My Town Marked Down: NYC

Open Bar, Goody Bag and More, Oh My!

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 11:51:31 -0400

What are you doing this Friday night? If you are looking to enjoy some cocktails and shop with your girlfriends, you may want to consider checking out Tribeca Retail Club’s Fashion Night Out. This event, which runs from 6-11 pm on September 24, will feature independent designers and the Postabon team!

Admission to the event is free, but if you’d like to enjoy an open bar and a bag filled with products, you may want to considering going VIP. VIP Admission is $15 in advance, or $20 at the door. If you use the code POSTABON, you’ll save $3 off your admission. Hope to see you there!

We're Headed to San Francisco!

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:54:09 -0400

We’ve noticed that Postabon has some great contributors in San Francisco (we’re looking at you, tresshik, mandiarmond and alexis_james). As a result, we’re headed to San Francisco tomorrow for a night of shopping, drinks and fun at the Sassy City Chicks Fashion Bash event!

We’ll be sharing Postabon and demoing our site to tons of fashionable ladies at the Fort Mason-Herbst Pavilion in San Francisco from 5:30 - 10 pm on Thursday. Have any friends on the West Coast who want to check out Postabon? Invite them to swing by our event and we’ll hook the first 50 up with free VIP admission. Simply type the code POSTABON when purchasing a tote ticket, and you’ll be able to get your $20 ticket, plus a goody bag, for free!

We’re looking forward to the event and meeting fellow bargain hunters on the West Coast!

What We're Doing This Weekend: CollegeFest!

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:28:59 -0400

This weekend, the Postabon team is heading up to Boston to attend CollegeFest. Held at the Hynes Convention Center, CollegeFest attracts more than 15,000 college students from the Boson area during this two-day event. During the event, these students get to enjoy live music, celebrity appearances and free stuff, as well as meet cool companies - like Postabon! If you are attending CollegeFest or know someone who may be attending, encourage him or her to swing by booth 811 to grab a free Postabon pen and enter to win an iPod Touch.

Since we have college students on the brain, we couldn’t help but think it might be time for another student discount roundup. In addition to these retailers, you can save additionally at the following locations with a valid student ID:

Show a valid student ID at Madewell and receive a 15% off discount, according to Postabon member aleger1.
At Eastern Mountain Sports, a student ID will get you 15% off regular retail prices. Thanks to Postabon member edog for sharing this deal.
Looking to decorate your dorm? Snag an extra 15% off your purchase at Pier 1 with an ID, according to Postabon member LittleAl.
Flash your student ID at J. Crew to save 15% on full-priced merchandise, says Postabon member Lindsay.
HappiTweet tells us that a student ID will save you 10% at Charlotte Russe.

Where do you show your student ID to save? Share your tips on Postabon!

We Tried It: Energy Kitchen's Breakfast Promo

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:58:59 -0400

Sometimes, Twitter can alert you to some pretty great deals and discounts. When our CEO and Co-Founder, Stu Wall discovered this deal thanks to Twitter while heading to work, he had to take advantage of this breakfast special.

The Deal: As Stu later shared with Postabon, Energy Kitchen is offering made-to-order omelettes and an illy coffee for only $3.99. This deal is valid through the month of September.

In Stu’s words…

Is It Truly A Deal?: A made-to-order omelet is normally $5 and the coffee is $2. This special price of $4 is not only a 40% discount; it’s also less than almost any deli in the city.

Pros: You can toss in two toppings in your egg white omelet. Five egg whites should also keep you full through lunch. Energy Kitchen also isn’t stingy on the coffee. The illy cup was comparable to a medium from your typical New York street vendor.

Cons: Maybe the guy at the West Village location didn’t understand the promotion, but I wasn’t allowed to add meat or cheese to my omelette. A rep from Energy Kitchen’s corporate offices however, says that you can get an omelet with one protein and a veggie in this special. Turkey bacon or cheese can be added for an additional charge. Speaking of additional charges, keep in mind that the $3.99 breakfast price doesn’t include tax, so you’ll be spending $4.34 on your breakfast.

Our 2 Cents: I personally love the Energy Kitchen breakfast promo and think it’s a great deal. Meat lovers may want to call your local Energy Kitchen to make sure you’ll be able to include protein in your omelet.

We Tried It: Hiptix

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:30:36 -0400

Our team at Postabon enjoys seeing different musicals and plays both on-and-off Broadway, but what we don’t enjoy is spending a ridiculous amount of money on a show. Since we’re all pretty young, luckily we can take advantage of Hiptix.

The Deal: If you are under 35, you can get discounted theater tickets to different Roundabout Theater Shows through a program called Hiptix. Postabon member colantoni tells us that you can see Mrs. Warren’s Profession for only $20, thanks to Hiptix. Simply call the box office, ask to join Hiptix and then you can get tickets at a discounted rate. To prove your age, you must present an ID at the box office when picking up your tickets.

Is It Truly A Deal?: If I purchased tickets directly from the theater to see Mrs. Warren’s Profession, tickets were priced from $67-$117. Just because I’m under 35, I’m able to get a seat for $20 - so I’ll be saving at least $47.

Pros: Sometimes you can get additional savings. Around holiday weekends such as Thanksgiving, Hiptix will discount ticket prices even more, so you can catch a show for only $10. For the foodies reading this blog, when purchasing tickets, you may want to buy tickets to a performance that is having a post-show reception (see the Special Events tab on Hiptix’s site). Not only will you be able to meet the cast, but you’ll also get free food and drinks.

Cons: Forget about seeing a show in a big group. Hiptix allows you to bring only one other guest with you, and that guest will need to show his or her ID too to get the $20 rate. Let’s just say my dad was bummed he couldn’t be a plus one. Also, keep in mind you can’t pick your seats so you most likely won’t get the best seat in the house. The venues are usually small though, so you’ll still get a good view of the stage.

From our experience, we had difficulty joining the Hiptix email subscription list when we tried signing up by email. Therefore, if interested in joining, you may want to call and request to be on the list so you can start seeing show offers in your inbox. Alternatively, you can just log on to Hiptix from time to time to see what shows are available.

Our 2 Cents: If you enjoy theater, Hiptix is a great way to see different plays and musicals without breaking the bank. If the show you pick isn’t your cup of tea, at least you can smile at the fact that you spent $47 less than the guy sitting next to you. Who said being cultured had to cost a fortune?

Bowling Night with Our Gurus!

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:31:18 -0400

Last night, the Postabon team jumped on the L train with our Postabon Gurus and headed to Williamsburg for a night at Brooklyn Bowl. With four lanes reserved, we quickly divided on to different lanes and began two fun-filled hours of bowling.

It was clear that we needed some liquid courage as we approached the lanes -
especially since for a few of us, it was our first time bowling in years. We sipped on pitchers of Pilsner and various cocktails from the bar, while snacking on pitas and hummus and a huge four-foot Italian sub.

As we began to bowl, it was clear that some lanes featured stiff competition. In lane three, it was down to the tenth frame when Postabon member SGoTrojan and Postabon Guru Mattyd suddenly moved ahead of Postabon Community Manager laura. Postabon Founder johnnyb is still in disbelief that Postabon Guru Ricebird beat him in lane four by seven pins in the tenth frame. In lanes one and two, there was pure domination from Postabon Guru Smash188 and Postabon Guru Evienyc.

With the night coming to a close, the Postabon Gurus were treated to live music from The Goods, and a few hung around a little longer to hear Raccoon Fighter. All in all, a great night at Brooklyn Bowl and we’re looking forward to our next event.

Want to come with us next time? Become a Guru by posting, commenting and voting on deals on Postabon!

Check out some more photos from the event on Facebook!

We Tried It: $7 Two Course Lunch

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:10:00 -0400

The first day you join the Postabon team, not only do you get cool branded t-shirts and water bottles, but our whole office goes to lunch together. In natural fashion, this lunch has to be a deal. Here’s where we ate lunch on the cheap when our two new engineers, Jason and Bill, joined our team this week.

The Deal: Postabon member wross informed us that Thai restaurant Peep in Soho offers a 2 course lunch special for just $7. You get your choice of an appetizer, and then you can pick your entree.

Is It Truly A Deal?: I ordered dumplings to start and a plate of pad thai. If I came to Peep for dinner, this would have cost me $5 for dumplings, and $9 for pad thai, or $14 total. By coming to lunch, I was able to get the same large portions for only $7, so 50% off.

Pros: This deal is advertised right on the menu, so you don’t have to feel shady about asking for your free appetizer. Usually when ordering from a lunch special, the options are limited, but Peep offers 10 appetizers to choose from and 15 entrees. In addition, this deal is available if you’d like to order Peep for delivery.

Cons: Everything about this deal is perfect. The only con is that the service could be improved.

Our 2 Cents: If you work in Soho like us, you know the options for an affordable lunch are pretty slim. Luckily, Peep’s lunch special is a bright spot in this neighborhood. In fact, this two course meal is cheaper than our local salad spot! We definitely recommend giving Peep a try.

We Tried It: Wine Wednesday

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:39:00 -0400

My parents were in town on Wednesday, and when we found ourselves with an hour to kill before dinner, we figured the best place to hang out was at a bar. And when you work for a deal site like Postabon, clearly I had to find a place for drinks that wouldn’t break the bank.

The Deal: Postabon member Mookman shared that Uncle Jack’s Steakhouses offer a free wine tasting from 5-7 pm on Wednesdays at their Manhattan locations, with complimentary cheese and fruit pairings. This deal is valid only at the bar. If you are in Queens, you can check out this deal in Bayside from 6-8 pm.

Is It Truly a Deal?: In a span of 45 minutes, my parents and I received 3 glasses of Shiraz and 3 glasses of Chardonnay, plus a fruit and cheese platter. At a steakhouse, you figure glasses of wine would have been at least $10 each, plus $10 for the food, so we got $70 worth of food and drinks for free. Of course, we tipped $20, so it was a savings of at least $50.

Pros: The drinks were flowing the moment we sat at the bar, and as soon as one glass of vino was finished, another glass was immediately poured. The bartender also brought out our snacks without us even asking. There was plenty of food too, with a selection of granny smith apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, olives, goat cheese and muenster cheese. This platter was perfect for 3 people and went nicely with the wine selection.

Cons: Uncle Jack’s advertises this deal on the website, but no where outside the restaurant or even inside at the bar did it mention this deal. In fact, when I walked in, I verified with the maitre’d that this deal did exist. So keep in mind, you have to be comfortable asking for your freebies or no one will offer the deal to you. Looking around at the bar, no one was drinking wine, so it was clear this deal is a bit of a hidden gem.

Our 2 Cents: Wine Wednesday at Uncle Jack’s is worth checking out, especially if you are in the neighborhood. As long as you are comfortable asking for the deal, head in from 5-7 and get ready for a few drinks and snacks. Some promotions are changing at the restaurant, as they just ended their “Ladies and Gents night”, so we recommend you check the website before heading over.

Drinks and Appetizers With Our Gurus!

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:37:46 -0400

We love meeting our Postabon members, so last night we were excited to host our first event for our Postabon Gurus. If you receive more than 1,000 Karma points for voting, commenting and posting deals on Postabon, you are eligible to become a Guru. As a Postabon Guru, you can compete for weekly prizes (this week’s prize is $100 to Ticketmaster) and also receive invitations to special events.

We decided the perfect spot to kick-off the Postabon Guru program was at West 3rd Common, located between Mercer and Broadway. With a large semi-private area, Postabon members and their plus ones could mingle with one another over drinks and were easily able to identify members of the Postabon team, thanks to our cute Postabon shirts.

Of course, no event would be complete without savory treats, so everyone snacked on delicious pork sliders, burger sliders, grilled cheese sandwiches and potato skins. As the event wrapped up around 9, our guests left with Postabon t-shirts, nail files, bottle openers and reusable water bottles.

All in all, it was a fun Monday night and we’re looking forward to our next Guru event at Brooklyn Bowl! Want to head to Brooklyn Bowl with us or attend other upcoming Guru events? Start earning Karma points!

We Tried It: $1 Dumplings

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:03:03 -0400

Our intern Dan is in his last week of his internship and since he really enjoys dumplings, I thought we’d try one of the best dumpling deals we have on Postabon.

The Deal: Like dumplings? Prosperity Dumplings in Chinatown offers 5 dumplings for $1, according to Postabon member Yaelleah.

Is It Truly A Deal?: When you consider that an appetizer portion of about 7 dumplings costs $4.50 at the cheapest Chinese restaurant, this deal at Prosperity Dumplings is truly a great value.

Pros: You can choose what kind of dumplings you’d like to get for $1. Get 10 boiled pork and chive dumplings for $2, or 5 pan-fried pork and chive dumplings for $1. You can also get 10 Chinese vegetable and pork boiled dumplings for $2 as well. If you change your mind and don’t feel like dumplings, don’t worry - everything on the menu is cheap!

Cons: There wasn’t anything wrong with this deal. My only complaint was I wish you got soy sauce packets so you can put the sauce on at home. I’d rather though dump the soy sauce out of the restaurant’s containers on to my to-go food though than have them raise the prices! Keep in mind our sauce leaked out of the styrofoam containers into the plastic bag, so make sure you don’t get anything on you.

Our 2 Cents: If you like dumplings, you must put Prosperity Dumplings on your to-do list. Since this is such a good deal, chances are you’ll act like us and over-order, but $2 worth of dumplings is more than enough. Most likely you’ll be torn between boiled or pan-friend, but go with the pan-friend. Since Prosperity Dumplings is rather small, you’ll want to take it back to your apartment or office and the pan-fried dumplings held up much better and were much more delicious.

To find other great deals, visit Postabon!

We Tried It: Flip Night

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:56:41 -0400

One of the most talked about deals here in the Postabon office is flip night at Flight 151. The deal was actually one of the first deals that Postabon co-founder Swall1 and Postabon community manager Laura tried together.

The Deal: As Postabon member Streetforce1 points out, Tuesday is “flip night” at Flight 151 at Chelsea. Starting at 7pm, bartenders will flip a coin when you order a drink and ask you to call heads or tails. Guess right, and your drink is free.

Is It Truly A Deal?: Beers at Flight 151 run about $4 and with tip, about $5. If you guess heads or tails accurately, your drink is free. The bartenders however will remind you to tip, so you’ll be spending about $1 a drink. If you guess right repeatedly though, you can easily walk away spending $5 or so on 5 beers.

Pros: Flight 151 is completely open about this deal. Literally at 7pm, you’ll start hearing the bartenders shaking coins in a cup, as patrons order drinks. There isn’t anything secret you have to say or any paperwork you need to print to take advantage of the deal. In addition, this deal lasts all night, so you don’t have to worry about making it to the bar by a certain time to “try your luck.”

Cons: This deal is only available at the bar, and it usually is extremely crowded at the bar especially after Happy Hour, so it may be tough to get a seat in front of the action. If you decide to get a table and eat, you’ll have to head to the bar every time you want a drink if you want to play the game, rather than ask your server for a drink.

Our 2 Cents: Flight 151 is a great spot to check out and can be a great value if you guess heads or tails right throughout the night. For the losers though, this bar just seems like any other bar. Our advice though is to stick with either heads or tails, and call that coin throughout the night, so you don’t beat yourself up. We will admit that the gambling aspect does make it fun, and you can’t help but ask your friends after they get a new drink if they in fact got it for free.

If you want to guarantee some money in your pocket by the end of night, head to Flight 151 before 7pm to take advantage of Happy Hour prices - and let’s be honest, $1.50 drafts are really a win for everyone. Have a few drinks, and then start gambling. If you are on a losing streak, you can then walk away - and still have a pretty good buzz, thanks to the Happy Hour drafts.

To find other great deals, visit Postabon!

We Tried It: All You Can Eat Tacos

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:19:12 -0400

Every once in awhile, the employees here at Postabon like to catch up with our co-workers outside of the office - often known as “team fun” activities. And naturally, these “team fun” activities center around some kind of deal we saw on Postabon. Here’s our take on a deal our whole office tried this week!

The Deal: All you can eat tacos and a margarita. Postabon member SharonT shared with us that Vamos in Gramercy offers a Monday night deal. For $19 you can enjoy all the tacos you can eat, as well as a frozen margarita.

Is It Truly A Deal? Yes, the $19 is actually a great deal. A margarita typically goes for $8, and a platter of three tacos is $15. So if you wanted to get a marg and tacos, you’d be spending $23 to begin with, so you might as well do you all you can eat for $4 less. The first plate of the all you can eat tacos deal is a platter that also comes with rice and beans.

Pros: Unlike other all you can eat taco deals in the city, this deal was available all night, and anyone could get the deal at the table, even if not everyone in your party wanted to participate. Three of the six of us took advantage of this deal, while everyone else ordered fajitas. Mercadito for example, offers an all you can eat taco deal for $23, but everyone needs to do it which can be tough if you are with picky eaters.

Cons: There were at least 10 or so different taco varieties that all sounded delicious. On your first plate though when you got three tacos, you were allowed to pick only one variety. When you ordered your second plate of two tacos, you were allowed to change variety.

Our 2 Cents: If you like tacos, head to Vamos on a Monday night, and make sure one of the people you’ll be dining with wants to participate in this deal. This way, you can swap tacos with one another. For example, I ordered carne asada, John ordered fish tacos and Jason had a plate of chicken tacos. This way, we were able to switch and sample different tacos that Vamos had to offer.

To find other great deals, visit Postabon!

Escape from NYC

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:00:00 -0400

New York City, especially in the summer, can feel a bit claustrophobic with yellow taxis littering the streets and high-rises on every corner. Let’s face it - sometimes you yearn for an escape. As magnificent as these getaways are, costs can add up quickly and really put a dent in your wallet. Don’t fear though - we’ve sifted through this concrete jungle to find awesome activities where (wo)man and nature are able to meet up again.

Remember when you were little and slept in a tent in your backyard? You can relive those memories again and camp here in the city. Every Friday and Saturday in August, you can camp in the city parks for free with the Urban Park Rangers. Registration is required, and throughout the night there is a cookout and planned activities, like a night hike and stargazing. Don’t have a tent? Don’t worry! Everything is included, according to Postabon member lilys189!

Your rooftop garden not cutting it out for you? Walk around the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and see more than 10,000 types of plants, from cherry trees to roses. Better yet, admission is free on Tuesdays, according to Postabon member dc1421.

If you find yourself more comfortable on the water than on land, visit the Downtown Boathouse. This boathouse has three locations, at 59th Street, Houston and 72 Street, all on the Hudson. Visit the boathouse on weekends and evenings to enjoy free kayaking, according to Postabon member ecolnon.

Sometimes all it takes is a trip to another city to remind you the reason you love New York. If looking to visit another city on the East Coast, consider taking Bolt Bus. According to Postabon member Yaelleah, Bolt bus offers great deals on bus tickets and if you purchase in advanced, tickets are as low as $1. Take your pick of visiting Boston, DC or Philly!

How do you escape from the hustle and bustle of NYC? Share your tips with us!

Get Your Caffeine Fix

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:00:00 -0400

We all need it, we all drink it and let’s face it, we all pay way too much for it. Why pay so much for just a cup of coffee? Here at Postabon, coffee is an essential part of our workday. In fact, we may be on a first name basis with the employees at Starbucks - and don’t worry, every day when we make the trek to our local ‘bucks, we get a deal.

If you are an iced coffee fan, save your cup next time you order your venti coffee at Starbucks. Bring your cup back in the next time, and ask for a refill. Refills will cost only 54 cents, and you don’t have to worry about using your gross old cup - they’ll hand you a new one!

If 54 cents seems a bit too pricey for you, how about free coffee!? On Wednesdays, Organique gives out free small cups of coffee all day, according to Postabon member caryndonohue. So be sure to stop by this Gramercy establishment and enjoy your free coffee.

Need a caffeine pick-me up in the afternoon? Consider heading to ‘wichcraft. Everyday, from 3pm-6pm, ‘wichcraft offers a coffee happy hour, where coffee drinks are half-price. According to Postabon member sparky, this deal is only available at their store locations, not the kiosks.

A coffee Happy Hour is great, but what if you are hungry? Add some pastries to the coffee happy hour, and you got yourself quite a deal. From 4-7pm on Monday to Friday, Dean & Deluca offers half-off all coffee drinks and breakfast specials. Thanks to Postabon member lmerka for sharing this special with us!

To see the rest of our deals on coffee, or share your favorite special, visit Postabon!

Show Those Toes and Fingers with Pride!

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:00:00 -0400

For us girls trying to keep up our appearance, it can cost not only a lot of time, but money. From hair appointments, to eye brow waxes, there is always something that can be done.

Luckily, maintaining your fingernails and toes doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Thanks to these salon deals on manicures and pedicures, you’ll be able to show off your hands and toes with pride.

Live or work near the West Village? Janna Beauty Spa offers a $25 manicure and pedicure deal, according to Postabon member ecolnon. Better yet, the spa offers free coffee!

A lot of spa deals on Postabon run Monday through Wednesday, so if you are looking to get your nails done on a Thursday, you may want to head to Nail 22 in Gramercy. For $18, you can get a manicure and pedicure. According to Postabon member KPM, this deal is only valid Monday - Thursday and Nail 22 has a huge selection of Essie polishes!

Instead of heading to Happy Hour with the girls, why not enjoy a martini while getting a manicure? Postabon member Jelang shared with us this secret in Union Square. At Beauty Bar, you can get a manicure and a beverage for $10. This deal is valid every single day of the week! Swing by Monday through Friday from 6 - 11pm, or Saturday and Sunday from 7pm - 11pm. Walk-ins are welcomed but for larger parties of 6 or more, you may want to make a reservation.

With these amazing prices, its easy to have well-polished fingers and toes this summer! Know a better deal? Let us know about it!

Cool Off With Frozen Treats

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:45:28 -0400

If you are looking to keep cool this week and want a delicious treat, you may want to take advantage of one of the many frozen yogurt or smoothie deals that are floating around this month.

Let’s start with the smoothies. Frozen yogurt chain, Red Mango, is now offering smoothies and to celebrate, will be handing out $1 smoothies at the Union Square location today. Swing over to the store between 11am and 3pm to snag this deal. If you are one of the first thousand customers, you’ll also receive a passport that allows you to get one free smoothie every day between now and Friday.

If you’d rather stick to eating frozen yogurt at Red Mango, consider trying their new flavor, key lime pie. According to Postabon member jboyaval, Red mango is offering a coupon to get $1 off this new flavor. This coupon expires August 31 so print out several coupons and use them over the next few weeks!

Key lime pie not your favorite flavor? If you’d prefer watermelon instead, Pinkberry’s fro-yo happy hour is still going on. From 5-7 pm, swing by Pinkberry to get half-priced watermelon frozen yogurt. Thanks to Postabon member sluglass for passing this deal along!

When checking out a frozen yogurt shop with a friend, you may want to consider going to Holey Cream in Hell’s Kitchen. Postabon member RAR taught us that Holey Cream is offering buy one soft serve frozen yogurt, get one free, every Tuesday. This deal is only good through July, so hurry! While you are at Holey Cream, try not to get distracted by the doughnuts!

Have any other favorite frozen yogurt deals? Share them with us at Postabon!

Watch the Big Screen at Half the Cost

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:29:32 -0400

With the temperature sky rocketing, sometimes during the summer one of the best ways to cool off is a trip to the movie theater. You can be entertained by your favorite actors and actresses while the AC is pumping at such a frigid temperature for about 2 hours.

We joke that to see a movie in New York it costs $12, but honestly, you may not be visiting the theater at the right time. If you are dying to see Inception or Toy Story 3, you may want to check those films out at these theaters.

Cobble Hill Cinemas in Brooklyn offers bargain prices on both Tuesdays and Thursdays. Whether you visit during the day or at night, all tickets are just $7, except on holidays or special engagements. These prices may make you feel like you’ve taken a trip back to 1995, but Postabon member Nelsonkcheng tells us this deal is certainly true.

According to Postabon member QuePasaNYC, go for a late brunch and hit the movies up first. At AMC Theaters, every movie before noon is $6. If you’d prefer to see a 3-D or an IMAX movie, tickets are only $12, a savings of about $6.

If you don’t care about new releases and just prefer to see any movie while sitting in AC, consider heading to the movies on Tuesday at 10 am this summer. AMC Cinemas is running a promotion where you can see a family movie for $1 this summer on Tuesdays at 10am. Titles include Kung Fu Panda, Hotel for Dogs and more. Thanks to Postabon member evienyc for sharing this deal with us!

Know of any other theater promotions going on this summer? Share them with us at Postabon!

Boogie Woogie

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:23:50 -0400

We can all bop around and dance whether we’re at a bar or a wedding, but most likely, we would fail miserably on a season of Dancing with the Stars. If you’ve wanted to learn the proper way to salsa or tango, you may want to check out some of these dance lessons - for free.

Every Sunday until August 8, you can participate in free swing, salsa and tango lessons. Where you may ask? According to Postabon member pear724, classes are taught at Pier 54. Classes will begin at 6:30 PM, and the live music begins around 7PM. You don’t want to miss this.

If you couldn’t make it to the first set of free salsa lessons, don’t worry! Come to the gorgeous High Line Park for an evening of elevated salsa and mambo. Get there no later than 6:00 PM on August 12^th and make sure your feet are ready to get loose! There will be live music provided by the Orlando Marin Orchestra and dance lessons by Lori Brizzi, according to Postabon member smash188. Once again this is FREE and there is no need for RSVP.

If Sundays or Thursdays don’t work for you, check out Dance Manhattan Studio on July 23 for a night of free dancing lessons. The free lessons will start at 8:00 PM, followed by a party at 9:30 PM and a free show at 10:30PM. According to Postabon member amogha1, all ages are welcome. Come out and find a new hobby in your life!

Know of any other free dancing lessons? Share them with us on Postabon!

We Tried It: Free Cologne with Foursquare Check-In

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:51:00 -0400

Deals on Foursquare in my experience have been a bit of an urban legend. I’ve yet to experience free drinks for mayors (maybe because my mayorship history involves the M34 bus), but when one of our Postabon members, Yaelleah, told me about how you can get a free $75 bottle of cologne when you check-in on Foursquare, I may have screamed, “Pump the brakes.” She explained the deal was at the Coach Men’s Store on Bleecker, and I decided I had to see it to believe it.

Before heading over to the Coach Men’s Store, I decided to look it up on Foursquare to see if this deal was still going on. In the top right hand corner on Foursquare, it said there was a special here, and once I clicked on this message, it said to show it to a sales associate to receive an exclusive gift.

We headed over to the store, checked in and asked the sales associates for our gift. We were handed a short questionnaire to fill out, where we provided our names, email addresses and mailing addresses and then we received a 3.4 Fl Oz bottle of Coach for Men fragrance. We asked how long the promo is going on, and they said it depends when Coach takes it off Foursquare. Our advice - check your phone before you head over to see if the special offer box is in the top right hand corner.

Know of any other great Foursquare promotions? Share them with us on Postabon!

Is Restaurant Week a Deal?

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:14:00 -0400

Last night marked the first night of summer Restaurant Week here in New York City. For those unfamiliar with Restaurant Week, participating restaurants offer a three-course meal for lunch at the price of $24.07, or dinner for $35.

I find myself often going overboard when it comes to Restaurant Week, and end up making several reservations throughout the week. Then the next month comes, I look at my credit card bill, and wonder why I thought I could afford five nights of 50+ dinners. See, with Restaurant Week, dinner does come at $35, but add in tax, tip and one of those “discounted” glasses of wine at $7, and the next thing you know, you are paying $57 (case in point: my trip to Park Avenue Summer last night).

Still considering the prices of some of these entrees, you can sometimes get a great deal during Restaurant Week. Here are our suggestions for getting the most bang for your buck!

Lunch! Many restaurants offer a great lunch menu during Restaurant Week. If you work at a job that offers summer Fridays (read: you don’t work at Postabon) or you happen to have an afternoon off, consider going for lunch. Often restaurants offer the same menu for both lunch and dinner. For example, Ruth’s Chris offers the same menu at both lunch and dinner, so clearly it is a better deal to go for lunch and spend $11 less. That being said, if going to dinner, look to find a restaurant that offers a unique dinner menu.

Get the Real Deal! When deciding on a restaurant, compare the menu to the real menu at the restaurant. I believe the point of Restaurant Week is to actually sample dishes from a restaurant, so if a restaurant offers “specialty” items during the week that they would never offer otherwise, I’m more likely to pass on that restaurant.

Check the Dates! Before pressuring yourself to make a reservation sometime over the next two weeks, see if the restaurant offers an extended Restaurant Week menu. For example, some restaurants are offering their Restaurant Week menu through summer. Others may offer the same exact prix-fixe menu all year long, so there’s no reason to go out of your way now to dine there.

Get Out the Calculator! Before heading to dinner, determine what you would plan on ordering. Then compare it to the regular menu to see if you are getting a deal. Often, steakhouses are the best bet during Restaurant Week because a steak would cost close to $30 - nearly the price of the entire prix-fixe dinner.

Beware of the Side Dishes! While steakhouses are a great deal, look for steakhouses that throw in a choice of side in the prix-fixe price. One steakhouse I visited last year (cough cough Smith & Wollensky), just plopped down a piece of meat on the plate, and since I wanted mashed potatoes with my steak, I had to spend another $11 to get ONE side for the table. See if the restaurants you’d like to visit include side dishes. Parlour Steakhouse for example offers a choice of a side if you order a steak, as does Ruth’s Chris.

Have any other Restaurant Week tips? Share them with us!