Brooklyn Fairytale

Getting Happy At All Hours - New York Stylee

2009-03-06T10:18:00Z

There's no better time to travel than during a global financial meltdown. Price wars between airlines have led to plummeting ticket prices, and posh hotels are practically giving away their beds. Promotions on all kinds of products – ranging from hot chocolate to haute couture - make it possible for even unemployed bankers to get a taste of the good life. We asked our local bloggers to uncover the best deals, and to tell us about the simple and inexpensive pleasures that can always be found in their cities. With cheap tickets and insider advice, there's no reason why a shrinking economy should stop you from expanding your horizons.

New York

Photo: David Boyle

I felt like a little piece of me died the day the UK government announced that they were cracking down on Happy Hours. All of a sudden, everything from teen-pregnancy to the obesity epidemic was being blamed on my beloved two-for-one drink specials and cut-price cocktails. Could anything be more wrong-headed?

Imagine my delight when I moved to New York and discovered a brave new world of weekly discounts and recession-friendly deals. In this city the Happy Hours can last all evening – and that’s just the half of it. With a little homework, a thrifty soul can score themselves free entertainment, free food and even (my heart jumps giddily at the prospect) free beer. The only thing to remember is that no matter how cheap your pint is, always tip the barman at least a dollar a drink, or terrible karma will ensue.

Beers of Brooklyn Brewery Photo: Post406

On Friday nights I usually follow the trail of hipsters leaving Manhattan for the Brooklyn Brewery where until 11pm you can tank up on $4 pints, or else I go to Black Betty's for cut-price mojitos and a cool retro vibe. When the hunger starts to kick in I head for Billyburg favourite, Alligator Lounge, where you get a free pizza with every drink. Words cannot express how happy this makes me.

Brunchtime at Hare Field Road

Don’t worry if you wake up with a hangover; weekends in New York are all about the liquid brunch. I either go for eggs, coffee and a Bloody Mary for $12 at cosy Hare Field Road or join the Upper West Siders at the upscale Arte Cafe, just steps from Central Park, where $12 gets you bottomless bellinis. Magic.

Finally, I’ll let you into a little secret: the Bible for every thirsty recessionista is myopenbar.com, where you’ll find the week’s cheapest deals and most crashable parties. See you at the bar...

Related recession posts:

Keep economic crisis out of your pockets

How to go on holiday for less than 150 euro

Recession or not, New York is a bargain

Soviet fastfood with a view of Canal Grande

Crisis? What crisis?

Battling the financial meltdown: the Rudd response

Paris for recessionistas

Always look at the bright side of strife

Recession? Not for Istanbul's tourism industry

Bitten By The Brooklyn Flea

2009-03-12T10:00:00Z

Whenever I walk around DUMBO (the area Down Under Manhattan Bridge) I feel like I’ve stepped onto the set of Ridley Scott’s Bladerunner - only with more Boston Terriers. This is about as Gotham as New York gets. The warehouses may have all been converted into arty bookshops and designer boutiques, but everywhere you look there’s glass, metal and raw brickwork, and across the East River Manhattan glows like a sinister fairyland.

Today these loft apartments are some of the most expensive property in NYC, but before the advertising execs and the film producers descended DUMBO was where Brooklyn’s artists and artisans made their home. Happily, that tradition is still kept alive and kicking with the weekly Brooklyn Flea: a “pop-up market” where from 11am to 6pm every Saturday and Sunday local entrepreneurs sell everything from homemade cheese to antique knick-knacks. In the summer the market takes over nearby Fort Greene but during the icy winter months it nestles cosily between Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges - which is where I stumbled across it last weekend.

Inside the industrial chic venue an assortment of hipsters, yummy mummies and determined bargain-hunters were already whipping off their coats and getting their wallets out. I, of course, made a beeline for the free samples, gorging on the brownies, blondies and, erm, pickles on offer. After tasting some amazing dairy-and-sugar-free truffles from the Fine & Raw stall I had to buy a cup of their hot chocolate, which tasted just like I always imagined Willy Wonka’s chocolate fountain would.

Across the other side of the street it’s all about vintage, darling. There’s fifties tea-dresses and rack upon rack of fur coats, trilby hats and spangly ball-gowns. Amongst the retro glamour new designers show off their wares and artists hawk prints, sculptures and strange bits of tat.

Eventually my boyfriend has enough of me hyperventilating over butter-soft leather gloves and shiny new necklaces and drags me back out into the street empty-handed. I pout all the way home and secretly vow to go back next week with wads of cash.

Coney Island: Battered Playground Of The World

2009-04-16T07:12:00Z

Go to Coney Island in April and you'll find shrieking toddlers building sandcastles while their parents stare out into the waves. The benches of the boardwalk will be lined with elderly couples, soaking up the wavering spring sunshine. Elsewhere, in the line for the hotdogs, local teenagers flirt and joke with each other as they debate the merits of coleslaw over onions.

Photo: Me-myself-I

Ninety years ago Russian writer Maxim Gorky wrote of the sinister charms of “dazzling, magnificent Coney Island”, a place where “people wander about in the flashing, blinding fire intoxicated and devoid of will.” Sounds like good times to me. But almost a century later, the hedonistic thrills of this Brooklyn seaside resort are under threat. The developers are moving in, and local residents have launched a Save Coney Island campaign to stop its historic Amusement District turning into beach-front condos.

Photo: Lornagrl

I decided to take the subway all the way down to the Coney Island Stillwell Avenue stop (D,N,F or Q lines) to check out the ‘hood’s' seedy glamour for myself. While summer crowds still flock to drink beer by the beach and to ride the iconic (and terrifyingly rickety) Cyclone rollercoaster, Coney Island off-season is an eerie, otherworldly place.

It feels like a film-set that has been half-dismantled. Hand-painted lettering encouraging you to ‘Shoot the Freak’ dangle forlornly over a decimated lot.

My first priority was to get my chops around one of Nathan's Famous frankfurters. Opened in 1916, Nathan’s hosts the annual Hot Dog Eating Competition. Last year’s winner managed 55 dogs in 10 minutes – something to chew over as you join the queues of hungry punters.

Next I headed to the boardwalk, an elegant wooden promenade that runs for miles along the shore. On one side you can see the (now sadly mostly defunct) theme-park, Astroland, while on the other hardy kite surfers and courting couples compete for control of the beach.

One local attraction that is definitely thriving is the impressive Aquarium, where sharks, sea-lions and a baby walrus replace the circus freaks as the star turns.

Photo: Flickmor

Coney Island had one last surprise in store for me. Walking further North-West the American voices began to thin out and all the conversations, menus and newspapers were suddenly in Russian. I’d hit Brighton Beach, one of the city’s most thriving Soviet enclaves, where you can pick up caviar from one of the kiosks that line the main drag, Brighton Beach Avenue, or browse the Russian language titles in St Petersburg Books. This 'hood', which feels more like the Mother Country than the Big Apple, marked the end of my Coney Island odyssey. I’ll be back in June for the annual Mermaid Parade and some good old-fashioned intoxication.

Go Further: Take a walk with Victor Ozols on Manhattan's Lower East Side or go Snacking on Grand Street with John Rambow.

Swinging New York: Fancy A Shag?

2012-04-27T07:02:00Z

April 29 is the long awaited International Dance Day. At Momondo we totally support a day dedicated to dancing and we've decided to celebrate the day too. Therefore we’ve asked our city bloggers to come up with their favourite spots to go and dance or watch others do it. So put on your boogie shoes and let our bloggers guide you through the best dance spots in cities across the world.

Let's dance #2: New York

As a Brit in New York, there's a couple of phrases I have to watch out for. For example, asking to 'bum a fag' is sure to raise a few eyebrows, even if you're only trying to cadge a cigarette. But for a night out, Brits, Yanks and Euros alike should take the opportunity to head to their nearest Gotham swing joint and ask their best guy or gal to join in them in a fast and furious Collegiate Shag.

This scuffling, jitterbugging style was created by American students back in the 1920s, but almost 90 years on it's still alive and double-kicking in the Big Apple, along with more well-known retro dance-styles like Balboa, West-Coast Swing and Lindy-Hop.

So you've pomaded your quiff and shined your dancing shoes - now all you need to do is follow Broadway's bright lights to Midtown West and you'll soon be boogying-back with the best of them. While big-budget, high-kicking shows like Chicago, West Side Story and Billy Elliot continue to dominate the theatre district, just a few blocks over you'll find established venues like Connolly's which hosts West-Coast Swing nights every Tuesday, and weekend Big Band parties at their Times Square branch.

For jumpin' live music every night of the week try Swing 46, where for $12 you get to share the dance-floor with some of the city's most envy-enducing jivers. If you're in town on a Thursday head to the Frim Fram Jam at Club 412. It's only $8 to get in, but the scene doesn't really get swinging until 10 or 11pm. As with all the city's juke-joints, chances are you'll be asked to take a turn with one of the club's regulars. Don't be shy - social dancing is all about rocking out to great music, and no-one will care if you're triple-stepping when you oughta be ball-changing.

Aside from the regular nights, New York swingers like to throw a party or two. Check out New York Swing Dance Society or Yehoodi ('for the hardcore hepcat swinger') for the latest. Happy shim-shamming kids!

Go further:

Let's dance #1: Moving and shaking with Cairo's own
Let's Dance #3: Dancing on the Spree
Let's dance #4: Dancing 'til dawn on the booze cruise
Let's dance #5: London's retro dance explosion

Around The World In Williamsburg: A Walking Tour

2010-02-16T10:35:00Z

In recent years Billyburg (as the locals call it) has become synonymous with PBR-swilling hipsters. Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll discover that this Brooklyn neighbourhood is one of the most vibrant, multicultural places in the city. Allow yourself at least a couple of hours for this walk – more if, like me, you’re easily distracted by record stores, bakeries and dive bars.

Braving The Other Boroughs I: Staten Island

2009-03-24T12:09:00Z

The first time I came to New York, Manhattan razzle-dazzled me off my feet. Sure I’d read that NYC had five boroughs, but with only a weekend to play with it seemed like madness to stray too far from the bright lights of Broadway.

Second time around I got more curious. I remembered Melanie Griffiths and her shoulder pads riding the Staten Island ferry in Working Girl, and began to wonder exactly what she was going home to. Manhattanites and Brooklynites joke about ‘Islanders’ almost as much as they do about New Jersey, but I wanted to get a taste of an alternative New York, worlds away from the tourists, the hipsters and the Boston Terriers.

Buying up Brooklyn: The Other Fifth Avenue

2010-04-07T07:00:00Z

5th Ave seen through a goldfish bowl

While brunch in Park Slope may not be quite as chic as Breakfast at Tiffany's, Brooklyn's laid-back, quirky Fifth Avenue can definitely give her glossy Manhattan counterpart a run for your money. Whether you're looking to pimp your pup, make-over your grubby children or just blend in with the organic, artisan-crafted, fairly-traded locals, there's a whole load of achingly charming little shops for you to explore. Start your shopping adventure at Atlantic/Pacific, then head south down 5th Avenue until your feet or your wallet give up on you. Since shopping's thirsty work, make sure you factor in time to stop for a cheeky pint or two at one of the lively bars and ethnic restaurants en route, where you can look over your bargains and congratulate yourself on having escaped the Midtown hoards. Cheers!

Literary Cats and Shaggy Dog Stories

2010-11-16T08:02:00Z

Sara Barron at The Bitter End

Last week on the subway I swear I saw a guy trying to hide his Dan Brown novel behind a battered cover for The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Good to see that book snobbery is still alive and kicking in the Kindle age. But no matter what tome you're really lugging around town, most trips to New York are just too short to really get a toehold on the literary scene. Your nights are limited, so do you really want to forgo an epic trawl of the Lower East Side for some worthy wordsmithery?

New Yorkers Sunning Gotham-Style

2011-06-29T13:20:00Z

Summer is up and cities across the globe have planted palm trees and trucked in tons of sand to urban waterfronts to create the feeling of a lazy day at the shore. Urban beaches are a hit and Momondo guides you to our favourites.

New York: Life's a Beach

Water Taxi Beach Photo: Isurusen

Sweaty metro stations, pungent garbage bags and steaming streets... welcome to summer in NYC! But before you follow the hoards down to the Hamptons, remember that you don't need to escape the city to, erm, escape the city. With more urban beaches than ever opening this summer, New Yorkers in the know will be staying put and sunning themselves Gotham-style. Here's where to join them...

Sex, Sailors and Rock n' Roll: New York's Alternative Museum Scene

2009-11-13T09:33:00Z

Museum of Natural History Photo: Tomás Fano

Did you know that deer enjoy threesomes? Or that a vervet monkey's scrotum becomes less blue whenever it loses social status? New York's Museum of Sex may be a little less explicit than its Amsterdam counterpart, but what it lacks in kink it definitely makes up for in sexual trivia and vintage smut. Where else could you go from an exhibit about the brutal reproductive habits of mallards to a display of seventies sex education literature, via a screening of Paris Hilton's sex tape? Not in the Museum of Natural History, that's for sure... In fact, next time the lines at New York's cultural behemoths are getting you down, don't forget that New York hosts dozens of smaller, more idiosyncratic museums that are perfect for escaping the crowds and cramming your brain full of esoteric trivia.

Culinary Adventures in Fort Greene

2009-07-09T12:41:00Z

Photo: Cisc1970

The Prison Ship Martyrs Monument towers over Fort Greene Park - standing as a memorial to the 11,500 men and boys who starved to death in "horrid conditions" on the British prison ships. Sorry about that, chaps... Luckily the locals are a forgiving bunch, as this compact South Brooklyn 'hood is a pleasure to explore, wherever you hail from. One of the first Black Gayborhoods in NYC, Fort Greene remains incredibly diverse and chain-store free. It's also an international gourmet's wet dream: Eastern European cafes rub shoulders with South African restaurants, French bistros are sandwiched between German beer halls and some of the best Latin eateries in the borough. There's an Obama poster in every window, and a happy hour at every turn. Blissfully free from tourists, city boys and Manhattan attitude, and only a couple of stops on the Q from the craziness of the Lower East Side, Fort Greene ranks as one of my favourite foodie places in the city. See for yourself... but just don't tell everyone about it.

Prost! - Beer and Bratwurst in the Boroughs

2012-05-08T11:45:00Z

The Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden Photo: Wallyg

New Yorkers love a craze. Speakeasies. Daytime dance parties. Gourmet pizzas. If it's hot, everyone wants a slice of the action. And in a city where more is always more (despite what the gloomy economists may say) that means plenty of choice for the discerning zeitgeist-follower. This summer, it's all about the beer gardens. While across the pond the good people of Munich are busy gearing up for Oktoberfest, over in NYC we're already getting our drink on. While the basic elements stay the same - cool brews, hot wursts, sun-dappled backyards - competition for drinkers have meant that both the old timers and the johnny-come-latelys have upped their game. Since the more established establishments in the outer boroughs have history and cheap prices on their side, the newcomers have had to get a little creative. Whether you're looking for microbrews or sangria on tap, a quiet pint or a total scene, New York has the beer garden you never knew you always wanted.

Wet and Wild New York

2011-06-21T10:25:00Z

New Yorkers have a dirty little secret. They might like to present themselves as urbane creatures who spend their lives taxi-ing from office to bar to velvet-roped club, but in reality as soon as it's cool enough to venture out of the air-conditioning they are as keen as mustard for some good clean fun in the great outdoors... and if it involves swapping their suits for Speedos, so much the better. Whether we're talking an escape upstate or a white-knuckle ride on the Hudson there's plenty of good times to be had messing about on boats this fall. Below is my guide to the best aquatic thrills the Big Apple can offer.

Big Apple ♥ Big Top

2009-11-13T14:50:00Z

Tanya Gagne (Founder & Director of The Trapeze Loft) Photographer: Melissa Lynn

Roll up! Roll up! Not since the days of PT Barnum and his travelling menagerie of freaks, artistes and lion-tamers has New York been so mad for the circus. This time around you're more likely to see plucky rescue dogs than roaring beasts in the ring, and saucy burlesque aerialists have stolen the headlines from the human freaks... unless you're down Coney Island way, of course. But maybe the biggest change is happening out of the spotlights. Modern New Yorkers, unlike their nineteenth-century counterparts, are not always satisfied with watching the thrills and spills from the stalls. In recent years there's been an upsurge in interactive circus experiences. Whether you want to eat dinner under the big top, clown around at an open-mike night or try your skills on the trapeze, there's a vibrant subculture just waiting for you to take centre-stage.

San Francisco: I Get Around Round Round...

2009-09-17T13:52:00Z

Photo: Swami Stream

You can tell a Frisco native by the firmness of their calves, and as soon as you arrive in the city you'll see why. The hills are legendary - beautifully, cruelly steep - and even the fittest newcomer is guaranteed to break out into a tell-tale sweat. Luckily for the slackers among us, San Francisco offers one of the most varied and, frankly, enjoyable public transport systems in the US. Unless you've been hitting the Stairmaster in preparation, consider investing in an $11 day pass and letting the trams, buses and cable-cars take the strain for you.