New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show

What: Model trains navigate painstakingly crafted miniatures of New York City's built environment, all made entirely out of plant parts. The Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, Yankee Stadium and more than 150 other landmarks form a fantastically rendered City landscape built from seeds, bark, leaves and twigs, serviced by a robust quarter mile of track, all nestled underneath the glass ceilings of the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

When: November 15, 2014 – January 19, 2015 
Where: New York Botanical Garden: 2900 Southern Blvd. Bronx, NY 10458

Protohack: The "Code-Free" Hackathon

What: ProtoHack exists to show "non-coders" that they too can create something amazing from nothing. We want to empower you with the tools, knowledge and community to help you bring your idea to life and communicate it visually through prototyping.
How Does it Work?
No coding is required. Instead you will use prototyping tools, drag and drop editors, mockups, wireframes and anything else you can think of to VISUALLY demo your idea on stage. (We've put together the best tools for non-coders, so don't fret if you've never prototyped.)
You will have 9 hours to produce a prototype. (Remember, you are creating a lean prototype of your idea and it doesn't need to be perfect. The focus should be on visually showing what the idea is.) 
When: Saturday, November 15, 2014 9:30 am - 10:00 pm  
Where: Wix Lounge: 235 W 23d St 8th Fl New York, NY 10011  |  (646) 862-0833 
FREE

Party With Santa!

What: Santa's magical workshop is coming to Historic Richmond Town! Come join the fun with arts and crafts, face painting, games, sticker books and more! Enjoy pictures with Santa and his elves! Eat pizza, cupcakes and other holiday treats with Christmas cheer! 
Sorry, we cannot accommodate strollers.
Reservations required! Please RSVP by Nov. 20th
Call Mrs. Claus at 718-494-1533 (Helen) 
When: Saturday November 29th, 2014  |  12 PM - 3 PM  |  RAIN or SHINE
Where: Historic Richmond Town: 441 Clarke Avenue Staten Island, NY 10306
Cost: $15 per Person  |  3 years old and younger - FREE 

A Night at the Museum Sleepover for Grown-Ups

What: The American Museum of Natural History will again host its wildly popular adults-only sleepover adventure. Built on the successful A Night at the Museum sleepover program, adults ages 21 and up will enjoy a more sophisticated version of the popular event. 

The overnight adventure will begin with a champagne reception and music provided by the 12th Night Jazz trio in the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall.  Explorers can expect to roam through the nearly empty halls of the Museum, where they might run into a herd of elephants in the Akeley Hall of African Mammals or come face to face with looming dinosaur skeletons, including a 65-million-year-old Tyrannosaurs rex.

As the evening winds down, guests will be able to unroll their sleeping bags and curl up under the beloved 94-foot-long blue whale in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life.

When: December 13, 2014 | February 13, 2015 | April 18, 2015 | June 19, 2015

           6:30 pm–9 am

Where: The American Museum of Natural History : 79th Street and Central Park West 

Cost: $350 per person (Members: $300 per person)

Tickets on sale Wednesday, November 12 at noon.

"In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place, and in the sky,

The larks, still bravely singing, fly,

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead; short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe!

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high!

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Veterans Day Freebies for Vets

Get a free haircut:

Veterans who visit Great Clips shops on Nov. 11, can either receive a free haircut -- or a card for a free haircut to redeem by Dec. 31.

Eat a free meal: 

At Hooters, the freebie meal on Veterans Day can be worth up to $10.99, with any drink purchase. Applebee's, Chili's and California Pizza Kitchen all offer free meals from a special menu to vets and active military.

Eat a free buffet: 

Golden Corral is serving free dinner buffets (with beverages) from 5 P.M. to 9 P.M. on Monday, Nov. 17, at all restaurants, to anyone who is serving or who has served in the military. That same date, Bonanza Steakhouses also will offer free buffets for vets and active military.

Down a free burger: 

Shoney's offers its signature All-American Burger, free, to vets or active duty military all day on Veterans Day. Or, you can head to Red Robin and get a Red's Tavern Double burger with Bottomless Steak Fries, on the house. Max & Erma's offers a free cheeseburger combo and dessert to vets and active military.

Drink a free coffee: 

Starbucks is offering a free, tall brewed coffee on Tuesday to all U.S. military veterans and active duty service members — and their spouses.

Scarf down free pancakes: 

IHOP offers vets and active military free Red, White and Blue pancakes from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. on Tuesday. Bob Evans also has all-you-can-eat hotcakes on Veterans Day for veterans and active military.

Lick a free cone: 

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream and Yogurt shops are giving away free single scoop ice cream cones to all veterans and military personnel on Nov. 11.

Work-out for free. 24-Hour Fitness offers free use of the health club to vets and active military through Nov. 11th.

Enjoy a free appetizer: 

Red Lobster, Nov. 10 through Nov. 13, is offering free appetizers to veterans and active duty military.

Sip a free beer: 

Restaurants owned by CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries (including Gordon Biersch Brewery, Rock Bottom, Old Chicago Pizza and ChopHouse & Brewery) offer a free craft beer to active and retired military on Tuesday.

Down a free doughnut — and coffee. 

Krispy Kreme will give a free doughnut and small coffee to anyone who identifies themselves as a veteran or active duty military on Veterans Day.

Get free game tokens: 

Chuck E. Cheese will give 20 free tokens to U.S. military vets and active-duty military through Saturday, Nov. 15.

Get your junk hauled, free. 

For disabled veterans, JDog Junk Removal & Hauling locations, will offer free junk removal to disabled vets who book on Veterans Day.

Join The One & Only Alicia Keys As She Launches Her New Children's Book

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What: Join the one and only Alicia Keys as she reads from and signs her new children's book, Blue Moon: From the Journals of Mama Mae and LeeLee, a story inspired by her childhood relationship with her own grandmother.

When: Wednesday, November 12th, 2014  |  6:00PM - 7:00PM

Where: Barnes & Noble Tribeca: 97 Warren Street

FREE

Scavenger Hunt for the Holiday Shops

What: We give you the clues, you find the shops. First to find all 10 items in their respective shops, wins! One winner receives a grand prize, but all participants can enjoy complimentary cider from Big Apple Cider. Kid-friendly scavenger hunt is also available.
Please sign up for your booklet at Southwest Porch.

When: Sunday November 16th, 2014  |  2:00PM - 4:00PM
Where: Bryant Park: Southwest Porch

FREE