New York City isn’t cheap and going out for drinks at a bar is definitely not cheap. Save some money and get drunk by visiting MyOpenBar.com. MyOpenBar.com is “your guide to free booze” in New York City and lists all upcoming open bars in the city. Why pay for booze when you can get it free?

Ice skating at Bryant Park is free through January 15th. The Pond at Bryant park returns as the centerpiece of Fêtes de Noël, which also includes the fifth annual Holiday Shops at Bryant Park. The rink is larger than the rink at Rockefeller Center but the free comes with somewhat of a catch. Bring skates and a lock for the locker and ice skating really is free. Otherwise you can rent skates for $8.75/pair and buy a lock for $9.00 for the lockers.

Tip: Not many people own ice skates so you’ll have to rent them where ever you skate in NYC. One place you can save money is with locker rentals. If you bring your own lock you can use a locker for free. You can buy a lock at a hardware store or pharmacy for a lot less than the $9.00 Bryant Park charges.

Getting there: Bryant Park is situated behind the New York Public Library in midtown Manhattan, between 40th and 42nd Streets & Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Subway F, V, B, D to 42nd St/Bryant Park

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrived today from Connecticut. This year the tree is an 88 foot Norway spruce from the home of Rob Kinnaird. Each year helicopters scout the area for a tree, the minumum height being 75 feet tall. No money is paid for the tree but the owner(s) of the tree get the VIP treatment during the lighting of the tree. The lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree takes place on November 29 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. The tree stays up until January 9, 2007

Local Tips: Rockefeller Center during the holiday season is packed when there is no lighting ceremony so you can imagine during the ceremony that it’s a mob. Honestly your best bet is to watch it on tv because it’s nearly impossible to get a good view. Rockefeller Center is a tightly packed space with narrow streets and tall buildings. The viewing area from a distance is very limited so your time would be better spent elsewhere than waiting for the lights to come on. I watched the lights come on one year and would not do it again. We waited for hours in a tightly packed crowd far across on 5th Ave. only to hear a countdown and see the lights come on. It really wasn’t worth it.

Late nights (especially weekday nights) are best to view the tree and to avoid the crowds. The tree is lit until 11:30pm every night.

Getting there: Subway B, D, F, V to Rockefeller Center/47-50 Streets