Hopeful Community...You In?

Do your part to continue Obama's call for community service volunteers nation-wide by pledging to volunteer 5 hours in your area and Starbucks will reward you with a tall coffee!

Tonight's Cheap Thrills: Mac 'n Lost

s'MACdown 2009

...is a sure to be memorable Mac 'n Cheese cook-off event - $10 admission gets you sampling and voting rights - $5 beer and whiskey shots available all night!

Bell House's Lost Premiere Party

...local BK band Previously on Lost will be pumpin' up the crowds an hour prior to the highly anticipated premiere of Lost tonight - $5 admission with a chance to win seasons 1-4 on DVD and $1 Sailor Jerry Rum Swizzles if you arrive by 7pm

We have no knead to give up hope America!

Why not celebrate our nation's huge political turning point with a slice just the way you like it? Jim Lahey is the owner of a hot new pizza place in Hell's Kitchen called Co. (short for Company) as well as the genius behind the mouth-watering Sullivan Street Bakery, so I'm pretty sure his fifth sense about the secrets of divine baked goods will certainly translate to his pizza dough recipe. Here's to hoping this recipe is truly as simple to make as it is sure to be tasty (if followed to Jim's delicious standards). 

Free Inauguration Day Goodies!

I know, I know...it seems like we're having your cake AND eating it too but who's gonna complain when we get to both celebrate an exciting political change for our country on inauguration day AND get awesome freebies? I say chalk it up to being a sign that things are already looking brighter for our economy's ickiness (at least for this one day). Free is free and in this tougher economic times whether you're Young & Broke or Mature & On a Budget, this Tuesday's list of freebies is just pure patriotic music to the ears...

Krispy Kreme is giving away one doughnut of your choice per person (no purchase necessary) on inauguration day!

NYC Metrocards/Dunkin Donuts: No free doughnuts here but they are giving away free rides on the NYC metro. Free metrocards will be given out from the Union Square/14th Street station this Tuesday (free metrocards will also be given out at Grand Central and Time Square on future dates this month - see link above for details)!

Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Dillard's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom, etc. will be doling out $175 Million worth of high end make-up and beauty products on Tuesday, January 20th on a first-come, first-serve basis (until supplies last - see link for list of specific products and all participating department store chains).

TGI Friday's bartenders will be mixing up FREE Jack and Coke's at 9pm on inauguration day for the "toast heard 'round the world". Appetizers will be half price for everyone with purchase of an entree and free chips and salsa will be served to all TGI Friday's GiVE ME MORE STRiPES members.

Do you know of any other inauguration day freebies? If so, please leave a comment below!

Cheers...Salud...Saude...Prost...

I know I said I wouldn't blog while on vaykay but I found a site I needed to share in time for New Years...enjoy!

The Fifty Best Champagne Cocktails

* The Black Velvet :: half chilled champagne and half stout

* Ritzy Raspberry Revelry :: raspberry vodka and champagne

* Champagne Julep :: sugar cube, fresh mint and champagne...dash of bourbon, optional

...find more champagne cocktail suggestions HERE to help stretch your champagne supply, wow your guests and toast in 2009 with a tasty bang!

Happy Holidays!

Hello Y&B folks,
I will be taking a highly anticipated vaykay to more southern and warmer climates for the next few weeks and will be setting aside my blogging updates until my return in mid-January. Happy holidays to you all and here's to a more prosperous new year!
Be well,
NYCFreelancer

FRIDAY :: Free Brazilian Dance Party @ BAM

BAMcafe Live offers up FREE live music every Friday and Saturday night, featuring rock, jazz, R&B, world music, pop, and more from Brooklyn and beyond. This weekend's post-holiday Brazilian beats party sounds like a great way to dance the year away...

ALMA NYC

Fri, Dec 26, 9pm—1am
Bar opens at 8pm

Whether you prefer ALMA as an acronym (“All for the Love of Music & Art”) or as the Portuguese word for “soul,” you’ll need both meanings to approximate the epic dance floor experience offered by this formidable Brazilian music collective. At the helm is first generation Brazilian and native New Yorker DJ True, combining samba, pagode, and drum & bass—plus a little extra holiday spirit—into foot-stomping Neo-Brazilian fusion grooves.

Free Concert Series by Carnegie Hall

Upcoming Free Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts!

FALU

Vocalist Falu seamlessly blends Indian classical, alternative rock, contemporary pop, and electronic styles to create a unique, genre-defining sound the Wall Street Journal calls "Indie Hindi." Learn more >

SUN, JAN 4 at 3 PM
Kingsborough Community College
Leon M. Goldstein Performing Arts Center
2001 Oriental Boulevard
Brooklyn, NY 11235
718-368-5596 


ALEXANDER FITERSTEIN AND FRIENDS: THE ZIMRO PROJECT

"A clarinetist with a warm tone and powerful technique" (New York Times), Alexander Fiterstein and his new chamber ensemble, The Zimro Project, perform Prokofiev's cabalistic Overture on Hebrew Themes. Learn more >

SUN, JAN 11 at 3 PM
Henry Street Settlement, Abrons Art Center
Recital Hall
466 Grand Street
New York, NY 10002
212-598-0400


Richard Mannoia of MUSIC UNLOCKED

The hot new chamber group Music Unlocked made its ensemble debut in June 2008 at 92YTRIBECA and has performed with such ensembles as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Seen on Broadway and at Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, Music Unlocked brings chamber music to new audiences with engaging and innovative programs. Learn more >

SUN, JAN 25 at 3 PM
Henry Street Settlement, Abrons Art Center
Recital Hall
466 Grand Street
New York, NY 10002
212-598-0400

Wines Under $10 @ Astor Place Wine & Liquor

Check out these Y&B vino deals at Astor Place's Wine & Spirits! It's like Trader Joe's prices for top notch vinos! Cheers to 2008...

Haute New Club :: Greenhouse :: FREE!

The great bloggers of Curbside Booty have posted an evite to their free Christmas Eve Sexy Social Soiree (6-10pm) held at the world's first eco-friendly club, Greenhouse, newly open last month. Dress to impress, free admission with $6 beers and $8 wine by the glass.  Toasting in the New Year in this same club will cost ya $250/seat so thank you mucho Curbside Booty for making it possible to enter these eco-friendly doors for a sliver of the cost while still freshly trendy.

Greenhouse

150 Varick St

(btw Vandam & Spring)

212.807.7000