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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Income Tax Help for Self-Employed

moneybag_clipart_dollarIf you are a non-incorporated freelancer or otherwise self-employed who receives 1099 tax forms, you will benefit from a tax seminar on how find your way around the federal income tax 1040 and Schedule C  forms.   The seminar is taught by a CPA, and answers such questions as how much to set aside for estimated taxes, and what your accountant is talking about when the two of you sit down to review your taxes.  The seminar is sponsored  by Freelancers Union.  Cost is $30 for members, $40 for non-members.

The two-hour Income Tax seminar is 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, February 10, 2010, at the Empire Building, 15 Metro Tech Center, Brooklyn,

RIP Skyline Bookstore After 20 Years

BookStackinGrass_booksurgeSkyline Books, a fixture in the Flatiron district for the last 20 years, closed its doors forever on January 31, the victim of rising rents and the inescapable competition of chainstores like Barnes & Noble and online bookstores like Amazon.  Each time an independent bookstore closes, it is like a knife in the heart of a writer like me, even though the books I write are sold at Barnes & Noble and by Amazon.  There’s just something about a small, neighborhood bookstore.  Skyline Books, you will be missed.  Skyline Books was at 13 West 18th St.  The nearest independent bookstore  is Idlewild Books, 12 W. 19th

Half Off Warm Winter Outerwear, More at Eastern Mountain Sports

sale_lettersEven if you aren’t a skier, snowboarder or winter camping enthusiast, the jackets and fleeces at Eastern Mountain Sports will keep you both warm and fashionable, and at half price.  The winter clearance sale at the EMS store in Soho includes such brands as Marmot and Patagonia, with free on your entire order from The North Face.  The half-off sale includes items for men, women and children.  And it’s not just clothing.  The sale includes shoes and boots plus winter gear including snowshoes and skis.  Eastern Mountain Sports is at the corner of Broadway and Spring St., store hours are Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

A. Tierney Sample Sale of Accessories

moneybag_clipart_dollarThe annual A. Tierney sample sale of preppy accessories,  jewelry and more takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 9 and 10.  This is a blow-out sale.  Hair accessories are on sale for $1-$2, normally $10 – $18.  Belts on sale for $5, normally $36.  Enamel bangles normally $50 are just $10.  Jewelry, travel pieces, totes and much more at 50%-75% off retail price.  And for the first time, A. Tierney is selling ribbon.   Priced at $5-$10 a roll for solid grosgrain, velvet and taffeta ribbon, it will not last.

The sale is 8am – 8pm each day at 29 East 93rd Street, between Fifth & Madison Aves.  Telephone is 212-360-1166.

Off Broadway Show Tickets Half Price in February

ThumbsUp_100x100Off-Broadway theater tickets are two-for-one for three weeks in February, thanks to NYC & Company, the Big Apple’s marketing, tourism and partnership organization.  The program is called On the House and it is designed to boost ticket sales at 25 Off Broadway theater productions.  The promotion is good for performances between  February 8 and February 28. 

Productions participating in On the House include  A Lie of the Mind, Ages of the Moon, Avenue Q, Awesome 80s Prom, Candida, Circumcise Me, Clybourne Park, Equivocation, The Fantasticks, Fuerza Bruta, The Gazillion Bubble Show, Happy Now?, MazelTov Cocktail, Measure for Measure, Mr. & Mrs. Fitch, Naked Boys Singing!, Perfect Crime, The Pride, The Scottsboro Boys, Signs of Life, STOMP, The Tempermentals, Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers, Venus in Fur and Yank!

Half Off New York Knicks Tickets

dollarbills envelopeLove basketball?  The New York Knicks have just put a block of tickets on sale at 55% off  for two upcoming games, and you get a free Knicks T-shirt.  There are a limited number of seats in the 300 Level and Mezzanine at Madison Square Garden are now just $20, instead of  $44.50, for the Wednesday, Feb. 3 game against the Washington Wizards and for the  Tuesday, Feb. 9 game against the Sacramento Kings.   You have to book by Monday, Feb. 1, and use the promotion code “ZOOT”  in the Special Offers and Promotions field. There’s a booking fee of $9.85 per ticket.  Thanks to Travelzoo for this alert.

Brooklyn's Finest the Movie

085_bf_1sht_V6.qxd:MECHANICALThe 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:

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Free Seminar on Business Marketing

computermouse_clipartAre you a small business owner?  Or want to be?  Then you’ll need to market your business through email.  Learn how to master email marketing at a free seminar sponsored by New York Enterprise Report magazine on the best email marketing practices for small business owners. You’ll learn about how to drive repeat sales, bost referrals and turning prospects into customers. It is free, but a reservation is required.  The seminar is 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Friday, January 29, at the Science, Industry and Business Library of the New York Public Library. If you aren’t familiar with SIBL, as it’s know, just head to the old B. Altman building on 34th St. and Fifth Ave.