Holiday Travel Deals for Christmas & New Year's

Scared off by high prices and holiday-travel crowds?

Here are some affordable alternatives for holiday travel, as I wrote for Money magazine's November issue.

Where to Find Holiday Travel Bargains

Rather than ski in Breckenridge, head to Crested Butte, Colorado. I found a five-night Ski.com package that includes lift tickets and an airfare credit up to $400.

Everyone goes to San Juan, Puerto Rico, but you can find white-sand beaches and savings in Nassau, Bahamas.

New York City is one of the world's biggest New Year's Eve parties, but Washington, D.C. has the museums -- and the National Christmas tree.

Photo by Amy Chen: The view of the Washington Monument from the rooftop bar at the W Hotel.

NYC's Restaurant Grades: Grossed Out by a C Rating

I first wrote about New York City's restaurant grades for Gadling.com when I set up a poll to ask: Would you eat at a place with mice?

Since then, I've seen more restaurants around the city receive letter-grade signs that must be displayed prominently in the window. I was walking around the West Village yesterday when I saw my first C-rated restaurant -- in this case, it was Mojo Coffee, a sweet little cafe that would've otherwise been tempting -- until I saw the C grade displayed in the window like a huge "stay away" warning. How could it have earned a C? I couldn't help but imagine that perhaps rat droppings were mixed in with the coffee beans.

I've since looked up Mojo Coffee on NYC's Dept. of Health site and found that among the health violations, there was "evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas" and "filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist."

Tasty.

Summer in New York City: Urban Fountains