|
Central Park
If you're a cash-strapped tourist, do as cash-strapped New Yorkers do and spend a lot of time in the park. Bring a picnic and sprawl out on the Great Lawn; take a mini-hike through the Ramble; stop and smell the flowers in the Conservatory Garden; go ice-skating in winter; check out the animals in the wonderful little zoo.
• For maps, directions, and details, see www.centralpark.org.
• What to do in the park? Here is one 12-hour itinerary.
Theater
TKTS, which has booths in Times Square and the Financial District, offers tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows for 25 or 50 percent off the original price. The catch is that you have to wait in line. Insider's tip: Show up in the early evening, as lines are shortest and additional tickets often go on sale immediately prior to curtain time.
Alternatively, check out Off-Off-Broadway offerings, where tickets generally sell for $15 or under.
• TKTS: 47th St. at Broadway (subway: 1, 2, 3, 9, N, R, W, Q, S to Times Square) and 1 Bowling Green (subway: 4, 5 to Bowling Green)
• Broadway listings (current shows)
• Off-Broadway listings
• Off-Off-Broadway listings
Museums — Free Nights
Many New York museums have certain days and times when admission is free. Some museums even allow visitors to determine their own donation for admission. The following is a partial list of check our Museum Listings for complete, up-to-date information.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art: Suggested donation ($10) — but you can pay what you wish. 1000 Fifth Ave., at 89th St.; www.metmuseum.org. Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 86th St.
• Whitney Museum of American Art: Pay-what-you-wish, Friday 6pm-9pm. 945 Madison Ave., at 75th St.; www.whitney.org. Subway: 6 to 77th St.
• Brooklyn Museum of Art: Free admission and special events (concerts, films, lectures, etc.) on the first Saturday of every month, 5pm-11pm. 200 Eastern Pkwy., Brooklyn; www.brooklynmuseum.org. Subway: 1, 2, 4, 5 to Brooklyn Museum-Eastern Pkwy.
• Jewish Museum: Pay-what-you-wish, Thursday 5pm-8pm. 1109 Fifth Ave., at 92nd St.; www.jewishmuseum.org. Subway: 6 to 96th St.
• Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum: Pay-what-you-wish, Tuesday 5pm-9pm. 2 E. 91st St., at Fifth Ave.; www.ndm.si.edu. Subway: 6 to 96th St. or 4, 5, 6 to 86th St.
• New Museum of Contemporary Art: $3 admission, Thursday 6pm-8pm. 583 Broadway, between Houston and Prince Sts.; www.newmuseum.org. Subway: N, R to Prince St.; F, V to Broadway-Lafayette St.
Art Galleries
Looking to see the latest cutting-edge trends in contemporary art? Then check out New York's thriving gallery scene —
browsing is always free! Gallery neighborhoods include West Chelsea (20th to 28th Sts. between Ninth and Twelfth Aves.), SoHo (Houston to Grand Sts., Sixth Ave. to Broadway), 57th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Aves.), and Brooklyn's Williamsburg (Bedford Avenue between Grand and N. 7th Sts.).
• Gallery listings (current shows)
Citypass
Citypass allows you to visit seven major NYC attractions — the American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim, the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Empire State Building, the Circle Line cruise, and the Whitney Museum — for just $38 ( $31 for kids ages 12 to 17) . That's 50 percent off the cost of individual tickets! It's valid for nine days after first use.
• www.citypass.net; purchase online or at any participating attraction.
Staten Island Ferry
A leisurely cruise with stunning views of the Manhattan skyline — for free! Sounds too good to be true, but the Staten Island Ferry has been carrying passengers without charge since 1997. Once you get to Staten Island, there's not a whole lot to do without getting on a bus, but no matter; it's getting there (and back) that's all the fun.
• Staten Island Ferry Terminal, Whitehall and South Sts.; click here for schedule. Subway: 4, 5 to Bowling Green; N, R to Whitehall St.
Brooklyn
Real New Yorkers know that Manhattan's got nothin' on the borough of the Dodgers. For the ultimate Brooklyn experience, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. You'll have worked up an appetite by the time you reach the other side, so stop by Grimaldi's, an old-fashioned pizzeria that serves one of New York's best coal-oven pies. Afterward, head over to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, a lovely boardwalk with million-dollar views of the skyline (and million-dollar homes) and/or take a stroll through the surrounding neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights, known for its beautiful nineteenth-century brownstone buildings.
• Brooklyn Bridge: Manhattan entrance at Park Row near the Municipal Building. Subway: 6 to Brooklyn Bridge.
• Grimaldi's, 19 Old Fulton St., between Front and Water Sts.
• To return to Manhattan: Take the 1, 2 train at Clark St. or the A, C at High St.
Chinatown
Chinatown isn't just about cheap, delicious food. Bargains abound throughout this bustling lower Manhattan neighborhood: Knockoff Louis Vuitton bags and Gucci sunglasses at the open-air stalls that line Canal Street. Four floors of housewares and Chinoiserie at Pearl River Mart, the neighborhood's best one-stop shop. A thriving nightlife scene without hefty cover charges and attitude. But, of course, you'll want to come on an empty stomach — from exotic fruit-and-vegetable stands to dim-sum parlors to fish markets, Chinatown offers a feast for every palate. Here are a few of our favorite restaurants:
• Bo Ky: 80 Bayard St., between Mulberry and Mott Sts.
• Dim Sum GoGo: 5 E. Broadway, between Catherine St. and Chatham Sq.
• Joe's Shanghai: 9 Pell St., between Bowery and Mott Sts.
• New York Noodle Town: 28 1/2 Bowery, at Bayard St.
Subways: N, R, Q, 6 to Canal St.;
F to E. Broadway
Coney Island
NYC's original playground for fun-loving freaks of all ages offers hours of amusement for pennies on the dollar. Take a spin on the Cyclone (Coney's original wooden coaster, still rattlin' and rollin' — literally), the Wonderwheel, and a slew of old-fashioned carney rides in the Astroland theme park. Ogle some amazing specimens of humanity at "Sideshows by the Seashore." Check out the Aquarium (home to New York's famous gay penguins, Wendell and Cass). Take a stroll down the boardwalk. And, of course, eat a hot dog (or several) at the original Nathan's.
• Surf Ave. between TK and TK, Brooklyn; www.coneyisland.com. Subway: F, Q, W to Coney Island-Stillwell Ave.
|
