The 6 best “things to do” when you want to experience a new city

You’re not the kind of person who hangs out on the lounger by the pool all day on vacation? You also don’t like to go hiking or on sightseeing for hours? Then we have good news for you: Almost every vacation destination has exciting attractions that add spice to your free time. Most of them are not even expensive: We present you the most important ones.

Solve tricky puzzles in an Escape Room

Most cities in the world have at least one Escape Room, some of them even three or more. So why not try to solve the tricky puzzles this attraction has to offer? Escape Rooms are known for several years now, the trend started in the internet in 2004 when Toshimitsu Takagi created a digital room in his game “Crimson Room”.

The gamer was trapped in this room – und he had to find the way out. A physical escape room works in exactly the same way, only on an analog level. Mostly a group of people let themselves be enclosed. In a given time they try to complete a certain mission by solving various puzzles. If they achieve their goal, they go free. Losers are also released again, of course. But they are, what they are: losers. Most providers have more than one mission for their costumers to accomplish. So, if you had bad luck with the first one, just try the next.

Playing real Money Games

Another venue is even more widespread as the Escape Room. Casinos are known all over the world, most cities contain a few dozens of them, if they are not prohibited in the respective country. But don’t chose a one-sided slot-machine-casino! Try to find a location with live games, an entertainment program and perhaps an inhouse restaurant.

Then you can fill a whole evening and maybe a part of the night with this special kind of amusement. But don’t forget to have some training before you start your first casino-tour. Digital real money casinos for UK players can be found on vegasslotsonline.com, the comparison portal for gamers who are reaching out for an exciting experience. Experts share their top picks there, based on criteria like fast payout, player safety and instant support. Furthermore, you find on this website lots of tips how you can improve your winning chances. This gives you a perfect base for the “real” casino visit.

Rent public bikes

Arguably there’s no better way of seeing a city then by bike. At least that’s been my experience. Most larger cities that you visit have public bike systems where you can rent out a city-provided bike for a day, week or longer often at very affordable rates. For those cities that don’t offer public bikes, you’ll just have to find a bike store that offers up a hourly, daily or weekly rentals and rent out a bike out. Just make sure to lock up your bike as the security deposits are hefty. Again there’s no better way to sightsee.

What else is there in almost every place? A public swimming-pool! Some cities adorn themselves with a dignified thermal bath, others have a fun pool with slides and flow channels. Have a look around and chose the water adventure you like most. Indulge yourself with perfect relaxation or a lot of splashing around. Use the inhouse sauna to work up a good sweat, or the swimming lanes to get you going. When the weather is warm, the outdoor pools and lidos are a great place to sunbathe and enjoy the water attractions. Perhaps there is also the possibility of various water sports, such as stand-up paddling or canoeing. This makes it even more interesting for people who like to exercise. Thus, every water lover gets his money’s worth.

Strolling through the City Park

Here is one last thing that you find in most cities of the world: a city park. These parks are not only green oases in an urban surrounding, they are also peppered with interesting surprises. Some of them contain a skater park or a lake where you can go boating. Others have a botanic garden or a bird park. Just ask the local people which city park the can recommend and take their advice. Remember: City parks are also places where people meet, so it’s a great opportunity to get to know inhabitants and tourists.

Sit down with someone on a park bench, start a casual conversation. Or join the skaters, practice acrobatic tricks with them and enjoy the socializing. Perhaps you have the chance to improve your foreign language skills by this. Or you find out interesting details about the culture of your travel destination. If all this does not happen, at least you saw a lot of nature and could chill comfortably. And that certainly enhances your vacation.

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Citi Bike’s electronic bikes will return this winter to New York City (with new pricing!)

If you’re a Citi Bike member then you may have received an email this afternoon with some great news. Citi Bike’s Ebikes will be available this winter. No date has been announced, so we’ll only have that timing to look forward to.

While the company was planning on having the electric bikes back earlier, they needed extra time to prepare the new bikes and complete safety testing. After feedback from members, the company also took the opportunity to announce a lower e-bike pricing structure (yay!). Check out the lower pricing for Citi Bike’s E-Bikes:

Lower e-bike pricing

Citi Bike is updating their pricing, which was a $2 charge on every ebike ride.

  • Annual Members will pay a $0.10/minute ebike charge.
  • Members’ ebike charges will be capped at $2 for rides 45 minutes or less beginning and/or ending outside Manhattan.
  • Two minute wait time removed to make it easy to swap from ebike to classic bike (and vice versa).
  • Non-Members will pay a $0.15/minute ebike charge.
  • Reduced Fare Bike Share Members will pay a $0.05/minute ebike charge.

We’ve always loved the public bike system — affordable and convenient, well worth the annual membership fee.

Extra time fee changes

Starting January 15, the public bike system owned by Lyft is also updating extra time fee. The current “late fees” are currently $2.50 for every 15 minutes over the allotted time — for Annual Members and Single Ride riders.

  • Annual Member fees will be $0.15/minute after the included 45 minutes.
  • Single Ride fees will be $0.15/minute after the included 30 minutes.

The new, per-minute pricing model is being promoted as one that will save riders money by only charging them for the time they use. Are you excited and want more and more and more electronic bike info? Read more about all the changes at Citi Bike’s blog.

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Citi Bike to add station to East 12th St. and Avenue B to alleviate demand in East Village

We’re excited that the Citi Bike program has finally started expanding into Harlem, Brooklyn and Queens, but this Lower East Side dweller was most excited to see that one of the newly-planned 140 stations includes a new station in Alphabet City. Continue reading “Citi Bike to add station to East 12th St. and Avenue B to alleviate demand in East Village”

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“Dockpocalypse” hits Citi Bike stations in East Village, Alphabet City

Living near the East Village, it’s not a rare occurrence to find the two Citi Bike stations nearest my apartment completely bare. When it happens, I have to walk to a station a couple extra streets to grab a bike. Continue reading ““Dockpocalypse” hits Citi Bike stations in East Village, Alphabet City”

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Get 24 free months of Citi Bike by referring 24 friends

Are you considering Citi Bike? If you open a new annual membership, you can get a free month through if an active member refers you for a membership.

Continue reading “Get 24 free months of Citi Bike by referring 24 friends”

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Did you get the dreaded “Looks like you’ve had a Citi Bike out for a while…” email from Citi Bike?

At 2:30 AM in the morning, I received the “OH CRAP” automated email from Citi Bike customer service telling you that something is amiss. You may have seen this subject line: Looks like you’ve had that Citi Bike out for a while… Continue reading “Did you get the dreaded “Looks like you’ve had a Citi Bike out for a while…” email from Citi Bike?”

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Citi Bike confirms locations for the 80 new stations in Upper West Side and Upper East Side

After much discussion and community input (complaining, letter-sending and yelling), a plan has been agreed on for the approximately 80 new stations planned for the Upper East Side and Upper West Side of Manhattan.  Continue reading “Citi Bike confirms locations for the 80 new stations in Upper West Side and Upper East Side”

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1,000 brand new, redesigned Citi Bikes hit the streets of New York City

Citi Bike released 1,000 of their redesigned bikes this week. I wasn’t aware of the new bikes, so when I first came across one, it was a surprise. Continue reading “1,000 brand new, redesigned Citi Bikes hit the streets of New York City”

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No Valets: How to crowdsource Citi Bike’s supply and demand problem

Last year, Citi Bike introduced a new valet service to maintain balance throughout the bike sharing system. Continue reading “No Valets: How to crowdsource Citi Bike’s supply and demand problem”

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Citi Bike: System improvements and expansion coming in 2015

This morning, an email from the new CEO of Citi Bike Jay Walder, landed in my inbox. The email announced their plans on improving the Citi Bike service in 2015. Continue reading “Citi Bike: System improvements and expansion coming in 2015”

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Citi Bike: What does the “Trip Open/Completed” status mean?

Every so often when I log into my CitiBike account to check out my usage. Last month I came across a “Trip Completed” in my history.   Continue reading “Citi Bike: What does the “Trip Open/Completed” status mean?”

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Red/Yellow/Green: What does it mean when I get a red light on a Citi Bike dock?

It’s been about a month now since I started my Citi Bike membership. I love the program; it’s completely changed how I access the city.  Continue reading “Red/Yellow/Green: What does it mean when I get a red light on a Citi Bike dock?”

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Citi Bike Review: Is Citi Bike Worth $100? Hell Yes.

I resisted Citi Bike for nearly a year.

I liked the idea of the city’s bikeshare program, but since I already had a monthly MTA pass, my own bike sitting at home, I pushed off Citi Bike as a nice-to-have, but was more a luxury that I would only use from time-to-time.  Continue reading “Citi Bike Review: Is Citi Bike Worth $100? Hell Yes.”

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