NYC Weekend on a Budget
Description:
Make no mistake--New York is an expensive city. But with a little effort, you can enjoy a great long weekend here without blowing your budget.
Photo: Staten Island Ferry. By robertpaulyoung.
Photo: Staten Island Ferry. By robertpaulyoung.
Author: Sarah
Day 1 - New York City
If you’re not lucky enough to have friends or family with a welcoming spare bedroom (or couch), of the biggest expenses during your weekend in New York will be your hotel. Two reasonably priced options are the Cosmopolitan in Tribeca and the Hotel Newton on the Upper West Side. Both are in neighborhoods that are great for walking around, window-shopping and people watching, and both offer a good home base for exploring the rest of the city. After you check into your hotel, head to one of the art world’s top attractions, the Museum of Modern Art, which offers free admissions on Fridays from 4 to 8 pm. Stroll over to Rockefeller Center’s hustle and bustle and grab an early dinner at ‘wichcraft, Tom Colicchio’s fancy sandwich shop (it has many locations throughout the city, including one at 1 Rockefeller Plaza). For a chance at more culture, head to Carnegie Hall, where a limited number of $10 partial-view tickets are available for performances in the Isaac Stern Auditorium (same-day tickets go on sale at the box office beginning at noon; they are limited to two per person).
1
Cosmopolitan Hotel-Tribeca
Location:
view in google maps125 Chambers Street
(at Broadway)
New York City, NY 10007
Phone:
+1 212 566 1900 / +1 888 895 94002
Hotel Newton
Location:
view in google maps2528 Broadway
(between 94th and 95th streets)
New York City, NY 10025
Phone:
+1 212 678 6500 / +1 888 468 35583
Museum of Modern Art
Location:
view in google maps11 W. 53rd St
Between 5th and 6th Avenues
New York City, NY 10103
Phone:
+1 212 708 94004
Wichcraft
Location:
view in google maps6th Avenue, between 40th-42nd Street
At Beach Street
New York City, NY 10016
Phone:
1 212 780 05775
Carnegie Hall
Location:
view in google maps154 West 57th Street
At Seventh Avenue
New York City, NY 10106
Phone:
+1 212 247 7800Day 2 - New York City
After a classic New York bagel breakfast (Murray’s in Greenwich Village is a popular choice), head downtown and take a trip on the Staten Island Ferry. A free ferry ride is a fun excursion that offers unparalleled views of the downtown New York City skyline and the Statue of Liberty. While you’re downtown, explore South Street Seaport, which hosts free concerts and performances during the summer and houses an ice-skating rink in the winter. There’s a TKTS booth located right near the Seaport, where you can pick up discounted Broadway and Off-Broadway tickets for that night’s show or the next day’s matinee. For dinner, try the famous Shake Shack (the original Madison Square Park has recently been joined by an Upper West Side branch at Columbus Ave. and 77th St.) which in-the-know New Yorkers praise as the best burger in the city. For something a little more exotic, head down to the East Village, where the cheap eating options abound: some good choices are Dok Suni (Korean) and the always-open, always-popular Veselka (Ukrainian).
2
Staten Island Ferry
Location:
view in google maps1 Bay Street
Departs from the Whitehall Ferry Terminal at the southern tip of Manhattan
New York City, NY 10301
Phone:
+1 718 390 52533
South Street Seaport
Location:
view in google maps12 Fulton St
Fulton & South Streets
New York City, NY 10038
Phone:
+1 212 732 76784
Shake Shack
Location:
view in google mapsNear Madison Avenue and East 23rd Street
Southeast corner of Madison Square Park
New York City, NY 10010
Phone:
1 212 889 66005
Dok Suni's
Location:
view in google maps119 1st Avenue
(Between 7th Street and St. Mark's Place)
New York City, NY 10003-2963
Phone:
1 212 477 95066
Veselka
Location:
view in google maps144 2nd Avenue
(at 9th St)
New York City, NY 10003
Phone:
1 212 228 9682Day 3 - New York City
On the last day of your visit, make your way to Central Park, where you can take one of their numerous free tours to explore far-flung park regions like the North Woods, designed to replicate the Adirondack Mountains, or the Harlem Meer, an elevated area that colonial troops used to defend the city during the American Revolution. In the summer, the park offers a selection of great free entertainment, including Shakespeare in the Park, Summerstage, and the Met in the Parks series. Also, before you leave, be sure to take advantage of one of the best meal deals in the city: Gray’s Papaya.
1
Central Park
Location:
view in google mapsCentral Park Driveway
The Central Park Conservancy
New York City, NY 10022
Phone:
+1 212 310 66002
Shakespeare in the Park
Location:
view in google maps81 Central Park West
Delacorte Theater
New York City, NY 10023
Phone:
+1 212 260 2400 (Box Office)3
Met in the Parks
Location:
view in google maps86th Street
New York City, NY 10024
Phone:
+1 212 362 60004
Gray's Papaya
Location:
view in google maps2090 Broadway
(at 71st Street)
New York City, NY 10025
Phone:
1 212 799 0243