Bringing back the weekly free event!

Awhile back, I made a goal of doing one free thing every week. Things went according to plan for a few weeks, and then I lost focus on that little project. Oops, life happens! But I found a great event for this week.

The American Folk Art Museum (45 West 53rd St.) is celebrating spring by offering free admission this Friday, from 5:30 to 8:30. In addition to the funky artwork, there will be live music. I’m really excited to check out this museum. I’ve heard and read so much about it recently; it’s high time I actually see it. Give me a holler if you want to accompany me!

Free activity: Central Park

Forgive me for not being very original, but there’s a reason Central Park is always in “NYC on a Budget” roundups. It’s gorgeous. It’s open and green. It’s great for people watching. And the best part is how much variety there is within it. Going to the Conservatory Garden is a completely different atmosphere than Belvedere Castle, or the Reservoir, or Sheep Meadow, or Strawberry Fields. On a day like this, when it’s going to be 70 degrees and sunny, how can Central Park not be calling your name?

My plan is to go hiking in the North Woods section today. Yes, hiking. The North Woods (not to be confused with the North Meadow) has steep dirt paths, waterfalls, a ravine, footbridges, and everything else you’d expect to find in a nature preserve. You honestly forget you’re in the very center of Manhattan while you’re there. It’s not even noted on many maps of the park, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a good description of it online (this is the best I could find). Here’s a rough map of the area if you feel like checking it out. I recommend going with a friend and only going during the day–it’s one of those areas in the park where you can easily get lost, and if you fear being attacked by a NYC nutcase, you probably don’t want to be deep in this forest alone. Um…other than that grim thought, I swear this is a really peaceful spot!

Here are a couple of photos Mister Redhead took when we stumbled upon it during our first summer in NYC together:

I survived my beauty-school haircut

Yesterday I went to the Aveda Institute for my haircut, and I’m happy to report that I’m still in one piece. Was it a relaxing experience? No. Was it fun? Not really. Would I do it again? Yes. (Hey, it’s hard to beat a $20 haircut.)

Anyone remember that Ramona book where she and Beezus get their hair cut at a beauty school? Ramona can tell Beezus’ stylist is unsure of herself because she can hear the uncertainty in her snips. That’s kind of how I felt. My stylist, a young guy, was painstakingly slow and deliberate. It took two hours for him to clean up the layers I already had. Of course, all the students were taking their time, and I’d rather have him be slow than stab me in the neck with his scissors.

A few tips if you go to the Aveda Institute:

1. Make sure you have a few hours to spare. This isn’t a place you can duck in for a quick trim over the lunch hour.
2. Keep in mind they’re students. It was awkward to sit there while his instructor injected with constructive criticisms, but I had to remind myself that this was first and foremost a learning experience for him.
3. It’s chaotic. There are about 30 stations in the back room, and they really pack them in. I feel bad for the students—there’s no space to spread out their tools, and they were all bumping into one another. Between the large number of hairdryers, the music, and the sound of 60 people in one space, it’s not somewhere to go if you want to feel pampered. What’s really funny is that they try to uphold that Aveda standard of relaxation. They still do the scalp massage before starting on your hair, which, let’s not kid ourselves, just isn’t very relaxing in that type of atmosphere.
4. Think twice before making plans after your haircut. It was drizzling in New York yesterday, so I didn’t bother asking my stylist to straighten my hair. Big mistake. Him and his instructor had a field day making my hair as big and curly as they possibly could. It was diffused and slathered in four types of Aveda’s all-natural-eucalyptus-root-emollient-serums (or whatever they’re actually called), then finger-combed and teased. I could have stopped them, but I was curious to see how it would turn out. It looked cute for maybe an hour (long enough for an NYU student in Union Square to try picking me up with a Little Red Riding Hood line, thanks to my red coat), but then between the rain and crowded bar I went to for Cupcake Camp (more about that later), it all went to frizzy hell.  I looked frightening by the time I got home.
5. Be wary of having your hair dyed.I can’t vouch for the hair-dying quality at the Institute, but from the comments on my last post and comments I got on Facebook, I’m going to go ahead and say do not cut corners when getting your hair dyed. Seriously. At other places, one person had hair dye dumped on her shirt, which ruined it, and another had a sister who had to visit the burn unit after the chemicals were incorrectly mixed. That alone makes me never want to dye my hair, no matter how skilled the colorists.

Yesterday was also the free cupcake event, which was packed. I went with Mister Redhead and my friend Tammy, and we each tried a few cupcakes (including vegan and gluten-free ones!). A few pictures (excuse the quality, the lighting was weird in the bar):

Mom, look at the cupcakes near the top--they look like Hostess!

 

Free event: CupcakeCamp NYC

Like cupcakes? Like free cupcakes? Then check out the CupcakeCamp NYC this Friday. It’s at Happy Ending, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. You can bring cupcakes, but it isn’t required (perfect for a bake-a-phobe such as myself). More details here. I’ll definitely be there, enjoying the sugar rush!

Free stuff from Redbook

I made it to that Redbook Beauty Bash event today…just barely. When I got to the building in Midtown, the line was outside and around the block. One girl said she’d been waiting an hour and a half! I started walking away, thinking it wasn’t really worth it, but then changed my mind. Of course a free event is going to attract a ton of people. And if I’m getting free stuff, I can’t really complain about these types of things, can I?

So I joined the line and passed the time by playing solitaire on my iPod. The weather was gorgeous and warm, so I didn’t mind being outside for an hour (except for the two obnoxious high school girls behind me–I don’t care how many PBR’s you drank last night!!!). I got to the entrance at about 2:15.

Now, I’ve been to promotional events like this, so I knew not to expect a whole lot. The room was very nice, but it didn’t feel like there was a lot to see there. Most of the tables had baskets you could sign up to win in a drawing (I entered a few, so I fully expect a slew of subscription offers and newsletters in my inbox from now to eternity). Appointment slots were pretty much filled through the end of the day for the mini-massages and mini-manis, which I think annoyed some of the other people there. But what do you expect? I guess the lesson learned today is get to free events really, really early if you want to participate in everything offered.

I stayed for about 10 minutes, then took off with my goody bag. It’s a good haul:

• April issue of Redbook, featuring a very Photoshopped Jaime Pressly
• Two bottles of nailpolish: OPI’s “Party in My Cabana” and wetnwild’s “Spicy Cinnamon” (um, not really my type of colors, but whatever)
• Samples of Curel lotions: “Pregnancy & Motherhood Nurturing Comfort Moisture Cream” and “First Signs of Aging Youth-Defense Moisture Lotion” (oh yeah, have I mentioned that I’m not in Redbook‘s demographic at all?)
• Sample of Maybelline’s new “Volume Seduction XL Lip Plumper” (the warning reads as follows: “This product may cause a temporary tingling sensation which is normal. Discontinue use if you experience excessive discomfort. Do not use on chapped, damaged or sensitive lips.” My lips are definitely sensitive, and this warning scares me enough to throw this one away without trying it. Besides, my lips are plump enough.)
• C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint (the tagline: “Mint-infused for fresh breath”). This actually fascinates me because there’s peppermint oil in the lip gloss to mask any bad breath you might have. I haven’t tried this yet, so I can’t vouch for how well it works, but it’s sort of a brilliant idea.
• Very cute notebook and pen from Jacqueline Savage McFee.
• Mineral eyeshadow from e.l.f.
• Coupon for 50% off an order up to $15 from e.l.f. (anybody want this?).

This weekend’s free event

Remember my new goal, to take advantage of one free event per week? I think I’ve found this week’s freebie: the Redbook Beauty Bash. It’s Saturday from 11 to 5 at Midtown Loft & Terrace (267 Fifth Ave., 11th floor), and apparently there’s going to be free massages, “mini manis” (someone please tell me what that means), and goody bags. Who wants to join me?

Spring is here!

Which means that the season for a plethora of free activities in NYC is upon us. This year, I’m issuing myself a challenge: Go to one free thing every week. Shouldn’t be too difficult, right? I just have to be on the lookout for freebie events online and in the classy free newspapers handed out in the subway. My friend made it easy to complete the challenge this week by inviting me to go to a flea market today.

 Brownstoner’s Brooklyn Flea is operating at an indoor location in DUMBO for the time being, since it doesn’t feel spring-like yet. As I’ve written about before, I have a slight aversion to places that peddle vintage products (except antique stores–I love antique furniture!). But I’m genuinely excited about today for two reasons: 1) I don’t think I’ve ever been to a flea market, and 2) The vendor list makes it clear there’s both vintage products AND new and homemade goods. As long as I steer clear of the used clothing, I think I’ll be OK. By the way, I realize that if I buy anything today, this will not be considered a “free” activity. Something tells me I won’t feel like buying anything there, so I’m not too worried.

Is anyone out there a flea market aficionado? And drop me a line if you know of any free events coming up!