NYC Summer Fun

I just found out that a couple of my cousins are going to be visiting from Chicago this summer. Whenever we visit each other we always like to try to see a lot of shows, concerts, and whatever other events we can find. (This is why I sometimes find myself doing very unlike me things like buying Avril Lavigne tickets.) So now that I know when they're coming, the cheap ticket search has begun.

I usually start with the obvious - going to a Madison Square Garden tickets site to see what's going on there. But they're doing some renovations this summer so there aren't as many options as usual, which means going a little farther afield. There's always stuff like the Central Park SummerStage, and there's also a new Cirque du Soleil show called Zarkana hitting the city this spring, so some Radio City Music Hall tickets might be in order. And of course, there's always Broadway.

I'm checking out Nassau Coliseum tickets too - they've got everyone from New Kids On The Block to Motley Crue to Britney Spears this summer, so it might be worth the trip. And baseball is always an option too, so we might check out the Yankees, the Mets, or both.

It does take a lot of time to figure out what to do and then find the best deals on tickets, but it's totally worth it. And I know that the next time I head out to Chicago for a visit, there will be some United Center tickets waiting for me. Can't wait for summer!

Fun in NYC

A friend of mine is coming to visit me in a few months. I'm really excited that he's coming. And I'm really really excited that this sucky cold weather will probably be over by the time he gets here.

I'm looking forward to hanging out and doing some New York City tourist stuff with him. And he's gay, so I'm sure we'll end up hitting a few gay bars and clubs too. I actually had to research that a little bit - it's been awhile since I was in the NYC gay scene. Or the club scene in general, for that matter. (Yeah, I'm totally old and I don't know what's hip and hot and cool anymore. Okay, I'll stop now.)

Luckily there's this cool site called Gay Travel Buddy that has great info about the gay scenes in various cities across the country. I used it when I was in the Las Vegas Area last fall and it was really helpful. So I'm going to check out their NYC info so that I'll be a more prepared hostess when my friend comes. I'm counting the days!

We're going to Vegas!

We're headed to Las Vegas for the first time later this year, and we're really excited. We're totally prepared for the trip...except for the fact that we've procrastinated and don't have any of our travel arrangements finalized. Oops. So we're starting with the basics right now, looking for discount airfare and cheap hotels. The flight should be easy enough - well, finding the flight should be easy enough, and the actual flying part will be the delightful hassle that it always is these days.

When it comes to the hotel we're a little bit more undecided, just because there are so many cool hotels in Vegas, and all of our friends who have been there have different opinions about which ones are the best. If anyone wants to leave their thoughts on where we should stay in the comments to confuse help us further, we'd appreciate the feedback.

We've also been doing some Vegas research, and we've been laughing at the descriptions on some of the travel sites. Fodor's totally went for the stereotypes:

Sure, you've heard that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas—and you'll surely help put the "sin" in Sin City. But when you're ready to jump off the bar and curb your gambling habit, plenty of fun awaits you: luxurious spas, quirky museums, lavish pools, and gut-busting buffets.

But Lonely Planet's summary might be our favorite:

Legendary city of 24/7 hedonism, two-fisted debauchery and bacchanalian revelry...Vegas is the ultimate escape. Time is irrelevant here, especially after a few frenzied and intoxicating sleepless nights on the Strip. There are no clocks inside casinos, just never-ending buffets, ever-flowing drinks and adrenaline-fueled gaming tables. Almost any desire can be gratified instantly, since the USA’s fastest-growing metropolis and its luxe megaresorts stand ready to cater to your every whim 24/7. Emptying your wallet never felt so damn good.

Okay, so basically what they're saying is that we're going to need the cheap tickets to get there because we'll be broke after all of that debauchery and revelry. We've pretty much decided that as long as we can stay on the drinking, gambling, and buffet side of the debauchery line and not cross into 'accidentally married a stranger' territory, we'll consider it a successful trip.

Anyone have any other Vegas tips for us?