Halloween Parade!!

Nothing beats Halloween in New York City. Especially on a Friday night. If you don't mind crowds (okay... crowds may be an understatement), head down to the Village for one of the biggest spectacles of the year. Click here for info about this year's parade.

Tip: to avoid the mob-scene, head down to Spring Street and walk the parade route. It's the best view there is and you'll even get some exercise!

... and click here for a special post-parade treat -

A Twenty Four Hour Adventure of

Myth + Mischief + Masquerade Made Exquisitely Out-of-Control

Coney Island's Creepshow At The Freakshow - Get In The Mood For Halloween

Get in the mood for Halloween by checking out Coney Island's Creepshow At The Freakshow, where you can partake in a Presidential Shooting Gallery and fire ping pong ball rifles at your favorite leaders. The show concludes with with Obama and McCain robots competing to give the better funeral speech. Click here for more info.

Free Bluegrass Music In The Village

My friend Blake tells me the place to be on Wednesday's is The Grisly Pear down on MacDougal Street. Sheriff's Good Time Jam, a free weekly bluegrass show, begins at 9 PM. You can find more New York City bluegrass events here.

Michelle Tanner Promotes A Book

Last month, we told you that our second favorite set of twins were doing a book signing in NYC. Now our favorites pair has arrived -- Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen will be signing copies of their new book, Influence, at the Union Square Barnes & Noble at 12:30 today. Call 212-253-0810 for more information. And tell them Uncle Jesse says hi.

10 Cent Wings @ Croxley Ales

Some of the best wings in the city only cost a dime. Check out Croxley Ales tonight (or any Monday) for 10 cent wings and some great beer selections.

Metropolitan Museum Of Art Rooftop Installation

Jeff Koons' rooftop installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art closes today. If you didn't make it out there this summer, you'll definitely want to check it out before it's too late.

The 18th Annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade + 19 Free Bands

Screw the Halloween parade for humans next week and head over to Tompkins Square Park for the dog parade at noon today. There will be more than $5,000 in prizes, including iPods for the winners of the following categories: "Best In Show," "Best Costume - large & small breed," "Best Dog with Kid," "Best Dog Team Costume," "Best Trick" and "Best Dog & Owner Combo."

Ruff ruff.

Not into dressing up your pets?

Check out 19 free bands at the Knitting Factory starting at noon. Presented by BrooklynVegan.

Click here for the lineup.

More Free CMJ Shows

The rockin' keeps on coming. For free! Check out some music from Espana at The Annex. Or RSVP here for free access to an emerging artists showcase at Crash Mansion. Free drinks to start off the night!

CMJ -- Rock On! Free Shows!

It's the middle of the CMJ Music Marathon and if you haven't been to any shows yet, you better get going! Only three nights remain. There are too many bands to pick and choose from (I'm personally excited to see Coheed and Cambria perform In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 in it's entirety at Terminal 5 this evening) so we suggest you check out www.cmj.com for the full lineup. Or if you're feeling lazy you can click here for info about a free show.

$1 Beers @ Singas -- Tonight & Every Night

Singas -- on 2nd Avenue in the East Village -- offers $1 beers until 10 P.M. every single day. Stop by this evening for a pint or two.

Simchat Torah + Naked Penthouse Girls

Today is Simchat Torah. Huh? Yes -- it's the craziest Jew party of the year. Dancing. Drinking. And who knows what else. Head up to B'nai Jeshrun on the Upper West Side and see what the fuss is all about!

Praying not your thing?

Village Pourhouse hosts the first ever Megatouch Penthouse Photo Hunt Tournament. Hot new pictures from Penthouse will be featured for players to enjoy. Prizes include food and bar tabs and a winner-takes-all cash pot. Register here --$5 in advance, $10 at the door.

Monday Night Football @ Rudy's - Free Hot Dogs & Cheap Beer

Head over to Rudy's Bar & Grill in Hell's Kitchen for some Monday Night Football. They're celebrating 75 years with free hot dogs and $7.00 pitchers of beer ($5 before 5PM). The Pats face off against Denver this week.

Frugal New York (Article)

Today -- in lieu of a specific deal -- you should all check out Frugal New York, an article that ran in the New York Times last weekend. It has tons of cheap things to do in the city, whether you're a local or a tourist.

Great Big Wheel Race 2008! (Free)

Riders across the city will be meeting up with trikes, skateboards, velocipedes, and other handmade contraptions on wheels along with their superhero costumes to race down the Great Hill in Central Park against the greatest big wheelers in town! Click here for more info. This is one event you're not gonna want to miss!

The Price Of Pleasure @ NYU

This evening, NYU will be screening The Price Of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality and Relationships. Ow ow. For more information, click here.

New TKTS Booth In Time Square

There are many ways to get cheap Broadway tickets, but none is more popular than the TKTS booth which offers tickets at steep discounts. Check out their new booth which opens in Times Square today. Located on 47th and Broadway, theater attendees will now be able to use credit cards to purchase tickets.

Josh Hamilton Book Signing

Drug addict turned MVP candidate Josh Hamilton signs copies of his new book - Beyond Belief - this afternoon. 1 PM. For more info, click here.

Napkin Idol @ Dusk Lounge

Head out to Dusk Lounge and participate in the bar's weekly Napkin Idol event. Show off your bar-napkin doodle skills Superbad style to win some free drinks.

Visit the Dusk Lounge website for more info.

Beer Pong Tournament At Wicked Willy's

Check out Wicked Willy's weekly beer pong tournament. Click here for all the info. With pints starting at one dollar -- even the losers are winners tonight!

New York Waterfalls Close Tomorrow

Don't cry too hard. The New York City waterfalls close tomorrow. It's your last chance to see one of the most over hyped public art projects in recent history. Check them out from the Brooklyn Bridge and surrounding areas.

Ice Skating Rink Opens At Rockefeller Center

Beat the crowds. The ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center opens today. Sure its 70 degrees out. Who wouldn't want to put on some skates and tear up the ice in such beautiful weather? For rates and hours of operation, click here.

Apple Picking!

It's time to go pick apples! Take the day off (the weather is looking great) and go pick pick pick!

Here are some local places to check out. Make sure to call before heading out.

Baiting Hollow Nursery, Sound Avenue, Calverton, (631) 929-6439

Fort Salonga Farm, 30 Meadow Glen Road, Northport, (631) 269-9666

Lewin Farms, Sound Avenue, Wading River, (631) 929-4327

Milk Pail Farm and Orchard, Montauk Highway Between Water Mill & Bridgehampton, (631) 537-2565

Seven Ponds Orchard, 65 Seven Ponds Road, Water Mill, (631) 726-8015

Wickham Farms, Main Road, Cutchogue, (631) 734-6441

Off Long Island

Dr. Davies Farm, Box 146, Congers (Rockland County), (845) 268-7020

Masker Orchards, 45 Ball Road, Warwick (Orange), (845) 986-1058

Outhouse Orchards, Hardscrabble Road, Croton Falls (Westchester), (914) 277-3188

Pennings Orchard, 169 South Route 94, Warwick (Orange), (845) 986-7080

Wilkens Fruit and Fir Farm, 1313 White Hill Road, Yorktown Heights (Westchester), (914) 245-5111

Beer Tasting - Celebrate Oktoberfest!

Simon Pearce Events host a free beer tasting on the Upper East Side to celebrate Oktoberfest. Click here for all the details.

A Wheat Field -- In Manhattan???

The Wheat Free Council has installed a pregrown wheat field at the South Street Seaport. Tours are being given every 30 minutes and include a demonstration about how wheat is turned into flour. There will also be a free bread tasting. Mmmmm.... bread. Corner of Water Street and South Street.

Best Bagger Competition

Baggers from around New York will compete for the title of “Best Bagger” this afternoon. Competitors are judged on speed, bag-building technique, weight distribution, style, attitude and appearance. 2 PM. D'Agostino - 10th Avenue between 54th and 55th Street.

Magnolia Bakery Opens Midtown Manhattan Location

The famed bakery opens up a Midtown location today --- 6th Avenue @ 49th Street. Swing by and check it out!

Open House New York Continues

The Annual openhousenewyork Weekend continues today. Free admission into some of the city's coolest buildings. Click here for information on all of today's participating locations. Some of our favorites include:

The Bronx Museum Of Arts
The Hall Of Fame Of Great Americans
Brooklyn Borough Hall

Open House New York - Free Entrance Into The City's Hidden Gems

openhousenewyork hosts year-round educational programs celebrating New York City’s built-environment, culminating in America’s largest architecture and design event:

The Annual openhousenewyork Weekend

Click here for information on all of today's participating locations. Some of our favorites include:

BAM

Wave Hill

New York Botanical Gardens

Free Shows At Joe's Pub

To celebrate it's 10th anniversary, Joe's Pub is putting on 10 free shows later this month. Click here to register to win tickets and to see the line-up. Good luck!

$1 Bus To From New York To Washington DC

This week, I decided to switch things up on my way down to DC. No Amtrak. No Vamoose. No Chinatown Bus. I tried out a new line -- BoltBus. Amazing. Free Wi-Fi on board. Electrical outlets for electronics. Comfortable leather seats. Although a last minute booking will run you a whopping $25, if you plan ahead, tickets start at $1.

So.... plan ahead and go book yourself a $1 ticket. A quick look on their website shows that $1 tickets are available on many weekends in January and February. Decide not to go? Ooops. You're a buck in the hole!

Register To Vote (It's Free!)

Since this blog began earlier this month, we've posted tons of free things you can do in NYC. But really the most important free thing you can do this year is vote. There is one month until the election. No matter who you like, what issues are important to you, or whether or not you think our nation is going down the tube -- it's not only your right, but your responsibility as an American citizen to make sure your voice is heard.

There are dozens of sites you can register to vote on. Some of our favorites are Vote For Change and Rock The Vote. What are you waiting for? Register today.