Cheap Things To Do In New York City

New York City may have slipped down the rankings of the world’s most expensive cities but it is still a quite pricey city to visit. However there are several ways to experience and explore the myriad delights of New York City on the cheap. Listed below are some tips to help you enjoy this invigorating city without burning a hole in your bank account.

Use New York City’s excellent public transport system to discover the city New York City is one of the few cities in America which has a well developed public transport system that is made up of an extensive subway network, public buses, ferries, taxis, express buses and surface rail services. The New York City subway offers one of the cheapest avenues and most convenient ways to explore the city for it operates round the clock and is easily accessible at all times. The fare for a subway ride or a local bus ride in New York City is currently $2.25. Additionally up to three children, 44 inches tall and under can ride for free on subways and local buses when accompanied by a fare paying adult.

The New York City subway system is accessible via the use of a stored value card called a Metrocard which is available in two forms a pay per ride card or an unlimited ride card. The pay per ride cards can be loaded repeatedly and a single card can be used for an entire family who is vacationing in New York City as the card can be swiped repeatedly at the turnstiles of subway lines and dipped again and again at the tills in local buses to admit different members of family. This does not work with an unlimited ride card which is available in various denominations and for different durations but can be used by only one person at any given time.

Soak in the views of New York City for free The skyscraper speckled New York City skyline is one of the biggest attractions in the ‘Big Apple’ and many tourists pay big bucks to take helicopter or boat tours to soak in the awe-inspiring views of the New York City skyline. However you can easily take in these views for free by riding the Staten Island commuter ferry that operates twenty-four hours a day between Whitehall Street in Lower Manhattan and St George in Staten Island. If you don’t want to ride the ferry, you can alternatively marvel at the views of lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and other land marks by taking a subway train to the Brooklyn Heights promenade which accessible via the M,R,2, 3, 4, 5 trains at Borough Hall station. This water front promenade which is adorned with trees, benches and flower beds stretches along one third of a mile and is a favorite with tourists and locals alike for it offers stunning views of lower Manhattan at all times.

Visit the museums for free New York City is home to a plethora of fabulous, treasure filled museums which fall into three categories the always free museums, the suggested donation museums, the sometimes free museums and the never free museums.

Museums like the Goethe-Institute, Federal Reserve Bank of NY( home to the magnificent Gold vault) National Museum of the American Indian, Queens County Farm Museum, the Nicholas Roerich Museum and the Socrates Sculpture Park offer free access to the public at all times.

Several other museums in New York City offer free access during certain times on particular days on the week. On Fridays the Museum of Modern Art offers free access between the hours of 4 to 8 pm as does the Whitney Museum of American Art which offers a pay-what-you-wish program from 6 to 9 p.m.

The Asia Society, the Rubin Museum, Museum of American Finance, the Neue Galerie, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan and the South Street Seaport Museum have similar promotional hours on Fridays while the Guggenheim, the Jewish Museum, the Brooklyn Museum and El Museo del Barrio have their promotions scheduled for Saturdays. The Frick Collection and the Morgan Library and Museum additionally offer their promotional hours on Sundays.

Explore free art, culture and music performances in New York City There is something going on in New York City at every moment of the day. Book readings, guided walking tours, music concerts, wine tastings, art gallery openings and even free theater performances and the best way for you to learn about these is get your information from the New York City free press. Newspapers like the AM New York, Metro New York, The Village Voice and the L Magazine are distributed for free in New York City via sidewalk kiosks and it is always worthwhile to avail of New York City’s free press to get information about these art , culture and music listings.

Broadway at a discount Watching a show on Broadway can be an expensive affair as tickets usually cost more than $100 per head but New York City is equipped with three TKTS booths that sell same day performance and even matinee performance tickets(these tickets are only sold a day earlier at the South street Seaport and Downtown Brooklyn booths of TKTs) for Broadway and off Broadway shoes at substantial discounts which often amount to 25-50% off of full price. Aside from the TKTs booths which often have long lines and wait times in front of them the Broadway and Off Broadway theaters even sell rush and standing room only tickets on the cheap. Rush tickets are usually sold a few hours before the performance and are often reserved only for students.

Eat in New York City on the Cheap New York City is undoubtedly the dining capital of the world and the city has a great dining out culture. However many of the city’s restaurants which feature uber-chefs and are promoted by experimental and innovative restaurateurs are quite expensive to dine at and the city thus hosts promotional Restaurant Weeks twice a year during which several restaurants around the city offer prix-fixe three course meals at lunch and dinner which are priced at $24 and $35( not including alcohol and tips of course) so as to give patrons a chance to sample the creations of these masters without breaking the bank.

Aside from Restaurant weeks, New York City in fact offers a wide variety of cheap eats many of which can be had street side from the cart vendors and gourmet food trucks, that cook, prepare and retail their fare from licensed trucks which are parked on various city streets. The gourmet food trucks like El Ray Del Taco, Wafles and Dinges, Van Leeuwen artisan ice-cream , Bistro Truck, Jiannetto’s Pizza are manned by young, innovative chefs who use social media tools like Twitter to inform their followers about their frequently changing locations.

Additionally New York City also has a well entrenched happy hour culture wherein bars around the city offer half price drinks to the mainly after-work crowds who tend congregate at their premises. Many of these New York City bars also offer a variety of small eats to their patrons who purchase their happy hour specials. Establishments like Keens Steakhouse have been known to offer eats like meatballs, barbecued spareribs and drunken shrimp with drinks ordered, in addition to the hard-boiled eggs and pretzels which are available all the time while other establishments like the Crocodile Lounge which is located at 14th street between First and Second avenues offer free, personal, ten inch pizzas with every drink ordered.