nyccheaptravel.com

Category: Free

  • Castle Clinton National Monument

    Castle Clinton National Monument in Battery Park[spacer height=”20px”]

    Castle Clinton. Photo by Muncharelli (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
    Castle Clinton, also known as Fort Clinton, is located in Lower Manhattan at Battery Park. It has had many uses over the years. Originally used by the US Army as a fort, it was later used as an entertainment center, then served as the county’s first facility for processing immigrants, from 1855 to 1890. The site is now operated by the National Parks Service.

    Castle Clinton is open to the public and admission is free.

    Free ranger-guided tours are available Monday – Sunday at 10:00 a.m, Noon, 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.. The tours last about 20 minutes.

    Castle Clinton is where you purchase tickets for the Statue of Liberty ferry. If you’re making the trip out to the Statue of Liberty, allow a little time before or after to look around the castle and view the exhibits on display.

    Read visitor reviews.

    If you’re exploring Lower Manhattan, the free Downtown Connection shuttle bus provides service to Battery Park and other sites, including the World Trade Center and South Street Seaport.

     

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  • Free Bach at Noon Organ Meditations at Grace Church

    Grace Church’s Bach at Noon

    Grace Church. Photo by Beyond My Ken (Own work) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons
    Visit Grace Church Tuesday – Friday to hear a free 30 minute performance of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach on the church’s Bicentennial Organ.

     

    Schedule

    Tuesday through Friday from 12:20 to 12:50.

    Performances are sometimes cancelled due to special liturgical or school observances. Check Grace Church’s music home page for scheduling updates.

     

    Location

    Grace Church is located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, on Broadway, between E. 10th and 11th Streets.

    The address is 802 Broadway

     

    Admission

    The Bach at Noon Organ Meditations are free and open to the public.

    Dry goods food and toiletry donations are accepted to help those in need.

     

    The Bicentennial Organ

    The Bicentennial Organ , with 5,000 pipes and 75 stops, was constructed in commemoration of Grace Church’s bicentennial, which took place in 2008. The organ was completed in 2013.

     

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  • National Museum of the American Indian NYC

    Museum of the American Indian. Photo by Thetragicmulatto (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
    The George Gustav Hey Center at the historic Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House is one of three National Museum of the American Indian facilities in the U.S. (the others are the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC and the Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, MD).

    The museum is operated by the Smithsonian Institution and is dedicated to sharing the art and culture of the natives peoples of the Americas.

    A mix of permanent and changing exhibits are on display. The permanent “Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian” exhibit displays hundreds of works by Natives on North, Central, and South America. Visit the museum website for information on temporary exhibits.

    Admission to the museum is free of charge.

    See visitor reviews at TripAdvisor.

     

    Hours and Admission


    Custom House/Museum of the American Indian Street View. Drag pointer or use arrows and compass to scroll.

    Museum admission is free.

    The museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m, with extended hours on Thursdays to 8:00 p.m (expect Thanksgiving Day, when hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) The museum is closed on December 25th.

    Please visit the museum’s website to confirm hours of operation.

     

    Location

    The museum is located in the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House at Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan.

    The address is 1 Bowling Green.

    Bowling Green, where the museum is located, is a park in the heart of the financial district. It’s the oldest public park in New York City. The Alexander Hamilton Customs House is located at the southern end of the green and the Charging Bull statue is located at the northern end.

     

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  • New York Aquarium. Pay-What-You-Wish Admission Friday Afternoons

    The New York Aquarium

    New York Aquarium. Photo by Multiplicitous (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
    The New York Aquarium, located on the boardwalk at Coney Island, is the oldest continuously operating aquarium in the United States. The aquarium was located at Battery Park when it originally opened in 1896. It moved to its present location at Coney Island in 1957.

    The aquarium features a Sea Cliffs exhibit with sea lions, sea otters, walruses, seals, and penguins; Conservation Hall with a reef tank display; and an aquatheater with sea lion shows,

    See visitor reviews at TripAdvisor.

     

    Friday Pay-What-You-Wish Admission

    Aquarium admission is by pay-what-you-wish donation on fall/winter/spring Fridays from 3:00–3:30 p.m. (the aquarium closes at 4:30) and on summer Fridays from 4:00–5:00 p.m (the aquarium closes at 6:00).

    Every day military discount: Active duty and reserve members of the U.S. Military qualify for free general admission, plus 50% admission for up to three family members. The Military discount is available at the admission booth. Valid ID is required. Details.

    Regular admission price is $11.25 when purchased online.

     

    Location and Hours of Operation


    Boardwalk View. Use arrows and compass to scroll.

    The New York Aquarium is located on the boardwalk at Coney Island Beach, near the intersection of Surf Avenue & 8th Street.

    The address is 602 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn.

    The aquarium is open 365 days a year, but operates under reduced hours during the winter months.

    September – May Aquarium hours are 10:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Park closes at 4:30 p.m.

    June –  August aquarium hours are from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Park closes at 6:00 p.m.

    The exact dates of the change in operating hours varies from year to year. Visit the aquarium website to confirm hours of operation before you visit.

     

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  • New Museum Pay As You Wish Thursday Evenings

    The New Museum


    New Museum Street View. Use arrows and compass to scroll.

    As the name suggests, the New Museum features new works by American and international artists. The museum pursues its mission of “New Art, New Ideas” with innovative art exhibitions from a variety of media types.

    Because the focus is on new works, the museum’s exhibits change frequently. Visit the museum website for information about what’s currently on view.

    The museum itself is not new. It’s been around since 1977, changing venues several times before landing at its current, specifically-built structure on Bowery in 2007.

     

    Pay-What-You-Wish Thursday Evenings

    Admission on Thursday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. is on a pay-as-you-wish basis.

    Although you could enter for free on Thursday evenings, museums are expensive to maintain, so it’s nice to offer something. Their suggested minimum is $2. You can pay less.

    Regular admission is $18 General Admission, $15 for Seniors, $12 for Students. Young people ages 18 and under are admitted free.

     

    Location

    The New Museum is located in the Lower East Side, on Bowery, between Stanton and Rivington Streets.

    The New Museum’s address is 235 Bowery.

     

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  • New York Transit Museum Annex and Store

    The New York Transit Museum

    The primary location for the New York Transit Museum is in a decommissioned subway station in Brooklyn. The museum includes a fleet of vintage subway cars and buses, plus exhibits about subway construction and the evolution of New York City’s trolley, subway, and bus systems.

    The Transit Museum is a great place to visit, but a little bit of a haul if you’re based in Manhattan. You can, however, get a taste of what the Transit Museum has to offer at it’s Gallery Annex and Store located in Grand Central Terminal.

     

    The Gallery Annex at Grand Central Terminal

    The annex features rotating transit-themed exhibits and a Transit Museum store with lots of fun transit-related items for sale. The holiday train show, on display at the Annex each year from from mid-November through February it a popular attraction.

    Check the museum’s exhibits page for information on current exhibits.

    Admission to the Annex is free.

    Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday – Friday and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday & Sunday.

    Want to know what to expect during your visit? See visitor reviews at Yelp.

     

    Location

    The Transit Museum Annex is located inside Grand Central Terminal, just off the Main Concourse, next to the Station Master’s Office in the Shuttle Passage.

     

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  • Readings at McNally Jackson Bookstore

    McNally Jackson is an independent bookstore at 52 Prince Street in Lower Manhattan.  The store has two stories of books, with a variety of well-curated sections.  Even if you’re not attending an author reading event, a visit to McNally Jackson is sure to be a welcome shopping stop for any book lover.

    The bookstore’s cafe provides coffee, sandwiches, and other simple fare at reasonable prices.

    McNally Jackson get’s great reviews from Yelp users.

     

    McNally Jackson Reading Events

    McNally Jackson maintains a busy schedule of free author events. You’ll find something schedule on most days, Monday – Saturday.

    Most events take place in the evening, around 7:00 p.m..

    Check the store’s events calendar to see which authors are scheduled to appear.

     

    Location

    McNally Jackson is located in the NoLita (North of Little Italy) neighborhood of Manhattan, near SoHo.

    The address is 52 Prince Street (between Lafayette and Mulberry).

    Hours are Monday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

     

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  • Free Bomb Shelter Comedy at Gaf West on Thursdays. No Cover & Free Pizza

    Free Thursday Night Bomb Shelter Comedy at Gaf West

     


    The Gaf West Street View. Use arrows and compass to scroll.

    Every Thursday at 8:00 p.m., Hell’s Kitchen bar Gaf West presents the Bomb Shelter Comedy Show.

    There’s no admission fee, no cover charge, and no minimum drink purchase requirement. Free pizza is provided during the show.

    If you do want to purchase a drink, there’s a $3 Bud Light special.

    The shows feature comedians who have appeared on television.

    Visit the Bomb Shelter Comedy website for details.

     

    Location

    The Gaf West is located in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, on West 48th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues.

    The address is 401 West 48th Street.

     

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  • Tickets for Late Night with Seth Meyers

    Late Night with Seth Meyers Tickets

    You can attend a taping of Late Night with Seth Meyers for free, and you don’t have to actually stay up late to be in the audience. The show tapes in the early evening, around 6:30 p.m.

    Blocks of tickets to tapings are opened up for online reservations a couple weeks in advance of the shows. To see what’s currently available, visit the Late Night with Seth Meyers ticketing website at 1iota.

    You’ll need to sign up with 1iota in order to apply for tickets. You can do that in advance at this link.

    Once you apply for tickets, you’ll be placed on a wait list. Not everyone on the wait list will get tickets. If you get tickets, you’ll be contacted by email.

    If you get tickets, you’ll still need to check-in at the 30 Rockefeller Center studio prior to the show. More tickets are issued than there are seats available, and entrance tickets are issued on a first-come-first-served basis. It is possible you won’t get in, but the 1iota site says that it’s very rare that they can’t take everyone in. If you don’t get in, they’ll let you know how to attend a future taping.

    Most tapings of Late Night with Seth Meyers begin at 6:30 p.m., with an audience check-in time from 4:45 to 5:30 p.m. Tapings usually end around 7:45. The entire audience process, from check-in through the taping of the show, takes about three hours.

    Note: The show has an age requirement. You must be 16 years of age or older at the time of show to attend. You’ll need to show a photo ID as proof of age.

    Have questions? Check out the Late Show with Seth Meyers tickets page.

     

    Monologue Rehearsal Tickets

    A fun alternative to sitting in on an entire taping of Late Night with Seth Meyers is to be in the audience where Seth tests out the jokes for his opening monologue. Free tickets for the monologue rehearsals are distributed at 11:30 a.m. on the day of the show in The Shop at NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Enter at the 6th Avenue entrance.

    Read about a blogger’s experience attending a Seth Meyers Monologue rehearsal.

     

    The Standby Ticket Line

    If you didn’t manage to get advance tickets for the show, you can try your luck in the standby line.

    Standby tickets are distributed beginning at 9:00 a.m. on taping days to those in the standby line, which forms under the NBC marquee on 49th Street. The line usually starts to form well before 9:00 a.m.

    If there are any standby tickets leftover after the 9:00 a.m. distribution, they’ll be available at The Shop at NBC Studios.

    See the NBC website for details.

     

    Late Night with Seth Meyers Theater Location

    Late Night with Seth Meyers is taped at the NBC Studios at Rockefeller Center, 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

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  • Free Performances at NYU Steinhardt

    NYU Steinhardt’s calendar of events provides plenty of opportunity to enjoy free performances.

    The school’s Department of Music and Performing Arts holds a number of concerts and theater performances throughout the year, many of which are free and open to the public.

    The Steinhardt School’s campus and most of the NYU performance spaces are conveniently located in Greenwich Village, near Washington Square Park.

    To see a list of possible events to attend, go the the NYU Steinhardt events calendar and check the “Open to the Public” box on the search form. You’ll be provided with a list of all the free public events at NYU’s various venues.

    When we checked the events list, we saw NYU Symphony concerts, solo recitals, master classes, various combinations of student and faculty ensembles, and a performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

     

    Locations

    Frederick Lowe Theatre. 35 West 4th Street.

    Peter Norton Symphony Space. 2537 Broadway at 95th Street.

    Black Box Theatre. 82 Washington Square East.

     

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