"don't call it a comeback..."

Well, I'm back. Don't know if anyone missed me. But I guess this blog went on a longass hiatus as I dealt with seasonal depression, or maybe just some regular-ass depression. But it's nearly summer again and that means its time for all the free shit and all the fun-in-the-sun that makes surviving New York City in the winter worth it. All the landlords that won't turn on your heat or hot water, all the bosses who engage in wage-theft and won't pay you time and a half for overtime or steal from your tips.

New York City may be a really hard place for poor people to live, increasingly so after decades of the policies of Guilliani and Billionaire Bloomberg, but New York City still offers more free entertainment and kickass recreational activities, both underground and way-freakin' mainstream, than any other city in the U.S.

I don't care how fucking broke you are, there's always something cool to do all summer long in New York City.

There's the the outdoor movie festivals such as Movies With a View which plays free movies under the Brooklyn Bridge with a beautiful night time view of the Manhattan skyline; or Riverflicks and Hudson Movies Under the Stars which both play free movies out on the piers of the Hudson River; or on the Elevated Acre, a rooftop park in the financial district on the East River with breathtaking views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Governor's Island and the Statue of Liberty; or Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria, Queens which plays mostly international & art house films; or the eco-cafe Habana Outpost in Fort Greene, Brooklyn which plays an eclectic mix of cult classics and retro blockbusters projected onto the side of a building in their funky Cuban-inspired courtyard.

There's the Free outdoor concerts in Prospect Park, Central Park, the River to River Festival, Make Music New York!, Governor's Island, and the hundreds of cafes and bars that have free shows, no cover, all the time. You just have to know where to look.

Not to mention all the beaches and parks, or the free days at the museums and botanical gardens, or the fact that its always free to joyride the Staten Island Ferry or to take a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, or to just get out and explore NYC. Get out of your borrough, go somewhere you've never gone before. We have one of the best mass transit systems on the planet, use it!!!