How To See New York On A Budget

November 30th, 2006 by Pia Taylor

New York

Today an article about New York, on FindArticles.com, caught my eye. It starts like this:

There’s nothing shy or reserved about New York City or the people who embody its larger-than-life persona… The celluloid imagery of the city makes it hard to imagine New York as a place of regular folk. And it may be even harder to imagine it as a place for regular folk to visit. But think again.

Entitled ‘I’ll Take Manhattan – On A Budget – travel tips to Manhattan, New York, New York’, the article outlines ways in which even travellers with the humblest of shoestring budgets can find things to do in the Big Apple.

Backpackers are likely to choose hostels over the guest houses and hotels mentioned, so that part probably doesn’t apply, but the section on ‘cheap sites’ is definitely worth checking out.

New York

It starts with the tip: ‘Time is money, even on a shoestring budget. When you set out to enjoy the city’s freebies, get an early start’.

The article then lists a number of sites worth seeing – sites that are either free or very inexpensive. On the list are the following (check out the article for the finer details – where they are, what they cost, and why you should see them):

  • Abyssinian Baptist Church
  • African Burial Ground
  • Apollo Theatre
  • Staten Island Ferry
  • Grand Central Terminal
  • Our Harlem Tours
  • Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
  • The Studio Museum in Harlem

The Diva Knows Best blog adds a few more to the ‘must do’ (cheaply) list:

Everyone MUST do the following in NYC: stroll through Central Park, nosh on a bagel and pizza, visit Macy’s, eat a hot dog or pretzel off the street, see a play, haggle over the price of something in Chinatown, soak up the rays and ambience in Washington Square park and experience Times Square.

And speaking of plays, here are some useful tips on finding cheap tickets to New York events (scroll right down to the last paragraph).

Useful (related) resources for backpackers:
Hostels in New York – find and book cheap hostels in New York
Budget Travel Advice for New York City – budget-stretching advice from About.com
Cheap Guide NYC – NY Mag’s guide to cheap eats and happy hour specials in the city.

(Photos: jmullen/Flickr and skypunch/Flickr)

Posted in Destinations, Travel Tips & Planning