Newark/JFK to Manhattan via Helicopter for $99

by Justin Glow on

How much does it cost to take a cab from JFK or Newark to Manhattan these days?

US Helicopter — an “8-Minute Airport Shuttle” — says it’s a cool $60, but that seems pretty high. Regardless, the company is offering a helicopter ride from either JFK or Newark for only $99 one way, which seems pretty fair considering regular helicopter tours of Manhattan can cost almost $200 per person for less than 20 minutes. So if you’re planning on taking a pricey helicopter tour of NYC anyway, why not kill two birds with one stone and get yourself from the airport to your hotel in style?

The $99 is a sale price which lasts until October 31st, when the fee will get bumped back up to $159.

Photo of the Day (7/25/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on


There’s no guessing what kind of prizes are available here if you win this carnival game. How big is the prize you ask anyway? It’s big… It’s a “BIG ASS PRIZE.” This game vendor was captured at Coney Island in New York by shadixpn during Memorial Day weekend when I’m sure the place was crawling with children and kid-at-heart adult types looking to win a big stuffed toy.

Find free booze on your travels

by Martha Edwards on

When travelling, I’ve been known to enjoy a drink or two (or ten) — I find the pub is usually the best place to meet locals and fellow travellers, to swap stories and tips and Email addresses. I’m typically a backpacker when it comes to exploring the world. Translation: I’m on a budget, and the cheaper the better, if you ask me.

Which is why I wish I’d come across this website sooner. It’s called My Open Bar and it gives you insider info as to where you can find free beer while travelling. And you don’t even have to crash any parties or weddings (though you can if you want to, I suppose) — the listings are for actual restaurants and bars offering drink specials.

Right now, they only have listings for NYC, San Francisco, LA and Chicago, but Boston and Washington DC are slated to go live soon. I hope they do ones for cities in Europe too — London particularly, where finding a cheap (or free) drink can be a bit difficult.

(via Fly Away Cafe)

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of May 27

by Adrienne Wilson on

The Take Five feature is one I have had a love hate relationship since the day we kicked it off here on Gadling. To go through each week and select ONLY five that should once more win your affection is a real tough duty. This week after reading through every post here I sort of covered my eyes and threw a dart at each one. Enjoy!

5. Avoiding the Side Effects of Bad Street Food:
If only we could place anything and everything on our palates without dealing with what Neil calls the “nasties” later on… Sigh. Well according to Budget Travel you can have your cake and eat it too! Find out now or go later. Know what I mean?

4. BioToi: For Conveniently Pooping in the Woods:
Don’t like squatting in the woods with your rear in the wind? Here’s a handy piece of gear to place a little comfort for those bodily deeds done out in Mother Nature.

3. NYC Shoe Store Gets Its Own Zip Code:
For those who really love shoes place this one on your travel wish list. And I mean it is for those that REALLY love shoes.

2. Carrying Children:
I’ve never traveled with kids and the thought makes groan on the inside a bit, but this gallery on carrying children as you go makes it look like it can done and fun at the same time. Beautiful!

1. Talking Travel with Seal Press Founder Barbara Sjoholm:
Kelly sits down with the author of Incognito Street to talk about travel, of course, but an abundance of other great information is shared. Don’t miss your chance to win a copy of the book for your summer reading by the poolside.

NYC Shoe Store Gets Its Own ZIP Code

by Justin Glow on

Sounds like a marketing ploy to me, but here it is: Saks Fifth Avenue is claiming its new shoe store in Manhattan is so large it will have its own ZIP code. Just how large will the store be? It’ll be 8,500 square-feet, or roughly one-and-a-half one-seventh the size of an American football field worth of pumps, sandals and sneakers.

Could it be the world’s largest shoe store? Not quite. Reyers — the Sharon, Pennsylvania shoe store that comes up in Google for “world’s largest shoe store” — calls an old grocery store its home, clocking in at 36,000 square feet. Sharon, PA has another “world’s largest”: Daffin’s is apparently the world’s largest candy shop, and they’ve got a quarter-ton chocolate rhino to prove it.

The Saks shoe store isn’t the only store to have its own ZIP code either. It’s rumored that Springfield, Missouri’s Bass Pro headquarters is so large that it also has its own postal code.

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