NYC happy hours that provide food for free were an essential survival tool for me when I was younger and in college in New York. Notoriously an expensive city, New York isn’t without its budget secrets. Happy hours that will feed you for free are among those secrets. Whether you’re visiting or living in New York, if you’re trying to make a little bit of money stretch while still having a good time, these 10 NYC happy hours that provide free food will help you to accomplish the seemingly impossible: to eat and drink incredibly cheaply in New York City.
1.Agozar, 324 Bowery
Buy a drink between 5 p.m.-8 p.m. and get free tapas.
2.The Charleston, 174 Bedford Ave. (Brooklyn)
Free personal pizza with a drink purchase between 12 p.m.-8 p.m.
3.Aurora Soho, 510 Broome St.
Puff pastries, flatbreads, tomato paste and cookies are put out between 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
4. Tarallucci E Vino, 15 E 18th St.
Snacks like quiche and pizza are put out for drinkers on weekdays between 4 p.m.-close.
5.Crocodile Lounge, 325 E 14th St.
Free personal pizza with the purchase of a drink.6.Levee, 212 Berry St. (Brooklyn)
Free cheese balls or Twizzlers available for drinkers upon request.
7.Yum Yum 3, 658 9th Ave.
Free appetizer with drink purchase between 4 p.m.-8 p.m. on weekdays.
8.Keen’s Steakhouse, 72 W 36th St.
Free snacks like Swedish meatballs, shrimp and wings at the bar between 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m.
9.The Watering Hole, 106 E 19th St.
Free food buffet between 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. on weekdays.
10.Darbar Grill, 157 E 55th St.
Free appetizers in the bar between 5 p.m.-8 p.m.
Gone are the days when travelers have to pack bulky items. Now they can just borrow instead.
NeighborGoods is changing the face of consumption, facilitating a borrowing and lending culture within neighborhoods. This is great for people who want to meet their neighbors and spend less, but it’s also great for travelers who want to meet locals and borrow items they didn’t want to bring along for the trip. I spoke with the founder/CEO of the site, Micki Krimmel, via email about the potential the site holds for travelers.
“One of my favorite personal experiences using NeighborGoods was when I was traveling. I was in Austin, TX for the South by Southwest festival and I borrowed a bike from a local. I searched the Austin area and set it up before I arrived. It saved me hundreds of dollars in transportation costs and helped me experience the city like a local. Another great example of this is a new mother who was traveling alone to LA to visit family for a week. She didn’t want to haul her baby stroller on the plane by herself so she found someone in LA willing to lend her one for the duration of her stay.”
Krimmel went on to discuss another benefit travelers might find in using NeighborGoods:
“Travelers who prefer to pack lightly will find that NeighborGoods is a great resource to borrow bulky items that don’t travel well like baby strollers or sporting equipment. Borrowing a bike or a surfboard from a local also helps travelers avoid tourist traps and experience their destination more like a local.”
Vacation accommodation website AirBnB has no shortage of unique places to stay, from a “boatel” aboard a converted ferry, to a private island in Fiji. For airplane nuts and those wanting the luxurious exclusivity of a private jet, AirBnB has a collection of airplane accommodations.
Accommodations range from a New Zealand two-unit motel inside a 1950s Bristol freighter plane (rates start at $180 per night, sleep in the cockpit or tail), to $10,000 for a night on a Gulfstream G5 jet in Beverly Hills (rate includes one hour of flight time and three hours of flight attendant service. Divide that by 18 passengers and that’s…still a lot of money, but a priceless experience. Don’t want to leave the airport? If you can find a flight into Teuge Airport in the Netherlands, you can stay aboard a former government plane, now fully tricked out into a private suite. If you’d prefer a more traditional place to stay, you might enjoy the Wine Country Airplane House in Sonoma county, which has not only an airplane tail on the front of the secluded house, but also a piece of the old Golden Gate Bridge.
Check out more unique AirBnB listings in their collection of wishlists.
Given that New York is the priciest city in America, it’s not surprising that a night in the Big Apple will leave you digging deep. But if you don’t want to pay the $281 that an average hotel room will cost you for a night, there’s another option: In Chinatown’s Sun Bright Hotel, you can have a room for just $10 per night.
Ugh. Layovers. We’ve all had to while away the hours at airports, but regular travelers know that every so often, a layover can be more respite than penance. Such is the case with Vancouver International Airport, a modern marvel with art and architecture to die for.
In addition to high-tech design that includes soaring ceilings, lots of skylights, and sculpture from the region’s indigenous tribes, there’s a leafy, indoor aquarium/park area ideal for destressing, and loads of boutiques and food outlets that are a notch above the standard airport fare.
What makes YVR (the airport code) equally distinctive, however, is the Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel. Sure, other hotels have airports, but have you ever stayed in them? What you usually get is a musty, generic, not terribly hygenic, overpriced room, and a complete lack of serenity or style. The Fairmont, by contrast, is an oasis not only for guests, but travelers just passing through on layover. Read on for the best ways to spend your layover at YVR (for once, you can hope it’s a long one).
Courtesy of YVR
Some people like to get their layover exercise by strolling the airport shops, and YVR doesn’t disappoint. Be sure to pick up some pure maple syrup, maple cream cookies (delish) and smoked salmon in Duty Free or at one of the specialty shops. But if you’re looking for a serious work-out, consider dropping $15 to use the Fairmont’s health club, pool, and jacuzzi.
Afterward, soothe sore or travel-fatigued muscles at the luxe Absolute Spa. In addition to massage, there are the usual pampering facials, body treatments, and mani-pedi’s. Or perhaps you’d prefer to unwind over a drink (Canadian whiskey, anyone?). Hit up the swanky Jetside Bar or GlobeYVR restaurant, which has floor-to-ceiling, sound-proof views of the runway. Jets literally take off from just yards away. And yes, there isgreat airport food: think creative, seasonal PNW fare, with some ingredients (notably, honey, herbs, and greens) sourced from the Fairmont’s own hives and gardens (most of the chain urban farms on their rooftops; this being an airport, a separate farm is located nearby).
Courtesy of Fairmont Vancouver Hotel
Should your layover require an overnight, business meeting, or other function, the Fairmont YVR is definitely the place to be. It’s also convenient to downtown, because the clean, speedy Canada Line public transit system connects to the airport. Be sure to take advantage of the transit by visiting the outstanding public market on Granville Island (which will require a short cab ride or walk from the rail system, FYI), or hopping off in buzzing Yaletown, home to Vancouver’s trendiest shopping and dining. Outdoorsy types will want to connect to a bus that will take them to sprawling Stanley Park, with its miles of hiking trails.
The 300+ rooms at the Fairmont YVR all overlook the runways, either for arrivals or departures (again, soundproof glass makes for stunning, yet quiet, visuals). Some rooms are equipped with telescopes; one floor is reserved for hypoallergenic bedding and skin products. Other rooms are pet-friendly. The natural light is plentiful, the bedding plush, the bathrooms cushy (suites come with hand-hewn jade from a British Columbian quarry). With accommodations like this, layovers are…fun.
Vancouver itself is a progressive, outdoorsy city that takes full advantage of its stunning location nestled in the Coast & Mountains region. But even if you never make it past the airport, it’s sure to leave you with a positive impression that leaves you longing to return.