10 bars in new york city that serve free food

by Jessica Festa on

Dining in New York can get pretty expensive, even when eating at cheaper restaurants. Use this list to help you navigate through New York and find some of the best free food that the city has to offer.

Dell’ Anima
38 8th Ave., West Village

Because aperitivo is such an important part of the culture in Italy, Dell’ Anima brings the tradition to New York by offering a free buffet of starters, such as grilled veggies, olives, and pastas, when you order a drink on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 4PM-6PM.

Rudy’s Bar and Grill
627 9th Ave., Hell’s Kitchen

This old-school bar not only has cheap beer and free hot dogs, but Rudy’s Bar and Grill also has a historical background, being one of the first bars in New York City to regain its liquor license after prohibition. In fact, the current owner, Jack, has been drinking here since 1943.

Crocodile Lounge
353 E. 14th St., East Village

A free personal pizza with every drink purchase at the Crocodile Lounge. And if you needed another reason to check it out, there is skeeball as well as a back patio.

Spring Lounge
48 Spring St., Nolita

Every Wednesday at the Spring Lounge from 5PM on, bar-goers can enjoy free hot dogs battered in a different beer each week. Hungover on Sunday morning? This bar serves free bagels from 12PM on.

Ballaro Cafe Prosciutteria
77 2nd Ave., East Village

Ballaro Cafe Prosciutteria is a rustic wine bar that hosts an aperitivo from 6PM-8PM each night. Diners who order a glass of wine or a pint of beer receive a complimentary spread of starters such as olives, cheeses, cured meats, and bruschetta.

Cucina di Pesce
87 E. 4th St., East Village

A contemporary Italian restaurant, Cucina di Pesce offers free mussels at the bar. This is very convenient at night when it gets busy and you want to order a drink while you wait for a table. They also have a buy one, get one free promotion on drinks and appetizers everyday from 4PM-8PM.

Iron Horse
32 Cliff St., Financial District

Come into the Iron Horse on Sundays from 12PM-10PM for free burgers and hot dogs with every drink purchase over $3. Want more than one? Simply order another drink.

The Cupping Room Cafe
359 W. Broadway, Soho

For those who love pub grub (chicken wings, anyone?), head over to the Cupping Room Cafe from 5PM-7:30PM, Monday-Friday, for free bar food.

Burp Castle
41 E. 7th St., East Village

Every Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday, Burp Castle offers customers free pommes frites around 6PM until they run out. While French fries may not sound that exciting, these are not just any fries. Burp Castle orders them from Pommes Frites specifically, as they make authentic Belgium-style fries. Get there before they run out.

Mullane’s Bar & Grill
71 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene, Brooklyn

When it comes to free bar food, Mullane’s Bar & Grill doesn’t mess around. Weekdays from 4PM-7PM bar-goers can enjoy a free buffet. While the fare changes weekly, expect items such as lasagna, quesadillas, French fries, meatloaf, and more.

$200 discount on tickets to St. Lucia’s Health and Wellness Retreat

by Jessica Festa on

For those craving some nutritious and active fun, St. Lucia will be hosting a Health and Wellness Retreat from November 17-November 20, 2011. While tickets are priced at $1,000, attendees can receive a $200 discount if they buy their ticket before October 15th.

Taking place in the “Eden of the Caribbean”, Soufriere, the retreat will bring together experts in yoga, nutrition, and lifestyle coaching.

So what can you expect at the Health and Wellness Retreat? Yoga and feng-shui workshops, classes on art, pottery and photography, lectures by experts in the field, and active adventures such as hiking, climbing the nearby Piton Mountains, cycling, snorkeling, bird-watching, and more. Spa treatments, including a local therapy favorite using Soufriere’s mineral and mud baths, is also an option. Even lunch becomes a learning experience as chefs give participants demonstrations on nutritious cooking.

Make sure to buy your ticket while you can still get the early bird special. To book a room at a participating hotel, click here.

Key to Costa Rica offering 10% discount on Fall tours

by Jessica Festa on

Key to Costa Rica is offering a 10% discount on tours going to Costa Rica now through November 30, 2011. The focus of these tours is eco-tourism, with itineraries being planned by green travel consultant Beatrice Blake who has not only lived in Costa Rica for 13 years, but has been advising travels since 1996. For those who may not be familiar with eco-tourism, it is a type of travel, usually to a protected or fragile area of land, that is low-impact on the Earth and is meant to educate travelers, provide money for ecological programs, and give insight into the culture.

Travelers have the option to create customized Costa Rican tours or choose from one of the Key to Costa Rica trips, such as Enchanting Costa Rica, which includes bird watching, hiking, visiting an organic coffee farm, and lodging in traditional-style thatched roof cabins. Trips include itineraries for active families, children, nature lovers, and bird enthusiasts. There are also tours specifically for those who want to experience Slow Travel as well as those wishing to volunteer in the region.

Five last-minute Labor Day hotel deals

by Melanie Renzulli on



If you’re like me, you haven’t booked a Labor Day weekend getaway just yet because to do so is to admit that summer is coming to a close. Luckily for us procrastinators and autumn deniers, there are a number of hotels that count on luring in last-minute stragglers with deep discounts on room rates and packages. Let’s take a spin around sites like Google Hotel Finder, Expedia, Travelzoo, and others to see what sweet hotel deals are on offer for Labor Day weekend 2011.Mission Inn
Riverside, CA
This historic inn-turned-resort and spa an hour east of Los Angeles has hosted presidents and celebrities and been the setting for books and films during its 125 years of operation. The Labor Day weekend deal at the Mission Inn starts at $169 per night (minimum two-night stay) and includes complimentary valet parking, dinner for two (with margaritas!), and a $25.00 resort gift card, which you can put towards a spa treatment at Kelly’s Spa or more margaritas.

Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa
Stowe, VT
It is neither peak New England foliage viewing time nor ski season, which makes finding a deal at a ski lodge in Vermont pretty easy. The Stoweflake, which has an on-site nine-hole golf course, walking trails, and a spa, caught our eye on Google’s Hotel Finder because its room rates for Labor Day weekend are listing at 35% less than the typical rates. Rates for rooms start at $160 or you can rent one of the resort’s town houses starting at $239 for a studio townhouse and $399 for a two-bedroom townhouse. As for margaritas, I’m sure they can shake up a few. But its Stoweflake’s 3,000-bottle wine cellar that’s worth checking out here.

Wigwam Resort
Litchfield Park, AZ
A vision in the Sonoran Desert just west of Phoenix, the 80-year-old Wigwam does the Southwest to ridiculous excess with golf, tennis, and pools with water slides. Labor Day weekend room rates at the Wigwam Resort start at approximately $79 per night. The hotel is also offering a “pick your perk” program, which includes half-price tennis clinics, $25 greens fees, and a few other deals. To get the perk, you must use the code “ENDOFSUM” when booking on the resort’s website. Did I mention that the Wigwam has tequila tastings? Having a wide variety of tequilas with which to make margaritas is essential to holiday weekend imbibing.

Biltmore Hotel
Miami, FL
You know where you can get a kick-ass margarita? Miami*. And where better to stay in Miami than the beautiful Biltmore Hotel? Through September via Travelzoo, you can get a junior suite at the Biltmore for $149 per night, a 60% discount from the typical price of $369.
*Okay, sticklers. I know the hotel is technically in Coral Gables. But have you checked out the pool, once the largest swimming pool in the world? More importantly, have you seen the outrageous caviar spread for Sunday champagne brunch? It’s $75 a head, but think of all the cash you’re saving on your hotel room!

Tropicana Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV
For less than the price of Biltmore brunch, you can stay at the famed Tropicana Las Vegas, a touch of South Beach on the strip that received an extensive renovation in 2010. Labor Day weekend rates at the Tropicana Las Vegas start at $65 per night, which means you’ll have more money in your pocket for slots and roulette. And, don’t you worry about those margaritas. As long as you’re gaming at the Tropicana’s Las Vegas Casino, the margaritas are free. What’s that, croupier? I lost again?!

Maybe we should just stay home.

LivingSocial offers first volunteer vacation to New Orleans

by Melanie Renzulli on

LivingSocial, the site that brings you discount deals on everything from microdermabrasions to movie tickets, has been offering travel deals as part of its LivingSocial Escapes branch since Fall 2010. Today, the company announced its first volunteer vacation opportunity – a curated trip to help Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans.

For $265, travelers who want to do a little good while they visit the Big Easy will get a two-night stay for two in the French Quarter; one full day of volunteering on-site with Habitat for Humanity; transportation to the work site; and some meals. Reservations are available Monday through Friday (sorry, no weekend getaway!) and there are blackout dates every month through the deal’s expiration on December 31, so check the fine print before booking. The Big Easy Volunteer Vacation must be purchased before August 30, 2011.

The timing for the LivingSocial Escapes deal is impeccable: this week marks the sixth anniversary since Hurricane Katrina made landfall, devastating the city of New Orleans as well as wide swathes of coastline from Louisiana to Florida. While New Orleans has seen quite a rebirth since Katrina, as witnessed by Gadling’s Paul Brady this summer on his Traveling the American Road trip, the need for volunteers in the recovery effort remains. This volunteer weekend jaunt may be just the opportunity to give back while experiencing one of America’s great cities.

[Photo credit Madeline Fox on Flickr]