NOV 4-6: The 5 Best Bang-for-Your-Buck Adventures in New York City This Weekend

NEW YORK, NY — It's the calm before the storm, people: The craziness of Halloween has just subsided and yet the winter holidays are almost within striking distance. (Nothing going on these days but the Election.) So take advantage of the lull to get out and enjoy all the City has to offer. As usual, the Patch Culture Hound recommends five of the best bang-for-the-buck doings in the City this weekend, in every taste and price range.

But first, it's a ...

BREAK-OUT-YOUR-HIDEOUS-HOLIDAY-SWEATER ALERT!

ICE SKATING AND WINTER VILLAGE AT BRYANT PARK

Where: Bryant Park, Midtown [map]

When: Daily, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

What: Ah, November 1st — the OFFICIAL start of the holiday season. As soon as those plastic Halloween decorations are packed away for the year, within seconds, every bough and eave becomes festooned with yuletide trimmings and winter holiday trappings. Why not take in the magnificent Winter Village early this year before the crowds really overwhelm? Shop for gifts, have a toddy by the firepit, or attempt a salchow or two on the ice rink. The Village just gets bigger and better every year! For more information, go here.

How much: FREE!

WILLIAM EGGLESTON: THE DEMOCRATIC FOREST

Pictured: Untitled from The Democratic Forest (1983-86), William Eggleston

Where: David Zwirner Gallery, 537 West 20th Street, Chelsea [map]

When: Friday, 11/4, and Saturday, 11/5, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

What: Credited with bringing color photography into the gallery, Memphis-born William Eggleston is known as much for his everyday subjects — the hood of a car, an unremarkable corner of a room, condiments on a diner table — as he is for his vivid, saturated printing style. He also wields a great degree of wit in his pictures, as with the photo of a young boy casually reading an ad for handguns. David Zwirner Gallery presents these and other images from Eggleston's epic 80's photo-travelogue The Democratic Forest, now through mid-December. For more information, go here.

How much: FREE!

BAD THEATER FEST

Where: St. Paul's Upstairs Theater, 334 South 5th Street, Williamsburg [map]

When: Friday, 11/4, and Saturday, 11/5, at 7 and 9 p.m.

What: With the provocative subheading "not bad meaning bad but bad meaning great," the fifth annual Bad Theater Fest continues through this weekend on the south side of Billyburg. Founded with the guiding principle that theater often fails when writers try too hard to be "good," the Fest instead provides an outlet where budding auteurs feel unencumbered by critical norms. This weekend's offerings, four separate programs of short plays with titles like "The Stephen King and I" and "On April 2o, 2016, Kelly Will Not Be Joining Us," seem to suggest the participants have taken this principle very much to heart. For tickets and a complete schedule of shows, go here.

How much: Tickets are $15.

SAVED BY THE 90S

Where: Webster Hall [map]

When: Friday, 11/4, 11 p.m.

What: Has election overload got you down? Is the complexity of life in the twenty-teens crushing your very soul? Then this weekend is a perfect time for you to harken back to simpler days at Webster Hall's weekly Saved by the 90s dance party. Break out your old parachute pants and rock out to the songs of yesteryear as performed live by The Bayside Tigers. And check those modern-day blues at the door, so that maybe, just maybe the blissful buzz will carry you right on through Tuesday night! For more information and tickets, go here.

How much: Tickets are $20

JAY PHAROAH

Where: Gramercy Theatre, Flatiron, Manhattan [map]

When: Saturday, 11/5, 7 p.m.

What: Just when you've had your fill of seasonal horror, the New York Comedy Festival comes to your post-Halloween rescue all week long with a serious dose of the funny. You're gonna have to move heaven and earth (and stake out Craigslist like a boss) to get tickets to see headliners like Tracy Morgan or Bill Maher. But lucky for you, there are still seats available for other just-as-talented-but-maybe-not-quite-as-famous comedy geniuses like Tig Notaro who plays Carnegie Hall Saturday night. Which brings us to Jay Pharoah, late of SNL, who brings his stand-up and boatload of impressions to the Gramercy Theatre this weekend at a very reasonable price. For tickets, go here.

How much: Tickets are $27.50

TEGAN AND SARA

Where: The Theater at Madison Square Garden [map]

When: Friday, 11/4; doors at 7 p.m.

What: Long before they graced the stages of the 2014 Academy Awards singing "Everything Is Awesome" from The LEGO Movie, identical-twin rockers Tegan and Sara had developed a passionate following of devotees with their stripped-down, heartfelt songs and quirky vocals. Perhaps inspired by that brush with the mainstream, the duo's latest album Love You to Death demonstrates a more polished, synth-heavy sound while still delivering their trademark introspective, emotional storytelling. And like most Canadian bands, they're great live. For tickets, go here.

How much: Tickets are $70 and up.

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