If you come
to New York City with a lot of money, the possibilities seem endless. But, what
if you're budget travellers, like us? Well there still plenty you can do....
Our first glance of the big apple
We were here
for a couple of months, but even if you just come for a week or two, or pass
through for a weekend, the following should hopefully give you a few ideas on
what to do during your visit:
Where to
stay
We were in
the Bronx; which can be considerably cheaper than staying in the
centre/Manhattan. Look at various options; other than hotels there are hostels,
couchsurfing, room shares and room rentals (depending on how long your staying
and what you're willing to settle for). We rented a tiny, stuffy room with no windows
and a noisy water pipe in a good location, for about £250 a month but I'm sure
there were better deals about.
Getting
around
Buy a metro
card for a dollar and top it up - it's currently $2.50 for one journey or $30
for a week unlimited (small children go free). Get a map and familiarise
yourself with it - it can be hard to unfold
your big metro map at a station or on a busy train.... besides which you
will look like a total tourist! The main thing is to know whether you're
heading for uptown or downtown, which number train reaches your station and
your set....
Riding the subway!
In terms of
taxis, for a short distance (if you don't want to use the subway), hail a
yellow cab.... but if the distance is longer, or there's bad weather or
traffic, pre-call a taxi as they will give you a set price to work with. The
yellow cabs can be financially scary when you're sitting in traffic watching
the meter creep up.
The Bronx
Personally I
loved the Bronx. We made so many friends, and as is usually the case, those
with less were the ones who were ready and willing to offer so much. The local
library was a safe haven from our stuffy, overheated room. We were able to set
up accounts, borrow books, and use the internet there all for free. We also
found a seventh day Adventist church nearby; and discovered how different
things are done across the pond. Again we met some real life angels who helped
us so much during our time here.
Me and J outside Hunts Point Church, the Bronx :)
Freebies:
I can only
recommend the things I actually tried, but will then give a list of things
which are reportedly free....
Grand
central station is of course, free to enter... just stroll in and look up at
the beautiful ceiling. The station also has a great, but pricey, food market, a
whole dining area; with free 'restrooms' and wifi, and a few good store/shops -
a rite aid (pharmacy similar to superdrug in the UK), a bookstore, and a cute
transit store. It's also beautiful to look at from the outside, and you can
easily reach 5th avenue, Bryant park, and times square on foot from here.
Grand central
Transport store at Grand Central
We
frequented Bryant Park during our stay. Its located behind the New York City
Public Library (5th ave), between Grand central station and Times Square if you're
walking. We were here in the winter, and so we had the pleasure of using the
winter gardens; consisting of lovely market stall type stores selling allsorts;
from soaps, to hot apple cider, hot chocolate, turros, to clothing, bags, and a
wonderful array of artesian jewellery, plus a beautiful Christmas tree, and a
free ice rink! For the ice rink, bring your own lock for the lockers (or pay $8
for them to check your bag in), and bring skates (or pay $19 a time to rent a
pair). Check sports shops such as Modells for discounted or last seasons
reduced price skates (if you don't ask you won't get). Then hit the ice!
Ice skating (in the rain) at Bryant park
Times square
is another must see; even though there's really not much to see... just a lot
of high buildings, billboards and lights... We came for NYE but to get a prime
spot people were reportedly arriving from 7am, and it was certainly filling up
by midday! When we arrived at 7pm, the central section of Times square was
blocked off, as were most of the surrounding sidewalks. We nestled among the
estimated 1million+ people trying to see the ball drop, and caught sight of the
ball, the glitter and fireworks, but were too far away to see or hear any of
the performances.
Me, at Times Square
We did not
pay to go up the empire state; at around $30 for me and $20 for Jahzara. But we
did enter the lobby for a cheeky photo... and enjoyed seeing the building lit
up in the evenings.
Cheeky snap of the empire state lobby
We did visit
the Rockefeller centre, a few times; to see the ice rink, the lighting of the
Christmas tree (again, more hype.... just see it the day after it's been lit),
and to sit and sip a Starbucks indoors, use the free wifi and watch the
skaters..... it's a good place to rest for a half hour if you are shopping 5th
ave (as is the Trump Towers, located close to Tiffanys).
Rockefeller ice-rink
We also saw
the statue of liberty - for $2.50 you can get on the subway; get off at Bowling
Green. The ferry to Staten island is free both ways and there is free wifi
while you wait.
The New York City Skyline from the Staten Island Ferry
My suggested
itinerary is to go on a Wednesday,
arrive early and visit the Museum of the American Indian http://nmai.si.edu/visit/newyork/
. Then catch the Ferry to Staten Island - along the way you see lady liberty.
Continue to the Staten Island Zoo which is free on a Wednesdays after 2pm, then you will also see lady liberty
in the dark; along with Brooklyn Bridge and the New York City sky-line beautifully
lit up.
Coney Island
is supposed to be great in the Summer. Admittedly we went in the Winter, but it
simply had the same feel, look and atmosphere as Barry Island in Wales. and,
just like Barry Island it's not an Island at all! Nonetheless, the New York
aquarium is there, offering entry by
donation after 3pm on Fridays. We walked along the beach and sat with coffee
and hot chocolate rather than ice creams, and gazed across the Atlantic,
towards the UK. sort of. The aquarium itself is small, and is still rebuilding
after hurricane Sandy, but Jahzara enjoyed the sea lion show.... and of course,
the overpriced gift shop
some Freebies, outlined:
National Museum of the American Indian. FREE
Bronx zoo - pay what you will on Wednesdays
New York botanical garden - free on Wednesdays
Staten Island Zoo - free on Wednesdays after 2pm
New York aquarium - pay what you will after 3pm on
a Friday
New York hall of science Free 2-5pm on Fridays
Childrens museum of Manhattan - Free 1st Friday of
the month between 5-8pm
Brooklyn Museum - free 1st Saturday of the month 5-11pm
El Museo de Barrio - Free third sat of the month.
Latin American/ Caribbean art
Studio museum in Harlem - Highlighting work of black artists. Free
sundays 12-6pm
