(Editor’s Note: While we always shy away from self-promoting posts on the blog, please indulge us for a moment…)

We recently updated our EuroCheapo page on Facebook and we think it’s pretty Cheapo-rific.

On our Facebook page you’ll find photo albums including “Cheapos At Work”, “CheapoPets We’ve Met Along the Way” (hint: We’ve got sheep! Lots of ‘em!), and the occassional shot of our reviewers lost in the streets. You can also view videos submitted by fellow Cheapos and write all over our wall (we encourage it!). Best of all, you’ll be joining a growing family of Cheapos!

We’re just getting started on our page, and we’ve got contests and more in store.  Have a look, browse the photos, and become a fan of EuroCheapo!

New York calls itself the “media capital of the world” for good reason: countless newspapers, magazines, television networks, film studios, and communications companies are based in the Big Apple. Many popular American television shows are taped in the city, and several are broadcast live—often with the city’s pedestrians passing by in the background.

Here are three of our favorite ways to be part of a TV show, times to show up, and ways to get on camera.  The best part? Most of it is free.

1) The Late Show with David Letterman
Where: Ed Sullivan Theater (1697 Broadway, at 53rd Street)
When: Weekdays

Home to the “Ed Sullivan Show” from 1948-1971, the theater now hosts David Letterman’s popular late night talk show, broadcast on CBS at 11:30 PM.

Tickets in person: Tickets are free and may be requested by visiting the theater and submitting a written request for shows up to one month in advance. Audience members will be contacted by phone if their request is accepted. The ticket office is open weekdays from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM, and 10 AM to 6 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Tickets in advance: To secure tickets in advance without visiting the theater, use the show’s online ticket lottery. Fill out a form and, hopefully, you will be contacted by phone and asked a trivia question before you’re granted your free tickets. Note: They are serious about this. When we were called, they asked us for the name of the owner of the “Hello Deli”. Luckily, we knew it was “Rupert.” A friend wasn’t as lucky and was turned down. Know your Letterman!

Same-day tickets: A limited number of same-day standby tickets are available on the day of taping by calling (212) 247-6497 starting at 11 AM. This phone number is only “active” when tickets are available. Seats for standby tickets usually are in the back of the theater, but hey, it’s a great last-minute way to see the show. Visit the show’s website for more information about obtaining free tickets.

Tip: Assistants from the show scope out the crowd before taping. They hone in on bubbly, smiley types who are “camera ready.” We suggest chatting up these assistants. In the best case, you will be ushered down to the first two rows. Score.

2) Total Request Live (”TRL”)
Where: MTV Studios - 1515 Broadway at Times Square
When: Mondays through Thursday at 3:30 PM

MTV, the music television behemoth, broadcasts this hour-long musical show from its headquarters overlooking Times Square four days a week. The show is a medley of music videos, celebrity interviews, and live performances, taking place inside the studio and sometimes on the street. Tourists can watch the show taping from the sidewalk (and get in everyone’s way) or get plucked from the crowd to be a part of the in-studio audience.

Advance tickets: You may email MTV to request a “chance for studio audience tickets.” Check out this page for details. According to MTV, audience members must be between the ages of 16-24 or at least look like they are.

Same-day tickets: We know (on younger brother authority) that if you want to land a same-day spot in the studio audience, you’d better get in line early and “look the part.” Meaning? Get there before 2 PM (the show airs at 3:30 PM) and wear your best retro sweatshirt. A few dozen stand-outs will get ushered upstairs for the live studio show.

Otherwise, you can watch the show tape from below and be seen, if only as a tiny speck, within the larger crowd and street shots.

3) NBC Studios
Rockefeller Center -30 Rockefeller Plaza, between 49th and 50th Streets
When: Daily and Nightly

This is the mother load. “30 Rock,” as it’s often called, houses the NBC television network’s studios and corporate headquarters. Shows produced there include Saturday Night Live, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and more.

A studio tour ($18.50) takes you behind the scenes in many of the network’s studios, although it doesn’t get you tickets to any of the shows. (You might, however, see some stars walking through the hallway or in rehearsal, like on Saturday when SNL cast members are hard at work. We got to see Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon and Sean Hayes, when we swept through last time.)

Tickets to NBC shows taped in the building are offered in advance by email or telephone. Each show has its own ticketing policy and details are offered on this page of the NBC website. The Today Show broadcasts live from its windowed street-level studios at Rockefeller Center every morning from 7 AM to 10 AM, with its hosts taking frequent trips into the noisy crowd. Bring a smile—and scream.

We do love the annual “Europe travel” edition of the New York Times’ travel section, which appeared in yesterday’s paper. Here are a few highlights:

Fall Travel: Cheap? No. Cheaper? Yes.
Natch, we were into this article in the Practical Traveler series. It’s chock full of helpful budget travel tips (think south, flight strategies, consider packages, etc.). But it also makes it clear that traveling to Europe is still possible for Americans, even during a period of dismal exchange rates. (And yes, we also loved it because it gave us a very nice shout-out!)

Season to Savor: As Weather Cools, Europe Heats Up
Articles on cities like Rome, Berlin and Prague showcase how, as temps go down, Europe’s cultural scene stays on the up-and-up.

Worshiping Paris
As if we needed another reason to genuflect before Paris, this beautiful recap of one journalist’s spiritual journey, through Parisian churches and the like, has us packing.

Recently launched: MAPMagazine, an online publication that devotes itself to Madrid’s Anglophone expats and visitors. The magazine, which feels to us like a cross between the NYT and Facebook, is a useful compendium of news and calendar items. There are lists of free (and cheap) things to do, restaurant reviews, and coverage of the capital’s nightlife scene.

We’re impressed by the breadth of material covered and by the absence of snarky expat snivel. You know what we’re talking about. So if you’re hankering for it, go elsewhere.

We just discovered hidden europe, a treasure of a publication devoted to out-of-the-way corners of Europe, cultural (and geographical) enclaves, and thoughtful, leisurely examinations of destinations. Hidden europe commenced publication in early 2005 and comes out six times a year.

Quite frankly, we’re blown away. We love the publication’s very mission, its attention to detail, and its complete insouciance regarding trends and buzz. Take a look at these sample article subjects: Prague’s African community, the Georgian Military Highway, obscure airports, Vojvodina, Brussels’ les Marolles/De Marollen ‘hood, “people’s palaces” of socialist Europe, and Franz Josef Land.

Yowza, in other words.

We just devoured the July/August issue of Budget Travel, noting happily Caitlin O’Neil’s story on carbon offset firms. O’Neil’s story points readers toward several different carbon offsetters, going so far as to profile four “recommended” outfits: Atmosfair.de, CarbonCounter.org, ClimateFriendly.com, and NativeEnergy.com.

We liked O’Neil’s digest-like coverage of the issues surrounding carbon offsetting. She provides a very useful background for thinking through how to choose an offsetter best in line with your own values.

There’s really no longer an available excuse to avoid carbon offsetting, now, is there?

Photo by Re:echo

If there’s a publication you can’t live without while you’re traveling in France, the prospect of tracking it down just got a whole lot easier with the launch of a new multi-lingual press finder.

Just type in the name of the paper or magazine you’re looking for, along with your address and postal code in France, and you’ll recieve a list of all the vendors within a five-kilometer range displayed on a handy Google map. To locate kiosks open on Sundays and public holidays—as well as opening hours—click on the clock icon alongside the address listing.

Unfortunately, the New York Times doesn’t currently feature in the references, but many other publications—including the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, the Wall Street Journal—do, along with the main titles of the British and European press.

Photo by //Sparky

Iceland Naturally has launched a website aimed at Brits, geared towards promoting Icelandic culture both at home and in the UK.

While we’re not British, we gave the Web site a look-see. Our favorite components? Free music and video downloads from Icelandic bands (we especially liked Mugison), recipes for culinary delights from the land of fire and ice, and Dateline Iceland, a monthly catalog of clips spotlighting travel deals, restaurants, and Iceland-centric news items.

What’s not great? The not so up-to-the-minute news blasts: the Rite of Spring listing from March occupies the top slot in the News column. Still, we’ve signed up for the Dateline Iceland newsletter to keep abreast of travel deals and we suggest you do as well.

Oh, la, la… Yesterday saw the publication of the New York Times travel section’s annual “Affordable Europe” edition. Our favorite pieces:

Paris Chic, on the Cheap
Elaine Siolino offers 12 suggestions for “romantic and inexpensive hotels in Paris.” Romantic, yes. Inexpensive? Well, we all have different definitions of “cheap.” Most of these are in the €120-€140 range. Congrats to one of our faves, Hotel de Nice, for making the list.

Budget Hotel Chain Packs a Lot Into a Small Space
Qbic, a 75-foot self-contained bedroom “pod,” could be the next accommodation craze to sweep Europe. At €39 a night, we’re interested.

Adventures in Low-Cost Travel
Matt Gross, the Times’ “Frugal Traveler,” jets around Europe on all of our faves—from Air Berlin to WizzAir.

Who Needs Venice When Zagreb (or Bruges…) Beckons?
Gisela Williams suggests four “second-tier cities” as alternatives to much more expensive tourist mainstays like Paris and London. Included: Valencia (in lieu of Barcelona), Naples (replacing Rome), Zagreb (instead of Vienna), and Bruges (the Amsterdam of Flanders.)

As Hotel Prices Rise, a Villa May be a Bargain
The “Practical Traveler” column presents the economic benefits of renting a villa instead of a hotel room. Among the tips: book independently; stay away from Tuscany; and travel off-season.

On a Budget in London? Think Small
London gets pricier with every passing day. Jane Perlez offers six suggestions for eating affordably—focusing on restaurants that offer tapas and small “grazing” menus. We were psyched to see one of our favorites on the list, namely the delectable dungeon also known as Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese!

In the Eternal City, Priceless Art for No Price at All
A compendium of Roman art galleries, museums, and churches where masterpieces (and some contemporary work) are on display for free.

36 Hours: Dublin
A day and a half of pints, lit history, and more pints.

Every year the city of Vienna gives away 100,000 books to the masses. In 2005, John Irving’s “Setting Free the Bears” was given away for free. Irving’s first novel was directly influenced by his long stay in Vienna.

Last November, it was Toni Morrison’s turn. Her debut novel “The Bluest Eye” was the city’s pick. Morrison’s story is about humanism and racism in early 1940s America. Its themes intersect powerfully with Vienna’s seemingly never-ending fight against xenophobia.

As far as we’ve been able to tell, Vienna is the only city in the world that hands over free books written by internationally known writers for mass consumption.

Through May 1, ORF Wien and the cultural magazine Wien Live are requesting input from the public regarding favorite literary picks as part and parcel of the launch of the Read Me: Mein Lieblingsbuch program.

By signing up, inhabitants are eligible to win prizes. This week, a complete tea service is up for grabs. We’re hoping to be notified that our tea service will arrive shortly. The main prize? A weekend trip to London for two.

A huge gala announcing the top 100 choices is scheduled for May 2 in the Main City Hall. Andrej Kurkow—a Russian best-selling author—will grace the event.