Take a Bite New York City has more of everything than any other place on the planet, including deals, discounts and freebies. We're here to help you take an inexpensive bite out of Big Apple restaurants, theater, museums, shopping and more. Your guide is Evelyn Kanter, a lifelong New Yorker and journalist who has been writing about her hometown forever. Email us at info@thebigappleonthecheap.com
Please visit Evelyn Kanter's other website/blog, www.Car-and-Travel.com
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 Coney Island has an amazing history, with ups and downs, much like its world famous Cyclone roller coaster. From it’s heyday a century ago, to a sad relic of its past, to the center of a major real estate and urban planning battle, Coney Island has had “An Amazing Ride” — which just happens to be the title of a FREE lecture at the New School, part of its Fridays @ One lecture series. Stuart Pertz, a fellow of the Institute of American Architects and member of a Municipal Art Society’s Coney Island committee, discusses this historic playground’s past, present and potential future. Sponsored by the Institute for Retired Professionals.
The program is Friday, March 12, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. It’s free, but reservations are required. Contact IRP@newschool.edu, or call 212-229-5682. The lecture is at the Theresa Lang Center, New School, 55 West 13th Street, second floor.
The part of the Upper East Side known as Yorkville has a long and interesting history that includes its role in rescuing survivors of the worst accidents in New York City history. That would be the fire aboard the steamship General Slocum in 1904, in which some 1,000 people perished. A FREE lecture and exhibit on the history of Yorkville is being held at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 11, at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 122 East 88th St. near 1296 Lexington Ave. Call 212-289-8128. The program is presented by the Yorkville chapter of AARP.
Free Music Friday is a new series at the American Folk Art Museum. The first performance is A Musical Tribute to Broadway, featuring both classic and contemporary favorites, plus behind-the-scenes stories from actors and singers who have appeared in shows including Phantom of the Opera; Wicked, Mamma Mia, West Side Story, The Producers and Shrek.
The FREE performance is 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Friday, Mar. 12, but get there early to be ensured a seat. The American Folk Museum is at 45 West 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. And the museum is offering a special post-performance bonus — you can visit the museum for free, too.
 The Oscars may be at home in Los Angeles, but The Big Apple is the star of dozens of Oscar-winning films. The Film Society of Lincoln Center celebates the Oscars all weekend with showings of award-winning films set right here, in New York City.
Saturday, Mar. 6, Oscar-winning movies set in New York City are:
- Klute (1971) – Jane Fonda, Best Actress
- The Subject Was Roses (1968) — Jack Albertson, Best Supporting Actor. Director Ulu Grosbard and Frank Gilroy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of the play and screenplay, will be on hand for this showing!
- Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) – Five Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, and Actor, Dustin Hoffman. Director Sam Jaffee will be on hand for this showing.
- Raging Bull (1980) – Best Actor, Robert de Niro
NYC Oscar winners for Sunday, Mar. 7 are an offer you can’t refuse:
- The Godfather (1972) - Winner of Best Picture Oscar
- Annie Hall (1977) - Winner of Best Picture Oscar
 Cartoonist Charles Addams may be most famous for his Addams Family characters, including Morticia and Fester. They are part of the new exhibit “Charles Addams’s New York”, at the Museum of the City of New York, of course. But just part of the exhibit, which also features hundreds of Addams cartoons, many from covers and pages of the New Yorker magazine. When I attended the exhibit opening, I left smiling, and you will, too. The Museum of the City of New York is at 1220 Fifth Ave., at 103rd Street. Tel. 212-534-1672.
On Sunday, March 7, there’s a guided gallery tour of the Addams exhibit. It’s at 3 p.m. and FREE with museum admission.
 The blockbuster movie for spring is Brooklyn’s Finest, a fast-paced cop drama pitting good guys against bad guys. From the looks of the movie trailer, some of those bad guys are wearing NYPD uniforms. Brooklyn’s Finest is from the same director as Training Day, the blockbuster police drama from a few years ago starring Denzel Washington. Broklyn’s Finest stars Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke and Wesley Snipes.. Gere and Hawke live here in The Big Apple, so they didn’t have far to travel to film this movie about Brooklyn and the NYPD. I wonder if the movie includes two other of Brooklyn’s finest — the legendary Junior’s cheesecake, and the world-famous Nathan’s hot dog at Coney Island.
Here’s the official trailer of Brooklyn’s Finest, opening on March 5, 2010:
 Go back to college for the day on Sunday, March 7, for the annual One Day University program. There are lectures on music, art, history, the environment, and more, delivered by top professors from top universities and colleges, including Columbia, Princeton, Harvard and Yale. And best of all, there’s no homework and no exams. Just learning. There are classes all day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The regular one-day price is $249, but several groups are offering steep discounts. AARP has an $89 rate with coupon code AARP89. Get a $99 rate through EventMe with coupon code EM99.
The program is at the New York Hilton Hotel, 52nd St. and Sixth Ave. If you can’t attend on March 7, the program is being repeated on Sunday, April 25. Here is a sample of lecture subjects:
Lenny’s Clam Bar has been serving up the freshest seafood in Queens for more than 30 years, from its location in Howard Beach. This week, it’s offering a half-off discount on your favorite clams, mussels, calamari and other seafood and shellfish favorites, as well as the restaurant’s famous homemade Italian dishes. Buy a $25 coupon through Half Off NY, which is sponsored by WCBS Newsradio 88, and you get $50 worth of dinner.
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