Brooklyn

America sure looks good for being 232 years old- think she’s had some work done?

If you waited for the last possible second (like moi) to plan how you’ll be celebrating the home of the brave this year, fear not. Here are some fool-proof ways to get your fourth on.

Food. . .

. . .Because the Nathan’s hot dog champ can’t be the only one indulging. Celebrate the U.S. and the N.Y. with a good old fashioned chow down. The Great July Fourth Festival is a down-home American birthday party with a global twist. The street fair showcases 600 international food vendors, as well as arts, crafts and merchandise exhibitors like Indonesian Jewelry and Chinese Pottery. The fun ends at 8, just in time watch. . .

Fireworks!

Because what would today be without a little pie in the sky? There are breathtaking views of the Macy’s Fireworks Extravaganza*, which start at 9pm, from all points of the vogue city. The very best are:

Manhattan: Southbound lanes of the FDR drive from 14th to 42nd Street will be open for the public from 7:30pm to 10:00pm.The FDR Drive will actually be closed to vehicular traffic between Houston St. and 63rd St. from 7:00pm until 1:00am. Dancin’ in the street!

Brooklyn/Queens: Great views from Hunter’s Point, Queens, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and anywhere with an unobstructed view of the East River between 23rd & 42nd Sts.

***Be sure to tune in to 1010 WINS AM to hear the muscial accompaniment

Happy Independance Day New York!!!

It sure seems like it’s getting harder to eat for cheap these days: even a slice of pizza costs more! (Side note: remember to be tactful when you’re on line at a pizzeria. Don’t grumble about the new price. It’s not the fault of the people who work in the pizzeria that the price of milk–and thus cheese, and thus pizza–went up). You can still eat for pretty darn cheap in this town if you know where to go, and that’s nothing to grumble about. One of the best ways to eat cheap is to go ethnic. Ethnic eateries have the best ratio of cheap and well prepared (well, most of the time). Here are a few you shouldn’t miss.
Pho Sho’

Vietnamese cuisine is among the best there is. It’s flavorful, healthy, satisfying, and usually quite cheap. At Pho Bang in Chinatown, you can get a scrumptious bowl of pho–rice noodle soup–$4.95. There are 13 different versions of the soup to be had here, so bring friends so you can try them all. 157 Mott Street between Broome and Grand.

Cheap Chicken

No one serves chicken like Pollos a la Brasa Mario (or Pollos Mario, as locals call it). This Colombian joint serves up delicious rotisserie chicken at an unbeatable price–$4.25 for half a chicken. That’s enough for two, maybe three meals, but at that price you don’t have to ration. They also serve Colombian specialties like camarones a la plancha, avocado salad, oxtail soup and more. The seafood soup is believed to have curative powers, so if you have a bad sore throat, order up a bowl. There are several locations in Queens, all conveniently located and easily accessible by subway: 81-01 Roosevelt Avenue, Jackson Heights; 82-03 37th Avenue, Jackson Heights; 40-19 Broadway, Astoria.

Uzbek? U bet!

Uzbek cuisine might not inspire much in your imagination, if anything, but Uzbekistan’s national cuisine can hold its own in a fight. Head to Vostok (wich means “east” in Russian) and try lamb pilaf for $6.50 or delicious beef kebabs for only $2.� 5507 13th Avenue at 55th Street, Borough Park, Brooklyn.

Curry Me

They love baseball at Go!Go! Curry, so it should come as no surprise that the food is a homerun. Fill up on shrimp, chicken, pork or sausage curry with white rice while you watch the game. 273 W 38th Street.�

�

While it sometimes seems as though everything in NYC costs an arm and a leg, there are ways of getting things for free. For example, you can get into museums for free, if you know when to go. Friday nights from 4:30-8:15, there is free entrance to MOMA (11 W 53rd Street). Since its Friday, you’ll have the place to yourself. If you’re more into film than avante-guard art, the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria is also free Fridays from 4-8, film screenings not included (35th Avenue and 36th Street, Astoria). On Tuesdays the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (1000 Washington Avenue) is pay as you wish all day. For the fashionistas, admission to the museum at FIT is always free (7th Avenue at 27th Street). And of course, the Met is always pay as you wish, so if you literally only have two pennies to rub together, you can donate them at the Met, and enjoy a full day of sculptures, paintings and Egyptian relics. The walk you take in Central Park afterwards is completely free. Oh, and if you should find yourself in Paris with little money and nothing to do on a Friday night, the Louvre is free from 6 until closing for people between the ages of 18 and 26. C’est super bon, non?