January 18, 2011 05:00PM EST
Price of a Movie: 01.18.11
Freezing rain got you down? Us too. Until we remembered we live in NYC, where this week's activities include free samples of the latest foodie rage, bandying with bad-ass baristas, and a trip to the tropical Brooklyn Botanical Garden where temps are always toasty! 
How to Pickle, Jar & Ferment
Participate in the latest foodie rage in the city! Local artisans will share their pickled and jarred goodies and offer tips on how you can make you own preserved treats. Among the pickling pros on hand will be Anarchy in a Jar and Kombucha Brooklyn. Sponsored by Edible Manhattan magazine, with $4 beers from Brooklyn Brewery to complement the free and tasty samples.
Where: The Brooklyn Brewery, 79 North 11th Street, Brooklyn
When: Wednesday, January 19, 8 pm to 10 pm
Price: Free, RSVP here
Zenith
Described as a “brooding science-fiction trip” (Village Voice) and a “trippy, frontal-lobe screwer” (that’d be the Oklahoma Gazette), this flick is a steam-punk thriller about two men in two time periods who come together to unmask a dangerous conspiracy. How fitting then, that the film will be screened in a former Communist meeting hall. (Rumor has it that audiences will be hypnotized before the film unspools.)
Where: Cinema Purgatorio at the Kraine Theatre, 85 East Fourth Street, Manhattan
When: January 19 to January 26, 8 pm
Price: $8, get tickets 
Manual Brewdown
Are you a totally bad-ass barista? Bring along your fave beans and brewing tools and prove it at RBC NYC’s first manual brewing showdown, with judges from Counter Culture Coffee, Barismo, and Third Rail Coffee evaluating your cuppa joe. You’ll get to test out the latest in professional coffee machines — the Luminaire LB-1 and the UberBoiler — and compete for prizes including brewing equipment, beans, coffee-related T-shirts and totes, and more. Brooklyn Brewery brewski will also be served.
Where: RBC NYC, 71 Worth Street, Manhattan
When: Thursday, January 20, 7:15 pm sign-up, 7:30 pm showdown
Price: Free!
Australian Flood Relief Fundraiser
Australia has given us many wonderful things: Peter Weir, INXS, Russell Crowe, Crocodile Dundee. Now it’s your turn to give back. The devastating flooding in Queensland cannot be overstated; to date, tens of thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed. Help those affected at this Australian Consulate fundraiser, where the $20 cover charge goes directly to the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal. Upon entry, you’ll get a free drink, and there will also be live Aussie music, door prizes, and raffles. It’s a great way to support your mates Down Under.
Where: The Australian, 20 West 38 Street, Manhattan
When: Thursday, January 20, 6 pm to midnight
Price: $20
Liberty Hall Screening: Tell Them Anything You Want
Spike Jonze and Lance Bangs (who’ve created videos for likes of Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Arcade Fire, and the Beastie Boys) directed this documentary portrait of Maurice Sendak. It captures the quirky 82-year-old Where the Wild Things Are author in all his curmudgeonly glory, and includes interviews with his many celebrity fans — Meryl Streep, Catherine Keener, and James Gandolfini among them. Both Jonze and Bangs will be present at the screening for a Q&A. Part of the weekly underground film series.
Where: Liberty Hall, Ace Hotel basement, 20 West 29th Street, Manhattan
When: Sunday, January 23, doors open at 7 pm
Price: Free!
Credit: Photo by Rebecca Bullene
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
What could possibly be blooming in a garden in the dead of winter? Plenty, if you head to the Brooklyn Botanical’s Steinhardt Conservatory and the Desert and Tropical pavilions, where temps are toasty year-round. Gladioli, Jamaican poinsettia, Amazon lilies and orchids are just a few of the many blossoming flowers. And who knew something that’s been alive for hundreds of years could be so cute? Among the ancient bonsai trees on display is a Japanese white pine bonsai that’s over 300 years old. Take that, Yoda.
Where: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 900 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn
When: 8 am to 6 pm
Price: Free, weekdays only through March
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