10 free things to do in New York

by Jessica Festa on

While New York can be an expensive place to live and visit, not everything costs an arm and a leg. In fact, some things in the city are completely free. Check out these classes, shows, parks, museums, and more at no charge.

Visit Central Park
Park borders include W. 110th, W.59th, Eighth Ave., and Fifth Ave.

Central Park is like a city of its own, with 843 acres of gardens, restaurants, lakes, rides, entertainment, sports, fishing, games, and more. Play on the adventure playground, take photos of the Alice in Wonderland sculpture, relax in the Arthur Ross Pinetum, visit Belvedere Castle, and more. Want someone to show you around? The Central Park Conservancy offers free guided tours.Ride the Staten Island Ferry
Battery Park runs from Battery Pl. to South St.

This commuter ferry runs from Battery Park to Staten Island and is completely free. Not only will you get a complimentary boat ride along the New York Harbor, you’ll also have the chance to see some big-name sites, such as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, as well as photo-worthy city skyline views.

Experience contemporary art at the Swiss Institute
18 Wooster St., between Canal St. and Grand St.

While most of the museums and art galleries in New York have discounted and free days, the Swiss Institute of Contemporary Art is always free. While the original mission of the institute was to showcase Swiss art and artists for a predominantly Swiss audience, it has now become an “innovative international venue for art that provides a significant forum for cultural dialogue between Switzerland, Europe, and the United States”.

Also worth mentioning is that some of the best museums and art galleries in the city have a “suggested donation” as the admission, meaning you can pay what you can afford. Some of these include the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Explore the New York Public Library
5th and 42nd St. in Midtown

If you’re thinking there is nothing worthwhile to see at a library, then you have never been to the New York Public Library. In addition to its extensive collections, ranging from Accents and Dialects to Women’s Studies to Immigration and beyond, the library also features music, movies, classes, and museum exhibits.

Visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Fifth Ave., between 50th and 51st

According to Heather Cross from About.com, St. Patrick’s Cathedral first opened to the public in May of 1879. With the capacity to seat 2,200 people, it is the largest Gothic-style Cathedral in the United States. There are many opportunities to attend mass, as they are held at multiple times every day of the week.

Attend a live jazz performance at Rue B
188 Avenue B., East Village

Seven nights a week at 9PM, you can head over to Rue B for live jazz music. While the performers rotate, Thursday nights they feature their own in-house musician, Henry, a cabaret singing piano player who will perform standards, classics, and even pop covers.

Take pétanque lessons in Bryant Park
Between 40th and 42nd and 5th and 6th

For those who don’t know what pétanque is, it’s a French ball game that involves throwing metal balls as close as possible to the “cochonnet” (a smaller wooden ball). Most games are played in teams, and the New York City pétanque club, La Boule New Yorkaise, will teach you the tips and tricks you need to know to be successful at the game. Stop by Bryant Park Monday-Friday from 11AM-6PM for your free lesson.

Eat free food at The Mark Bar
1025 Manhattan Ave. at Green St., Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Dining doesn’t have to be expensive in New York anymore. Everyday from 6PM on enjoy free pizza at this laid back bar. On Sundays, The Mark Bar also offers free bagels and coffee, perfect for nursing a New York style hangover.

Tour the Chelsea Brewing Company
Chelsea Piers, Pier 59, W 19th St. at the Hudson River

Every Saturday, from 2PM-6PM, Manhattan’s only active brewery gives free tours. Not only that, but at the end of the tour visitors will get a free beer sample and will have the chance to ask questions to brew experts.

Learn the art of theater
254 W. 29th St., between 7th and 8th

A few times a month, the Magnet Theater hosts a free workshop lead by trained instructors called Intro to Improv. No experience is necessary and all are welcome to participate. Would you rather watch a show than actually perform in one? The Magnet Theater offers tickets from $5-$10, which many times will include multiple shows.

Young climber falls to his death in the Adirondacks

by Kraig Becker on

A young climber by the name of Matthew Potel was leading a group of college classmates on a hike through the Adirondacks last week when he slipped and fell to his death. Potel, who was the co-president of his university’s outdoors club, was assisting two other hikers past a waterfall when he lost his footing on slick rocks.

The seven-person group, all from Binghamton University in New York, were climbing up Trap Dike, a popular route on Mount Colden, when the accident occurred. That approach is a steep and challenging, non-technical, climb to the top of the 4715-foot peak that can present some challenges to inexperienced hikers. Potel reportedly helped one of his classmates negotiate a particularly tricky section, then turned to assist another when he lost his footing and fell 25-feet. The 22-year old, who was not wearing a helmet, died from an injury to his head.

Potel was an experienced outdoorsman who loved the Adirondack Mountains. In fact, he had recently become a member of the “46ers,” a term given to anyone who has climbed all 46 of the mountains in that range that are at least 4000 feet in height. He had also served as a camp counselor and was majoring in environmental studies.

This is a sad story that underscores the importance of safety in all of our outdoor endeavors. Matthew wasn’t climbing an especially tall or dangerous mountain, and yet he still lost his life while on the trail. According to his father however, this is exactly how the young man would have wanted to go – doing something he loved.

Our condolences to his friends and family.

The World Rafting Championship is underway in Costa Rica

by Kraig Becker on

The World Rafting Championship begins tomorrow in Turrialba, Costa Rica, where teams from 35 countries are already busy preparing to compete against one another in a variety of races. Both male and female competitors will challenge each other, not to mention some of the wildest whitewater on the planet, over four days of events that will culminate with a new champion being crowned next Monday.

Over the past few days the teams have been arriving in Turrialba, a small jungle town located not far from San Jose that is a popular destination for whitewater adventures. They’ll spend some time getting acquainted with the course, and tomorrow’s opening ceremony will officially kick-off the event, with the races beginning on Friday. Those races consist of the Sprint, Head-to-Head, the Slalom, and the Downriver, with each team earning points based on their placement in those individual competitions. At the end of the Championship, the team with the highest score will take home the trophy.

The rafting competition takes place on the Pacuare River, a fast-running and pristine waterway that has its origins on nearby Mt. Chirripo. The stretch of river that the teams will be running includes Class IV+ rapids that pass through a lush jungle environment that is home to a variety of wildlife, including monkeys and jaguars, as well as an amazing array of colorful birds.

By all accounts, Turrialba and the Pacuare are an adventure traveler’s paradise, with plenty to offer visitors. I’m looking forward to seeing it for myself, as I’ll be attending the Rafting Championship for a few days, and will get the opportunity to experience it first hand. Look for updates not only on the event, but also the amazing destination that is hosting it, very soon.

Photo gallery: children of the world

by Sean McLachlan on


When I’m on the road, children make some of my best new acquaintances. A foreigner with a backpack is a surefire cure to a dull day, and a crowd of giggling kids will make even the most tired traveler smile.

Take this great shot by Robin Lerner, for example. Two Indian kids being silly, like silly kids everywhere. Sad to say, Robin tells us these children were begging at a bus station. When they realized they weren’t going to get any money, they stayed and goofed off with Robin and his travel companions. Poverty hadn’t dampened their spirit and they had a good time with the foreigners practicing their two words of English: “Hello” and “banana”.

I wonder if they taught Robin any of their language? Kids make great language teachers because swapping vocabulary is a game they never seem to get tired of. Most of my Amharic was taught to me by Ethiopian schoolkids, and I learned a lot of Arabic from kids when I used to work in the Middle East. The fact that my ability in both languages is pretty poor is my fault, not theirs!

Rob’s photo summarizes why children are one of the highlights of travel, especially budget and adventure travel that takes you to places where visitors are an uncommon sight. Check out the gallery below for more images of kids around the world, all taken by the talented photographers in Gadling’s flickr pool, plus a couple of cute shots by my wife, who fell in love with the wonderful children of Ethiopia.

Have some nice photos of children in far-off lands? Share them on flickr and you might see your artwork up on Gadling!

%Gallery-135795%

Great Shoes for Hot Weather Destinations

by Pam Mandel on

There is no getting that pair of socks clean from the red dust, they are dyed a tie-dyed rust color from the dry campground. My feet needed a good soaking, too — a walk on the beach in the surf took care of that. Sure, my feet were filthy, almost to an embarrassing degree. But they were happy, not too hot, free from blisters and fatigue. I attribute this to picking the right shoes for that camping and hiking trip.

Keen McKenzie Water Shoes

I spent two weeks wearing these shoes almost every day. I wore them for long walks, trail hikes, schlepping around the city, stomping about in gravelly, dusty, washouts and on grainy flat plateaus where the sun baked the top of my ears. I kind of fell in love with them on about day three of my camping and hiking and road tripping adventure. After all, these shoes treated me right.

Keen’s McKenzie’s are really comfortable, it was no trouble to walk in them all day long. They’re closed (but well ventilated) so I wasn’t constantly knocking tiny stones out from where they’d wedged in under my arches. (The shoe is essentially your standard Keen sandal with the open bits enclosed in a mesh upper.) They’ve got a collapsible heel cup, meaning you can wear the shoe as a slide without damaging it, perfect for legging it to the campground loo in the middle of the night or navigating the TSA. They’ve got a solid hiker sole, so they’re grippy on trails. My feet were supported, not too hot, dry, and totally content in these shoes. Cost? 90 USD, your choice of three earthy color combinations.

The only issue — which wasn’t really a problem because I was in desert like climates — was that they took longer to dry than I’d like. I’d have regretted putting my feet into cold, clammy shoes on chilly mornings. But no worries, I’d also packed a pair of sport sandals.Ecco Coba Performance Sandals

I’m not crazy about the look of performance sandals, the designs tend towards a bit too orthopedic for my tastes. But I tried on a pair of Ecco’s WAVE footbed sandals at the Outdoor Retailer show and was pleased and surprised by how comfortable they are — and I ended up packing a pair for my recent adventure.

Ecco’s Coba sandals feel like real shoes. Normally, I wear Chaco sandals, the model that’s not much more than a sturdy sole strapped to your foot with webbing. Ecco’s shoes gave me a lot more support. The foot bed has a waffle-y surface to it that aids in keeping your feet cool and it’s got a nice feel too it, a soft suede type finish. All three straps are adjustable and it’s easy to get them to fit just right — or to tweak them a little, if, like me, you find there’s a spot that needs a little breaking in. The sturdy soles were great for long walks or short trail hikes. And they’re light — I clipped them on the outside of my bag when I wasn’t wearing them and the weight they added was negligible. Cost? 130 USD. A bit steep; you might want to explore your options if you’re price sensitive. Two colors, white or “moon rock” — a natural light brown.

I caved and on the trip home, I wore my Ecco Coba sandals with socks. They were so easy to get in and out of in the airport and on the plane that I went for the full on dorky socks and sandals look. Hey, I was surrounded by strangers. I’ll pack these sandals again for camping and outdoor trips, but heads up — they are not a water shoe, you really want something else if you’re planning on getting your shod feet wet. That’s why you I also packed…

Cheap Flip Flops

You need them for campground showers (and, honestly, some hotel showers), beach walks, leaving propped outside the tent, wearing with a summer dress when you can’t bear the idea of shoes any more, and those long, long stints in the car or bus. You can always find space for them in your bag, and after you’ve had a good walk in the ocean for disinfectant purposes, you can pass them on to some fellow traveler whose had a blowout. There are few items I’d categorize as disposable travel gear, flip flops (zoris, thongs, whatever you like to call them) are one. Get a pair. Spend as much as you like, from 5 USD to, well, you want to spend 70 USD on flip flops, you go right ahead.