New York City Travel Tips

Thrifty TipsTravel

Dec 10

Written By

New York is one of my favorite places in the whole world. There is excitement and beauty everywhere. But it can be really expensive, very confusing and incredibly overwhelming. So, since we just returned I thought I would share a few tips with you for getting around, eating and enjoying yourself on a budget. This is by no means the only way to see NYC, but it works for us and I hope you find it helpful!First of all, Transportation.Cars: On our last trip we drove. We were coming from the Philadelphia direction and spent a FORTUNE in tolls. And I mean over a $100 in just tolls. Our friends drove up from the south and only spent about $30. So it all depends on which direction you're coming from. So be prepared and do your research.Flights: Definitely the easiest and quickest way. If you can find a good deal, than great! But don't forget about airport parking and then taking a $60 cab ride into and out of the city that takes at least an hour each way depending on traffic. Yikes...Buses: The most unconventional way. But now we've done it all. This trip we rode the Megabus. Our family was legitimately terrified for us. But we made it out mostly unscathed. We rode the bus from Charlotte right into the heart of the city. We checked one normal, airport sized bag and had a carry on. (we actually took our backpacks because we knew we would be carrying them around a good bit and that was easier than rolling luggage through the city.) We paid $80 each direction. So for a total of $320 roundtrip, this was by far the cheapest way we have found. It was a 14 hour ride. We rode overnight to not lose time. It was a bit long, but if you can sleep on a bus, then do it. It was cheap, they had internet and outlets at every seat and most people were very friendly. We only had a few uhhhh 'difficult' experiences with some uhhhh 'interesting' folks. So be prepared for bus riding carnies but mostly nice, normal people like us! ;) We left out of normal bus stations in places like Charlotte and DC and right in the city in NYC. Very easy, very affordable. You get what you pay for. I would definitely suggest a short trip before a super long one though to ease yourself in....Trains: We looked into Amtrack to get us there, but it was much more expensive and was a really long ride. So we scratched this idea quicklySubway: Once you're in the city the Subway is the best choice to get around. At $2.50 a ride, each way, it can get expensive. We got the 7 day pass for $30 that is unlimited. It paid for itself in 1 day. Seriously. But you have to buy one per person, it has a 15 minute period before it can be used again. We used the HopStop app to get around. All you do is give it a general idea of where you want to go and it finds the closest subway, the time it leaves and details which stops to get off on and how to walk the rest of the way to your destination. Its free, its fabulous. Museums: We visited the MET and the Natural history museum. We love them. They are worth spending a whole day at each or 30 minutes if that is all you have. Just choose 1 exhibition and go. My biggest issue with these places is their prices. Not that they are expensive, because they are actually donations only. But the way they phrase it. The signs suggest about $27 a person. Keyword: Suggest. These museums are funded through donations only. So walk up to the counter, say "I would like to make a $5 donation" and hand them your dollar bills. Of course, you can't put a price on these gems. These places are worth way more than that. But base it on what you feel comfortable paying and how much time you plan to spend there. They don't give you dirty looks or challenge you. The lady in front of us handed over one dollar. She was given a ticket, no questions asked.Maximizing your time: Ok, I'm terrible at time management. I sleep late, I way underestimate how long things take and get completely caught up in what I'm doing and forget I have other places to be. So, with that said, have a theme for your trip. You can never do everything in 1, 2 or 10 trips. So pick a theme to ensure you get everything done that is most important to you. Then carefully map out where you're going and how to get there so you don't spend your day riding up and down the island on the subway. Spend a little time planning and it will go a long way! Here are some examples of themes:

Tourists: (duh) hit all the big sites like Statue of Liberty, Central park, Coney Island, Empire State Building
Historic: Tour the most historic places in NYC. I'm not a history buff, but google is!
Photography: If photography is your thing scout out all the best photo places. Most scenic, best views, most popular, most unpopular. Or recreate all the classic NY shots that have made print for centuries.
Movie tour: We kind of did this on this trip. So if you look closely you'll spot some famous locations in our photos. NYC is home to some of the most famous scenes set on the big screen. It is limitless how many places the rich and famous have walked here. And always keep your eyes open, we spotted at least 2 celebrities just on the subway! Google is your bff for finding fun famous places!
Art: search out street art or real art.
Humans of New York: This book is so flipping cool. Create your own mini-version. You don't even have to do the stories. Just stealthily take photos of all the characters you see. Trust me they aren't hard to find..
Walking tours: We walked the Brooklyn Bridge at night and it was breathtaking. It was a short walk and the view of Manhattan was a million dollar view. Look for other things like you can!

{Terrell's favorites all in one block: The plaza, The Big Piano and the Home Alone Bridge! }

{The Friends building. Swoon}

New York City Pass: Not worth your money. Next.The Empire State Building: Probably the most expensive touristy thing we've ever done and we didn't even go all the way to the tip-top. But one of the best touristy things we've ever done. We saved up our money and decided we were doing it this time around. But everyday it was rainy and foggy and the reviews said it wasn't worth it. I'm so glad we listened. We waited until the last-minute to go but it was a beautiful day and it was very clear, so we could see for forever. It was worth every penny. But. it. was. crowded. I wish I had a tip for you to make it cheaper or knew the magic time when it wasn't so crowded, but I honestly believe its crowded all the time. I really would love to go right before sunset. You get this view. The sunset view and the night view. Heaven. So, just brave the crowds, save up your money, elbow people out-of-the-way so you can get a great picture. Its fantastic!The Statue of Liberty: The best view hands down is from the Staten Island Ferry, which is also free. The Liberty tour ferry doesn't go around to the front of the statue. Why??!? The statue of liberty and Ellis Island are one tour, one price. Ellis Island is one of the most enriching experiences I've ever had. I could spend days there. I love learning about where we came from and what it was like to immigrate to this country and I love the vintage luggage and money, etc. But! Ellis Island has no exhibits right now (2013) because of the hurricane. But they are still selling full price tickets without notifying you. So just be aware of that. We may or may not have found out the hard way.....Food: Oh gosh. I am not the best person to tell you about food in NY. Seriously, give me those $1 slices of pizza and I'm in heaven. Eating off the street (sounds classy right?) is my favorite part. There are so many great places and they are changing all the time. But, as always, we will pack sandwiches, etc to save money and limit our eating out. But sometimes its hard when food is this good for this cheap! We ate at a pretty fancy place with friends and used a Scoutmob deal. Scoutmob actually has deals in tons of cities, so check out the app!Lodging. Again, we have done it all.Camping: This was one of the best places we've ever camped (when it comes to city camping) ever. Hotels: Deals people. Look for dealsFriends: We actually took this trip to go see friends who had just moved to the city. We crashed on their floor and lived like real New Yorkers. Seriously, if you know someone reach out! They may be more than willing to let you crash!Other options are to rent peoples actual homes from legit sites like: Airbnb, VRBO, or HomeAway.

{Seriously, these people are the best. We love them with all our hearts. And we got to live out our real life Friendsgiving with them. It was perfect. It was the best.}

Macy's Day Parade: I think seeing this in person is on about 100 million people's bucket list. And it is so worth it. We actually got a little behind the scenes peek before the parade started. My best suggestions for you are to go early. We left Brooklyn before 6am and the parade didn't start until 9. Get a spot and keep it. You move and the crowd will consume you like shark bait. Bring snacks. Dress warm. You actually don't get to see any of the performances, all those happen in front of Macy's and you can't stand there. They do sell tickets to sit on the bleachers on one side of the road. I have no idea how to get those though, the only perk is not having to look over a 1000 people's heads if you are too far back. Check out that photo Jimmy Fallon posted, were over on the far left near the front. Yep, were little tiny dots in that sea.The library. Swoon. It's free to go in and actually has some art exhibits. It even offers tours. You can walk around but I felt like such an imposter taking photos of people actually reading and studying. I felt that I was defiling all that is good and righteous about the library. You know I have a thing for them....