Minneapolis, MN - The Convention Grill

The Convention Grill is pretty much my favorite restaurant of all time. A 50s diner/soda fountain thatt's a historic landmark (it's remained virtually the same for decades) and has been in tons of food and travel magazines. Technically, it's just a diner. But it's the best damn diner that ever existed. EVER.

You might think I'm a little biased since I literally grew up down the street from it, and I have fond memories of walking out of my house only to have the delicious smells of grease, meat and onions wafting toward me. But really, I've never met a person who didn't love it. Their milkshakes, which come in a much bigger array of flavors than at most diners, are so thick you usually can't drink them through a straw, at least not at first. They are served in huge metal containers that allow you to get 2-3 full glasses worth. Their burgers are big and juicy. Their grilled cheese - my favorite - is a double-decker sandwich that comes with 3 slices of bread and 3-4 different types of cheese (you can also add with tomatoes and bacon). Their french fries come in huge portions (a "half order" is good for 2-3 people at least) and they're greasy, skin-on style and quite tasty.

So basically, save lots of room in your stomach before you go. Also, be prepared to wait if you go at the dinner rush, particularly on a nice day. It's a popular place, deservedly so.

New York, NY - Fuerza Bruta

If you don't have the budget to do a Broadway show, try Fuerza Bruta. It's not a play or a musical - it's really just a visual spectacular. You stand the whole time (so if that's a problem, this show isn't for you) and throughout the show, ushers move you around to make room for set pieces coming in and out. Almost everything happens over your head and it's a lot of awesome aerial acrobatics with dramatic lighting and music. It will blow your mind. At one point they lower a shallow pool of water over your head (it's plexiglass on the bottom) and women swim/dance through it. At the end, you might get wet - it starts "raining" in the studio and the performers come and dance with you in the rain, but you don't have to stand under the rain if you don't want to. You just might accidentally be under it to begin with, so be prepared to possibly get wet. But it's really a fun time and is just visually such a treat.

I realize that if you're reading this in the future, they show may not still be running. But it has been running for almost four years now, so I suspect it will stick around for a while longer. If you stand in line for rush tickets earlier the same day as you want to see the show, they're only $25. However, if it's a nice day out, you'll have to stand in line for maybe 3 hours or so to be sure you get tickets. They're $79 if you order them the normal way, though they have promotions all the time (you can follow them on Facebook to be alerted of these promotions).

They also have performances of Fuerza Bruta set up in other cities across the world, so check that out too if you're not going to be in New York any time soon but would like to go.

Freestyle Cruises - Know Before You Go

So-called "Freestyle" cruises are really the primary type of cruise that seems to exist anymore. Here's what it means (at least on Norwegian Cruise Lines) and some of the things you should know before you board the ship:

• Cruises are basically impossible to do on the cheap. Even if you get a "deal" for the base price, the extra costs add up quickly. Only go if you can afford to spend at least a few thousand dollars on this trip. 
• It is REALLY easy to lose track of how much you're spending. Your room key also serves as your "credit card" (they connect it to a credit card when you board) and so it's easy to feel like you're not actually spending money since it's your room key you're swiping. You are constantly waited on hand-and-foot, so it's so easy to say "sure, I'll have another drink," and it's not like you can check on how much you've spent so far by looking at your credit card statement online. They do give you receipts though so if you're diligent, you can keep track that way.
• Your time is not structured, you can participate or not participate in activities exactly as you please.  When you go to meals, you go whenever you want and sit where ever you want. That's why they're called "freestyle," as opposed to some cruises where things are more scheduled, you may sit with a certain party at each meal, etc.
• Excursions away from the boat cost extra (prices should be outlined in the list of options) but they make it super simple for you. They literally shuttle you to shore and to your destination and then shuttle you back so you don't have to worry about a thing. You may or may not have some free time to shop or eat near port after your activity. Some of the excursions will take you on a shopping detour. All of this shopping will be tourist trap stuff but some of it is worthwhile (we got a really nice stone mask in Mexico and some cheap rum in the Cayman Islands).
• If you purchase booze on shore at one of your excursions, you don't get it back until the end of the cruise. They hold it for you, supposedly for legal/tax reasons but really I think it's just so that you keep paying for the overpriced booze on the ship.
• While you probably think of cruises as time to relax and do nothing, you can actually jampack your trip. There are tons of activities on the cruise ship, most of which are free. There are stage shows, comedy shows, there are games, there are ice-carving demonstrations, barbecues, clubs, pretty much anything anyone might possibly want to do. Most of them are better than they sound, so if you're skeptical, go give it a try.
• On our cruise, you could eat for free at the primary buffet. However, the restaurants were all amazing - seriously some of the best food I've ever had in my life - and only an additional $10-15/person (not including drinks). AND, to top that all off, something we didn't learn until our last night there is that for that $10-15/person, you can literally eat as much as you want. We assumed it meant one appetizer, one entree and dessert. Nope. You could order 10 appetizers, 4 entrees and 7 desserts and try a few bites of each if you really wanted to. Now, I don't actually recommend this because it's super wasteful (and cruises are overindulgent enough), not to mention the increased potential for overeating (the average cruise attendee gains a pound a day). But it comes in handy to know if you can't decide between two appetizers and just really want to try both.
• Internet was not free, which always makes me mad. And I don't think there was any wi-fi, you could only access the internet from their computer lab. This may be different from ship to ship though. Then again, this may have been a good thing for keeping us truly disconnected.
• There are spas and a gym and they'll try to sell you all sorts of expensive stuff. The gym is free and is very nice but they'll try to sell you stuff while you're there. Needless to say, the spa is very pricey.

Things you should know - Frequent Flier Miles

Here is a really good guide to managing frequent flier miles, from the NYTimes. It also has links to other good resources. I personally have taken advantage of several promotions to rack up about 60,000 Delta SkyMiles, having taken very few actual flights in the past few years. Hopefully I'll be going to Europe or Guatemala later this year with them.

New York, NY - Risotteria

One of my favorite, more affordable restaurants is Risotteria, in the West Village. The menu is primarily - you guessed it - risotto. They also have gluten-free pizzas and panninis, but the risotto is to die for so I'm not sure why anyone would get anything else. On top of almost everything on their menu being gluten-free, they also have tons of vegan and vegetarian options so it's a great place to go if you have a group of people with dietary restrictions.

Unfortunately, logistically it's not so great for groups. It's TEENY TINY and they don't take reservations so there's always a wait around the dinner hours. I would not recommend going with a group of more than four people. And honestly, I don't know why they don't get a bigger space. Customers are constantly going elsewhere because of the long wait and I'm sure they could rake in enough money for a bigger space with the added customers. Plus people might be able to sit further than 4 inches away from each other. They do have take-out though, so maybe that's the best option.

Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall

Union Hall,* located in the lovely brownstone-laden neighborhood of Park Slope, is my favorite bar in all of the five boroughs of New York City. The main floor has cozy couches, shelves of books that give it a great homey feeling, a fireplace and a great beer selection (plus the drink prices are pretty good to NY - a well drink will cost you $5-6). In the back they have a small space you can reserve for private parties. They also have pretty decent bar food. But of course, one of the things Union Hall is most known for is its bocce ball courts. There are two courts and if you're there on the weekends, get their early to sign up. For those of you who don't know, bocce is an Italian lawn sport where you have a small ball (the polina) and you try to get your teams balls closest to the small ball. In the case of Union Hall, you play on sandy courts inside the bar (see below). It's a laid back game, perfect for playing with a drink in your hand. It can also be a fun way to meet new people. There are some players who take the game a little too seriously though - once I played a duo who brought their own balls! Also, you have better chances of getting on the court if you stick close. A lot of people put their name on the list and then walk away and don't really bother checking back in, so you can usually hop in on one of their spots if you stick close by. For those of you bocce enthusiasts looking to play more often or without the crowds, you can join their bocce league.

And I haven't even gotten to the downstairs yet... Downstairs is a concert venue where they have some pretty great shows (and some not so great ones of course). I think they also have poetry, comedy and even a science night there sometimes. The best thing of all though is Friday nights: Karaoke Killed the Cat. It's the best karaoke I've ever been to (although Live Band karaoke at Webster Hall in Manhattan comes pretty close because with an actual band behind you, you really feel like a rock star). Most of the people who go up are great entertainers. Irony seems to be key to the entertainment - you get two of the whitest white hipsters rapping or you get a tattooed metal head singing a ballad, etc. All in all, it's a really good time and people are very supportive of each other. It's always packed pretty shortly into the night and everyone in the audience is dancing and singing along. The only downside is that you also need to get there pretty much right when it starts though in order to get your name in line to sing.

*NOTE: not to be confused with Union Pool, a hipster bar in Williamsburg, OR Union Bar, a yuppy bar in Manhattan.

New York, NY - 9 upcoming outdoor Spring attractions

This Time Out NY article is full of great suggestions for things to do outdoors in the Spring (or Summer). Some of these things will be brand new experiences, even for the most veteran of NYers. For example, the second section of the Highline will be opening up, and Brooklyn Bridge Park's expansion will (finally) be complete. Granted, with the horrible winter NY has been having, some NYers are starting to doubt that Spring will ever arrive.

New York, NY - Where to drink for the non-drinker

New York, The NYTimes did a nice article about where to drink for non-drinkers. Apparently some high class bars have taken to concocting elaborate non-alcoholic drinks. Good news for non-drinkers who probably get sick of drinking water or soda at bars (or not going to bars at all).

New York, NY - Park Avenue: Winter (or Spring, Summer, Fall)

My favorite restaurant in New York City is Park Avenue: Winter. Or well, Park Avenue: (insert season here). They change the menu and the decor of the restaurant with every season, but most of the times I've been there have been in the winter (not intentionally, it just worked out that way) so I think of it as Park Avenue: Winter. Winter is pictured above and Spring is pictured below to give you an idea of how much it changes. It's pretty pricey (think $30-50 per entree) but the food and the customer service is amazing. And actually, it's really not that pricey considering the overall experience.

I found out about the restaurant because they were featured on Gossip Girl and they had a promotion, which was listed on one of the "cheap things to do in NY" blogs that I read. The promotion was that if you came dressed as a school girl, you got a free meal. FREE. So I went with five friends on St. Patrick's day of 2009 and I was thinking it would be, you know, a free entree and everything else you had to pay for. Nope! They gave us a free appetizer, free entree, two free side dishes, two free alcoholic drinks AND a dessert. The whole meal would've cost probably $120-140 per person had we paid for it. Not only that, but they still treated us like royalty even though they knew we were eating for free. At this same meal, I had the most delicious filet mignon I've ever had (to this day).

I have to say, this whole free meal thing was a genius move on their part. While at first we wondered how they weren't losing massive amounts of money on this deal, I have been back to the restaurant several times since, as have most of my friends. And I've recommended it to countless other people. So they've definitely made their money back off of at least our free meal, and then some. The second time I went really stood out to me, as well. For one thing, they had this side dish of broccoli and cheetos that was surprisingly amazing (albeit rather incongruous with the rest of their menu) and secondly, the table was wobbly so my drink spilled on my skirt and they rushed to make it right immediately: they put something under the table so it wouldn't wobble, they gave me soda water for my skirt and (best of all) they took a few items off of our bill. Really, their customer service is amazing. You really feel like your business matters to them and I find that improves my restaurant experience almost infinitely.

So if you can only afford to splurge for one meal during your time to New York, make it Park Avenue: Winter (or Spring or Summer or Fall depending on the time of year you go).