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Free events for Thursday, 05/20/10
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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City!  Read More

Are you looking for free things to do in New York City (NYC) on May 20, 2010?

45 free events take place on Thursday, May 20 in New York City. Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides! Exciting, high quality, unique and off the beaten path free events and free things to do take place in New York today, tonight, tomorrow and each day of the year, any time of the day: whether it's a weekday or a weekend, day or night, morning or evening or afternoon, December or July, April or November! These events will take your breath away!

New York City (NYC) never ceases to amaze you with quantity and quality of its free culture and free entertainment. Check out May 20 and see for yourself. Summer or Winter, Spring or Fall! Just click on any day of the calendar above and you'll find most inspiring and entertaining free events to go to and free things to do on each day of May . Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides!

Some events take place all year long: same day of the week, same time there are there for you to take advantage of. One of the oldest free weekly events in Manhattan is Dixieland Jazz with the Gotham Jazzmen, which happen at noon every Tuesday. Another example of an event that you can attend all year round on weekdays is Federal Reserve Bank Tour, which takes place every week day at 1 pm (but advanced reservations are required). You can take at least 13 free tours every day of the year, except the New Year Day, July 4th, and the Christmas Day. If you are classical music afficionado, you can spend whole day in New York going from one free classical concert to another. If you love theater, then New York gives you an option to attend plays and musicals free of charge, or at deep discount. You just need to have information about it. And we are here to make that information available to you.
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The quality and quantity of
free events,
free things to do
that happen in New York City
every day of the year
is truly amazing.

So don't miss the opportunities
that only New York provides:
stop wondering what to do;
start taking advantage of
free events to go to,
free things to do in NYC
today!

45 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Thursday, May 20, 2010

All events are free unless otherwise noted.
        

Workshop | Tai Chi in the Park


Tai Chi and Eternal Spring are instructed by members of the Tai Chi Chuan Center. Classes are for all ages and experience levels. Classes are rain or shine.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 am
Free

Tour | Federal Reserve Bank Tour


Learn about central banking functions that Federal Reserve System performs and see Bank's vault of international monetary gold on bedrock of Manhattan Island, five stories below street level. Learn why Federal Reserve has "Federal" in its name, while it's a private bank, not Federal at all. Congressman Ron Paul considers the Federal Reserve "both corrupt and unconstitutional" Five tours daily on the hour.
   New York City, NY; NYC
9:30 am
Free

City Walk | Lower Manhattan Walking Tour


New York City's best and funniest walking tour. This high-energy tour will take you through the heart of the Lower Manhattan, entertaining you, your friends and family with stories, hidden secrets and relevant information about the Big Apple. The USA’s first capital city, a center of global finance and a tribute to over two centuries of immigration and the American experience - New York City's history is the history of America. And on every step of our tour, expert guides - part professors, part performers - will explain why.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Workshop | Viola da Gamba Workshop


Renowned musician and teacher José Vázquez is going to give a viola da gamba workshop. The participation is possible not just for viola da gamba players, but rather open to other instruments as well. Existing ensembles are welcome too.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Workshop | “We Are New York” English Conversation Group Session


Come practice your English speaking skills with other intermediate-level adults while watching episodes of "We Are New York."
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Workshop | Resumé Lab


Hands-on using wireless laptops. Use this supervised lab time to create and save a resume in Microsoft Word. Assistance with document formatting and proofreading will be available. Please bring a written draft of your resume and a USB drive to save and print your resume. (Please note: This is not an instructor-led class or a career advisement session.)
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:30 am
Free

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
$6

Park Walk | West Side Stories Tour


Walk through a scenic area on the western edge of the Park, much of which is off the beaten track for most visitors. See rolling meadows, lake views, bridges of different styles, and a garden with flowers and plants mentioned by Shakespeare.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Concert | Ragtime Piano with Terry Waldo


Ragtime expert and stride pianist, Waldo is protégé of the late Eubie Blake. He has produced over 40 albums and wrote the definitive book This is Ragtime. Along with the book came a 26-part series with the same title for National Public Radio, which fueled the 1970's ragtime revival.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
$6

Concert | Chamber Music: Metropolis Ensemble


Metropolis Ensemble is a professional chamber orchestra and collective of the finest young artists today. It is also a major commissioner and creator of new works of contemporary classical music.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
$2 suggested donation

Workshop | Introduction to MS Word


Learn to create documents and reports using this word processing program. Topics include: creating, editing, formatting, printing, and saving documents. Mouse Basics is a prerequisite.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Screening | Pacific Heritage Films


Daily screenings of films including "Rolling Down Like Pele" and "American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i "
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Performance | Theatre for One


This is a portable, 4-foot-by-9-foot performing arts space for one performer and one audience member that turns public events into private acts, making each performance a singularly intimate exchange. Theatre for One will be presenting magic, poetry, dance, puppetry and theatre pieces created specifically for this venue. Open Hours are 1—3, 4—6 and 7—9pm. Performances are 5-10 minutes long. Weather permitting. Entrance inside the booth is on a first come first serve basis.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Film | Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes (1938): Mystery on a Train


With Michael Redgrave and Dame May Whitty. While traveling in continental Europe, a rich young playgirl realizes that an elderly lady seems to have disappeared from the train. Based on the novel by Ethel Lina White. 96 min. A Looney Tunes cartoon will precede the film.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Workshop | All About Computers: Saving and Backing Up Data


Hands on using wireless laptops. Develop strategies for saving regularly and learn how to back up data using flash drives and other methods.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:30 pm
Free

Screening | Pacific Heritage Films


Daily screenings of films including "Rolling Down Like Pele" and "American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i "
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | School of Constructed Environments Thesis Exhibition


An exhibition of thesis work by graduating students in its School of Constructed Environments, the country’s only comprehensive school of architecture, interior design, lighting design, and product design. Work on view will include architectural, interior, lighting and product design installations and sketches.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Articles: How to Find Them Electronically


Hands-on instruction on the searching of online indexes and library databases to locate articles from thousands of magazines, journals and newspapers, on nearly any topic.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:15 pm
Free

Forum | Behind the Bench


A community forum to address the laws and legal issues that affect our communities and the world. Join the audience for a live television taping. Hosted by the Hon. Theresa Freeman-Timmons. Other distinguished guest speakers on the panel will include: Hon. Paul Kerson, Esq. - (Ret.) Westchester County Criminal Court; Hon. Jay Stuart Dankberg, Esq. - (Ret.) NYC Housing Court; Asst. Attorney General Guy Mitchell, Esq. - Harlem; Kenneth Gilbert, Esq. - Defender Service of Harlem; Hon. Keith Wright - State Assembly Member (and son of Judge Bruce Wright, Esq. - Author of Black Robe, White Justice).
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Birdwatching | Birding Tour


Discover the varieties of birds that call the Park home during the migratory season with guided tours.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Screening | Pacific Heritage Films


Daily screenings of films including "Rolling Down Like Pele" and "American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i "
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Workshop | How to Conduct Market Research for New Business Brand Building


Monica Murray will introduce you to the processes involved in launching and marketing new products and services. Learn the advantages of building a strong brand, how to indentify and analyze consumer markets, develop a media plan to maximize the use of such information, and the 4- Steps necessary for the effective launch of a new business brand. Monica Murray is president of eMurray Direct, a company that specialized in direct marketing and brand management. This program may be filmed.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Book Signing | Kirk Franklin signs copies of The Blueprint: A Plan for Living Above Life’s Storms


The gospel superstar signs this powerful streetwise guide to building a fulfilling life.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Film | Marcel Camus' Oscar-Winning Black Orpheus (1959)


A retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, set during the time of the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro. 103 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Paintings: Haeri Yoo's Body Hoarding


Yoo's (b. 1970, Korea) second solo exhibition with the gallery is a new group of paintings investigating the fractured and entangled human body as a chaotic accumulation of mental images and piled-up memories. Suspended between figuration and abstraction, Yoo sees her works as an expressive metaphor in paint for the psychological deep end of "human vulnerability and life experiences."
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Roadmap to a Career in Web or Print Design


You may be thinking about a new career in computer graphics, but where do you start? And in which direction should you aim? Is it web page design, Flash animation, or print?
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Yoga in the Park


lululemon athletica provides free yoga classes for all ages and levels. Awaken the body’s potential with revitalizing movement, stretching, breathing, and poses. Some of yoga’s benefits include weight loss, deeper sleep, release from pain and arthritis, and a more youthful appearance. Wear comfortable clothing that allows easy movement. Mats are provided. In case of rain, please call.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Workshop | All About Computers: PC vs. Mac


This class is a lecture/demonstration. Are you a Mac, PC... or neither? This class discusses the differences between Apple's Mac computers and Windows-based PC computers by highlighting the advantages, and limitations, of each platform.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Author Reading | Ellen Horan discusses her book 31 Bond Street


In the winter of 1857, New York was shaken by the murder of society dentist Dr. Harvey Burdell. According to the lurid newspaper reports of the day, Burdell was found strangled by rope, brutally stabbed fifteen times, and nearly decapitated in his own house on Bond Street in NoHo. New York was fascinated by the murder and the ensuing investigation into who could have possibly committed such a violent crime. To this day, the crime remains unsolved. First-time author Horan delves into the story and history of Burdell’s house in NoHo in her new novel. Join Horan for a discussion of how researching the place and time for the novel was like embarking on an archaeological dig.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Author Reading | Terry Teachout reads from his biography Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong


The Wall Street Journal arts columnist on the greatest jazz musician of the twentieth century and a giant of modern American culture. Enjoy a gripping portrait of the man, his world and his music that will stand as a classic biography.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Author Reading | Aidan Donnelley Rowley reads from her novel Life After Yes


In her debut novel, a young woman deals with the aftermath of her father’s death.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Gallery Talk | Artist Matthew Buckingham discusses his work in the exhibition Nachelben


Ahwesh is part of the exhibition Nachleben, a display of contemporary art works and a series of related programs bring together artistic practices that share an affinity with Warburg's proposals regarding associative thinking, image sequencing, and a dialectics of seeing that extends across eras, cultures, and methodologies.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Forum | Fat Politics and Sexuality in the Face of Hate: A Forum for Rights You Didn't Know You Needed


This discussion brings in artists, professors and authors, many of them contributors to the recent Fat Studies Reader, including Kathleen LeBesco, author of Revolting Bodies? The Struggle to Redefine Fat Identity and co-editor of Bodies Out of Bounds: Fatness and Transgression; Substantia Jones, founder and photographer of The Adipositivity Project; Lesley Kinzel, blogger; Marilyn Wann, author of FAT!SO?; and Zoe Meleo-Erwin, PhD candidate and NOLOSE board member.
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free

Other | Poets' Prize Award


The winner is Jane Shore, for A Yes-or-No Answer. The finalists are Bruce Bond, for Blind Rain; Kevin Prufer, for National Anthem; and Patricia Smith, for Blood Dazzler.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Staged Reading | Staged Reading: Trav'lin


MUSIC AND LYRICS BY J. C. JOHNSON & FRIENDS. BOOK BY GARY HOLMES AND ALLAN SHAPIRO. This warm-hearted musical follows the romantic travails of three couples in 1930's Harlem. The story centers on George, an older gentleman and a self-proclaimed expert on love, who meets his match when he befriends a down-on-her-luck stranger only to find out she is not the person she seems to be. The tuneful and jazzy score rediscovers Harlem Renaissance songwriter J. C. Johnson, whose musical collaborators included Fats Waller, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters and Ella Fitzgerald.
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free

Concert | Works by Dvorák and Bates


Program: Mason Bates’s Mainframe Tropics (New York premiere) Dvorák’s Trio in F Minor, op. 65 Featuring: Anne-Marie McDermott, Piano; Jennifer Frautschi, Violin; Edward Arron, Cello; and Eric Ruske, Horn.
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Required free tickets...

Author Reading | Chely Wright reads from her book Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer


Wright, an award-winning country music singer/songwriter who recently made headlines for coming out of the closet, will discuss her candid and moving new memoir, which follows her life from childhood to the Grand Ole Opry and beyond. She will perform music from her new album.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Concert | Classic Americana Trio performs works by Bernstein, Gershwin and more


Featuring the songs and music of Albeniz, Bernstein, Bolcolm, Bonfa, Cordero, Gershwin, Landestoy, Lara, Piazzolla, Yarmolinsky and more. From the Puerto Rican Bolero to Appalachian folk song, from the Flamenco roots of Granada to musical theater, Classic Americana Trio (with Gretchen Farrar, soprano; Francisco Roldan, guitar; and Alexander Wu, piano) brings you a range of universal emotions expressed by composers throughout the ages, in Spanish and English.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
$20 suggested donation...

Dance Performance | MFA II Concert: Student Choreography


A festive finale of works choreographed by recent graduates of the MFA in Dance program.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Concert | Ryan Muncy, Saxophonist and Interpreter


In his New York City debut, Muncy presents new works for saxophone loosely connected by the concept of asphyxiation. At times in wind instrument performance, a conflict between an interpreter and his/her realization arises in the constant and insatiable need for air. The works presented on this concert toy with this delicate balance; some confront the conflict head-on while others treat it as a byproduct of musical discourse.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
$5

Author Reading | Writers Sam Lipsyte and Justin Taylor read


Sam Lipsyte (pictured) is the author of the story collection Venus Drive (named one of the top twenty-five books of its year by the Voice Literary Supplement) and two novels: The Subject Steve and Home Land, which was a New York Times Notable Book and received the first annual Believer Book Award. His latest novel is The Ask. Justin Taylor is a regular contributor to HTMLGiant and the co-editor of The Agriculture Reader. His first book of short stories, Everything Here Is The Best Thing Ever, is getting rave reviews.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Reading | In the Flesh: Erotica Reading Series


Featuring comedians Dave and Ethan, New York Times Magazine reporter Benoit Denizet-Lewis, David Ellis Dickerson, Rae Padilla Francoeur, Gina Frangello, comedian Ryan Paulson, and Kathleen Rooney. Hosted by Rachel Kramer Bussel). Free Astroglide samples will be given out.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Performance | Soul Glo Comedy Show


Soul Glo is a variety show starring the all-African-American cast of "Nobody's Token" performing a completely improvised sitcom. The show also features multicultural stand-up and sketch comedy by some of the most talented underground comics in New York.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:30 pm
$5

Jazz | 5/5/5 After Hours Set


A great way to hear some of the most talented young lions of jazz while enjoying spectacular views of Manhattan.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:30 pm
$5 cover, $5...
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