I wish that I had discovered this hotspot sooner, but never fear, there is still one fun-filled Saturday event left this summer! PS1 is exhibition space for the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art), however the events that are put on are really what make it special! The event will cost you a $15 entrance fee, unless you have proof of LIC residence, but I think it is well worth it! When you enter PS1, you are greeted with an abundance of outdoor space for socializing and dancing; there is even a section filled with sand and littered with balance balls. Outside the entrance to the indoor exhibits, there are live bands playing throughout the event. My crew and I spent a some fun times getting our groove on in the dance area after we checked out the art. I will admit upfront that I am pretty sure I do not fully grasp modern art and the selections at PS1 were definitely cutting-edge, however I still had a great time trying to interpret the wide variety of creative pieces offered at the exhibit. The one fault I found with the PS1 experience was the lack of food. Beer and water was available for purchase, however and bags were not checked on the way in, so you can sneak in some goodies. PS1 is easily accessible from Manhattan by train, so there is no excuses for missing the August 28th event!
Brighton Beach-Coney Island Ave. and Brightwater Ct. (last stop on the B train or third to last stop on the Q train).
My two best beach girlfriends and I took a shot at Brighton Beach the other day and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I have been known to frequent Long Beach, NY, which is accessible from the LIRR, but this will cost you about $11 one way, you have to change at Jamaica, and it now costs a whopping $12 to get on the beach (up $2 from last summer). To be fair to Long Beach, it does offer beautiful clean white sand beaches and a large variety of restaurants and shops and the LIRR does offer a beach special that costs $20 for a round trip train ticket and a beach pass, so it does save you a lot of money. Brighton Beach is still a good choice, because it is right off of the subway and the beach is, wait for it: FREE! I always love the beach, but it is especially lovely when you have just taught five hours of summer school and you have packed a cooler of goodness (the sangria recipe on my cook page is great in a huge thermos, but don't forget cups!) Don't worry if you don't plan ahead and bring your own happy beverages, because there are lovely men on the beach who sell mixed drinks and beers out of their backpacks! 
The beach is not quite as clean as Long Beach, so you will find some cigarette butts and small pieces of glass, but nothing disgusting like at Coney Island. The beach is much less crowded and noisy than Coney Island as well. The water is lovely, not a hint of trash or muck, and the view of Rockaways is beautiful, so just sunbathing and reading is sublime. The Brighton Beach area is mostly populated with ethic establishments, including stuffed fried breads sold right out on the street, which I sampled. I tried the potato bread and the egg bread, both of which were very yummy and extremely inexpensive, $1.25 each! You will have a bit of trouble finding recognizable chain stores, however I did spot a Strarbucks and there are plenty of little corner store type places complete with friendly patrons! I also saw two nice looking restaurants right on the boardwalk; one called surprisingly Tatiana's, and I will definitely make it a point to check those both out in the near future. I also hope to take a long walk on the Brighton Beach boardwalk and maybe even go all the way to Coney Island, which you can do! My good friend has given rave reviews to the bathrooms at the beach that are apparently extremely clean and decorated with flowers! This beach is great choice for people who don't want to pay a lot or travel far and you will find me there again soon.
The beach is not quite as clean as Long Beach, so you will find some cigarette butts and small pieces of glass, but nothing disgusting like at Coney Island. The beach is much less crowded and noisy than Coney Island as well. The water is lovely, not a hint of trash or muck, and the view of Rockaways is beautiful, so just sunbathing and reading is sublime. The Brighton Beach area is mostly populated with ethic establishments, including stuffed fried breads sold right out on the street, which I sampled. I tried the potato bread and the egg bread, both of which were very yummy and extremely inexpensive, $1.25 each! You will have a bit of trouble finding recognizable chain stores, however I did spot a Strarbucks and there are plenty of little corner store type places complete with friendly patrons! I also saw two nice looking restaurants right on the boardwalk; one called surprisingly Tatiana's, and I will definitely make it a point to check those both out in the near future. I also hope to take a long walk on the Brighton Beach boardwalk and maybe even go all the way to Coney Island, which you can do! My good friend has given rave reviews to the bathrooms at the beach that are apparently extremely clean and decorated with flowers! This beach is great choice for people who don't want to pay a lot or travel far and you will find me there again soon. Alvin Ailey Dance
Yesterday, I was encouraged and agreed to attend a dance class at the The Ailey Extension, which a dance and fitness school located at 405 West 55th St. (at 9th Ave.). The school's tag line is: "Read classes for real people" and from what I experienced they live up to this adage. I attended the class at the insistence of a good friend who takes classes at the school quite frequently and she raves about them. Ailey caters to a wide range of dance enthusiasts, from absolute beginners to professionals. It's really simple and not too expensive: $17 for one class, $25 for your 1st 2 classes, 5-classes $78, 10-classes $150 and 20-classes for $285. Walk-ins are welcome or you can sign up online, but be careful, because some classes fill up quickly, especially on weekends. The first time you go, you will have to fill out one simple form, but after that you can just add classes to your keycard and swipe it when you go in. My friends and I went to an open (for anyone) Zumba class and it was tons of fun! Zumba is a mix of Latin and African dance and our teacher infused it with some classic hip hop music. There was a huge mix of talent levels in the class, but I think that's what made it so great. The semi-professionals were up front with the teacher and the mirror and the people, such as myself, who didn't really know what they were doing were in back laughing and trying to keep up. Zumba was actually a really effective workout for those of you who think that it wouldn't be worth skipping the gym. You don't even feel the workout in a dance class, because you're concentrating so hard on trying to follow the instructor's lead and not look like a fool. I will definitely try another class and there are a lot to choose from: ballet (not going to happen), Yoga, capoeira, sabar, contemporary, theatre dance, hip hop, Afro cuban, Horton, samba, belly dance, Guinean, q funk, middle eastern, snap/pop/rock, broadway jazz, dunham, tap, and Haitian folkloric. I'm not quite sure what some of these classes are, but I'm definitely willing to try and find out!
Kickball!
What makes this league so fun is the energy of the people who play. As in any team sport, there are going to be some spoil-sports who take the game and themselves too seriously. These people are easily forgotten over some post-game drinking, fun, and games however. The majority of the folks who I have met through this league are very friendly and very fun. It also helps when you do as my friends and I did and put together a team of your friends, although it's nice when you get some "free agents" on your team so that you can bond with some new people. The favorite post-game spot for players is Aces and Eights and your team shirt will get you in without an id check! The place isn't for everyone, but I for one enjoy it! There are two floors with ski ball, Big Buck Hunter, booths, a jukebox, and three tables of beer-pong or flip-cup tables on the first floor. Upstairs you will find another bar, two more flip cup/beer-pong tables, a dance floor, and an enclosed porch area with comfy couches. There's no food at Aces and Eights, but there is a great pizza place, Two Boots Pizza, just across the street. Two Boots has a nice selection of vegetarian slices, as well as meat slices. There are also a lot of other options in this area for after game drinking, including my favorite Whiskey Ward.
I am hoping to try other sporting options in other sessions and I will post updates about my experiences there.
