See also: stalking Taylor Swift. Via The Onion.

A lot of us will be in an airport this holiday season: sitting through long layovers, awaiting never-ending delays or just picking up lost family members. If you’re not lucky enough to be addicted to Words with Friends, you might have more trouble passing the time. Unfortunately, not all airports can be like Singapore’s, which has a freaking pool you can use while you wait, but did you know that a lot of airports are packed with microbreweries? And some give you tons of coupons to use or free gym passes? Or that you might be able to see a free Taylor Swift concert while you wait for the crew to clean the vomit off the Skymall catalog?

To save you time, here is a cheat sheet on 12 airports you’re likely to be stuck in around the country (and one international one), including deals worth checking out, beer worth trying and which terminals have free wifi. Best advice? Always, always check out an airport website before you go (all linked below). (more…)

This is the fifteenth in our series on the venues featured in the second Brooklyn Beer Book. This week we return to an old favorite from Beer Book 1: The Bell House, home to some of Brooklyn’s most exciting music, comedy and everything-in-between events.

Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schaal, two regular faces at The Bell House

THE BELL HOUSE
149 7th St. between 2nd and 3rd Aveneues, Gowanus

What it is: What is it not? The front bar is fun enough on its own, but the back is where the action lives: it’s a concert hall, wedding venue, foodie event space, comedy arena, dance club and much more.  (more…)

This is the tenth in our series on the venues featured in the second Brooklyn Beer Book. This week we’re showcasing Rocky Sullivan’s, a Red Hook respite with a top-notch pedigree for Irish pub lovers.

ROCKY SULLIVAN’S
www.rockysullivans.com
34 Van Dyke St at Dwight St, Red Hook

What it is: Authentically Irish, this pub serves as the perfect place to escape after spending too much money at Fairway.
Why we love it: Everyone who works there is awesome, and let’s be honest: we’ve been dreaming of their roof deck since Thanksgiving. (more…)

This is the second entry in our series on venues featured in the Brokelyn Beer Book 2. Today we feature one of our new entries: Hot Bird, a new addition to the Clinton Hill bar scene and the site of Brokelyn’s Pre-gift/Re-gift holiday party. See the whole list here at the Brokelyn Bar Guide.

Hot Bird, photo via ultraclay

HOT BIRD

546 Clinton Ave. at Atlantic Ave., Clinton Hill

What it is: An adorable, old timey bar inside a 1930s gas station with the look and feel of Brooklyn at its finest.
Why we love it: Awesome music (all pre-1979), a great rotating selection of craft beers on tap, delightful bathrooms and friendly bartenders. (more…)

Scents & Sensibility was popular back in May and June

Eclectic is the word for the skills one can pick up at Brooklyn Brainery. The Gowanus center of learning is dedicated to all things brainy, from beekeeping to holiday upcycling to world dumplings. The Brainery was started by a couple of people who were sick of paying bookoodles of money just to learn stuff. And the mission holds true: Most classes start at around $10, and the offerings change every month. So by that measure, a $25 gift certificate should put a curious friend on the path to some serious enlightenment. One of our favorite subjects from the past year: How to make irrational decisions. Gift certificates start at $5, and they never expire.

Back in June, my best friend Laurel and I were talking with a visiting friend about our many goals for 2011. Among them: to move out of the country, one way or another. Our friend, an experienced globe-trotter from France, told us about something that seemed like our ticket out: Working Holiday Visas, visas where young people (usually between 18 and 30) can go live and work in another country for six months to a year. It’s a combo pass of sorts that gives you longer abroad than a tourist visa (which get you three to four months) and is a whole lot easier to get than a work visa. The point of the thing? To travel and experience life, earn a living and hang around long enough to pretend you’re a native. (more…)

Scoutmob

Despite the obvious irony of paying half a month’s rent for a phone when you’re pushing broke, most of us these days can’t walk a block without our iPhone or Android telling us the way. But for the cash-strapped, having a smart phone can actually be… smart. You may know about targeted money-saving apps for things like happy hours, cab sharing and Exercise TV. But what about apps for savings and savings period? Well, there are a bunch of free ones for that too. Some are mobile offshoots of old couponing friends, others are new kids you should get to know fast. (more…)

The inner & outer benefits of backbends, on Yoga Today

Summer has long departed and with it went all the free outdoor workout opportunities, from Zumba in the park to Pilates under the bridge. Winter has far fewer options, which is why it’s tempting to stay inside hoarding cookies like a hibernating bear. If you can’t afford a gym (or fancy insulated running clothes), what do you do for a structured workout? We found a whole world of free online workout videos, perfect for the broke but healthy among us. Don’t worry: Buffed, Beautiful, and Bitchin’ on YouTube isn’t the only game in town. (more…)

This... is Nia

Human@Ease, the Greenpoint fitness and wellness center that puts your mind and body… at ease, is offering a last chance to bend and stretch outside before the cold completely takes over. This Saturday, Oct. 23, at McCarren Park, Human@Ease is holding its free Community Class Day. Head over to the NW field for free classes in Kundalini Yoga, Pilates, the always fun Zumba, Nia (“a sensory based movement lifestyle,” not the National Institute on Aging), kid’s Nia and prenatal belly-dancing. There’ll also be some massage tables set up, a few other special promotions and a raffle for deals on massage, strength training, reiki, sauna and other classes at the center.

Human@Ease Community Class Day, Saturday, Oct. 23, 1 to 4 p.m., McCarren Park on the NW field along Bedford and Lorimer Sts., Williamsburg

You can be in BAM's social network

We’re big fans of BAM, and the Fort Greene institution’s been pretty good to us too. And now, for the next 10 days or so, they’re running a deal to win over more loyal fans. As part of a membership drive, until Oct. 31, BAM is offering an extra month on all of its year-long BAM Cinema Club memberships. The memberships run from Movie Buff, where you get $5 off every ticket for one person (previously $4 off), to Movie Mogul II, where two people see every movie free (of course, for $700, you have to see A LOT of movies). Whatever you buy, do it in October, and get 13 months for the price of 12. And along with the deal, comes your entrance into BAM’s raffle for a chance at a membership upgrade for a year of free movies. If you’re already a Mogul, well then… maybe they’ll give you a seat plaque or something. Here’s where to sign up.