Nicholas McNallen

Who needs Santa when the New York Public Library is giving out free Wi-Fi? Starting later this month, residents of New York City will be able to check out portable wireless Internet hubs from their local branch, and bring them home. The program, dubbed "Check Out the Internet" aims to bring municipal Wi-Fi to 2.5 million city residents in all five boroughs who don't have Internet access at home, The Wall Street journal reports. The New York Public Library found that 55 percent of patrons who use the Internet do so because they do not have access at home. Now, branches of the New York Public Library, Queens Library, and Brooklyn Public Library will be offering approximately 10,000 Wi-Fi units to help close that digital divide. Who is to thank for this unexpected cyber stocking stuffer? Google Inc. and the Knight Foundation have supported the program with donations, and the hubs will be powered by Sprint. This program is the latest in a series of efforts to make Wi-Fi more available to city dwellers, following the conversion of thousands of pay phones into Wi-Fi hot spots. In New York, it almost seems you can take a little piece of the Internet with you wherever you may go. 

Thanksgiving is a week away, but it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Come December 4, it'll look pretty much entirely like Christmas after Central Park is illuminated for the 18th Annual Dana Holiday Lighting. The Central Park Conservancy is throwing a free celebration full of live ice carving, caroling, cocoa, cookies and, of course, Santa (who could keep him away when there are cookies and cocoa to be had?). The finale? The lighting of the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center and a flotilla of 17 Christmas trees on the Harlem Meer. Bask in the glow! The Mistletones, a band known as "hipster carolers" who have shared the stage with the likes of Kermit the Frog and Boyz II Men, will lead the caroling and serve as arch-chancellors of holiday cheer. Attendees are invited to share in the songs and belt out tinsel-tunes as the lights flicker on. Have no fear if your memory of the second verse of "Silent Night" is a little rusty, though—song books will be distributed. As for ice carving, the storied Okamoto Studios from Long Island City will be showcasing two of their frozen magna opera, including a nutcracker and a polar bear surfing on an iceberg. And then they'll show you how it's done, with a live ice carving demonstration.   To partake in the lighting celebration, just show up at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center on December 4 at 5:30pm.

Halloween may be over, but that doesn't mean you can't still hang out at museums for fun.  Green-Wood Cemetery, in partnership with the Brooklyn Historical Society, will be offering a free talk and trolley tour about the transformative Brooklyn Theatre Fire of 1876. On Saturday 22, a couple weeks before the fire's 138th anniversary (December 5), historian Joshua Britton will be explaining the blaze and its legacy in Brooklyn.  Green-Wood houses a mass grave for 103 victims of the fire, marked by a granite obelisk. The conflagration is the country's third most fatal fire in a theatre or other public assembly building. This is the fourth and final event of the Brooklyn's On Fire! series put on by Green-Wood and the Brooklyn Historical Society, devoted to exploring the history of Brooklyn's fires and firefighters.  The talk begins at 1pm in the cemetery's Historic Chapel, located at 25th Street and 5th Avenue. You can tour the cemetery for $20, learn some Brooklyn history, and pay respects to the many fascinating New Yorkers laid to rest there.

"Welcome to New York", Taylor Swift says. But has New York "welcomed" her? Swift's new song about NYC—from her album 1989—has apparently caused some hate. A new mural unveiled on the Lower East Side reads "R.I.P Taylor Swift".   A photo posted by La Petite Mort (@lapetitemortnyc) on Oct 10, 2014 at 7:58pm PDT   Painted by Antonio "Chico" Garcia, the mural was commissioned by the owners of LES vintage clothing store La Petite Mort, Osvaldo Jimenez and Kara Mullins, in response to Taylor Swift's recent appointment as New York City's "global welcome ambassador." It's possible they were just hiding their secret love for her new album, like all the characters from last week's SNL skit, Swiftamine.   But Mullins and Jimenez, in an Instagram post littered with hashtags (above), explained: "We here at LP have nothing but love for Taylor Swift. Rather our comment is on the whitewashing and gentrification of New York."  They continue: "While Taylor Swift is alive and well, and we wish her no harm, she did kill off yet another piece of that broken New York spirit. The idea of her being our spokesperson is DEAD and we expressed that through a ny artist."  Yowza.

Is your local bar trivia night not sufficiently stimulating for you? Is there not enough marine-life at your go-to pub? We've got a solution to your trivia woes: On November 13th, The American Museum of Natural History will host Shelf Life, a trivia night in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life.  A $20 ticket gets you a spot under the big blue whale to compete in quiz rounds (plus a free drink, a popcorn bar, and sliders).   Teams of up to six people (ages 21 and up) can duke it out in a school-or-be-schooled competition, hosted by Adam Kesner of Trivial Dispute.  Get your geek on for questions that will run a gamut of nerdy topics, including science and pop culture alike. Afterwards, the true brainiacs—museum scientists and collection managers—will offer presentations to further inflate your infundibulum.  Attendees will also be privy to the premiere of the museum's new series of monthly videos, Shelf Life, which examines the 33 million specimens the museum has accumulated since its inception in 1869. Doors open at 6:30, the event starts at 7; enter at 77th Street. Knowledge is power. Trivia is fun. And your first drink is free!

This month, the South Street Seaport is being transformed into a showcase of New York City artists and artisans. Every weekend through November 23rd, the Out to See Festival will fill the Seaport with local crafters and makers, live music, thoughtful art, and delicious food. This is the festival's second year: last year, in the follow-up of Hurricane Sandy, neighborhood residents took it upon themselves to celebrate the best of what the historic neighborhood has to offer.From 11am-5pm each Saturday and Sunday, the fest will host an eclectic assortment of local brands, including Tribe Bicycle Co, The Makery 3D printing workshop, Lululosophy's chocolates, and Etsy's New York Team. Pop-up galleries will also be gracing the Seaport's streets, with works of art placed in under-utilized spaces to call attention to the unique architectural character of the neighborhood. Plus, Self Portrait Project is providing a free photo booth, so patrons can be both model and photographer, art and artist. But that's not all—The festival will also feature musical performances each Saturday from 2-6pm at Cannon's Walk. Featured bands include King Collider, Relations, Batfog, and Glass Rifle. And if you're in the mood to splurge and get driven to the festival, Uber will provide $30 off for first time users for those who use the service to get there. The already Uber-initiated receive a discount of 10%. Sign up at get.uber.com/go/OUTTOSEE30 with promo codes "OUTTOSEE30" and "OUTTOSEE10" for $30 off a

No mere mortal can resist the evil of the thriller.  If you're looking for a film-tastic way to get spooked this Halloween, check out one of these screenings tonight.The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is showing at 3:40 and 7:40 today at Film Forum.  This particular showing is a new restoration, which combines international archives, original title cards and tinting.  These efforts ensure you'll get the most accurate experience of the 1920 German Expressionist masterpiece, perhaps the first horror classic.  It's bound to make your thrown-together costume feel pretty cheap, but it's worth it.Videology offers an eclectic and continuous stream of screenings today. Come at 7 for a free screening of Nosferatu, accompanied by an original live score performed by Hajnal Pivnick on violin and Dorian Wallace on piano; you'll save some cash (but no promises on saving your blood/free-will/soul).  Stick around 'til 9:30 for an interactive screening of Witchboard, a 1986 movie about the tragic combination of reckless teens and Ouija boards.  Ouija boards will be provided at every table, so you can tinker with everyone's favorite Milton-Bradley spirit realm interface.  Nitehawk Cinema offers an all-night horror movie marathon called A Nite to Dismember 2014. In celebration of the event's second year, Nitehawk will be presenting the best of horror film sequels—The crème de la crème: part II.  For a savory, spooky 432 minutes beginning at midnight, catch Evil Dead II, The Bride Of Frankenstein, Frid

The Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is all about holiday shopping, but this festive landmark is not about to forget Halloween, either. And the Winter Village's early opening won't be the only treat you'll receive this year. Today from 3pm-6pm, Bryant Park welcomes young and old, spooky and silly, for free trick-or-treating at the Holiday Shops. Check in at the Southwest Porch to pick up a free bag and hit up the stores marked with a pumpkin to amass your sweet, saccharine fortune. And who knows? Your candy collection may just make it through till Thanksgiving. Parents needn't pilfer their children's haul of candy: those accompanying a little ghoul or goblin will receive a 10% discount at participating shops, including Woops! Macarons & Cookies and The Jam Stand. And once you've had your fill of tricks and treats, head back to the Southwest Porch to decorate your own pumpkin.

Hoping to carve a pumpkin before Halloween? Here's your chance to grab one for free: The city that never sleeps will be accommodating the stars of FOX's series Sleepy Hollow this afternoon at 2:30 pm, and giving away free Halloween goodies. For Sleepy Hollow-een, the characters will be taking sanctuary at the St. Mark's Church GreenMarket (at East 10th St and 2nd Ave). Actors Tom Mison and John Noble will be in attendance, and those who stop by can get their hands on free pumpkins and goodie bags. The brave and/or photogenic can also get their picture taken with the Headless Horseman. Possible puns to try out on him include the following: "Shame you weren't more headstrong," "That's no way to get ahead in life," and "You'll never be the head of a major corporation." That'll do.   The pumpkin patch will also be sprouting up on October 31st at the Union Square GreenMarket.  Alternatively, Sleepy Hollow fans can check out a reading of Washington Irving's original story at the Center For Fiction on Wednesday, for free!

Manhattan's city streets are calling, and they want you to take some tours. This Columbus Day weekend is the time to get some crisp air in your lungs and build stamina before Halloween has you trick-or-treating or on parade. Ready to walk? You've got two options: 1. BLOCKS NYC Scavenger hunt (Oct 12) Attention folk rockers and vinyl aficionados. This Sunday, meet under the Washington Square Arch for the second annual BLOCKS NYC, hosted by the City Blocks Culture Collective.  For a $10 donation, you and a partner (the Garfunkel to your Simon) can embark on a scavenger hunt for the soundtrack of a generation.  You'll be given the album covers of storied pioneers of New York's folk rock scene, and the competing duos will have to track down the locations of the original photo shoots to recreate the images.  The times, have they a-changed? You be the judge.  Plus, you'll get some sweet selfies out of the deal.  If the day full of freewheelin' and waxing rhapsodic leaves you thirsty, bookend your hunt with the reception at The Bitter End afterward. Drink, share stories, and find out how it feels, to be on your own, with no direction home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone. 2. 10th Anniversary of the Harlem Art Walk Tour (Oct 11-12)On Saturday and Sunday, the art-inclined and thrifty can explore uptown at the annual Harlem Art Walk Tour. From 12-6, get inside access to the studios and homes of local artists in one of New York's most diverse neighborhoods—all for free, in

We live in a golden age of television so it only makes sense that we also live in a golden age of television conventions—like PaleyFest New York! It's kind of like the New York Comic Con of TV with panel discussions and audience Q&As featuring some of the most bingeable shows, all taking place at The Paley Center for Media. The Festival kicks off apocalyptically on October 11th with the stars of The Walking Dead; Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, and Danai Gurira, along with showrunner Scott Gimple. Connoisseurs of crime drama far and wide will be flocking to The Wire Reunion on October 16th.  The Wire, which captured a cult following in its run from 2002 to 2008, is widely renowned (according to Reddit, anyway) as "the Citizen Kane of television" and "maybe better than Breaking Bad...definitely up there."  Any devotees of Girls or True Detective would do well to pay homage to HBO's classics. Slated to appear are Nina Noble, Wendell Pierce, Sonja Sohn, Seth Gilliam, Jim-True Frost, John Doman, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Jamie Hector, and the show's creator David Simon. If the mean streets of Baltimore aren't your thing, be sure to meet the talent behind television's favorite animated characters. A panel on all things Archer will be held October 12th, featuring the likes of Aisha Tyler, Chris Parnell, and H. John Benjamin.  And of course, the Bob's Burgers gang will be in attendance October 15th to serve up secrets on season five.  Also, if Comic-Con is somehow not meeting your quot

The Troll Museum, one of New York's best oddities, puts another candle on its cake this Saturday. In celebration of the museum's 14th anniversary, founder and curator Reverend Jen is holding an art show.  Cuz hey, it's not every day your personal exhibition of florescent-haired trolls turns 14.The show will feature works by alternative cartoonist Dame Darcy, conceptual artist Lisa Levy, painter George Boorujy, artist and fellow curator Joe Heaps Nelson, Reverend Jen herself, and more.  The show opens on September 20th and will run for three weeks.  Attendees are encouraged to BYOB, though an abundance of tater tots is promised.  When she's not giving private tours of her menagerie of bugaboos, Jen also hosts the annual Mr. Lower East Side Beauty Pageant and the weekly Anti-Slam open mike at Old Man Hustle.  Recently, Jen and her trolls have faced possible eviction, but she has fought to hold on to their Lower East Side residence (and won!).  A slew of fundraisers and a gofundme page (which rewards donors with various troll-related prints and paintings), have kept the feisty Lyceum of Trollery in business.  Here's to 15 years! To attend, e-mail Rev. at revjen12@yahoo.com to R.S.V.P., as space is limited.