Comments on: Budget New York City

By: jinxica

jinxica — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:00:14 +0000

I recently went to NYC with my 10 yr old daughter. We stayed two nights and 3 days. We found very affordable accommodation online by searching for short stay apartments. We spent one night on the Upper West Side, half a block from the park, in a lovely one bedroom apt. and one night just off Times Square in an absolutely gorgeous apt 30 floors up. What a view. Neither cost more than $125/night and with kitchens (with basic cooking supplies) we saved considerable $$ by not having to eat out for breakfast. And we were able to stock up on snacks etc at Whole Foods, so we weren’t spending crazy money on street food throughout the day. She fell in love with the city and can’t wait to go back.

By: TamiG

TamiG — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:32:27 +0000

I truly believe you wrote more than enough for those who have never been to NY. I wish I would have known that much when I first got here from my country. No one tells you that you can pay $1 or $2 in MET.

But here this is really cool link that I have discovered few months ago, it has the list of FREE ADMISSION AND DISCOUNTED ADMISSION @ NYC Museums and it lists the deals you can get each day of the week.
You are doing great NomadicMatt!!!
Link: http://gonyc.about.com/cs/museums/a/museumdeals.htm

By: Erika

Erika — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:22:26 +0000

I have a better option than TKTS for Broadway tickets. Most shows offer rush tickets or a lottery. These tickets generally run about $25-28.50 and are in either the front row, or the next best seats available. Rush tickets are usually given away as soon as the box office opens (usually around 10 a.m. and come in very limited quantities, so arrive early!), while lotteries generally take place 1.5 to 2 hours before a show. About 20-25 tickets are usually available, and all you have to do is drop your name in a bucket and wait! You can call the box office to find out if they have rush/lottery/other options.

While neither of these options guarantee you a ticket, I’ve had near-perfect success with both methods. It also helps to go on a weekday or other non-peak performance to help insure that luck will be on your side. And even if you don’t win, there’s always TKTS as a last resort!

By: Tatiana

Tatiana — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:24:13 +0000

Adding to your list of free museums: the American Museum of Natural History, the only one I visit consistently as a scientist and general world enthusiast. You have to pay extra to see some of the special exhibits, but the Rose Planetarium and the general museum (including the to-scale blue whale replica and the Star of India sapphire!) are only suggested donation, i.e. free.

By: Carl

Carl — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 08:34:08 +0000

Priceline is amazing, if you can stand the uncertainty and are willing to be patient and keep trying for a deal. For not much more than your hostel room, my girlfriend and I stayed at a 4-star, mid-town hotel — at Christmas time, a peak season.

By: María

María — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:52:11 +0000

Hello! I´m from Argentina, Do you know where can I get the book NYC Free an Dirt Cheap? Thank You!

By: ummmmheyyyy

ummmmheyyyy — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 02:25:08 +0000

I stayed at the Crown Brownstone hostel in Brooklyn for $40 for a double. Brooklyn has really good, cheap food too – Fulton St is amazing,

By: ummmmheyyyy

ummmmheyyyy — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 02:22:30 +0000

Everyone planning to go to NYC on a budget should A) Rent a cheap bike at Recycle a Bicycle under the Brooklyn bridge, and B) buy the book NYC Free and Dirt Cheap. There’s plenty in there for every night of the week, summer and winter.

By: Rhys

Rhys — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:04:27 +0000

I admit it, I had no idea what I meant with my previous comment.

I **think** I was referring to speaking with (rather than like) locals in places that locals eat.

I **did** find that there was a bit of a myth of the “British accent going far”, everybody thought I was Australian (I do speak with a mixture of a Scouse & North Walian accent, so as far away from the traditional Hugh Grant/Keira Knightley accent as you can get!)

By: Rhys

Rhys — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:59:31 +0000

True, but I’m a Brit. I went there when it was $2.10 to the pound, and beers were $6 each. My local pub serves beer at £3 a pint, so it seemed remarkably cheap!