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Cultural events can be quite pricey, but I've always had a bargain outlet wherever I've lived - Manhattan, Boston, and now in Ft Lauderdale. They're all are must-buy deals if you live in the local areas. To do the cities justice I'm devoting one blog to each of the three. Tip #1 was about Boston. This one, #2, is about NYC.

Chuck O'Connell. I call him my "Ticket Guy." I inherited Chuck in "a divorce" from an ex-boyfriend. For months he held out on the name of his contact. He finally revealed Chuck as the source right before I broke up with him. I swear I didn't wait till he gave it up! Just lucky I guess.

Chuck sells last-second (1-hour to 5 days) performance tickets for cheap, cheap, cheap - cheaper than a movie. Over the course of 12 years I enjoyed Broadway, Off and Off-Off Broadway, Dance, Music, movie screenings, and other events. Prices ran from $2-$5 - no joke! He gets the tickets free when a venue wants to "paper the house". This means that the theatre doesn't have the advanced sales they need (it's new or it's a holiday, or it doesn't have promotional bucks), but  they still want a full house for a couple reasons: first so that the performers don't get depressed! They need the energy from the audience; second to get a buzz going. Sometimes you get stinkers, but for $4, if it's that bad it's acceptable to leave over intermission. Never fear -  many are gems and many become or already are commercial hits.

He works with local customers because they learn the drill. You call him up and he rattles off everything he has. Make sure you have your NY Magazine and a pen in front of you because he gets cranky when you ask him to repeat or for his opinion. After using him for years he cut me a little slack and we stop to chat. It's also good to know that  Chuck spends a lot of time at his house on the Cape. So if you call and no one answers it means, "closed".

Chuck has some strict rules of engagement -- all for good reason. Never ever EVER no-show on your tickets. It make s Chuck look unreliable to his suppliers. He doesn't care who, but someone better be in those seats. Time at the box office is another big deal. He tells people to be there 45 minutes in advance. That's because people like us should not be crowding the line for people who are spending $75/ticket that night. It's only fair.

I live in Ft. Lauderdale right now, but I miss Chuck and will call him soon.

Email me at findDana@gmail.com for Chuck's contact info.

Cultural events can be quite pricey, but I've always had a bargain outlet wherever I've lived - Manhattan, Boston, and now in Ft Lauderdale. They're all are must-buy deals if you live in the local areas. To do the cities justice I'm devoting one blog to each of the three. Tip # 1 is for Boston -- simply because it is finish first!

Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). I had just moved to Boston and was starving for cultural pleasures. It's Boston -- they had to be there. But where?

I finally got my butt to the MFA. "Fashion Photography" was on special exhibit. At $25 it was a bit excessive but turned out to be worth it. The energy. The imagination. The curation.

The love fest continued after the show when I made the pilgrimage to the museum store - my temple. I was sure to spend more money than justifiable on books, jewelry, and creative gifts for people for no reason.


When I went to pay they asked me if I was a member. Apparently I would get 20% off (a special promotion that week) my pile of goods. Savings added up to about $18. So I ask the requisite question - how much?

Membership was $70. For that I would get:

• Free museum entry ($15)
• Free special exhibits for two ($25 each)
• 40% discount on music and film
• 10% off store and restaurant
• VIP lounge with wireless (possibly the most valuable benefit)

Hmmm...I had already spent $43 of it. One more special exhibition will more than pay for membership. Then a light bulb went off -- there may be another perk. Maaaaaybe my guest at special exhibits would buy me a meal or drink at the restaurant. Tacky, entitled, and wishful thinking - I know. But the food was delectable, the menu was innovative, and the execution artistic. (By the way, I have very generous friends). It was a treat -- dutch  or not.

Membership? It was a no-brainer.

Forgetting museum admission, membership paid off. I was a regular at the film fests and alternative music concerts, which were usually intellectually accessible to us common folk. The films were true independents - you know, the kind that cost 5k, which took the director a year to raise.


Here's an example: I saw a film about an African young man who, after his father's death, finds out that he has 49 brothers and sisters. Well, he sets out to meet them all. It wasn't clear whether he did, but cultural disparity between how he was received by the siblings and their mothers there verses how he might have been here was riveting.

Now let's get real. When you see these things your ego inflates. Wow, aren't I cool? But it was an authentic glimpse into a world that, sadly few would see -- I am truly privileged.

This membership was a meaningful gift to me from me.

I never understand when people, like my sister, could care less about their birthday. A birthday is a once-a-year celebration for just being.


Plans for a Saturday birthday gained momentum when my friend Kerry from Boston, decided to visit. Of course like all great birthdays they start before the date and if you're really lucky end about a week later. Thursday was a massage, then Friday was kayaking on the Gulf of Mexico.We rented our kayaks from Salt Water Sports on the Isle of Capri near Naples, FL. They had a few obscurely nudged up against a tiki restaurant, The Capri Fish House.
 

Unfortunately that day did not have the dreamy blue waters ideal for small-island-hopping. So after fighting an unrelenting tide we relented and made way to the local mangroves, passing a few dolphins along the way. (The mangroves were so trippy that I'll have to save them for another time). Afterward we lucked out with a $12 early bird special at the tiki restaurant on the water. The flounder and grouper were yum yum.

Saturday was the Delray Beach Garlic Festival. It was more like your everyday street festival with tasty, yet uninnovative food and a $10 cover charge. I expected something like garlic balls in a garlic sauce with a side of garlic salad washed down with garlic soda. It sounds icky, but I would have been impressed. I did glean a gem though: There is always a Starbucks around when you gotta pee, which beats the unsavory porta-potty experience. For the first time I was happy for a Starbucks on every corner.
 
Nighttime. I picked a little-known 18-person restaurant outside of Wilton Manors (a neighborhood in Ft. Lauderdale), called Café Sharaku. It's French-Asian fusion with a small and delectable menu.

Café Sharakaru was beer and wine only, so I looked for a happy hour close by that stocked the real stuff. All I could find was Red's Bar and Package Store where the review said something about "free jello shots for the ladies". Am I crazy to suspect it was a dive fraternity bar? UGH.
 

Don't get me wrong -- there is nothing better than a good dive, but truth be told I was a little nervous as to what I was getting my well-dressed birthday clan in to. In fact it was a real bar's bar -big u-shaped and wooden without any small tables or restaurant in sight. By the way, I highly recommend their jello shots.




The Capri Fish House www.caprifishhouse.com
Garlic Festival www.dbgarlicfest.com
Café Shakaru, Ft Lauderdale FL www.cafesharaku.com
Red's Bar and Packaging Store: Ft. Lauderdale, FL 954-564-0233  http://www.yelp.com/biz/reds-bar-and-package-store-wilton-manors#hrid:fSkzOkaI_ZYASnBBb_Ui-Q/query:red's