Who says NYC has to be expensive? Not us. There’s always plenty to see and do in the greatest town on the planet without spending much money. Here are the best FREE events this week, Monday to Friday, April 10-14 so you can be a NYC cheapskate with no apologies:
SEE ALSO Best FREE outdoor events in April
Daily, Monday to Friday
FREE Spring Break Tech Camp. No school this week? Head for the Mid-Manhattan Branch of the NYPL to learn video and film editing skills and more at the new Young Adult Lab, including how to make music on GarageBand, how to #MakeYouTubeGreatAgain with basic video production on iMovie, .how to make a StopMotion video, and how to create button art with our the library’s own button press. The Young Adult Lab is open to all teens in the afternoon hours. Equipment will be available on a first come, first serve basis. At 2:30PM each day, Monday to Friday, this week.
Monday and Thursday
FREE Birding Tours. Bryant Park is for the birds, and you can learn about the 200+ species which have visited this Midtown oasis in the last couple of years in these twice-weekly guided birding tours, in cooperation with the Audubon Society of New York. Weekly, through the end of May.
Tuesday
FREE Stargazing. The telescopes have returned to the High Line for the warm weather season. Every Tuesday through October 31st, head to the Diller-Furstenburg Deck at 14th Street for a romantic walk along the park and a chance to take a closer look at the stars. Peer through high-powered telescopes provided by the knowledgeable members of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York to see rare celestial sights. Begins at dusk.
FREE screening of Ben Hur. See the 2016 remake of the 1959 version, which starred Charlton Heston. In this adaptation of Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ, a Jewish prince (Jack Huston) spends years toiling in slavery after an old friend, now an officer in the Roman army occupying Jerusalem (Toby Kebbell), falsely accuses him of a crime. In time, he wins his freedom and competes against his betrayer in a violent chariot race, but an encounter with Jesus Christ (Rodrigo Santoro) teaches him the importance of mercy and compassion. This version of Ben-Hur was penned by Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave scribe John Ridley. 8:30PM at the Mid-Manhattan Library, across Fifth Avenue from the main branch with the lions out front.
FREE Meet the Author. Actor/director John Waters discusses his films and more at Barnes & Noble, Union Square, for the launch of his new book, Make Trouble. Tuesday, 7PM.
Thursday
FREE Town Hall Meeting. Fed up with what’s going on in Washington? Attend Congressman Jerrold Nadler’s town hall meeting and let him know where you stand on such issues as health insurance, the environment, the condition of our bridges and railroads, funding of such groups as Planned Parenthood and PBS, and anything else on your mind. Cong. Nadler is a ranking member of the Judiciary Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which affect everybody in NYC and beyond, not just New Yorkers who live and vote in his district. Thursday, 6PM to 8PM at Brandeis High School, 145 West 84th St. Or, email him with your opinions.
What do you think about this? We welcome your comments.