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: Tiseb
There's an old joke that it costs twenty dollars just to walk out your front door in New York, and it's funny because it's true. New York has always been an expensive city, and every one of my fifteen years of living here has been marked by a struggle to keep up with the rent, bills, and assorted random expenses that seem to come out of nowhere. It often stresses me out, and during moments of weakness, I sometimes wonder why I do it, but it always comes down to one point: it's worth it.
Photo: Moriza
New York is worth every penny we pay for it. In fact, New York is a bargain. Even during a recession. Especially during a recession. Because while New Yorkers pay through the nose for everything from food to clothing to professional dog-walkers, we get even more for free, just by being here, and the recession helps us appreciate it. As it happens, New York is down right now, making it better than ever.
Photo: Nick Schaden
They say that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, but I prefer to use those lemons to chase my tequila shots, and that's exactly what many of my fellow New Yorkers have been doing during this recent recession. Start your recessionary tour of New York with a bracing round of drinks at the Grassroots Tavern on 20 St. Mark's Place in the East Village. This homey, subterranean dive has nary a glimmer of natural light in the whole place, but it does have a spectacular happy hour until 8:00 p.m., where the grouchy bartender will give you a stiff pour provided you understand that "Tipping is not a city in China." And they'll give you a big basket of freshly-popped popcorn for a dollar.
Burgertime at DuMont Photo: Burgerclub
Fancy a good meal on the cheap? Neon-lit, profit-maximizing national restaurant chains have closed their doors, making room for locally-owned eateries like Mitali East on Sixth Street, which has served up delicious samosas, curries, and tikkas since 1973. I've always liked the regional American cuisine and romantic atmosphere of DuMont in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where the food is comparable to that of the renowned SoHo restaurant Balthazar, at half the price.
Live act at Otto's Shrunken Head
I have a theory that music gets better when times are hard. After all, the Ramones provided the soundtrack to the bleak recession of the 1970's, while the go-go days of the late-1990's tech bubble flew to the synth-pop of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. You can hear some of the most authentic sounds of the city at venues like Otto's Shrunken Head, a tiki bar where there's never a cover charge for bands, and you can imbibe tropical cocktails ranging from Patty's Poison - rum with seven exotic fruits - to the Zombie, which is touted as strong enough to kill you and then bring you back to life. For a more laid-back vibe, hit Pete's Candy Store in Brooklyn, with free live music every night and an affordable menu of homespun cocktails, craft beers, and signature sandwiches.
Photo: Beyond Baroque
Feel a need to hear the voices of the streets? Located on what was once New York's most notorious Skid Row, the Bowery Poetry Club stages literary and poetry readings that attract both experienced and emerging writers with a gift for telling it like it is.
Photo: Duchamp
Even if you don't have a dollar to your name, you can always have a seat on a bench at Washington Square Park and watch a parade of New York characters file past, each one reaping the benefits of a city that gives back more than it could ever take.
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