Almost Free New York: 10 Almost Free things to do in New York during the...

Almost Free New York: 10 Almost Free things to do in New York during the...: 10 almost free things to do in New York during the Holidays Honestly, I think many of us are still reeling from the US presidential elec...

10 Almost Free things to do in New York during the holidays.

10 almost free things to do in New York during the Holidays

Honestly, I think many of us are still reeling from the US presidential election. In my other life as a successful AirBnB host, I was puzzled to have had no guests during November and I suspect it may be because the rest of the world is afraid of what we Americans have done. I am, too, but I remain an optimist.

As President Obama (and Annie) said, the sun will come out tomorrow...and as I say, there are still fantastic things to do for free in NYC!

Ice skating at Bryant Park - from October 29, 2016 to March 5, 2017, there is free ice skating in Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan at 42nd Street.  Bring your own skates and the rink is free from 8am to 10pm daily. You will pay $20 to rent skates and $28 to skip the line ($35 online) but plan an "offpeak" weekday skate and the ice is yours!  Bring a lock for your stuff.  They are lighting their tree on December 2 this year.

Rock Center Tree - at Rockefeller Center the skating is not free but the Christmas Tree lighting is. This year, the gorgeous 94 foot Norway Spruce lights up on November 30th. Watching the event is free and the limited space will only accommodate those who come early. Pick a place at the Channel Gardens together with your family, friends and watch the star studded show. 

Window Shopping - my perennial favorite is the Lord & Taylor holiday windows but there are so many to choose from: Saks, Barney's, Bloomingdale's, Cartier, Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel, etc.,etc. I challenge you to spend the day window shopping in NYC during the holidays and not finding your smile.  Bring a thermos of hot chocolate with you!

Trains @ Grand Central Station- you know about the big boy (and girl) trains, but during the holidays, NYC Transit Museum Gallery Annex sets up an impressive and free model train exhibit that is not to be missed!  This year, it runs from November 14 to February 2017.

Visit Santa @ MACY's - I have many fond memories of taking my children to see Santa when they were young, and I confess a certain nostalgia for the old-fashioned mechanical elves.  My then 4 year old son looked at me with a knowing look and said, "Those are pretend elves, Mom.  The REAL elves are making my toys!"

The exhibit is updated now, with a fantasy train ride and digital displays to determine who's naughty or nice.  The kids will be entertained to help them tolerate the long lines, but again, try to go offpeak - weekdays during school hours and early in the season.

Union Square Market - If you are looking for a seriously unique gift, for yourself or someone you love, you cannot do better than from one of the hundreds of small vendors and artisans that populate NYC's outdoor markets.  I don't know which I love more, but the one at Union Square is very popular.  There is also one at Bryant Park and at the edge of Central Park by Columbus Circle.  It's free to look and you might find something irresistible!

Chelsea Market - Brooklyn's Artists and Fleas independent designers have set up shop here, conveniently right at the lower edge of the Highline. the city's most popular (and free) tourist destination.

Finally, as we must't forget the reason for the season, explore your spiritual side with a visit to Trinity Church, where Alexander Hamilton is buried, and to St. Patrick's Cathedral.  They will be decorated for Advent until December 25th, and in Christmas glory thereafter. Enjoy the season!

If you enjoyed this blog, please pass it along to a friend!

Keep calm and carry on...Lori Bores

Almost Free from Trump

Almost Free from Trump

After the last few days of appalling political brawling - and much needed comic relief  from Lin-Manuel Miranda on Saturday Night Live - I have reached the depressing conclusion that if you still hold the "anyone but Hillary" position in this scary election you are clearly and simply a misogynist.

Not that there is anything simple about misogyny.  Maybe Donald Trump hates his mother.  Maybe his two divorces didn't teach him that there are two people in a marriage.  Or maybe he is a spoiled, rich kid who is used to controlling everything he touches, including human beings.

Donald Trump disrespects women, plain and simple.  He is like a snotty 13 year old bully in a 70 year old man's body. He brags about sexually assaulting women because he is a celebrity.  Do we have amnesia about Bill Cosby?  Or is Trump somehow less despicable because he is white?

Trump uses women to make money with his beauty pageants, then degrades and verbally abuses them, not unlike a pimp. He brags in debates about the size of his penis and introduces young children to a whole new meaning of the word "pussy."  A master of subtlety he is not.

How many times did Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper have to tell Trump to stop interrupting or that his time was up?   Do we really want a President and Commander-in-Chief who cannot control his own mouth?  Can we trust such a volatile man with the nuclear codes?

To the Bernie fans, I say thank you for fighting the good fight and moving Hillary to the left: on college tuition, health care, taxes, etc.  Hillary heard you. This is how politics is supposed to work.  After your success, sitting out the election as a protest is a foolish and dangerous option.

The bottom line is one of these people will be the President of the United States.  How will you explain to your grandchildren that you didn't like either of the radically different candidates in 2016 so you took the coward's way out and didn't vote?

White, working class men are very angry.  I get it.  Unions, that created the middle class, the American Dream and really made this country great, have been all but destroyed.  Sadly, Donald Trump is not going to bring them back.  Quite the opposite.  Trump hasn't built anything since 1986, and the Trump "brand" is produced almost exclusively overseas in China, India, Bangladesh, wherever wages are low and workers are dirt poor.

If Hillary were a man, there would be no question about her solid qualifications for the job: experienced lawyer, 8 years in the White House, twice elected Senator, Secretary of State.  On the other hand, if  Trump were a woman,  he'd be dismissed as unqualified: a series of bankrupt businesses, a litigious braggart and no political experience,

It's an old story with a creepy new twist.  Women can do everything men can do, but like Ginger Rodgers, backwards and in heels.  Only this time, Donald's lead is downright dangerous.  And the dance is making us look foolish on the world's stage.

Female heads of state have been elected and serve all over the world: Great Britain, Germany, India, Israel, the Philippines, etc. It is clearly time for the United States.  It is clearly time for Hillary.

If you like this blog, please follow it, comment, and forward this to your friends...I promise to respond.

Keep calm and carry on...Lori A. Bores

Almost Free Theater - 2

In response to a request from my Aunt Rosie, whose grandson is coming to NYC with his girlfriend, I think it's time to review the way to get off price theater tickets.  Broadway has been reinvigorated by Hamilton, and it's time for an update!

There are lots of ways to get lower priced tickets, but it will take some planning.  In no particular order, I recommend:

Playbill the theater magazine, which recently updated its list of lotteries, SRO's and student rush tix. Lotteries have become an increasingly fun way to get tickets for those of us who live in and around NYC.  Even though I was very lucky to see Hamilton with my son when it was still at the Public Theater, my mother and my boyfriend have not seen it so every morning I wake up, have my coffee (essential) and enter the daily lottery.

Most people know about the TKTS booth, operated by the Theater Development Fund, which sells day of tix at half price.

You must wait on line, but you are rewarded with a half price ticket on the day of the show. Booths are located in Manhattan in the Theater District, at the South Street Seaport, and in Brooklyn. *A new TKTS booth has just been added at Lincoln Center at the Atrium on 62nd Street.* Check the link to get hours of operation and remember the earlier you get there, the better your chance of getting the show you want.
While you are on the TKTS site, be sure to check if you qualify for TDF membership. You may be lucky enough to get deeply discounted tix with no lines and you can buy them in advance.  Here's a list of eligible people:

• Full-time students (high school or above)
• Full-time teachers (primary or junior high school faculty, high school faculty, university or college faculty, teachers of drama/dance/music)
• Recent graduates (26 years of age and under)
• Full-time union members
• Retirees (no longer working and at least 62 years of age or older)
• Full-time civil service employees
• Full-time staff members of not-for-profit organizations
• Full-time non-exempt employees (full-time hourly workers - 40 hours a week - who are eligible for overtime pay)
• Full-time performing arts professionals
• Members of the armed forces
• Freelancers
• Full-time clergy

An annual membership fee of $34 gets you tix to Broadway, Concerts, dance events, Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway for $9 - $47.  I've been a member for more than 30 years and I've seen amazing performances.  Check out my last blog Almost Free Theater (August 3, 2015) for more theater tips!

I'm looking for your favorite money saving ideas! Sign up to receive this blog by email or follow me so I know how to reach you.

Keep calm and carry on....Lori

Happy (French) Independence Day!

Happy (French) Independence Day!

I had the best intentions to publish this on July 4th.  I am guilty of enjoying these lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. So let's celebrate Bastille Day (July 14), shall we?  At least France is still in the European Union...

Just finished  reading Gloria Steinem's latest book My Life on the Road.  In it, she talks about an unfinished project she had hoped to accomplish: a book with her friend Wilma Mankiller, the great Native American organizer.  Wilma died before the book could come to fruition.  Gloria hoped Wilma would "pass on her gift for creating independence."

Saving money is one of the surefire ways I know of creating independence.  It is in your hands. So let's go!