Carrie Laven - Pretty Penniless

See Keith Haring’s Famous Bathroom Mural– FREE at The Center
Look around you– art is everywhere. It’s mounted gloriously on the white walls of the museum, in gorgeous sculpture gardens, and displayed on the refrigerators of doting parents. And sometimes, great art is found in the crapper. At least if you’re the legendary artist Keith Haring, who painted an awe-inducing,

Notes on a Nerd’s First Hardcore Show
Last weekend, I went to my first-ever hardcore show. I was a serious geekazoid as a teenager, so I was too busy trying to get the high score on the next AP Bio test to buy black socks, become straightedge, and be in the throes of a steamy hardcore love

Check Out “Youthquake: The 1960s Fashion Revolution”: FREE at FIT
I think that pretty much everyone goes through a “60s phase” at some point in their lives. Whether you’re into the music, the tumultuous political and social goings-on, or the totally groovy fashions– the swingin’ 60s were for sure a culturally rich decade. Now you can get inspired by all

Broke-Ass Style Inspiration: The Baby-Sitters Club
My babysitting days were the richest days of my life. Okay, so maybe I only babysat the 4-year-old down the street every once in awhile– whenever his mother decided that she wanted to change out of her San Diego Chargers Ryan Leaf jersey into her San Francisco 49ers Jerry

Get Centered with FREE Siddha Yoga and Meditation Sessions in Chelsea
Siddha yoga: kinda culty, totally awesome. I was first introduced to NYC’s Siddha Yoga and Meditation Center when my boyfriend told me to stop being a psycho bitch, and get a little inner peace in my life (okay, he may have used less-harsh terminology to describe my rage-filled state, but

Smells on the Chinatown Bus
It’s kind of insane that after 25 years as a broke-ass, I had never taken the Chinatown bus until last weekend. Don’t get me wrong, I adore budget travel– I’ve been cramped on overnight buses in Portugal, watched a boy floss his teeth with twine as he sat across from

My Best (Worst) Get-Rich-Quick Ideas
You see, I’m what they call a “creative genius.” I have a brain so out-of-control, half the time I can’t even make sense of the shit I come up with. All I know is that I am constantly sprouting figurative light bulbs out the top of my dome, having what

FREE “Love Your Tree” Valentine’s Day Workshop in Brooklyn
Forget humans– love a tree this Valentine’s Day! Unlike your slowly decaying relationship with your significant other, trees grow stronger over time, and provide tons of beauty and happiness in your life. As part of the MillionTreesNYC project, you can now “adopt” a tree in New York City. What does