It's Friday afternoon, and you are watching the clock, waiting for the official beginning to the weekend, when you can leave work behind and get a hearty helping of culture. New York City offers more than one person knows what to do with, but here are some ideas that may help you narrow your choices.

If you are in the mood for music, head to BAM in Fort Greene, Brooklyn for BAMcafe Live (http://bam.org/view.aspx?pid=38). On Friday and Saturday nights, BAM offers free, yes FREE, concerts from hip-hop, to latin, to folk rock. There is a bar in the cafe, to enhance your musical experience. If you like music, chances are you will find something on the BAM Fall lineup that suits your pallete. And let's not forget, the shows are FREE!

BAM is also a great destination if you are looking for a movie fix (http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=40). Their cinema offers the standard American movies, but they also show international films in series'.  Maybe you want to see Matt Damon in The Informant; maybe you want to see a Hungarian film from two decades ago. In any case, BAM's beautiful theater can accomodate your needs.

For those more interested in visual art, New Museum is a great destination (http://newmuseum.org). New Museum's seven story building offers

exhibits from all genres (drawings, paintings, multimedia, sculpture, photography, installation and beyond), showcasing a variety of artists. New Museum welcomes controversial works, such as those of Emory Douglas in his Black Panther exhibit. This venue has an exciting array of artists flowing in and out, so head down to The Bowery and immerse yourself in the New Museum.

Danspace Project at St. Mark's Church is a great outlet for choreographers, and it is a great place to see new and interesting work (http://www.danspaceproject.org/home23.html). The dance works presented here cover a wide range, and while some performances are free, others cost. While it is often difficult to know what the show you attend will be like, it is certain that the choreographers involved have put a lot of time and effort into the works being presented, and that alone is quite impressive.