It’s that time of year again. Everyone knows New York City is an expensive town, especially around the holidays. To save some money, try out some of these tips for free things to do this December during your stay.

By Matt Stabile

CULTURE

1) BOOK READINGS

Where else in the world are you going to have the chance to see, up close, some of the biggest comics, actors, Broadway divas and Booker Prize winners in the world than in New York? In December alone, all for zero dollars, you have the chance to see the likes of Salman Rushdie, Denis Leary, Portia DiRossi, and Patti LuPone, all of whom will be doing free book readings during the month of December.

For dates, times and locations, click here.

2) FREE MUSEUM TOURS

Still one of the best deals and unkept secrets in New York, MoMA (or the Museum of Modern Art) is free every Friday from 4:00 p.m. until closing at 8:00 p.m. What’s even better now is that you can get a free tour of the museum, all for nothing. Head over to iTunes and download the new MoMA app for you iPhone that includes five tour options, an art index, and even background music to play while you browse.

Not to be outdone, if you find yourself at the Brooklyn Museum, they too have a free app.

For information about the MoMA app head here, and information about the Brooklyn Museum app visit here.

For a full list of free hours for all the museums in New York click here.

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This morning, as a tour bus nearly took out a part of my foot while I was crossing the street, I realized that tourist season had officially begun here in New York, a season that seems to coincide with both baseball season and me-sweating-profusely-due-to-lack-of-air-conditioning-on-the-subway-platform season.

Back in December, when a few other visitors were in town, I posted about free things to do in New York City, including free museums, music, and events. This week, Time Out decided to help me out and devote an entire issue to the cause of free NYC, including an exhaustive guide to getting into the city’s best museums, hearing live music, and even eating free, all for $0.

The best part about the guide? You could visit several museums a day, Tuesday though Sunday, completely gratis. Of course, to do this it would mean spending your Tuesday afternoon at the Staten Island Museum (okay, so you don’t have to go to one every day).

On Thursday try the Museum of Arts & Design Pay from 6–9 p.m., The Museum of Modern Art on Friday from 4–8 p.m., the Guggenheim on Saturday from 5:45–7:45 p.m., and The Frick on Sunday from 11 a.m–1 p.m.

Afterward, head to Vero Wine Bar for a free panini with your overpriced martini, or head to Dell’anima for free frittata triangles, citrus-and-fennel salad and mixed olives with your beverage.

Then, when you’re ready for bed, grab a free copy of the Village Voice and head to the closest park for a couple hours of completely free sleep! Actually, that one’s not in there, in fact the one thing you’re definitely going to have to pay for if you don’t have anyone to shack up with is lodging. That is, if you don’t want to be picked up for vagrancy in the middle of the night in Central Park by the NYPD.

For the full list of all that is free in New York City click through to Time Out here.

Already broke your budget just staying in New York this holiday season? Try these 10 tips to enjoy the city for free.

By Matt Stabile

MUSEUMS

1) MoMA

Normally a steep $20, MoMA (Museum of Modern Art for you acronym-hating readers) is free every Friday from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. Just head to the front desk and pick up a free ticket for admission then check out Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Monet’s Water Lilies, and Dali’s The Persistence of Memory all for nothing.

TIP: If you plan to check out the Tim Burton exhibit going on right now, head there right at 4 p.m. due to the limited number of entries.

2) The New Museum

With its irregularly stacked white box frame, The New Museum is in fact, literally new (a $64 million renovation was completed in December 2007), and is free on Thursday from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

TIP: Grab you iPod and download these free podcasts for the heavily promoted Urs Fischer exhibit. This may help explain all those tongue advertisements you’ve been seeing on the subway.

3) The Metropolitan Museum of Art

They won’t actually tell you this right out in the open, but it’s true: admission here is only recommended. They ask for $20 for adults and $10 for students, but no one’s stopping you from forking over your pocket change. Stingy? Perhaps, but remember, they’re also working with one of the largest endowments for a museum in the world (well over $2 billion dollars). Want to really help? Hit up the gift shop on your way out or at one of the many stores around the city.

TIP: Ever wonder what graffiti looks like through the ages beginning from about 10 B.C.? Head to the reconstructed Temple of Dendur for a good overview. (more…)