Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
with a third partner, Philipp Wassibauer), on their trip. But based on the current low level of
interest in my offerings, my career as a guide might be over by then.
With few takers, I begin tweeting about my capers and describing them on Facebook with
instructions for my people to retweet and repost. Still no takers. So I slash my prices and add
more tours. On Gidsy, if an activity doesn't enlist the minimum number of people set by the
organizer within 24 hours of its start time, it's automatically canceled. One by one, I receive
automated e-mails telling me that what I have to offer has failed to capture anyone's imagin-
ation and that my event is being called off due to barely contained lack of interest.
The Occupied New York and Scorsese walking tours are the first to be nixed, followed by
the running tour. I decide to post another activity, something that's quintessentially me and
that I don't have to cram for: scavenging food. You see, earlier in my writing career I had
to become creative in how I housed, clothed, and fed myself. I started by recovering bags of
discarded, barely stale bagels and soon discovered that there were luxury food items being
given away all over town. In a short while, I had amassed a wealth of knowledge on the best
spotsandthebesttimesforgrazing.Thankfully,it'sbeenawhilesinceI'vedependedonfree
food for sustenance. So I spend a day scouring my old haunts to see if the pickings are still
plentiful. Though we live in financially trying times, the volume of food being thrown out is
greater than ever. I hurry home and write a post.
“Freefoodsamplesaredesignedtoguilt-trippeopleintomakingapurchase.Butholdyour
nerve and you could eat the equivalent of a three-course meal, absolutely free! I'll take you
on a tour of New York City's best free-food locations. Over a 2-3 hour span, I guarantee to
fill you to your bursting point with delectable morsels, gratis!”
After several tweets, retweets, posts, and reposts, I get nine takers, and we set a meeting
time, 6
P.M
. on Thursday in Chelsea. I focus on that neighborhood because it promises the
highest concentration and greatest diversity of free food. Not only is Chelsea Market the
gourmet freeloader's one-stop shop, it's also near the Thursday-night art-gallery openings,
which are generally stocked with free wine and nibbles.
Beforewesetout,Iquicklygivethegroup—nowdowntosix—afewpointersonboldness
andtellthemthey'llgetextracreditforgoingbackforseconds.Ihandthemallziplocksand-
wich bags and tell them not to let being full stand in the way of collecting samples that can
be saved (even frozen!) for later.
We begin at Wrapido, a Middle Eastern joint on Eighth Avenue. Here, a tray of bite-sized
falafel chunks are placed on a pedestal on the sidewalk. After five minutes of conspicuous
loitering while we wait for a fresh batch, the group descends upon the tray like a swarm of
locusts as flabbergasted cooks peer through the window. Then we hoof it to Chelsea Market,
whereIknowaboutawinetastingatChelsea WineVaultthatisonuntilseven.Webum-rush
the woman from Stark Thirst—a winery in Sonoma County—and each have a splash of a
