The Empire State Building turns 80

How would you like your next trip to New York or L.A. to include a guaranteed celebrity sighting and a live performance by a popular musician or comedian? With a little patience, a little planning, and in some cases, a little luck, you can get all of that—wait for it—for free. Here's our ultimate guide to snagging tickets for seven popular late-night shows—with a cheat sheet to help you figure out which ones will be easiest to get your hands on. And just in case it didn't sink in the first time: they're all free. NEW YORK CITY Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) Where: 30 Rockefeller PlazaTicket Score-ability: ModerateMinimum Age: 17 Now four–and–a–half years old, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (weeknights, 12:35 ET on NBC) has become an Emmy–nominated fan favorite. Tickets are relatively accessible: you can request tickets for up to four people by calling 212-664-3056, at least four to six weeks before the show you'd like to attend. Not bad for a talk show that also includes a nightly set by The Roots. You can also try the standby line for same-day tickets, which are handed out based on availability at 9am (on taping days only) under the NBC Studios marquee on 49th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues. For more information: Visit this website to learn more about free show tapings, how to see Jimmy Fallon's monologue rehearsal, and how to score a spot in the "Band Bench," a special section reserved for huge fans of the show's musical guest. Saturday Night Live (NBC) Where: 30 Rockefeller PlazaTicket Score-ability: DifficultMinimum Age: 16 Within the space of a couple of months last season, Lady Gaga, Helen Mirren, and Elton John graced Saturday Night Live's stage—even on an "off" night, it shouldn't be a surprise that the landmark program (Saturdays, 11:30 ET on NBC) remains one of the hottest tickets in town. Know ahead of time that it is challenging to get a spot—but not impossible, so keep hope alive. There are two ways of going about it: Sign up for the show's lottery system during the month of August by sending an email to snltickets@nbcuni.com—lucky applicants will receive two tickets to either a live show or a dress rehearsal. The second way to get tickets is to wait in the show's standby line under the NBC marquee (featured in the show's opening credits) on 49th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues. Tickets are given out Saturdays (during taping weeks) at 7am, limited to one per person, and good for either then 8 p.m. dress rehearsal or the 11:30 p.m. live broadcast. Sure, it's early, but you can get a jump-start on sightseeing at nearby MoMa, Central Park, Fifth Avenue, and of course, 30 Rock itself. For more information: Visit this website for more info on getting tickets to several NBC shows, including SNL, America's Got Talent, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) Where: 733 11th AvenueTicket Score-ability: DifficultMinimum Age: 18 It's the most-watched late night show among 18-49 year olds; it's the winner of fourteen Emmys, thirteen of them back-to-back; its host has been voted "America's most trusted newscaster." Even the fact that The Daily Show (Mon.–Thu., 11pm ET on Comedy Central) tapes every day—usually an advantage in ticket-scoring potential—doesn't do much to increase the wishful fan's odds. The program's website makes no bones about it: "Unfortunately, there are no tickets to see The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at this time," it announces, laying down a virtual velvet rope. It turns out that your best bet is following the advice on that discouraging landing page and signing up for the show's email update list. Yes, such lists often lead you to a black hole of uncertainty and spam, but it helps to have a little bit of insight into how the ticketing system works. A representative for the network tells us that tickets, once available, are released every Friday (aside from days when the staff is out of the office) between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. Each time this happens, announcements are made to the email list recipients, and also via the show's Facebook and Twitter pages. Those on the email list will also have the best chance of snagging a spot from someone who's canceled their reservation, which can happen "any day, at any time." So in other words, watch your inbox and Facebook/Twitter feeds like a hawk. For more information: thedailyshow.com/tickets. LOS ANGELES Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) Where: Los Angeles 6840 Hollywood BoulevardTicket Score-ability: EasyMinimum Age: 18 (16 for Outdoor Mini–Concert Series only) A fixture on just about every big movie's press tour, Jimmy Kimmel Live! (weeknights, 12am ET on ABC) pulls in marquee names several nights a week. You can sign up for tickets at 1iota.com, which bills itself as a provider of "free tickets for fans." You'll need to register for a free account and choose the date you'd like to attend. 1iota.com conveniently lists confirmed guests for each date, and Jimmy Kimmel headliners appearing in the near future are often visible. If you live in L.A. (or just happen to be visiting) and spontaneity strikes, there is also a same-day ticket request hotline that you can call (323/570-0096). If a ticketed guest cancels their reservation, or the showrunners have extra seats to fill, it might be your lucky day. For more Information: 1iota.com The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS) Where: 200 North Fairfax AvenueTicket Score-ability: EasyMinimum Age: 18 1iota.com also handles ticketing for this freewheeling entry in the late–night canon (weeknights, 12:37am ET on CBS). The Late Late Show is often considered an underrated gem, and ticket availability reflects that—spots are more accessible than those for 1ota's other late–night heavyweight, Jimmy Kimmel Live. One catch: for the most part, you're not able to see who the guests are going to be. However, with Dick Van Dyke, Kristen Bell, and Hugh Laurie among the recent and upcoming guests, the chances of a pleasant surprise are pretty high. For more information: 1iota.com Conan (TBS) Where: Warner Bros. Studios, 6564 Forest Lawn DriveTicket Score-ability: DifficultMinimum Age: 16 Conan O'Brien's high-profile scuffle with NBC may have set him up as an underdog, but you wouldn't know it from the ticket availability for Conan (weeknights, 11pm ET on TBS). As with Saturday Night Live, there are two ways to root for Team Coco in person: through a lottery, and through the standby system. To sign up for the lottery, you will need to choose the date you would like to attend in advance (once you've made your initial selection, it can't be changed). You can follow Team Coco's Facebook page or Twitter feed to be alerted when new dates become available. Standby tickets (with a cap on two tickets per person) are also given out on the second floor of the studio's parking structure every taping morning at 10 a.m. (sounds shady, we know—but this is confirmed by the show's press representative and on its official site). Getting a ticket here is the first stage of the standby process—you'll also need to check back in that afternoon to see if your ticket will get you in. For more information: teamcoco.com/tickets. Chelsea Lately (E!) Where: 12312 West Olympic BoulevardTicket Score-ability: EasyMinimum Age: 18 It's definitely cheaper to catch Chelsea at her talk show (weeknights, 11pm ET on E!), than one of her standup appearances—and it just might be easier, too. Tickets for Chelsea Lately are released through On Camera Audiences every Monday—staffer Kate tells us that it's best to reserve a spot that day, as they tend to sell out towards the end of the week. You can sign up for the date that you'd like to attend (up to 60 days in advance), reserving up to four tickets at a time. For more information: http://on-camera-audiences.com/shows/Chelsea_Lately VARIOUS GAME SHOW TAPINGS AROUND THE U.S. Just want to see something? We're told that game shows, while not guaranteed, are usually the easiest tapings to reserve (The Price Is Right, Let's Make a Deal—both in Los Angeles—and Family Feud—which tapes in Atlanta—are among the game shows that On Camera Audiences coordinates). The toughest to see? Unsurprisingly, the juggernauts like American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. Even these aren't out of the realm of possibility for the patient fan, though—"it can take a year or more, but people think tickets for these shows are impossible to get—if you join the wait list, they're not," says Kate. For more Information: on-camera-audiences.com.

One month before the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, I got a preview of the National September 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan, which will be open to victims' family members on Sept. 11, 2011, and unveiled to the public one day later. The memorial plaza sits on eight of the 16 acres that comprise the redeveloped World Trade Center site, and consists of twin memorial reflecting pools in the footprints of the original twin towers, around which are inscribed the 2,982 names of the people who died in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 and on Feb. 26, 1993. Rather than arrange the names alphabetically, they are arranged by what organizers call "meaningful adjacencies," so that, for instance, all the first responders are grouped together, those that died in World Trade Center North are grouped together and those that were on Flight 11 are together. Friends and family of the victims could also request that names be placed next to one another that had particular meaning or significance to them. There will be kiosks where visitors can go to search for names and their placement on the memorial by name, company, flight, tower or even hometown. The rest of the plaza consists of more than 150 trees, all of which are oak, except for one, a Callory Pear tree, also known as the "survivor tree." It was at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 and the Parks Department rescued it from the rubble. It had been reduced to a stump, but has since sprouted new branches. At the center of the plaza lies the Memorial Museum, which is slated to open in 2012. The remainder of the World Trade Center Redevelopment project consists of the Transportation Hub, which will connect a PATH station with 13 subway lines, and several commercial office buildings, including Four World Trade Center, which when completed will be the future headquarters of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and One World Trade Center (formerly called the Freedom Tower), which will be the tallest skyscraper in New York at 104 floors and 1,776 feet to the top of the building's spire. To visit the site, guests have to reserve a visitor pass online at 911memorial.org. Passes are free and can be reserved as far as six months in advance. There are daily limits, which is why The National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation, Inc. recommends reserving online. The entrance to the site will be at Greenwich and Liberty Streets. When it opens, the memorial will still be surrounded on all four sides by construction. Hard hats not required. More from Budget Travel: 50 Reasons You Love New York City More airports consider ditching TSA U.S. urges travelers to be vigilant in aftermath of bin Laden death

Hotwire.com released its list of the top-ten most booked destinations for the upcoming Labor Day weekend, and as usual, big cities dominate. New York $195 (average nightly hotel price) Boston $129 Chicago $90 Las Vegas $95 San Francisco $135 Toronto $93 Vancouver $116 San Diego $94 Dallas-Fort Worth $59 Washington, D.C. $89 if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('31b1df89-acb6-47db-9ac1-870808ce3966');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)But it came as a slight surprise to me that New York—which has far and away the highest average hotel price on the list—ranks number one. Sure, the Big Apple is great. We have the Statue of Liberty, museums galore, pizza, Broadway, the Yankees, and most importantly, the Budget Travel offices. But I would have suspected that budget-conscious Americans might flock to more wallet-friendly regional hubs on a three-day weekend. So what gives? Leave a comment and let us know how you decide where to go on a three-day getaway! (And by the way, you don’t need to shell out $195 for a hotel in New York! Check out our New York hotel page for stylish options under $150.) MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: Times Square Like a Local A Tour of New York's Best Street Food New York's Hopping Beer Scene

A new network of stainless steel mesh tunnels allows adorable monkeys to stray far from their usual cages. The newest attraction at the Philadelphia Zoo is called the Treetop Trail: It's a network of approximately 700 feet of flexible, transparent tubes made with stainless steel mesh connected by a series of steel rings. The result is that small primates such as blue-eyed black lemurs, Bolivian gray titi monkeys, golden lion tamarins, and red-capped mangabeys get to explore up into trees, over walkways, and into closer proximity with zoo visitors. The system allows access strictly to tinier primate species -- no chimps, let alone gorillas -- that fit within the tubes and are light enough to ensure they won't collapse. Different species will use the trail on a "time share" type basis at different times of day, and how, and how often, the primates use their new trail in the sky is entirely up to them. Philadelphi Zoo CEO Andy Baker told Popular Mechanics (which did a neat slideshow of the Trail): "It's entirely voluntary, and so each species is going to decide if, when and how much of this they want to use," Baker says. "As we've begun giving species the opportunity, some have been very quick to take advantage of it, and others are going to take their time and just explore and get used to it much more slowly." Human visitors will be able to get within six feet of the mesh monkey pathways, which, naturally (ahem), brings up another issue: Is anyone going to get pooped on? The answer is no. Baker says that to keep visitors "free of debris," solid protective structures stand in every spot where visitors might walk directly underneath the Treetop Trail. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: 36 Adorable Zoo Babies Born in 2011 14 Weird Animals You Can Travel to See Cutest Zoo Baby Contest