Any suggestions for things to do in NYC when your broke?

NeuroticVirgo
NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
edited September 27 in Chit-Chat
I'm going to NY this July for the first time in my life (from AZ, never even been on the east coast!). We are going to stay 2 days (well more like 1 1/2 since we won't get there till the afternoon the first day).

I need suggestions on what to do when you don't have a lot of money. lol

I also need suggestions for getting around (because the few people I've mentioned the notion of driving our own car looked like I was talking about murder or something haha).

Replies

  • daniface
    daniface Posts: 338 Member
    dont drive a car! use the subway!!
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    Okay this is going to sound TOTALLY lame, but since I'm trying to plan on a budget, how much is it to take the subway lol.
  • shastacrystal
    shastacrystal Posts: 262
    I definitely wouldn't drive that is for sure. I would just take the Metro and walk mostly everywhere. There are plenty of sight seeing opportunities without spending too much money. I would defintely recommend going to the top of the Empire State Bldg for sure. It is amazing!
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    Take the subway to get around. Cheaper than cabs there.

    Walk to get around.

    Eat at small little cafes and markets to save $$.

    Check out yelp.com so you can find places walking distance to where you are staying. You can be in NY for days and not spend a ton. Even walking around window shopping and people watching is a blast. You can also catch a show in a small club to save $ Vs seeing something on Broadway.

    NYC is a great city!
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    the subway is a few $ here and there. Cheapest way to get around. Don't take cabs and don't drive yourself.
  • shastacrystal
    shastacrystal Posts: 262
    It is 2.50 per ride so it is really cheaper just to buy a 7 day pass:


    7-Day Unlimited Pass
    Cost: $29, reduced fare $14.50
    Good for unlimited subway and local bus rides until midnight, 7 days from day of first use.
  • aunt_hbomb
    aunt_hbomb Posts: 204
    People watch in Times Square. Visit Central Park, its absolutely awesome.
  • daniface
    daniface Posts: 338 Member
    and suggestions...a lot of musems like the MoMa, which is AWESOME have student discounts [ even if you are not currently a student bring your id card and use it] at the natural history museum you only have to pay a donation to get in, and that can be whatever amount you wish to give. have fun and get a subway map!! the metro will get you everywhere you need to go.
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    Empire State Bldg, Zoo, Central Park, Times Square...also walk around once your in those places and you start walking your gonna find tons to do
  • MisterSixer
    MisterSixer Posts: 37 Member
    Hey, definately do not take the car. The subway bus system is the most extensive and will take you anywhere in NYC for $2.25. Some free/cheap things to do: take a trip on the Staten Island Ferry, Museum of Natural History, Central Park , Ground Zero, MoMa, Broadway, South Street Seaport, walk around the West Village and Soho. Walk everywhere!
  • rnroadrunner
    rnroadrunner Posts: 402 Member
    they have day passes for the subway or walk. I walked from ground zero to central park and had a great time also got my exercise in at the same time.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    Thanks so much! When I told my friends about my trip they really made it sound like we wouldn't be able to do anything!
  • onawho
    onawho Posts: 196 Member
    I am going to echo what everyone else said, do not drive into the city. subways are cheap...but why would you want to be underground. when you can walk and see everything!!

    Free things to do.
    walk around central park
    walk down battery park (west side)
    walk around soho/west village/lower east side and window shop
    walk down 5th ave
    people watch
    go to FAO swartz
    go to times square
    If you want to spend the money go to the empire state building or the statue of liberty.
    the zoo (in central park)
    sit on the step of the museums on 5th a watch the world go by
    go to rockerfeller plaza
    stand outside of the Today Show !! might get a free music show too !
  • Lisone
    Lisone Posts: 78 Member
    Rent bikes in Central Park and ride around... SO FUN! Especially if it's a beauitful and sunny day.
    Hang out in Times Square.. people watch, go to the HUGE Toy Store there and look around.. and visit the Naked Cowboy!
  • Cortni27
    Cortni27 Posts: 12 Member
    Buy a NYC Entertainment Book- they are usually only about $15 this time of year and they have great discounts! My husband and I went to NYC two years ago in June and we took an awesome boat cruise around Manhattan Island with a buy one get one free coupon from the Entertainment book so it only cost us $30! We also went to a taping of the David Letterman show- that was free! You just have to request tickets from their website before hand. If you are a TV buff, which we were, I'd say it's definitely worth it to take the NBC studio tour. You get to see the SNL set, the Jimmy Fallon set, and various others. I think it's like $15 a person or something, but it was one of the highlights of our trip. But other than that, most of the touristy things that you just want to see are free- Central Park, Rockefeller Center, TImes Square, Grand Central Station, Ground Zero, etc. You can just look at free stuff the entire time! :)
  • daniface
    daniface Posts: 338 Member
    Thanks so much! When I told my friends about my trip they really made it sound like we wouldn't be able to do anything!

    NOT TRUE! there are so many poor people in new york city hahaha
  • nlhawthorne
    nlhawthorne Posts: 34
    Subway is definitely the best way to get around - NY is a nightmare to drive in. The best free things we did were walking over the Brooklyn Bridge (take the subway to Brooklyn and walk back towards Manhattan - awesome views) and exploring Central Park. Other than that just exploring the different neighbourhoods is great, e.g. Greenwich Village, Soho, Chinatown, Williamsburg in Brooklyn, etc.

    A great place to get tips and hints for your trip is the TripAdvisor NYC forum - there are great FAQs down the right-hand side of the page and if you still have questions you can search all the previous threads on the forums... and of course ask your own questions. It really helped us plan our trip!
    http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g60763-i5-New_York_City_New_York.html
  • sarahbear1981
    sarahbear1981 Posts: 610 Member
    I could spend a whole day in central park and that's free. You can wander around and listen to street musicians for free too. The museums are fairly cheap. I also highly recommend looking into taking walking tours of the city. They are fairly inexpensive and you learn sooooo much. Make sure to visit the strand bookstore and the new york public library. There are some off broadway plays that are not too ridiculous as well.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    Rent bikes in Central Park and ride around... SO FUN! Especially if it's a beauitful and sunny day.
    Hang out in Times Square.. people watch, go to the HUGE Toy Store there and look around.. and visit the Naked Cowboy!

    LOL I Totally forgot about the Naked Cowboy....
  • Adaelion
    Adaelion Posts: 10 Member
    Best places to visit in NYC if you're low in funds are
    the garden in central park
    fao schwartz
    south street seaport
    the staten island ferry
    rockefeller center
    times square
    the intrepid
    statue of liberty
    and those are just a few of the wonderful places you can go to
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    panhandle?
    lol
  • anna_b1
    anna_b1 Posts: 588 Member
    Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Seriously. You must. Don't buy anything from the vendors along the way. Once you get to Brooklyn, go for pizza.

    Brooklyn is awesome.
  • oxyjenic
    oxyjenic Posts: 18
    Two things I would definitely do are take the Staten Island Ferry (which is free) and take the Roosevelt Tram to Roosevelt Island (2.25 each way or use your subway pass). The Staten Island Ferry is a great way to see the Statue of Liberty without paying to go to Liberty Island. The Roosevelt Tram is the cheapest and best way to see the city skyline. (http://www.yelp.com/biz/roosevelt-island-tramway-new-york)

    Also, if you go to Grand Central Station, make sure to go to the Whispering Corners. It's right next to the Oyster Bar Restaurant. Here's a picture.. http://gonyc.about.com/od/photogalleries/ss/grand_central_7.htm. You'll probably notice people doing it. It's REALLY COOL. Doesn't sound cool, but it is! It can be very noisy in there, but if you're in one corner and whisper, someone clear across the room in the other corner can hear it like you're right next to them.

    Pizza is the best thing to eat in NY and it's very cheap. You'll never have pizza like NY pizza anytime else in your life. Also, it's a good time to sit and people watch. When my son and I were there, we saw Anthony Bourdain crossing the street and he was nice enough to take a pic with us. I also saw Mr. Big from Sex in the City, but can't think of what his name is.

    Oh, I would also go see Yankee Stadium. You don't have to get tickets to enjoy it if they're playing at home. There are restaurants and bars that play the games there, and you get a real thrill being around hard core Yankee fans. They're the best fans in the world! Also lots of souvenir shops there.

    I would also go to Canal St for souvenir shopping.

    Hitting the free things in NYC will totally take up all the time you have!
  • cobarlo14
    cobarlo14 Posts: 582 Member
    Do you want to go to the beach and ride the subway?

    http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm

    Depending on where you are staying if you can catch the A train to ROCKAWAY PARK (Not Lefferts Blvd - no beach there)
    take it to the end when you get out of the station make a left and walk 1 1/2 blocks to the beach. The direct Rockaway Park train runs Rush Hour times so I would get a time table ( call to confirm it - if you can)

    If you catch a Far Rockaway train then you have to get off at Broad channel and wait for the shuttle train to take you there..extra few minutes (if you see the map it might make it easier to understand)

    email me if you have any questions - I grew up there :flowerforyou:
  • oxyjenic
    oxyjenic Posts: 18
    Oh yeah, the last post reminded me.. you can go to Coney Island! I went there last May. Was kind of worried about security, but there's policemen all over! I would still go in the daytime, though. It's free to walk around there and there's a lot to see. You can lookout at the beach/boats and there's usually music and dancing going on. If you have kids you might not want to go because they would want to ride the rides, which are expensive.

    Also forgot to mention... if you need a bathroom, go to a Starbucks. They're about the only place that lets you use one even if you're not buying anything.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    YAY! I could totally hug you all! Thank you for all the tips, I feel much more confident now that I won't just walk out of the hotel and feel confused. :)
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
    311 Dial 311 for information about anything you need in NYC... Also if you need to know how to take the subway to a certain place go to http://tripplanner.mta.info/_start.aspx Just make sure you know what borough you are in/going to since the same address can exist in different boroughs.

    Go with the one week unlimited pass.

    Contrary to popular belief, New Yorkers are friendly, they are just always in a hurry, but they're usually happy to help with directions so don't be afraid to ask.

    I second the suggestion on Staten Island Ferry, It's free and you get a good view of the Statue of Liberty/ Ellis Island. If you want to go to the Statue of Liberty, get tickets well in advance if you want to go inside.

    The Bronx Zoo is free on Wednesdays. You can get there by subway.

    Come to Queens and go to Flushing Meadows/Corona Park. You can see the Unisphere and observation towers and it's free. There's also a zoo and museum at the park. While you're in my neighborhood, you can head to the Louis Armstrong House.

    You can rent bicycles to ride around central park, but they charge a lot so do some searching online to get the best deal.

    Times Square is fun for people watching and for window shopping.

    Chinatown is great for shopping, you can get great deals on "brand name" purses ;-)
  • live2smyle
    live2smyle Posts: 592 Member
    Chinatown is great for shopping, you can get great deals on "brand name" purses ;-)
    Hahahaha....I think most have covered alot of good stuff. I would just like to mention that it is going to be hot as hot can get in NYC in July...So make sure you stay hydrated with all that walking! Have a great trip! :flowerforyou:
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    Thank you all again! for the great suggestions!
  • osmoticferocity
    osmoticferocity Posts: 23
    I actually just recently spent a week broke in NYC! The American Indian Museum is free (it's a Smithsonian institute), there is a hipster flea market in Brooklyn (in case you need to buy a beard or fixed gear bicycle), and the street food is decently priced and convenient as can be. Also, drinks can be had on the cheap in Manhattan if you look. $2 Rolling Rocks, PBRs, and Yeunglings were not uncommon.
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