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The Tightwad’s Guide to NYC Culture

November 12, 2012 / By NomadicMatt

relaxing in a park in nyc
This is a guest post by Jeff Dobbins, a New York City–based writer and tour guide, who is one of the best authorities on the city I know.

New York City has an abundance of cultural riches: remarkable sights, incredible food, world-class museums, and superb theater, music, and dance. But a look at some of the city’s prices ($450 for dinner at Masa Restaurant, $477 for a ticket to the Broadway show The Book of Mormon) and visitors tend to think one needs personal riches to afford them. Yet the city offers plenty of bargains, deals, and freebies just underneath its surface if you know where to find them.

Cheap and Free NYC Attractions

busy grand central station
Most of NYC’s greatest attractions are free of charge: Times Square, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, Greenwich Village, the High Line, Harlem, the 9/11 Memorial, Chinatown, the Lower East Side, and the Brooklyn Bridge are all free to explore.

While the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are admission free, the ferry to reach them costs $13.00. A free alternative for a stunning view of both is the Staten Island Ferry, which passes them while crossing New York Harbor. (Note: You will have to disembark in Staten Island and wait for the next ferry back to Manhattan, so the trip takes approximately 90 minutes.) From May to October, Governors’ Island (also free) has excellent views of both monuments, as well as the Manhattan skyline.

Moreover, there are plenty of free tours available for many of the city’s attractions:

  • The Central Park Conservancy offers several park tours daily
  • The Grand Central Partnership gives tours of the famed landmark Fridays at 12:30pm
  • The Village Alliance leads walking tours of Greenwich Village, June–October
  • The Lower East Side BID offers walking tours every Sunday at 11am, April–November
  • Tours of the High Line are available Tuesdays at 6:30pm
  • Free Tours By Foot offers walking, food, and bike tours of NYC’s neighborhoods solely for gratuities
  • Big Apple Greeter provides walking tours, lead by locals, which are completely free

Cheap Eats in New York City

street food in nyc
New York City has some of the best food in the world, and you’ll find savory and mouth-watering restaurants on every block. But there are plenty of equally delicious alternatives to NYC’s prime (and expensive) restaurants. Many of NYC’s staple foods are very inexpensive:

Bagels — A bagel with cream cheese is usually $1.50–$2.00. Wonderful bagels can be found at Ess-a-Bagel, Murray’s Bagels, and Lenny’s Bagels.

Hot dogs — Hot dog carts are ubiquitous in Manhattan’s tourist areas, and the “dirty-water” dogs usually cost $2.00. Good grilled dogs can be found at Gray’s Papaya, where the “Recession Special” (two franks and a fruit juice drink) is $4.95. For gourmet dogs, try Crif Dogs, Bark, Asia Dog, and Shake Shack, each around $5.00.

Pizza – A single-topping slice is usually $2.50–$3.50, but many pizzerias are offering plain cheese slices for only $1.00. One of the most popular “dollar joints” is Two Bros. Pizza, with seven locations in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn.

Chinatown street food — Food carts on Canal Street (between Broadway and the Bowery) sell steamed, grilled, and fried Chinese food for $1–$2. Neighborhood bakeries have savory and sweet pastries for 80 cents, and dumpling stands (Tasty Dumpling, 54 Mulberry St., and Fried Dumpling, 106 Mosco St.) offer five dumplings or pork buns for $1.00. Enjoying these treats in bustling Columbus Park is a unique cultural experience in itself.

If you prefer to dine in a restaurant, many along Mott, Pell, and Bayard Streets offer dim sum and noodle entrees for $6–$10.

Little Italy — The family-run Italian restaurants along Mulberry Street can be pricey for dinner, but most offer lunch menus for $10 or less. Grotta Azzura has prix-fixe two-course lunches for $9.95.

Falafel stands — There are many in Manhattan selling inexpensive falafel and gyros. One of the best is Mamoun’s, offering baba ghanouj and kebabs for under $6.00.

Harlem soul food — Jacob Restaurant and Manna’s feature big buffets of soul food and salads (they’re popular, so the food remains fresh), sold by weight: $4.95–$6.50 per pound.

Food trucks — NYC has some excellent food trucks, serving everything from BBQ to lobster rolls to gourmet desserts at reasonable prices. To find out which trucks are near you (or to find your favorite truck), the free mobile apps Tweat.it and Eat St. provide real-time information.

Finally, in warm weather, head to the city’s green markets like the Union Square Greenmarket, to gather locally grown foods for a picnic in one of the city’s parks. Large gourmet stores like Fairway and Zabar’s are also good places for picnic supplies.

Free Museums

the guggenheim
The Big Apple is a big center for art, history, and culture, and you can’t throw a stone without hitting a museum or art gallery. Luckily, most of the city’s famous museums offer “pay-what-you-can” or even free days and hours.

  • Metropolitan Museum of Art – accepts a “suggested donation,” meaning you decide what you can afford to pay for admission
  • Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) – free admission Friday nights, 4–8pm (be warned, it’s a mob scene)
  • American Museum of Natural History – a “suggested donation”
  • Guggenheim Museum – “pay-what-you-can” Saturdays, 5:45–7:45pm
  • Brooklyn Museum – a “suggested donation”
  • Whitney Museum – “pay-what-you-can” Fridays, 6-9pm
  • The Frick Collection – “pay-what-you-can” Sundays, 11am-1pm
  • Museum of the City of New York – a “suggested donation”
  • The Cloisters – a “suggested donation”
  • Jewish Museum – free every Saturday
  • Studio Museum in Harlem – free every Sunday

See the Theater on the Cheap

Neon signs light up the hazy streets of Manhattan near the theater district
New York is famous for its theater productions. Everyone coming to the city dreams of seeing a Broadway show. They don’t dream of those theater prices though, with some tickets costing hundreds of dollars for new and popular shows.

Thankfully, half-price tickets for Broadway and off-Broadway shows can be purchased at the TKTS booths. Currently, full-price Broadway tickets cost $120-$160 each, so expect to pay $60-$80 “at the booth.” Discount tickets are offered for same-day performances, and the selection and quantity vary daily. TKTS has a free mobile app, providing real-time listings of shows and discounts. There are three TKTS booths:

  • Times Square – 47th St. (the island between Broadway & Seventh Ave.)
  • South Street Seaport – At the corner of Front and John Streets, near the back of 199 Water Street
  • Downtown Brooklyn – 1 MetroTech Center at the corner of Jay Street and Myrtle Avenue Promenade

If you’d rather skip the TKTS lines or prefer to buy your tickets in advance, check BroadwayBox.com, which lists discount codes for shows (up to 50% off). The codes can be used when purchasing tickets online or at the box office.

Many shows offer cheap “rush” tickets (i.e., first-come, first-served tickets) or lotteries on the day of performance. Producers claim these programs keep their shows affordable for people of all financial means, but rush tickets are usually for locations that don’t sell at full price (i.e., front row far sides or last row of the balcony). So, the tradeoff for extreme discounts ($27-$40) are partial-view locations and early-morning lines. But for sold-out hit shows, “rush” may be the only tickets to be had. Prices and policies vary, so check each show’s website for details. The best resource for rush ticket information is Studentrush.org

Twice a year (just after Labor Day and early January), the Broadway League presents Broadway Week, when most shows offer two-for-one tickets. Check NYCgo.com for schedules and information.

Cheap Music & Dance Tickets

The stunning interior of a popular theater in New York, complete with impressive chandeliers
New York City also has many opportunities to see some of the city’s famous music and dance shows.

The venerable Metropolitan Opera has $20 rush tickets ($25 Saturday) for orchestra level seats. Procedures vary for weekday and Saturday performances, so check their website for details.

You can get half price, same-day tickets to Lincoln Center performances, available at the David Rubenstein Atrium, located at Broadway and 63rd St.

The New York Philharmonic offers tickets to open rehearsals (usually mornings) for $18. They also offer student tickets for select concerts for only $13.50. Rush tickets can be purchased online or at the box office up to 10 days in advance.

Carnegie Hall has same-day tickets for only $10. They also offer obstructed view locations at 50% off (but unless you have a thing for the conductor, what’s to see?).

The New York City Ballet has tickets beginning at $20, as well as student discount tickets.

Many of the city’s most historic houses of worship (Trinity Church, St. John the Divine, St. Bartholomew, etc.) offer chamber concerts that are free or inexpensive. Check the music listings in Time Out NY for a weekly schedule.

Visit Your Favorite Television Show

A street view of NBC Studios
TV shows like Saturday Night Live, The View, Late Night with David Letterman Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, This Week Tonight, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon offer free tickets to their tapings (although they must be reserved well in advance). See each show’s website for details and to make reservations.

From landmark sights to diverse cuisines, or visual and performing arts, freebies and bargains are available in every variety. Meager funds needn’t keep one from enjoying the city’s rich culture. New York City may seem like an expensive destination on the surface, but if you look a little deeper, you’ll find that everything you thought was expensive can in fact be done on a tight budget. With so much to do, your biggest challenge may be how to budget your time not your money.

Jeff Dobbins is a freelance writer and author of Walks of New York, an online guide to New York City. He’s worked in NYC’s cultural scene as a performer, writer, press representative for Broadway shows, and manager of theaters on Broadway and in Lincoln Center. Follow him on Twitter and Walks of New York’s Facebook page.

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  1. Gayla~

    November 12, 2012 at 12:14 pm

    We’ve only been to NYC once and fell in love with it. Just walking through the city was enough for us. We enjoyed delicious and inexpensive meals from the Dosa Man in Washington Square and the Azuri Israeli Cafe in Hell’s Kitchen. Definitely have to get back there someday. This list of tips will be handy to have. Thanks!

    • Jeff Dobbins

      November 26, 2012 at 7:26 am

      Thanks, Gayla. It is a fascinating place to explore on foot (and subway). Hope you do make it back to NYC soon.

  2. Dan Garner

    November 12, 2012 at 12:47 pm

    I love NYC. I’ve only been 4 times but enjoy it immensly each time, BUT if you can’t afford NYC, then go to a cheaper city with a bad rap and cheaper prices. Every major citly has some culture, nice restaurants, museums, history, etc….You just have to know where to look.
    I just got back from Detroit. Talk about a city with a bad rap. I went to 3 very nice restaurants, a nice jazz club to see a legend, stayed in a Casino Hotel at a fraction of what NYC rooms cost, visited 2 museums, and stayed 5 days for what 2 would have cost in NYC.

    Dan @ ZenPresence

  3. Givi

    November 12, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    This is a great article, I’ve been to NYC once and loved it, can’t wait to go back! I had no idea that you could book tickets to shows at discount prices., it was the only activity I missed in NYC due to the cost of each ticket.. once I go back though I’ll be sure to use those services. Thanks!
    http://www.livin3.com
    Wear Positive, Feel Positive

    • Jeff Dobbins

      November 26, 2012 at 7:34 am

      Thanks Givi. There are plenty of discounts for theater available. They are hard to get during the peak of tourist season (Thanksgiving – New Years), but January – March and in summer almost all shows offer discount tickets. Plus, there are lots of great free performances every summer in NYC.

  4. Ashley

    November 12, 2012 at 2:50 pm

    What a great and in-depth article! I had no idea that you could be on TV shows for free. Also I love the Met so I’m glad it’s on the list 🙂

  5. Koren

    November 12, 2012 at 5:57 pm

    Great post, Jeff. Proud to call myself a New Yorker! NYC is one of those cities that can be as expensive or inexpensive as you make it based on what you want to do. For every expensive restaurant, there is a hole in the wall serving great food at a lower price. If you can figure out the subway, you’ll save money on taxis. It’s all about knowing where to look, so I’m sure this helped a lot of people out!

    • Jeff Dobbins

      November 26, 2012 at 7:39 am

      Thanks, Koren. Coming from a savvy New Yorker, that means a lot.

  6. Melissa

    November 12, 2012 at 6:25 pm

    Playbill.com is also a good resource for getting discounted theatre tickets in advance. If you want to plan ahead a bit, you can usually buy some heavily discounted (80-90% off) vouchers from Restaurant.com I’ve done that in the past (just Google for a promo code) and have gotten $25 meal vouchers for some decent restaurants for just $2.50.

  7. Amanda

    November 13, 2012 at 12:09 am

    Wow, didn’t realize that big museums like the Met and the Guggenheim were pay-what-you-can. Great post, one thing I remember from my trip to NYC was how expensive everything was, especially while dining out.Glad to see some cheap eats represented here, I’ll have to try Gray’s Papaya the next time I make it out there.

  8. Ellen Keith

    November 13, 2012 at 10:43 am

    This is a super useful article. I’m more of a non-North American traveler, mainly because I’ve always felt a three-day trip to NYC would cost me about the same as a couple weeks in another country, but it’s a place that I’ve always wanted to visited. Now I’ve got a bit more incentive to get booking! Thank you!

    • Jeff Dobbins

      November 26, 2012 at 7:52 am

      I hope you do visit soon. The cost of NYC hotels is daunting, but there are relatively cheap options (I have a post on Manhattan Budget Hotels, and there’s airbnb). Just book those cheap accommodations well in advance. Everything else can be done inexpensively.

  9. Nick

    November 14, 2012 at 11:31 pm

    Nice post Matt. I really want to head down to New York soon so this would be a good guide on the cheap. I’ve heard of the Staten Island ferry idea and it’s a gooder. Could also head up to Canada from New York and check out Nova Scotia!

    Thanks for the post!

  10. David

    November 16, 2012 at 12:54 pm

    Reads like every other travel guide. He lists all the worst attractions. Seriously, my grandparents would have been amazed by a train station or tall building and the statue of liberty ferry ride. Eat crummy street food like hot dogs — like I needed help with that.

    • NomadicMatt

      November 20, 2012 at 12:03 pm

      What are you suggestions?

  11. Travis

    November 17, 2012 at 7:30 pm

    I’ve been to a few different TV tapings in NYC. The View was my favorite.

    For the half hour shows like the Daily Show, the waiting time is not worth it imo – they’re like blink and you’ll miss the actual taping.

  12. NomadicMatt

    November 20, 2012 at 11:54 am

    That’s for a solo, obstructed seat. I once got a great seat for Wicked at $100 bucks. Usually those tickets are last minute cancellations. A non obstructed orchestra seat is a lot more expensive than $175.

  13. Maria

    November 25, 2012 at 6:59 pm

    Great article, its always great to know that there are like minded folks out there! Too bad we didn’t see this before we went to NYC just a month ago! I’ll bookmark this for future use!

    Thanks!

    Maria

    • Jeff Dobbins

      November 26, 2012 at 7:58 am

      Maria, hope you make it back soon and enjoy the city on the cheap. As you can see, there are plenty of budget options.

  14. Jeff Dobbins

    November 26, 2012 at 7:37 am

    Rudy’s is great! One of the few old-school saloons left in midtown. Even the duct tape on the banquettes adds to its seedy fun. The pitchers of beer are cheap. And I agree, those hotdogs are good.

  15. Jeff Dobbins

    November 26, 2012 at 7:42 am

    I hope you make it to a show soon. As I mentioned, be sure you check the show’s website before you head to the box office (they change policies sometimes). And, there’s plenty of free, great theater in the summer.

  16. Jeff Dobbins

    November 26, 2012 at 8:04 am

    Kailos, these prices are the “regular” tickets to the show. The producers designate 20-40 seats in the Orchestra and Front Mezzanine as “Premium,” which they sell at $477 each. They tend to be the only ones that aren’t sold-out months in advance, so those with deep pockets actually buy them (I think). “Premium” tickets and prices are shown pretty prominently on the show’s website.

  17. Megan

    December 7, 2012 at 8:59 pm

    Thanks Jeff,

    Awesome post and will come in handy for when I’m in NYC later this month.

    🙂

    Megan

    • Jeff Dobbins

      December 9, 2012 at 9:55 am

      Thanks, Megan. December is by far the busiest (and most crowded) tourist time in NYC, so discounts are hard to come by. But, the cheap food and museum hours still apply. There will still be tickets to Broadway shows at TKTS, but far fewer (and maybe smaller discounts than 50%) so you may want to check BroadwayBox.com to buy in advance. Hope you have a great time in the city.

  18. Damon and Jo

    July 31, 2014 at 10:24 am

    We live in New York City and it never stops to amaze us how cheaply you can actually get by here. There are a zillion free things to do for tourists, and when you break it down, most of the huge tourist attractions are completely free: Times Square, Central Park, Chinatown, WTC Memorial, Brooklyn Bridge, etc.

  19. Heather S

    August 29, 2016 at 2:20 pm

    Thanks so much for the info about Broadway Week! We just happen to be making our first trip to NYC during that time, so we were able to buy tickets to Kinky Boots, 2 for the price of 1! If it weren’t for this article, I’d have never known to look for the offer.

  20. NomadicMatt

    April 13, 2017 at 6:30 pm

    Hey everyone! Due to the age of this post and the difficulty in moderating lots of posts spam, comments here have been turned off. If you would like to continue the discussion, head over to the forums at http://forums.nomadicmatt.com and chat there! I post frequently and reply to threads on the boards! See ya there! Thanks! – Matt

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