50 FREEBIES
THERE are two really common four-letter words that begin with F. Chances are, the first one that comes to mind isn’t the one we’re talking about. If spending money has you down, we’re urging you to leave your wallets at home. That’s right, folks, we’re giving you 50 FREE things to do, eat and see in NYC!
1. Hell’s Kitchen dive bars are an endangered species, but Rudy’s Bar & Grill’s free hot dogs are still a hungry man’s best friend. Served all day every day. 627 Ninth Ave.; 212-974-9169.
2. Free admission to the Bronx Zoo every Wednesday, 1040 Grand Concourse, The Bronx; 718-367-1010.
3. Dance the night away with free salsa dancing lessons every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., Columbus 72, 246A Columbus Ave.; 212-769-1492, justsalsa.com/newyork
4. You probably can’t get tickets to “SNL,” but Upright Citizens Brigade’s Asssscat 3000 show, where co-founder Amy Poehler occasionally makes visits, is the next best thing. Shows are free Sunday at 9:30 p.m. 307 W. 26th St.; 212-366-9176.
5. Start your day right with a free breakfast, albeit in a bar. The brand-new d.b.a. bar in Brooklyn has free bagels from 1 p.m. until very late on weekends. 113 N. Seventh St., Williamsburg; 718-218-6006.
6. Not to be outdone, the elder d.b.a. bar just across the river has gratis bagels and lox from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday. 41 First Ave.; 212-475-5097.
7. Starbucks hands out cards (with any purchase) with codes for a free “song of the day” download on iTunes. Previous artists include Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews, KT Tunstall and more!
8. Step into any of Sabon NYC’s locations for a free exfoliating hand wash with their scented salt scrubs!
For locations visit
sabonnyc.com.
9. Stroll out to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where Michael Christie will be conducting the Brooklyn Philharmonic through works by Enrico Chapela, Paul Desenne and Gabriela Lena Frank Saturday at 8 p.m. 30 Lafayette Ave.; 718-488-5913.
10. Surely everyone has a lot on their minds these days. Make certain it’s nothing serious with a free brain scan through The Brain Tumor Foundation’s Road to Early Detection program. Call 877-722-6692 or go to roadtoearlydetection.org to find a location near you.
11. Talk serious wine and food with Babbo co-owner Joe Bastianich as he showcases a few of his fave wines. Hey, who knows? Maybe you’ll become besties and secure one of those ever-elusive Babbo reservations. Today, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the New York Wine Co., 21 Warren St.; 212-812-3999.
12. Snowshoeing, sledding, cross-country skiing, and more are all a part of the free Winter Jam event next weekend. Even the equipment rental is free! Feb. 7, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., East River Park, Houston Street at FDR Drive.
13. Free GMAT/MBA admissions workshop Monday, 7 to 8 p.m., the Graybar Building, 420 Lexington Ave., suite 2310.
14. In-store fitness classes are held every Sunday from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Lululemon Athletica, 481 Broadway; 212-334-8276.
15. Achtung! What happened to those free lunch meat mini-sandwiches that Rolf’s used to put on the bar about 4 p.m. on weekdays? A source tells us they’ll be back in mid-February. 281 Third Ave.; 212-473-8718.
16. Free film screenings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 2:30 p.m. at New York Public Library for Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza. If you want a movie to go, you can borrow DVDs, videocasettes and 16mm films for one week, absolutely free.
17. Feeding a family in even the toughest times is easy at Brother Jimmy’s seven Southern-fried locations, where kids 12 and under eat for free. We’re assuming a Brother Jimmy’s childhood obesity clinic is in the works. brotherjimmys.com.
18. Look up the “free” section on Craigslist, and find anything from mattresses to air conditioners to cat-scratching posts to old barn wood for free.
19. Freedom reigns at The Edge bar – free Wi-Fi service and free pool Wednesday and Sunday nights. 95 E. Third St.; 212-477-2940.
20. You needn’t be an oenophile to appreciate a good wine tasting. Just try not to chug or belch at Is-Wine, which offers free tastings every Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. 24 W. Eighth St.; 212-254-7800.
21. Free admission Thursdays at the (not so new) New Museum from 7 to 10 p.m., 238 Bowery; 212-219-1222.
22. Free comedy show with fancy TV stand-ups like Demetri Martin every Monday at 8 p.m. at Lolita Bar, 266 Broome St.
23. You don’t have to wait for a class-action lawsuit to score free makeup. Hit the counters for samples, and when you order from Sephora.com, they give you the option to select three free samples of your choice!
24. Music Winter Fest heats up your frigid Friday nights with concerts featuring artists such as Neckbeard Telecaster and Grand Mal every Friday at 7 p.m. through Feb. 27, Pier 17 at the Seaport; seaportmusicfestival.com
25. Sign up for MeetMarket, The Post’s dating site, and we might send you out for a complimentary dinner and hook you up with a hottie! Visit nypost.com/dating.
26. Lights! Camera! Action! Get free tickets to be part of a studio audience on TV shows from “The Daily Show” to “The View.” nytix.com.
27. Free yoga for first-timers at these studios: Yoga Sutra, 501 Fifth Ave.; 212-490-1443. Atmananda Yoga Sequence, 324 Lafayette St.; 212-625-1511. Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, 243 W. 24th St.; 212-255-4560.
28. Free tour of Manhattan’s only active Brewery, the Chelsea Brewery, this Saturday only from 2 to 7 p.m., Pier 59 at 18th Street. Tours begin every hour on the hour and are limited to 40 people, so get there early and bring your ID for free samples.
29. Rumor Salon offers free haircuts by their beauty school students every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon. 15 E. 12th St, second floor; 212-414-0195.
30. Sign up for Cold Stone Creamery’s birthday club, and get a free ice cream creation on your (um, alleged) birthday! Visit coldstonecreamery.com/birthday.
31. While you’d surely pay Tuesday for a hamburger today, there’s no need to pay at all at Maxie’s Bar & Grill, where sliders are free between 4 and 6 p.m. on weekdays. 223 Park Ave. South; 212-979-7800.
32. Pay for two nights at a luxurious hotel, get one night free! For a list of the nine hotels participating, visit nycgo.com/thirdnight. You could wake up at the New York Palace Hotel!
33. If you’re a victim of love, bring a photo of your ex into Crunch on Valentine’s Day and participate in a free boxing class sponsored by Everlast. There’s even free goody bags! Feb. 14 only. 54 E. 13th St. at 12:15 p.m.; 691 Fulton St. at 11 a.m.
34. Barnes & Noble at Union Square begins its “Upstairs at the Square” series Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. Watch various performers and singers such as hip-hop artist Emmanuel Jal pair up with a writer like award-winning poet Nikki Giovanni as they do high-profile readings and performances. Visit bn.com for a list of participants. 33 E. 17th St.
35. Empire Rooftop’s Manhattan view is priceless, and apparently Jeffrey Chodorow’s passed hors d’oeuvres are too, considering they’re free from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. The culturally starved might opt for free jazz Tuesdays at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. 44 W. 63rd St.; 212-956-3313.
36. Free monthly networking event at Comix and free comedy shows in their downstairs “Ochi’s Lounge.” 353 W. 14th St.; 212-524-2500, comixny.com.
37. Free cooking classes at Williams Sonoma’s Columbus Circle store. Sundays at 11 a.m.; 212-823-9750.
38. So it isn’t enough for you that Rodeo Bar has free (and good!) live music seven days a week? Fine. They also have a free chicken wing and nachos buffet during the 4-to-7 p.m. happy hour. Or, as the unemployed call it, breakfast time. 375 Third Ave.; 212-683-6500.
39. Friday-night jazz and cabaret performances at Duane Park used to cost $30. Now admitting patrons for free, the restaurant cum cabaret club is just hoping folks will buy a few drinks at 11:30 p.m. 157 Duane St.; 212-732-5555.
40. Free pizza trifecta? Grazie. All you have to do is buy a $6 pint at Alligator Lounge (600 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn; 718-599-4440), Crocodile Lounge (325 E. 14th St.; 212-477-7747) or The Charleston (174 Bedford St.; Brooklyn; 718-782-8717). Toppings cost a budget-busting $1.
41. Get free magazine subscriptions to good reads such as Blender, Elle and Parents for an entire year at all-freemagazines.com.
42. Since a seemingly evil and litigious person put the kibosh on Lea’s happy hour, where ladies once drank for free on Tuesdays, the Grand Central area lounge now offers free tapas and sushi on Mondays from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. 230 Park Ave. (Helmsley Tunnel); 212-922-1546.
43. Lea’s downtown sister Perle makes for a cheap dream date in February, when diners get a free tapas with each $4 to $13 tapas purchased. 62 Pearl St.; 212-248-4848.
44. The good news is you can take a free cruise. The bad news is that you either start or end in Staten Island. It’s cold out, but the Staten Island ferry is still free.
45. Warm up from your cruise at Discovery Wines in the East Village, where free wine tastings happen from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and at the same time on Thursdays and Fridays. 10 Avenue A; 212-674-7833.
46. Don’t care if the wine is good? Most restaurants on East Sixth Street’s Indian Row will throw in a free glass of red with each entree. Try Milon. 93 First Ave.; 212-228-4896.
47. In the vein of free-wine-is-fine-wine, gratis vino can always be found at art openings like tonight’s “Cutters” exhibition, where artists have “painted” canvases with knives, razors, pins, scissors and other sharp objects. Come by from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (Pssst . . . chelseaartgalleries.com lists all the good openings.) Bertha & Karl Leubsdorf Art Gallery, Hunter College, 68th Street and Lexington Avenue; 212-772-4991.
48. It’s normally $15 to enter the cool new Museum of Arts and Design, but from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays, it’s “pay what you wish.” It’s a recession – you can wish to pay nothing. 2 Columbus Circle; 212-299-7727.
49. What’s better than free tater tots? That’s a trick question. There is nothing better. From 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily, Williamsburg’s Trash Bar serves up a basket of ’em with every $4 to $6 beer purchased. 256 Grand St., Brooklyn; 718-599-1000.
50. Finally, while sweat and tears may or may not get you a new job in this economy, the New York Blood Center offers free cookies and juice to those who give blood at any of their five centers or mobile units. Indeed, times are tough. nybloodcenter.org; 800-933-2566.
