By Desiree Browne in New York— New York business owners and workers consider foreign tourists notoriously bad tippers. To be fair, many tourists are visiting from countries that don’t expect substantial tipping. And face it, eating, drinking, traveling and getting beautiful in New York is already pretty expensive, even without the gratuity thrown in at » Read more

By Bryan Pirolli— We always experience culture differences as foreigners in Paris, and I’ve written about it before. (See my previous post “Are Parisians Rude?”) But what about the other side of the coin? How do Parisians react when visiting the States? During a holiday luncheon with some Parisian friends while in New York, we » Read more

By Desiree Browne in New York— Most visitors to New York these days bring along a laptop or a smartphone, handy for checking emails, finding things to do, and calling home on Skype. The trouble is, using these devices can be pricey, considering what many hotels charge to use their Wi-Fi. But never fear, the » Read more

By Desiree Browne in New York— New Yorkers love their “happy hours,” that delightful window of time before dinner when many bars and restaurants drop their prices on wine, beer and cocktails in an attempt to lure in the post-work crowds. Happy hours can be found throughout New York on every work night, but we » Read more

By Desiree Browne in New York— There are nights in New York City when you want to drink and there are nights when you want to have a drink. On those quieter evenings, skip the hip bar and lounge crowds and consider a bar where you can relax with a friend or two and even » Read more

By Desiree Browne in New York— The summer tourists have gone home and most of the weird, simmering smells have dissipated. Why not fall in love with New York this autumn by shopping for seasonal fare at the city’s outdoor farmers’ markets, some of which offer free activities? Of course, you could head straight to » Read more

By Suzanne Russo in New York— Glamorous it is not, but today we’re talking about toilets in New York City. On a recent trip, a friend teased me for taking every opportunity to use the restroom: before we left the house, when we walked through a historic building, upon leaving a restaurant… But during our » Read more

By Craig Nelson in New York— For the ultimate culinary adventure, nothing beats eating your way through New York’s Chinatown. Not only is it good for your stomach (at least most of the time), it also works wonders on your wallet. Here’s the only challenge: with hundreds of places to choose from, how can a » Read more

By Suzanne Russso in New York— We’ve heard the odd rumor that the cupcake is on its way out, but it doesn’t seem like New York is edging out those bites of happiness-with-sprinkles-on-top any time soon. In fact, new cupcake shops just keep popping up, which introduces the sweet freak’s dilemma: Where to get your » Read more