Check out some of our favorite places to celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve, both near and far. These videos and book excerpts will get you into the spirit faster than you can say "Auld Lang Syne."

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We all know how expensive it can be to eat in New York. Especially in Manhattan. Going to an “inexpensive” restaurant or even a trip to the supermarket can still leave a backpacker feeling over budget. Its true – NYC can be a really pricey city – but for travelers that are willing to stray a little from the beaten path, it can also be an incredibly cheap place to eat, drink and explore. We've got lots of culinary gems here that are affordable, authentic, and well worth the trip.

Manhattan Chinatown is home to many of these places – here you can indulge in authentic Asian food for less than $5 a person. My favorites are the Hong Kong style noodle soup, Vietnamese sandwiches and pho, and the dollar dumplings.

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Traveler’s Hosteling Tips:

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If you want to see NYC’s cultural districts, but don't know which to choose, I’m here to cut your work in half: It’s the Battle of the Littles, which district will take the prize? Let’s go find out.

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We all love theater, right? If not, get the heck off this blog! But seriously, that was rhetorical because everyone loves Broadway, especially Mr. Moneybags from my favorite childhood game, Monopoly—I know because I saw 100 of him at Billy Elliot last night. Here’s the catch, though: you don’t have to be a Mr. Moneybags to sit next to one at your favorite Broadway show. There’s really only two (and a half) ways to do it.

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The day after Christmas is normally spent traveling: to the airport, train station, bus terminal, or even to the mall to exchange that heinous sweater your Auntie Ruth got you. Mother Nature had other plans this year, as the East Coast of the U.S was hit with a major snow storm. From the state of emergency in New Jersey to the snow flurries in Florida, major airports along the East Coast remain closed as workers attempt to clear the snow.

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Whether you love him or think he’s a crumby phony, Holden Caulfield, protagonist of J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, has been a crucial part of the American literary canon since his creation sixty years ago. Holden’s vocabulary may be outdated today, but many of the places he visits are still there.

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