What: Couch Crash/Music Bash/Picnic Party
Where: Locations vary by event
When: Sunday, August 23—Sunday, August 30
Why: New York is a potpourri of people and culture and it’s about to get even more diverse, artistic, and well, comfortable. Couch Crash has risen from the phenomena Couchsurfing—the incredible social-network-cum-free-place-to-stay-co-op—and will converge on NYC for a week-long music festival that promises gaiety with couch surfers from all over the world.
Take your pick from the long list of superb events—choose from picnics, museum visits, guided tours, dinners, drinks and, oh yeah, a whole lotta music. Free hugs are also promised, laughter is inevitable, and a little booty shakin’ is certainly called for.
Oh, and if you happen to find yourself homeless or unable to get back to your own bed, rest assured, there’s a very good possibility that someone in the crowd just might have a couch for you.
Cost: Free Love
How to get to offManhattan’s Couch Crash Picks: Visit couchcrashnyc.com for more details on these specific events.
To Coney Island Beach Day and Astroland Park (Monday, August 24): Take the B express (last stop) or Q local to the Brighton Beach stop.
To the Super Hero Supply Store Tour to test-ride a cape and check your inner levels of “evilness.” (Monday, August 24): Take the F, M or R Metro to 9th Street/4th Ave and walk east on 9th, North on 5th, superherosupplies.com.
To the Bronx Zoo for free! (Wednesday, August 26): Take the 2 or 5 train to East Tremont Ave/West Farms Square. At street level, walk straight ahead (follow train uptown) on Boston Road 2 and a half block to the Zoo’s Asia gate entrance (Gate A). Or take the BxM11 express to the Zoo’s Bronx River entrance (Gate B); bronxzoo.com.
To the four concerts at Southpaw (Friday, August 28 and Saturday, August 29): Take the 2 or 3 train to Bergen St and walk one block with traffic and make a left on 5th. Or take any train to Atlantic Ave / Pacific St and look for the 4th ave exit. Walk down 4th Ave away from the shopping center and make a left on Baltic then a right on 5th Ave, spsounds.com.
To Zeppelin Hall Beer Garden (Saturday, August 29): Take the PATH to Grove St. Walk south on Grove. Turn right on Grand St. Turn left on Liberty View Terrace; zeppelinhall.com.
To the Bollywood House Party in Jersey City (Saturday, August 29): Take the PATH train to Grove St. Then walk about 5 blocks north on Grove St. and turn left on 4th St. Find house number 214.
To the Picnic on Governors Island (Sunday, August 30): Take the Governors Island Ferry; govisland.com
Photo: Courtesy of SuperK8
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram