New York City on the Cheap
People always say how expensive New York City is and I can’t deny it. If you are totally ill prepared, New York will suck and you will leave broke. I will break this up into multiple segments for ease of reading by topic and make things easier. I am assuming a five day, four night stay in New York. The goal here is a full vacation under $1,000 and you’ll have fun doing it.
Transportation to and from NYC.
I am basing this part on Chicago costs. Preplan your trip! This cannot be stressed enough. Airlines and trains will do you no favors the day before your trip if you don’t have your tickets already. I’d suggest planning a month out for your transportation. I’ve flown from NYC for as little as $50 for basic economy and $75 for main cabin (which is more comfortable). I assume an average of $100 each way, which isn’t bad. Basic economy allows you a single personal item to be stored below the seat in front of you so you have even less room to stretch out. Economy allows a carry-on item to be stored in the overhead bin as well. Usually the cost for a check bag is between $35 and $50 additional, so pack your carry-on tight to save money, but be up to date on TSA regulations. For flight bookings, I suggest Sky Scanner unless you already have a preferred airline. Do not use the Skip Lagged app!!! They are the best way to lose any points, status, or miles you have accumulated. My preference is American Airlines with a flight to and from NYC every thirty minutes from both LaGuardia and JFK.
Amtrak is $105 each way from and to Chicago so basically the same price.
Round trip airfare $200
Hotel.
You have multiple options for hotels, some starting at over $1,000 per night. Stay away from those unless you are trying to impress somebody. I’ve seen some in Manhattan as low as $350. Another option is a youth hostel. So if you are ok with bunk beds and a community bathroom this is an option…but we are Americans. We aren’t staying in that crap. I advise to stay in the Hotel Pennsylvania. They run an internet only special of $99 per night. Do not book last minute and do not book during big events. They do this rate to ensure they sell out nightly. Also assume a tax rate of 15% so $115 per night is a great guess. Before booking the flight, make sure the room for the nights you want works. The Hotel Pennsylvania is located right across the street from the famous New York Penn Station so if you take Amtrak, you are right across the street.
Hotel Cost $460
Ground Transportation.
Public transportation is the best answer. New York City has done its best to make sure no one really has to drive in the city and of ever place I’ve been in the United States, they have done the best job of it. The traffic jams are horrible and I recommend not driving to the city even if you’re close enough to do so. If you’re that close, take the train in. There are multiple train options from closer distances besides Amtrak.
You can buy an unlimited ride MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) seven day pass (subway and bus) for $32 per person. This is your best deal if you want to move around the whole city. If you want to just move around Manhattan, just buy the standard MTA pass and pay the $2.75 per ride. Buses are free if within two hours of a subway entry and you can transfer from one subway to another and ride continuously to your destination as long as you don’t go outside the turnstiles. Go HERE to check your best options on their website, but so much of Manhattan can be discovered by just going for a walk.
Stay away from taxis. They are overpriced compared to Uber and that’s not just NYC. That is true nationwide. In NYC, unless you’re running late for something, there’s no real need to be in a car.
Remember the E Train. E Train goes to two different stops that have transfers to one airport or the other. If you are flying out of LaGuardia, take the E Train to Jackson Heights – Roosevelt Avenue and take the Q70 bus to the airport. It’s an express bus only to and from the airport. If you are flying out of JFK, take the E Train to Sutphin and Archer. Go upstairs of that train station and you’ll find the Airtrain to JFK. If you are flying into New York, reverse those directions and take the train to Penn Station. The Q70 transfer is free but the both ways. Be careful of the Sutphin and Archer stop. It’s not the best part of the city, especially at two in the morning (I made that mistake before). In the daytime, it’s a nice, vibrant, multicultural community.
Ground Transportation $32
Food.
Food is as expensive in New York as you would assume…sort of. If you are in the Ruby Tuesday’s in Times Square, assume you will spend at least $3 to $5 per person per meal more than you would just about everyplace else in the country. That’s the cost of eating on the second floor of a pretty cool place and looking down over the famous Times Square. You’re basically paying for the most expensive real estate in the world.
At this juncture, I can tell you I could do an entire food blog website about where to eat cheap in New York City and no, to not places who’s names you know already. You won’t find cheap steaks there, but you will find cheap food. Look at food carts, pizza places open to the street, and family owned ethnic restaurants. At the train station in Jamaica, New York, at Sutphin and Archer, you can walk just ten minutes in any direction to find amazing ethnic restaurants for under $12 for lunch. It’s worth the train ride out there from Manhattan to enjoy the atmosphere the area has to offer. Near the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) you will find pizza places with fantastic prices. I am talking $2 a slice for pizza in a couple places. Find that cheap in a mall pizza kiosk anywhere else in the United States. I do have one word of caution here. pizza in Chicago and New York is considered the best in the country, both with their unique styles. NYC pizza purists will tell you to go to Brooklyn for the best pizza in New York. While no two New Yorkers will agree on who’s pizza is the best in the city, 80% of them agree that you’ll find it in Brooklyn. With that, the stuff you get in Manhattan for a couple bucks a slice is still pretty damn good pizza.
New York is known as “the city that never sleeps,” but around 5AM when you want breakfast, you’ll have to search hard. All locals know “that one place on that street,” which helps no one that’s not from there. There are very few 24-hour dinners in NYC. They do exist, but they are not overly easy to find because it’s not one after another on the main streets people walk. Use Google and you will find them, but be patient. Make your plan the night before in your room so you’re not walking around looking for breakfast and not finding it.
I’m averaging meal expenses at $12 per meal. Lunch should be cheaper and dinner will be more, but use that as a good baseline since food carts are $6 to $8 including a drink.
Food Cost $180
Entertainment.
Do you like museums? Unlike the Smithsonian, NYC museums are not free, however, many offer free, discounted, and suggested donation days. I found a great piece on NY.com that lists them by day as to what is cheap or free. Please click HERE for the direct link. They in turn, have links to each museum and have really done their homework.
The zoo in Central Park is also free and open daily throughout summer. Check out the oculus at Ground Zero, an unusual place that is the site of the greatest single tragedy on US soil and a tribute to American resilience (it’s a shopping mall now that looks up to the new World Trade Center). Another option is to just ride the subway for a day. If you buy the day pass, get off and on whenever and wherever you want. This is about exploration and fun, but mostly this is about you getting out of your comfort zone for a little while.
Are you really going to go to New York without seeing a show? Check out Showtickets HERE for the list of off broadway shows and costs. All along Times Square, you will hear “wanna see a show?” Assuming it’s not a transvestite hooker, the shows are typically comedy and a great way to spend part of an evening in the big city. A lot of these are free to be part of a studio audience or they will ask for donations after. Times Square itself is a place to behold as well. I love Times Square, as is evident in one of my first blog pieces. You can spend an entire night just taking in the multicultural atmosphere that is Times Square. It is amazing!
They have multiple bus tours of the city starting at around $50. It is a good way to see things, if a little on the pricy side, but you get to ride a double deck bus and sit up top, which is really cool! Another option for a full day is literally to go for a long walk with your camera. You will regret not taking those pictures if you don’t do it. Take a look at my personal website and you will see my pictures from various trips to NYC in a tab titled New York City.
Entertainment Cost $128
Other Stuff.
Stay away from drinking there. It’s not cheap. Average about $10 to $15 per adult mixed beverage. So I suggest staying sober. Also, if you want to go shopping, it’s not cheap but if you want the fun of negotiating price, hit Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica, New York for something that seems like a Moroccan bazar of food, spices, and wears of all kinds.
There. I just helped you spend $1,000 of your hard earned money in the course of a week and you got to see the greatest city on Earth.
If there are two or more people, share the room expense and everyone has more money to spend on doing stuff in the city. A lot of people are afraid of New York and twenty years ago, rightfully so, but this isn’t that city anymore. The crime rate has dropped and in Manhattan especially, you can’t swing a dead rat without accidentally hitting a cop (please note that cops hate being hit by dead rats and doing so may get you arrested). Have fun, be safe, and watch out for pickpockets.
Thank you for reading this piece from Michael Beebe. For more about Michael, please visit TheMichaelBeebe.com or VagabondingAmerica.com.
