Choices all around

June 5, 2009 – 10:28 am

By Petya Kirkova

Vacation season is coming, and although we hate to admit it, most of us will probably have to stay local. Of course, there is nothing more romantic than a croissant and cafe au lait in the shadow of the Eiffel tower, but our own New York City isn’t any less exciting and impressive. You can get Russian pirogues in Brooklyn on your way to the beach; another treat is Chinese pastries on Canal street, just a few blocks up from Broadway, right hand side if you are facing the traffic; home made gnocchi and fresh Italian bread in Nolita, if you fancy organic food, Quartino restaurant is a personal favorite(http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/quartino-bottega-organica/); and if the craving for that French flavor does not go away , there are plenty of French restaurants spread out from the Upper West Side to Battery Park City.

Enjoy the food, and don’t give up on your going-away plans. You just have to be a little more creative than just hopping on a plane and going around Europe. Plus you could be unpleasantly surprised that the majority of the airlines seem to be recession-proof. Where you expect to find bargains on air travel tickets, the reality is that the prices did not really plunge as expected. So the European trip is not a bad idea in general, but may be now is the time to explore our own country. The good news is that the prices of vacation rental homes have begun to drop, starting with the Poconos, PA. Just the other day, I received an email from the owner of a 4 bedrooms/2 bathrooms house. He decided to slash the price of his rental property - $75 off a weekend rental and $100 off the weekly rate (http://www.vrbo.com/75061). All in all, paying $450 for a full week away form the crowd and the screeching sound of the subway does not seem that bad at all. Besides, who knows, may be the decreasing-rental-prices trend will brush off the Hamptons too.