District, DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Times Square, DoubleTree by Hilton Metropolitan Hotel, Hampton Inn Manhattan Times Square North, Hilton Garden Inn New York/West 35th Street and Hilton Garden Inn Times Square. Use code H8 or HH8 wen you make the reservation online, or by calling 1-800-HILTONS. You get the package of discount coupons at check-in. T wo weeks to Valentine’s Day. Are you ready to do something special for your honey — or for yourself? These deals for Valentine’s Day from Groupon and other voucher companies will help you decide. Just purchase the vouchers before February 7th, for shipping in time for Valentine’s Day – - Deal: $19 for a pair of Swarovski Zirconia stud earrings. The $19 price includes shipping. Regular price is $69, without shipping, so you save $40+.
- Deal: pay $50 for $100 worth of jewelry from Blue Nile, or $100 for $200 worth of baubles, bangles, and bright shiny beads (a line from one of my favorite songs from the Broadway musical Kismet). Click here to get this deal including free shipping.
- Deal: $25 for a sampler of three bottles of wine from Argentina, which is famous for its hearty red Malbec, the same color as your Valentine’s Day heart.
- Deal: save up to 25% and get same day delivery on flowers, gifts, and plants
 from $19.99. Send mom, sis, your BFF or your honey a bouquet of love.
Find more daily deals — for Valentine’s Day and every day — on the NYC OTC Daily Deals page. Click here for 100+ of the best buy local and national deals from Groupon, Living Social, Saveology, Mamasource, PlumDistrict and more.   The TurboTax Federal edition gives you lots of free stuff — the software is free to download, and it comes with free preparation, free printing and free e-filing. TurboTax promises you’ll get your biggest tax refund, with 100% accurate calculations and free live online support help and step by step guidance so you are confident your taxes are done correctly. Click here to download the TurboTax Federal Free Edition, which is the #1 rated, best-selling tax software brand year after year. Oh — and did I say this is all free? Of course I did.
 February is National Heart Month, and one of the ways you can make your heart healthy is to relax and feel and look better — with a spa treatment. During February, several top New York City day spas and hair salons are offering massages, facials and other spa treatments at steeply discounted prices — $39, $49 and $59, for treatments that normally are up to $165. Lia Schorr Day Spa is offering a hot stone massage or deep cleansing facial for $59, half the regular $120 price. The spa is at 688 Lexington Avenue, at 57th St. Skin Thera P Medical & Cosmetic Spa is offering a medical grade glycolic peel or an age eraser microdermabrasion for $49, less than half the regular price of $120. This spa is at 301 East 81st Street, off Second Avenue. Hearts New York Salon is offering a shiatsu scalp cleansing and hand massage for $39, regularly $60, and a $90 single process color and blow-out for $59. This spa is at 40 East 58th St. All these spa and salon deals are sponsored by Pretty City – click here for the national list of participating spas, including in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Tampa and other cities.
 Cheap is good. Free is better. These free sample offers are while supplies last.
Find almost free deals on the NYC OTC Daily Deals page. Click here for a round-up of 100+ best buys from Groupon, Living Social, Mamasource, Plum District, Juice in the City and Saveology. | |
