New York Budget

[leebee]

DD22 reminded me of how many truly cheap places there are to eat in NYC, if you don't HAVE to do a sit-down dinner. Although some people shake their heads in disbelief, the Halal Guys food trucks have wonderful food, and it's SAFE. Food trucks are inspected by the city just like the restaurants are. We really like Famous Ray's (Ray's Famous Original?) pizza, (even though the shops look like dives), and Cafe Europa and Whole Foods in Columbus Circle are affordable dining options with good food. DD and I have pretty much come to the conclusion that in NYC, if there's a cafe/food shop that a seems to have a pretty steady stream of customers in and out, the food is going to be acceptable, and far more affordable than a sit-down restaurant. (Having said that, check out Havana Central for reasonably priced, good Cuban food.)

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I just did a mommy daughter trip in November. We stayed at The Paul - brand new Choice Hotel. Its was $217 a night and we loved it . Sure it was small, but so what. We went with another mommy/daughter and for the 9/11 Museum, I bought the yearly membership. It was cheaper than buying 4 individual tickets.

 

[mjkacmom]

Carnegie Deli just re-opened.

 

[kathy884]

Post you dates, budget and specify if that is before or after tax, what you plan to do, etc. on the NYC Trip Advisor forum and see what they say. NYWhiz and others seem to know every hotel in the city and have helped me with many NYC stays. // Often the best deals are 60 days or so before the trip, so what I usually do is book something that looks pretty good that is in my budget that is fully refundable and they closer to the time, get some help form the experts on TripAdvisor in case there are some great deals on something that would be even nicer that would fit in my budget.

I usually do Manhattan, but did do LIC one time on a budget trip to see the US Open tennis tournament (LIC is actually closer to the tennis venue than Manhattan too). My savings over Manhattan meant I could cover some show tickets at the Lincoln Center that wouldn't have fit in my budget with a Manhattan stay. I definitely like staying in Manhattan more than LIC, though, and would probably (but I've been to the city plenty of times) prefer a shorter trip and staying there vs. staying in LIC. In general I find NYC to be really expensive, but then what are the things I like to do there? (Broadway is a favorite for example - not exactly a cheap activity). And cool museums, observation decks, etc. have admission prices of $30 pp or so. The subway is great and the best way to get around (that week long pass is convenient and a good deal depending on your length of stay), but throw in a few cabs and the $s start climbing fast too. Great freebie things -- walking the Brooklyn Bridge (Brooklyn to NYC), visiting the NYC public library, visiting Grand Central Station, visiting the inside of the Chrysler building -- seeing the cool architecture.) Food in the tourist areas in particular is really high priced for what you get (think Times Square, etc. - definitely not a great choice of an area to eat in).

I don't know budget wise or anything how this would work for your dates, but on a recent trip we stayed at the Affinia Dumont in the Murray Hill area. It's midtown Manhattan, but more of a residential feel with restaurant walking distance and little shops where you can pick up snacks. I was able to in my budget on that trip get a Skyline Suite with two queen beds and a kitchenette -- huge room by NYC standards. And the kitchen is great for saving some $s -- We could eat left overs. My 20 year old son could make snacks, etc. They had a pillow menu and if available would put a telescope in your room if you wanted it. It was a great choice for us and probably to date my favorite place that I've stayed. Time of year FYI makes a huge difference in cost too. May is a really nice time to go, but not necessarily an inexpensive time.

One place we really enjoyed eating at in the Murray Hill area was at an organic burger chain place called Bare Burgers. It had an eclectic fun feel. An unusual burger hit the spot for DH who is a foodie. I found more normal fare that I liked and my picky son enjoyed an all beef hot dog. Food in general in non tourist areas to me seems to be a good 30% higher than food in my home town of St. Louis (a Midwest US metro area of about 2.5 million).

My husband is originally from New Jersey, so we after visiting his mom sometimes like to do a city extension and when we don't do that usually at least do a day trip. For DH if it weren't for Broadway, he wouldn't even bother with the city. For me and DS, being from the Midwest, the skyscrpers, massive number of people crammed into a tight place, ethnicities (we stopped in a little café once and I saw people reading newspapers in five different languages), etc. make it feel at bit exotic/fun, almost like being in a foreign country for us)

 

[jkelly86]

Check out Johnny T's NYC tourist tips before you go (hilarious):

 

[LovesTimone]

I just went to NYC for the 1st time, WOW!! what a wonderful city so exciting. My BBF and I went in November 2015 Girls Trip. We stayed at the Westins Times Square we got a really great price on Expedia, for room and air. 4 nights It was the perfect spot for us. The subway stop was around the corner and Times Square about a block or so. Lots and Lots of walking so be prepared.

We got a metro card for 7 days around 30 ish dollars, it was great to just slide the card and go. We rode a lot to different sites, and came out a head, if you plan on riding more than once or twice it might be worth it just for the convenience. Check out the port authority web site there are lots of tips on the subway, and a guide for you to use for get on and off at the right stop.

If you are going to the 911 memorial, make sure to book this in advance and be on time. If not you will lose out. When we arrived the wait time was a few hours. The museum is wonderful, and emotional, and make you proud to be a American and how everyone pulled together that horrible day. They give short lectures around 15 to 20 minutes, and we sat in on one and found it wonderful, interesting and full of information. There is a small gift shop I did buy a book, and food stop we did not get close enough to even see what was offered.

Walking through Central Park is amazing, grab a map and hang out. The Met ( Metropolitan Museum of Art) This is not a couple of hour kinda stop, I could have just stayed all day, amazing works of art, The Egyptian room was my favorite. You can pay what you want, but we paid full price as the money goes to run the museum and I was only paying for myself so not a big deal.

China Town ended up being an all day and into the early evening of us. We walked to Katz Deli( When Harry met Sally) and stopped along the way to walk into some of the boutiques and stores. Then of course we hit all the booths, we wandered around, coffee in hand, we did make several purchase. We stopped for a snack ended up with some dumplings and a adult beverage, the dumplings were oh so good. Bring lots of cash and small bills for shopping around.

We did not walk the high line, but it's free so you might want to check it out.

They do offer harbor tours, but we ran out of time.

As far as dinning we just ate on the run, ducking into a dinner, or pub, or a bakery.. I think I got breakfast one morning for well under 10 dollars at an Euro Bakery. But then I got a Wrap at Ellen's Star Dust and was over 25 for my lunch alone, I looked at it as a show, all the servers are trying to make it on Broadway, lots and lots of talent. The wrap was okay and service was spotty as the servers are stopping to sing but it was fun.

We saw Phantom of the Opera and opening weekend of the Rockette's Christmas Special.. Pricey but worth every penny. We went for middle of the price tier seats, which I wished that we had went for the top tier.

We did go down to Chelsea Market.. we had a late lunch at Freidman's this was one of our most expensive meals, the food was so good as well as the wine!!!! which we did have several glasses, my lunch alone was 60.00 dollars, but worth it. I would normally would never spend this on lunch but we were in the moment and it was a treat. I Love Spices and TEAse - I bought a lot of fresh spices and have used them a lot since being home, no issues taking them on the plane. I wish we would have gone here early so that I could have purchased some wine to enjoy at the end of the day.

Be prepared for Adult beverages being super expensive. A glass of wine was anywhere between 12 to 20 dollars. mixed cocktails around 20 bucks, Which is really about what you pay anywhere when traveling, my friend had sticker shock.

One night just get out a walk around in Times Square, the energy is amazing, you can feel it, breath it in, bask in it. It's like no other place that I have been. My DH and I are going in November.