NYC Free & Cheap This Week August 20-24

So much to do, so little time.

Here are some of the best FREE things to do in NYC this week, plus some cheap events, including outdoor concerts and outdoor dancing.

Put these on your calendar for the week, and get more NYC for less money with NYC on the Cheap.

Let’s Look Good

200 Years of American Style – Brooks Brothers is celebrating its milestone anniversary with a FREE exhibit of 200 years of impeccably tailored men’s and women’s fashion, artifacts and imagery that trace the company’s innovations and cultural impact. They include the ready-made suit and other ready-to-wear tailored clothing in the 19th century, the Original Polo Button-Down Oxford, the reverse-stripe rep tie, the polo coat and sporting apparel later adapted for daily life. The exhibit also explores themes and era-defining moments such as the roaring twenties, mid-century Madison Avenue.

Fabulous Fact – Brooks Brothers has the unique distinction of having dressed 40 out of 45 U.S. presidents.
Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal, 8am to 8pm daily through Wed. Sept. 5th.

Let’s Eat & Drink

Unexpected Pairings – Enjoy this only-in-New York mashup of sake and tacos. Learn about sake from the co-founder of Brooklyn Kura, the city’s first sake brewery, and about Mexican food from the owner of East Harlem’s own Cascalote Latin Bistro, including how they are updating classics from afar into genuine NYC staples. Of course, you also get to enjoy tastings to the sound of live music. It’s part of a series of Unexpected Pairings events at the Museum of the City of New York.

Tuesday, August 21, 7pm to 8:30pm. Tickets are $25.

Let’s Learn

Bryant Park History Tour – Learn how this swatch of midtown green was transformed from seedy and dangerous “Needle Park” of the 1970s into Manhattan’s bustling and event-filled Town Square of today. Take a FREE walking tour with trained park guide who shares share the park’s rich history, award-winning design, amenities, and ongoing maintenance efforts.

Tours are year-round, weather permitting, and last approximately 45 minutes. They depart promptly at 11am from the Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain, near 41st Street and Sixth Avenue.

Let’s Smile

The Yiddish Mark Twain – We all know at least one Sholom Aleichem story – the one about Tevye, the milkman, who talked about the importance of tradition, and a mischievous fiddler on the roof. Like Twain, Sholom Aleichem’s hundreds of short stories have left a literary mark on the world. Bob Spiotto offers a unique smorgasbord of stories featuring the author’s precarious balance of humor, horror, pathos, and philosophical insight, as well as words of wisdom and advice from Tevye, the milkman.

6:30pm to 8pm, Wednesday, Aug. 22, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage at Battery Park. Tickets are $10.

Let’s Listen

Accordions Around the World is back for its sixth season at Bryant Park, featuring talented and engaging accordionists and others playing related bandoneon, bayan, concertina, and harmonium on Wednesday evenings, culminating with the five-hour Accordion Festival. Each two-hour event features 12 accordionists, performing music inspired by traditions from around the globe. If you think accordions might not be your thing, come by anyway – you’ll be surprised.

Accordions Around the World is 5:30pm–7:30pm on Wednesdays through September 12.
Then on Friday, September 14, the Accordion Festival runs from 5pm–10pm.

Let’s Dance

Summer Salsa – Dance your way home from work every Thursday in August, starting this week, as the annual Downtown Brooklyn outdoor dance festival returns.

Thursday, with a FREE dance lesson at 5pm, and a DJ spins Latin music afterward.

Let’s Laugh

Get Saturday Night Live Tickets – August is the only time all year to request tickets to a live taping of the hit show for the new season starting in September. Here’s how to score yours.

How to get tickets to other late-night TV shows.

Let’s Enjoy

Garden After Hours – Enjoy extended hours on Tuesdays in August at The Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Enter at any time and stay till 8:30 p.m. Enjoy an evening stroll through the Garden’s lush, fragrant grounds, treat yourself to specialty cocktails, snacks or dinner at the Yellow Magnolia Canteen, and sunset views.

How to get FREE museum admission with your library card

Coming up in September

We’ll have more about these events later in August.

Metropolitan Opera Summer Outdoor HD Festival – Ten nights of opera shown on a super-sized screen that covers the front of the Met Opera House.

Space and Science Fest at the Intrepid Museum – The chance to meet NASA Astronauts and more.

Broadway Week – Ten days in September when tickets to top Broadway Shows are two-for-one.