Free first Saturdays at the BK Museum: one of the best parties in town.

Culture is part of the reason we love Brooklyn, but it often comes at a premium: steep entrance fees in the city museums. Many places also have those “suggested” fees that make you acutely uncomfortable as you whisper to the cashier you’ll be donating less than the recommended amount. Dan Nguyen, a journalist with ProPublica, has solved some of those problems with his new site I Heart NY Museums. It’s an easily sortable, color-coded database that  indexes most of the city’s major cultural centers, listed with normal entrance fees, hours, Yelp ratings — and when you can get in for free. (more…)

FRIDAY
all day: buy one, get one half off at williamsburg’s shoe market (any style)

5pm: eminent domain victim freddy’s reopens in park slope with an opening night party featuring les sans culottes, brute force and the magpie (more…)

Snow is free, and kind of romantic. Photo by David Minder.

Let’s face it: dating is expensive and there’s no guarantee of ROI. So why spend a bundle to make a good impression when you can be a cheap date who doesn’t seem cheap? Any dolt can come up with dinner and a movie (bye bye, $100), but being cash-challenged requires you to be a bit more resourceful and creative with your game. Here are a few things to do and places to go to help you kick off the year with a bit more swagger, if not a bigger wallet: (more…)

FRIDAY

7:30pm: new ‘vol. 1′ reading series celebrates chicago (the city, not the band) with windy city representatives adam levin, jami attenberg, and molly tolsky. bonus: free goose island beer! word, free.

8pm: erland + the carnival (feat. simon tong of the verve, gorillaz, more) completely rework old brit folk + rock w. killer riffs, melodies and lyrics. rock shop, $10. (more…)

Bravo's Work of Art season 2, featuring you?b

Because we can’t afford TV, it’s hard to keep up with all the reality shows in the lineup these days, even the ones with a Brooklyn connection. But the internet says there’s a popular (though critically disappointing) show called Work of Art: The Next Great Artist on Bravo, which is like a Project Runway for artists, wherein creative types compete for a solo show at the Brooklyn Museum. If you’re a fan or a starving artist, some good news: Bravo announced this week a second season is on the way, and it’s holding open  auditions in Brooklyn Sept. 25. (more…)

The college ID is the gift that keeps on giving — whether it’s years past graduation and you’re milking the absence of an expiration date for all it’s worth, or you’ve actually returned to the classroom for that second chance. Whichever, your little chunk of plastic is a gateway to discounts galore in Brooklyn. And we’re not talking 5 percent-here and 5 percent-there, but some real savings worth dredging up the dorm-room memories for. So, dust off your ID, and take full advantage of what’s rightfully yours. After all, we know you’re still the spitting image of your freshman self. (more…)

We just came across this limited-time deal from a very Groupon-like coupon site called KGB Deals (no espionage involved, we’re pretty sure). The deal’s for two tickets to a crossover Brooklyn Philharmonic concert and Brooklyn Museum exhibit on Sunday, May 16. The event is called Music Off the Walls, and you’ll hear a Philharmonic chamber ensemble, pianist and electric guitarist play music composed in the last decade, about the art installation Extended Family, whose works are also from the last decade. $14 (regularly $30) will get you and a guest museum admission, along with tickets to a 1 p.m. guided tour of the exhibit and to the 2 p.m. concert. The deal on KGB ends Friday, May 7 at midnight, or until the 88 remaining coupons are gone. Buy the coupon here.

He's cute! Whiskey Rebel Alex Battles.

If you’re still in town, one of our favorite free local traditions is Target First Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum (we like it so much we don’t mind name-checking the corporate sponsor).  Since this month’s party happens on July 4, the Museum is offering limited public access to their roof—one of the highest views (of what, we’ll see) in the borough. The line up is called America Remix, with an emphasis on the remix. (more…)

Michael Jackson at Brooklyn Museum in 2007, courtesy of Ebony Magazine/Matthew Rolston.

There’s a whole lot of Brooklyn love today for Michael Jackson, who was last here two years ago when the crew at Ebony Magazine did a gorgeous photo shoot with him at our very own Brooklyn Museum. Here he is, photographed by Matthew Rolston for a special collector’s edition on Jackson, 25 years after Thriller.

“Michael wanted to be photographed in an artistic setting and the Brooklyn Museum gladly accommodated us all,” said the magazine’s creative director, Harriet Cole. “We shot in the midst of ancient and contemporary history, and it was powerful to be in that space.”

Thanks for visiting, Michael. A lot of people around here really miss you.

Check back for details on Michael Jackson memorial events around Brooklyn this weekend, and please email any info to jonathan@brokelyn.com.

Brooklyn Museum. Photo by Howard Brier

In Brooklyn, even the museums have insider secrets: like when you can go and not pay. Unbeknownst to many a culture hound, the Brooklyn Museum, Children’s Museum, Botanic Garden and the New York Aquarium all have special times during the week or month when you can wander in without reaching into your pocket. Without further ado…
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