Mint offers New Yorkers cheap hourly car rentals

I really don’t encourage anyone to try driving in New York. Aggressive cabbies, near-constant traffic jams and a variety of video game-worthy obstacles conspire to keep drivers in a near-constant state of anger and anxiety.

But for locals and visitors alike, there are times when nothing but a car will suffice. Conveniently enough, this week marked the launch of a new pay-as-you-go rental car service in New York called Mint. Like competitor Zipcar, the upstart company provides members with on-demand vehicles they can rent for periods as short as one hour up to several days. Mint has also upped the ante by offering to waive their $25 application fee for members of other car-sharing clubs and starting hourly rates as low as $2/hour from now through June 2009. Pretty sweet.

So what’s the real difference between Mint and Zipcar? Not all that much as it turns out. As a rule of thumb, Mint plans are generally cheaper than Zipcar plans in terms of hourly/daily rates, though it ultimately depends on which plan you have and the time of day you’ll be driving. It’s best to take a look at the options and see what works best for your particular needs. In any case, the extra car-sharing competition is sure to be welcomed by price conscious rental car drivers everywhere. Check out Mint the next time you’re in NYC and need some temporary wheels.

Hippest Spot in… Portland, Oregon?

My husband and I are going out for a cocktail tonight. We
rarely go anywhere without the kids and I’m have a desperate need to, not just go to a hot spot, but go to the HIPPEST
spot available. I need numero uno, folks.

So help me out. Those of you who are still single and hip. Those
of you who aspire to be. Where is the absolute best, top, trendier-than-thou hipper-than-hip place to sip a cocktail in
Portland, Oregon? I’m considering the following:

Opinions?
Other ideas? Let me know!