A Spot in the Big Apple: Free Summer Nights

After attempting to start a business for a year using our own capital, Casey and I learned to be really cheap. I guess "frugal" sounds better, but let's be honest, we were just cheap. Many of our dinners consisted of beans and rice, we refused to pay for even basic cable, and we rarely ventured outside of our apartment to see movies (unless it was a matinee at the dollar theater). Unfortunately there aren't dollar theaters in New York... a discount theater here would probably sell tickets for $9. On the bright side, however, there are plenty of free activities, especially during the summer. There are free concerts, film festivals, yoga, dancing, and best of all, people-watching. You may have to (get to?) enjoy such entertainment with a few hundred / thousand other New Yorkers, but your wallet's gratitude makes up for it.

Concerts in the Park

The New York Philharmonic offered 5 free concerts in parks around Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs this summer. A typical concert would last from 8-10pm, but I'm pretty sure people start showing up at around 5 or 6 to get good seating. Being the punctual adults that we are, Casey and I made an appearance at around 9:15, only to find that Central Park's Great Lawn was completely packed. According to the NY Phil's website, as many as 200,000 people show up to the concerts each summer, with over 14 million total in attendance since the series began in 1965. I guess we should have been expecting the crowds, but it was still impressive to see so many people squished like sardines onto the field, and even more impressive how respectful and quiet the audience was.

Since we were quite (un)fashionably late, we ended up wandering to a bench behind the Great Lawn that was set back from the crowd. Unknowingly, we actually selected a an acoustically-pleasing setting - somehow the music echoed off the trees just right and we could hear the orchestra perfectly, without the noise from the rowdy attendees in the back. After the concert ended there was a fancy fireworks show, which we missed most of due to our nestled position behind the crowds. We did see a tiny dog making a bee-line out of the park in fear of the noise, but weren't quick enough to grab him. Here are a few shots from the night: (my pictures weren't great; these people did a better job)