NYC: Free ice-skating at Bryant Park

Congratulations to my Budget Travel member Dlj668, whose excellent photo of Venice (shown above), is the winner of our photography competition. The prize? A trip to Punta Cana! The winner snapped the shot while on a mother/daughter trip. Note: We don't usually showcase black-and-white shots, but this one really caught our eye for its fantastic composition and authenticity. Way to go! The grand prize trip, supplied by Barceló Punta Cana, includes roundtrip airfare for two from the winner's closest international airport to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic—plus six nights/seven days, all-inclusive accommodations at Barceló Punta Cana (which is highly rated on TripAdvisor). If you haven't joined myBudgetTravel yet, go to the sign-up page now! We're still looking for photos for our new food and drink series. We're also in search of fantastic nighttime photos. MORE PHOTOS Readers' Best Rainbow Photos

Budget Travel's new Paris city page—currently in beta—lets you post questions, recommendations, photos and more. One completely new feature we've developed: If you're going to Paris soon, or you're just back, you can comment, ask questions, or leave recommendations and tips for other travelers—and you may hear back directly from our editors in real time, or at regularly scheduled intervals. If they do, you'll see a lime green "editor" button identifying their response. Also on our Paris City Page, if editors see a consensus forming around a particular topic—like apartment rentals, for example—they may assign a story and post the results in our "We're Listening" box. Be sure to check out news from our Paris reporter, or browse Paris package deals (such as Paris & Nice, Air/6 Nights, From $749) and reviews of Paris hotels from $85. We're still adding features (like our interactive map), and we'll be rolling out pages for Rome, London, NYC, and San Francisco, all coming soon. In the meantime, we're working on fixing little bugs we see in certain Web browsers, and we're busy adding features—including our map of affordable Paris hotels, restaurants, and shopping venues near major tourist attractions in the near future. [Budget Travel's Paris City Page]

The only thing better than visiting Paris is being able to enjoy free events in Paris. Here's a round-up of activities for the cozy month of November. Fall foliage in the Parc des Buttes Chaumont The city's wildest, hilliest park is exploding with autumn colors right now. Take an exhilarating urban hike around the the park's lake and cross the newly reopened suspension bridge to reach the waterfall. If that works up an appetite, you can stop inside the park at Rosa Bonheur, which has recently transformed from a simple drinks place to a full-on (affordable) restaurant. Parc des Buttes Chaumont, 19th arrondissement. Dysfashional exhibition at the Passage du Désir, (through November 29)This free art show has lured some of fashion's most cutting-edge designers into a pop-up exhibition space near the Canal Saint-Martin. Works from Pierre Hardy, Maison Martin Margiela, and Gaspard Yurkievich are displayed until the end of the month, when this show packs up and heads to Berlin. Passage du Désir, 85-87 rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin, 10th arrondissement, 011-33/1-56-41-36-04 Clotilde Dusoulier at WH Smith (November 17) The author of the popular Chocolate & Zucchini site (who has written for Budget Travel Paris Tasting Tour and the aptly titled "My Paris Is Better Than Yours") will be celebrating her 6th "blogiversary" and discussing the editorial work she did for I Know How to Cook, the bible of French home cooking by Ginette Mathiot that was just released in the U.S. The food-love fest will begin at 7 p.m. WH Smith, 248 rue de Rivoli, 1st arrondissement, 011-33/1-44-77-88-99. Azar Nafisi at the Village Voice Bookshop (November 20) The author of the international bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran will discuss her new book, Things I've Been Silent About. The memoir presents Nafisi's personal story about growing up in Iran against the background of her country's political revolution. The reading will begin at 7 p.m. Village Voice Bookshop, 6 rue Princesse, 6th arrondissement, 011-33/1-46-33-36-47 Paris Movie Walk at Shakespeare & Company (November 25) Michael Schuermann, the author of Paris Movie Walks, will lead a free tour of his favorite cinematic haunts. The walk will explore Notre Dame Cathedral and the Rive Gauche, with Schuermann describing classic films such as An American in Paris, A Bout de Souffle, and Before Sunset (which was partly shot at Shakespeare & Company) The walk will begin at 4 p.m. at the bookstore and will last for 60 to 90 minutes. Shakespeare & Company, 37 rue de la Bûcherie, 5th arrondissement, 011-33/1-43-25-40-93. BONUS "NEARLY FREE" EVENT Return of la Flèche d'Or (November 23) The Flèche d'Or, before it closed in early summer, was every broke music lover's best friend. After months of sound-proofing, the city's best free venue will reopen, only not exactly for free. Entry for the first show—Evan Dando from the Lemonheads, Chris Brokaw, and others—will cost 8€ ($12), but that includes one free drink. Subtracting the 6€ cost of the drink, that makes the entry almost free… at least close enough to qualify for our list. La Flèche d'Or, 102 rue de Bagnolet, 20th arrondissement. Check out Budget Travel's new Paris guide

… Point Udall, on St. Croix, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and thus the easternmost point of U.S. owned territory. Special thanks to My Budget Travel member Margate for reminding us of this fun fact. For trip planning advice, check out Budget Travel's Nonstop Caribbean tool. Save time on your getaway by flying right to the beach.