The Best Free or Cheap Things to do in NYC

New York can be an expensive city -- but it's also jam packed with free or very cheap activities! There are a lot of obvious "sight seeing" opportunities, like Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and Times Square, but there are a lot of things you can actually DO! Here are some of my favorites.

Visit the Cloisters
The Cloisters are run by the MET and therefore are by donation only. Our friend who lives in NYC says the MET has enough money, so we paid $5 per couple :) There are beautiful gardens, free tours every half hour, and lots of gorgeous art! Almost the entire thing has been pieced together by the Rockefeller family from monasteries or castles in Europe. It has such interesting history and is a great reprieve from the city if you feel like you need to "escape". More info here.

Be Part of a Live Studio Audience
There are SO many opportunities to be a part of a studio audience in NYC -- we were able to be on the Daily Show with Trevor Noah which was so fun! Many of these are based on a raffle, so you don't have a ton of choice in your date, but it could be a fun thing to plan your New York trip around.

Check Out the Local Events
The NYC Parks website has SO much great information on free/cheap events going on in the city. I'd check it out. I found so many different things to do when we were in New York in July, although it would be quite different in the winter. I did Broadway in the Park, attended workout classes, movies on rooftops, and live music all over the city! The city does a great job of hosting these events, you just have to see what's happening. 

Roosevelt Island Tram
The Roosevelt Island Tram is so fun! Roosevelt Island is in between Manhattan & Queens that just has some housing and parks. It's really cute and feels removed from the city somehow. You can take a subway train there (only one line stops there) OR you could take this fun tram! It's like a gondola you'd take up to go snowboarding. It gives you a great view of the river and 3 boros. You pay with your MTA ticket, so it costs no more than a subway ride (or is free if you have a week/month pass).

Find Some Elevation
There are so many gorgeous rooftop bars. We loved finding rooftop spots at sunset to catch views like this one! Find a list of rooftop bars here. The photo below was taken at Roof at Park South in Kip's Bay/Gramercy Park. 

Pizza by the Slice

As if you needed an excuse? Pick up some pizza by the slice for a cheap dinner on the go. It was something we liked to do if we wanted to eat in the park or on the water. Joe's Pizza is one of the best and is easily located in the East Village at 14th St E & 3rd Avenue, or Greenwich Village on Carmine St. & 6th Avenue. PS - I absolutely love the East Village AND Greenwich/West Village. Two of my favorite areas in Manhattan!

Governor's Island
If you want to visit Governor's Island I hope you've been saving up.... it's $2 round trip and you have to pay up front :) The ferry ride is short and leave every 30 minutes. It provides great views of the city and is a great place to spend the day outside! You can take long walks, enjoy the fun slides and hammocks, or rent bikes. There's also some fun art and cute food trucks. We brought a picnic and some wine and made an afternoon of it. I loved it and would highly suggest it if you're visiting with good weather.

Coney Island
Talk about cheap thrills - Coney Island is #1 on this list! You can take the subway out there, and then you don't have to spend any money if you don't want to. Matt wanted to try a Nathan's Hot Dog (this is where they do the hot dog eating contest every year) so we spent a few bucks. :) It's got an old carnival feel but is a lot of fun.

Rush Tickets
There are several ways to see broadway shows on the cheap or even for free. You can sign up each day to win a number of raffles (almost every show does it, but each show has different rules, so check with them directly) and I've had a lot of friends win these free tickets! The thing is they are for that day only, so make sure you're free. Or you can often find severely discounted tickets day of but in limited quantity. Another great way to get tickets around $25-50 is downloading the TODAY TIX app. We saw Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime AND Les Miserables for $29pp. Yes, we sat in the back row but it was awesome and saved us a TON! Sign up using my link and take $10 off your first show!

Brooklyn Brewery Tour

They only offer tours on the weekends as far as I know, but it's a lot of fun and it's free. I'd suggest going early as they fill up quickly! They also have a tasting room with pretty cheap beers and some of these brews are harder to find so it can be a bit of a treat! 

These were some of my favorite activities and I will repeat a lot of them! This is a great list to keep on hand when you're trying to have a cheap weekend but still enjoy some local color and have a great time.

What are your favorite freebies in NYC?
xo

"Home Exchange -- What Is That?"

We've ALL seen the Holiday, right? I've probably seen it 100 times, because I love watching it at Christmas (along with Love, Actually, Home Alone, the Family Stone, and the Santa Clause.. :)

But what I never considered, is that people actually do home exchanges. I met a family when I lived on Sanibel that did a swap once a year, and they traded their beach house (where they lived full time) for homes in Southern California, Italy, France, and even Iceland (before it was popular!) It was intriguing, but I never really thought too much about it. This was also in 2011, so even before Airbnb was the norm for travelers.

Matt and I rented our house out on Airbnb a handful of times, but decided to quit when Nashville cracked down on the taxes and paperwork you had to go through. It was also a lot of work, because we had to deep clean the house, store any personal items, change all the bedding to "airbnb sheets", and most importantly, find somewhere to go! These people would be taking over our house, essentially leaving us homeless. We tried to schedule our guests around times we already knew we'd be gone, but we had to crash with friends a few times.

About a year ago, Matt brought up the idea of Home Exchange. We looked around and landed on HomeExchange.com, because they had a "your 2nd year is free if you don't use it your first year" deal going on. Sounded like we didn't have much to lose!

Now, we've done 3 different home exchanges. It's just like the Holiday, except we haven't been to a mansion in LA yet. Since we joined, and have now done a few swaps, I've gotten a lot of questions from friends about the process, so I thought a blog post was overdue on the topic.

How does it work?
You find a home exchange site, pay the enrollment fee (it should be 1x per year, and approximately the cost of 1 night in a hotel or Airbnb), and list your home. Include quality, detailed photos and good information about you and the house. Consider this your home's online dating profile. Would people be shocked when they showed up at the "date" because the house didn't look like the profile pictures at all? Should they know up front that you don't allow pets or the 2nd bedroom is actually just an air mattress? Honesty is the best policy. Chances are, even with some rules or quirks, people will want to swap with you. 

Some snaps from our house. We used a lot of our Airbnb photographs and took a few others with my Fuji x30.

Now that your profile is ready, you're ready to swap! You can either list locations/dates you want to travel, or leave it open for any inquiries. We've done both. Certain things have been specific, like NYC the weekend of March 25 because we already have plans to go. Others are more open ended, like Seattle anytime, because we're always looking for an excuse to go there. Once you list, you can start messaging with people around the world to see if they're interested in a swap. Once you find someone who wants to swap with you, you can set up the guide lines. Will you swap cars? Just houses? Will you do a simultaneous or non simultaneous swap? Many people on home exchange sites own a 2nd home and use that for their trades. We have done some non simultaneous swaps (when we already knew we'd be out of town), and it works quite nicely to have that IOU hanging out. 

Here's a wishlist of another member I saw today.

Once you decide on terms and dates, you just trade! Live in their house for a few days while they live in yours. Talk about traveling like a local!

Is it safe?
I get this question about a lot of travel related things - Europe, flying, Airbnb, declining car rental insurance, home exchange - and my answer is, yes. It's just as safe as driving to work every morning. There's a level of risk associated with waking up every single morning. Now, I'd also like to add that you have to trust your instincts and make wise decisions. Do you get a weird vibe from someone or do they seem slightly off or something feels to good to be true? Then decline. It pays to "shop" around and find a swap you're comfortable with and excited about. 

What does it cost?
You pay your yearly fee (HomeExchange.com is $75 for your first year, and $125 every year after that!), and then every swap is free. Yes, you read that correctly. FREE. So in theory, if you use it for 1 night a year, you'll make your money back. If you use it for 1 swap, for a long weekend, you've saved yourself a couple hundred dollars minimum depending on where you visited. 

We are doing a one month exchange with a lovely couple who lives in Brooklyn. Yes, a full month! We both work from home, so we'll just be working from *their* home. And let me tell you, it's gorgeous. 

See?! Their home is like something out of a magazine - and HomeExchange.com is full of incredible options just like it! And we definitely would be paying $3,000-5,000 for a month in an option like this at least. So we're really getting our money out of that $75 membership fee!

Now taking all of your favorite NYC suggestions! Have you ever done a home exchange?
xo

Weekend at the Beach Packing List

With a long weekend rapidly approaching, many may be heading towards the ocean! While I won't be amongst you over Memorial Day, I'm having a little beach getaway with a friend in a few weeks. I can't wait!

We're only going for three days, so I'm keeping it light on the packing list. I'm not even bothering with jeans or jackets... it's going to be 90 & sunny. Nothing about that says "pants" to me. It's really just dresses, swim wear, and a few accessories.

This will all fit in a carry on with room to SPARE! We are driving... which is tempting to overpack. However! There is no reason to bring a bunch of stuff I'll never wear! Cover ups can be worn a couple of times, swim suits can be hand washed easily and dry quickly, and sandals go from day to night. 

Think about what you'll be doing before you overpack. For this quick vaca, we'll be doing a lot of laying on the beach, relaxing by the pool, and grabbing dinners. There's no reason for me to pack my entire wardrobe or bring anything heavy or too fancy. Maxi dresses will cover a multitude of sins in a sleepy beach town, and my black sundress ALWAYS works several ways on a trip! Choose versatile pieces that make sense. 

Woo hoo! Beach time! Stay safe out there, kids. Plenty of SPF, water, and have fun!
xo

Charleston City Guide

Charleston - what can I say? You're a gem.

If you're looking for somewhere beautiful, charming, relaxing, delicious & quaint, Charleston is the place for you.

We stayed at a hotel in North Charleston, but I would suggest staying closer to the city center. The city is very walkable, and you'd be able to function without a rental car.

We could not have asked for better weather! Highs in the 60's, I'll take that any day of the week. 

My favorite part of the weekend was simply wandering around. All of the houses have these huge two-story porches that face the water. There are a ton of historic homes and they're all gorgeous. Matt and I just walked up and down every street, picking out our favorites and what we'd change on the less desirable ones (there were very few).

COFFEE
Saint Alban. This place is less than a month old, but one of the cutest coffee shops I've ever been in. It's a little north of the city center, so you'll need to be ok with a longer walk or drive there :)

Black Tap. Pour overs for days. A great cortado. A Charleston classic. Definitely go! (And stop by the Old City Jail while you're over there!)

Bakehouse Bakery Cafe. After you hit up Rainbow Row, make sure you grab a treat at Bakehouse. Super cute atmosphere and delicious baked goods.

FOOD & DRINKS
A note to vegetarians - there is a LOT of meat in Charleston's food. Check ahead and ask if they can take the pork out of everything :) 

Stars Rooftop & Grill. I loved the Kale Salad & Mushroom Bruschetta... YUM. They also had really great craft cocktails. Grab a drink after dinner and go up to their rooftop bar! It's open til 2am and they have a lot of big heaters :)

McCrady's. A great farm-to-table restaurant with a rotating menu. Very cozy inside. Also, they give you a little treat at the end of your meal, which is such a fun touch :)

Taco Boy. AWESOME a la cart taco menu. The Baja Fish was a favorite! Not to mention they have a great outdoor patio area (we sat inside because it was full, but they had all the windows open and it was wonderful!) We were at the Charleston location, but they also have one on Folley Beach. 

The Obstinate Daughter. This place is on Sullivan's Island, and was decorated in the most adorable nautical style - not overly kitchy, just beautiful. We came here for brunch, and we were NOT disappointed. Matt ordered the Apple French Toast, and I can confidently say it was the best french toast I've ever tasted. I always opt for savory over sweet, but this is one time I feel I made the wrong decision (full disclosure, everything we ordered was good). 

While You're on Sullivan's Island, take a walk on the beach from the lighthouse. You get a great view of Charleston from this beach. It was a little chilly for laying out, so we took a walk with our coffee instead. It was beautiful!

A few tips:

- A rental car might be worth it for the option to take a trip to the beach. We didn't make it to Folly Beach this time, but we loved Sullivan's Island! I would still rent even if we stayed downtown.

- Select a hotel/Airbnb downtown

- Bring quarters. Most of the street parking is metered Monday-Saturday.

- Don't eat too much in one sitting. There are SO many great places, choose coffee, brunch, lunch, snacks, drinks, and dinner at different locations. 

We absolutely LOVED Charleston, and there are so many great places we can't wait to visit next time. Oh yes, we'll be going back.
xo

Packing List for Charleston

We leave for Charleston in a WEEK!

So far my list of places to eat & drink is long... and growing. Poogan's Porch, Cru Cafe, The Black Tap, Fig, Collective Coffee & more.... any I'm missing?

Today, the weather in Nashville got HOT all of a sudden. I'm definitely not complaining, I was just surprised. Mid 60's after weather below freezing for weeks. It made me think - will it be warm in Charleston?

Turns out it will be pretty mild while we're there. Days in the 50's and nights in the high 30's. It's making me believe I don't need to pack a real coat... but I'm probably just lying to myself :)

So here's the packing list so far. 

Spring in Charleston by reneecutaia featuring blue leggings

Moschino Cheap Chic a line dress, $615 / A drea skater dress, $110 / Glamorous black dress, $59 / MANGO white cardigan, $34 / American Eagle Outfitters chambray shirt / Black and white striped shirt / VILA black blazer, $64 / Pieces blue legging, $40 / Sergio Rossi suede shoes / Steve Madden lace up boots, $56 / Steve Madden flat shoes, $73 / MICHAEL Michael Kors leather tote, $285 / Leather handbag / Plaid blanket scarf / Lightweight scarve, $14

POWER PLAYERS

• The long black maxi. The one I own is actually a convertible dress that can be worn 5 ways. Full disclosure, I only wear it 2 ways because I don't feel confident it looks right as a skirt on me, but that's ok - it's still been a great piece. It's really thick cotton so it regulates temperature well. It's also great because the material is nice enough for dinner, but casual enough for the beach. 
• Lightweight tops. I'm planning to bring two light weight tops that can be worn together as layers or separately for different looks.
• Chunky cardigan. With sunny days in the 50's, I'm unlikely to need a full coat during the day. However, i'm sure there will be shade at times and cold restaurants as always, so a cozy knit is just the trick.
• Blazer. Instantly dresses up any part of this mix. Even the striped top with jeans and heels will look polished with a blazer. I know southern folk can be proper, so I don't want to be sloppy.

I'm not completely sure of our itinerary, so I have a mix of causal and slightly nicer pieces that can be mixed and matched. I'll also throw a pair of nude tights in my bag to wear under the pink or white dresses at night. It's our Valentine's Day, so I want to have some fun dinner dresses, right? I admit, for a 3 day, 3 night trip, this might be a slight overpack. Looking at it now, I also might swap one dress out for another top (mix it up, travel days, etc). 

Have you ever been to Charleston for a weekend in the Spring? Send me your tips!

xo

What to Do in Charleston, SC

Happy Valentine's Day to me :) 

Matt is awesome & surprised me with a trip to Charleston for Valentine's Day! Well, more specifically, we're going the week before. Regardless... I'm so very excited!

Two months into the year and we're already making a dent in the travel bucket list - so I'm a happy camper. 

Full disclosure: I've never been to Charleston... and I don't actually know what there is to do there except eat & explore. It's just always seemed charming and romantic to me. 

There are a few things I've looked up so far, but I'd really love any other suggestions as we explore a new place.

Rainbow Row

This reminds me of Notting Hill in London, so I'm sold. Cute little colored houses all in a row... adorable. Any must see's/must do's while we're there?

Waterfront Park

Gorgeous waterfront park... what's not to like? If I can bring a bottle of wine to enjoy the sunset I might never leave.

King Street

Apparently this is the go-to place for shops! And it's very adorable. As is the rest of the city. Which shops should we check out?

Lighthouses

The only lighthouse I've ever been to is on Sanibel, and I've always loved it. There are two in the Charleston area and I'd love to check them out.

...oh, and a Ghost Tour, of course. 

We're rookies at this Charleston thing, so I'd love to hear your suggestions! Especially any good food (specifically vegetarian food or brunch places), cool bars, or sights to see? Comment below or shoot me an email!
xo

Wanderlust Wednesday: 2015 Travel Bucket List

I've always got the next trip on the brain. While we don't *officially* have anything booked for 2015, I'm already dreaming up where we'll go next (Poor Matt... but hey, he knew this about me when he married me!!!). Here are the places I'm wanderlusting after for 2015.

New Zealand

Full disclosure - this trip is practically booked. Thanks to my husband's former life in touring & some built up American miles... we're scoring this trip for next to nothing. While normal AA reward flights aren't worth the miles you put up, they're surprisingly affordable to NZ. Not to mention the low amount of taxes (less than $100 per person) makes this a no brainer. PLUS, my best friend, Ashley, will be living & working there for several months starting in February! Stay tuned as she will be guest blogging on her experience on making the decision, living in another country, and so on.

via

Maine

I've never been.... and I'm dying to go! I just want to wear nautical sweaters & eat lobster. Is that so much to ask for? It just looks like a true New England dream land; rustic cabins, adorable local shops, lighthouses, rocky beaches & more! I'm thinking late Spring... perhaps May. Have you ever been? I'd love tips & insight, because I'm mainly thinking about the sweater opportunities. I saw read this article last year about Maine and have been dreaming about it ever since.

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Charleston, SC

If Maine is the New England preppy dream, then Charleston is the Southern Belle fantasy. I've visited Savannah just once, and it was so beautiful & charming! I've heard Charleston is similar in some ways, and from photos & stories I've seen, I have no doubt I would love to go there. From what I hear, the food scene is pretty great, so I look forward to eating my way around town.

via

Iceland

With the development that WOW Airlines has $99 one way flights to Iceland.... it may have opened up some time & budget for us to get to that beautiful arctic tundra. Matt was able to go in 2012 & he is obsessed, and would love to take me. I, of course, will not object to new adventures. I heard it's almost sensory overload, but it looks magical.

(via Matt)

Asheville, NC

I almost have no excuse... but how have we NOT been here?! It's a 5 hour drive... seriously, no excuse. 2015 WILL include Asheville. There's wine tasting at the Biltmore, beautiful hikes, cabins & what seems like quirky towns to explore. Count me in.

via

London

Ok, so this isn't quite bucket list because I've lived, studied abroad, and visited several other times, however, I haven't been to London since 2011! And the fact that Matt has never been... I'd really love to show him my old stomping grounds. It was my first love, so I'm sure it will always be my favorite city. I could spend hours wandering around & be perfectly content. Maybe we'll get back there this year.

(via me)

...and of course, everywhere else in the world. I am still dreaming of Croatia, Portugal, Pacific Islands, Australia, Thailand, Whistler, Grand Canyon, Costa Rica, Cuba, Norway, Turks & Caicos, San Diego, Portland, Austin, Duluth, Traverse City, and all the other favorites like LA, NYC, Chicago, South Florida, Seattle & more...

Yes, I have a problem. But hey - work hard, play hard. This is how I play.

Do you have any trips planned for 2015? Have you been to any of these places? I'd love your insight!

xo