New York and spending

arctan

Going to NYC soon, won't be doing much shopping, more sightseeing, a friend said it was expensive, I suppose I'd be your bog standard tourist over there, the "trying not to, but is" spending foolishly because it's holidays !

anyways, 6 days, 800 to 1000 dollars, would it be enough ?
(everything is booked, but still have to pay taxes on some hotels which equate to circa 120 dollars)

kazoo2001

Taxis and tourist attractions can be expensive there are money off vouchers available at most attractions or vouchers for using at other attractions than the first one u go to you tend to have a few days to use them. Bodegas and delis r a cheaper way to dine but there r a few nice bars that do good food such as the old castle located on the corner of 54th and 7th. My recommendation for travel is buy a multi trip card for the subway and a good subway map very easy to get the hang of. If ur not shopping then ur spending money should be plenty avoid souviner shops at Times Square if u travel a few blocks you will get the same things a lot cheaper also DO NOT buy electrical goods, cameras,I pods at these stores the demos work fine but wot they sell u doesn't. For a handy way of getting about I recommend the hop on hop off buses your ticket is usually valid for a few days too (I used to live in NY so anything specific please ask)

lil_lisa

If you're not too sure what you want to go see, I would definitely recommend starting on the hop on hop off bus tour for a day. See as much as you can and decide what you'd like to see closer. Once you get to Time Square, you'll be swarmed with different bus offers and maps, there's plenty there.

Also, consider taking the Staten Island Ferry. It's free just to cross and back and you get a nice view of the Statue of Liberty (unless you want to get a lot closer but I believe that can be expensive).

Start a limit for each day depending on what you have and always consider your meals. That way you hopefully won't run out too quickly. Your money can disappear on what seems like inexpensive items throughout the day.

yew_tree

I recommend you get the 7-Day Unlimited Pass Metrocard - Cost: $29
This allow you to ride the subway as much as you want and also city buses

You can download a free app for the MTA which gives you a subway map - very handy

dobsdave

yew_tree wrote: »

I recommend you get the 7-Day Unlimited Pass Metrocard - Cost: $29
This allow you to ride the subway as much as you want and also city buses

You can download a free app for the MTA which gives you a subway map - very handy

29? for the week?

yew_tree

dobsdave wrote: »

29? for the week?

Yes - 7 days - great value

InTheTrees

I love New York because I can just walk around for days and the layout of the streets means its practically impossible to get lost.

arctan

cheers for the tips people, so the 800- 1000 should be ok ? :-)

ProudDUB

It really depends on what you want to do when you are there OP. Being a bog standard tourist covers a lot of things, especially in NYC. Be careful if you are into cultural stuff. Museums/libraries/galleries/historical monuments in the US, are not free in the the way that they often are here.

Does your $800-$1000 include all your meals for the week? It will be tight if it does. Eating out in Manhattan in particular can be very expensive, but if you travel out to the outer boroughs you should be able to get decent meals at a decent price. Hotel accommodation in the US rarely includes breakfast or dinner. If breakfast is included, it will usually be a buffet self serve consisting of muffins/donuts and not much more. Don't expect it to fill you up the way that a full Irish will. There are also several famous NY eateries you should check out that won't break the bank. Nathan's and Katz's Deli being a couple.

That being said, NYC is a fabulous, fabulous city to simply wander around in, explore the various neighbourhoods and just soak up the amazing atmosphere and buzz of the place. You can do that to your hearts content for free ! I spent a whole day in Central Park the last time I was there & it didn't cost me a penny.

SHOVELLER

arctan wrote: »

cheers for the tips people, so the 800- 1000 should be ok ? :-)

If you budget generally for a ton a day you should be fine. And as mentioned an unlimited 7 day Metrocard is extraordinary value.

athtrasna

Nobody has mentioned tips yet. I find they add up to a sizeable amount over the course of a week. 15-20% in restaurants, $1 per drink in bars, taxi tips etc

upandaway13

Was over there a couple of years ago staying out in Queens and traveled into manhatten by bus and subway when wanted to go in.
$800-1000 will it last? Yes but don't expect to be coming home with a bag full of presents.

-Id suggest getting the NY city pass it lasts for 3 days i think and gives free entry to a lot of the major attractions.It will be an action packed 3 days and you would be on the go from early morning to late night trying to fit evryting in but its well worth it .

-make sure to get a metro card really good value and you will find yourself on the subway and maybe buses an awful lot.

-if your looking for a nice meal go out of town and get one will be free to get out with the metro card and will cost a hell of alot less. Eating in any of the franchises is the same price no matter where you are so McDonalds,burgerking etc is always a good option if your on the go ,however you may notice a slight difference in the taste of food there everything tends to be sweeter than here.

-Id say you will have plenty , have a good trip

arctan

ok, just a little summary, didn't do much shopping, did little eating but and awful lot of drinking, 1200 dollars was eaten up fairly quick

7 day MTA card was a Godsend, thank you :-)

yew_tree

arctan wrote: »

ok, just a little summary, didn't do much shopping, did little eating but and awful lot of drinking, 1200 dollars was eaten up fairly quick

7 day MTA card was a Godsend, thank you :-)

Glad you enjoyed NY - Hope to head back myself later in the year. Always something to do.

carly_86

I was there 2 years ago and i brought $4000 and spent the lot i am heading over next week and bringing the same amount but this time i am gonna spend as little as possible

The Uninvited Guest

carly_86 wrote: »

I was there 2 years ago and i brought $4000 and spent the lot i am heading over next week and bringing the same amount but this time i am gonna spend as little as possible

:eek: $4k? How long were you over there for?

carly_86

The Uninvited Guest wrote: »

:eek: $4k? How long were you over there for?

I was there for 7 days this time i am gonna try save money

cena

carly_86 wrote: »

I was there for 7 days this time i am gonna try save money

i BROUGHT about 3500 and came back with under 1000 dollars

melekalikimaka

went over last jan, didnt buy any clothes or anything, and spent 2k euro on food and booze, its grossly expensive and tips did my tit in

carly_86

cena wrote: »

i BROUGHT about 3500 and came back with under 1000 dollars

I am only gonna shop in jersey garden and eat in the deli and get the new York pass card

clairefontaine

I don't know how you end up spending so much unless you are doing a lot of shopping. If you are smart about it, you can do it with less.

1. Get the metro card.

2. Museums- read between the lines. The likes of the Met and Museum of Natural History have voluntary contributions. You can pay $1 if you want. The likes of MOMA have special days where they are free. Look into the museums for days or evenings where they are free.

3. Tourist attractions such as Empire State or Ellis Island- choose your outings. You dont have to do everything.

4. Eating out - lots of restaurants have special deals and are cheap. Look around. Midtown will be expensive - lots of businesses and tourists. Same with the upper East side. Go onto city-data and ask the locals for tips on their favourite restaurants.

5. Places like Met Opera and Lincoln centre often have nosebleed seats very cheap.

6. Craigslist often has people last minute trying to give away tickets to things, you can get a cheap price or sometimes free.

NYC is full of temptations and experts on how to get you to part with your money. Be strong and don't give in.

athtrasna

cena wrote: »

i BROUGHT about 3500 and came back with under 1000 dollars

Cash? That's madness if so. Cards all the way with maybe $200 in cash for tips and taxis.

cena

athtrasna wrote: »

Cash? That's madness if so. Cards all the way with maybe $200 in cash for tips and taxis.

ya cash only. But I was staying at an aunts house. so I didn't have it all on my at one time

Fukuyama

Tick Tock Diner under the New Yorker Hotel. Yum.

Get the Full Irish.

ballymac676

Hi not sure if I should start a new thread here but seeing as it is quite recent thought I would ask the people who have recently visited NY is they can recommend anywhere decent to stay that is not going to break the bank. Hoping to go for 4 nights in Oct - three of us. Thanks

carly_86

ballymac676 wrote: »

Hi not sure if I should start a new thread here but seeing as it is quite recent thought I would ask the people who have recently visited NY is they can recommend anywhere decent to stay that is not going to break the bank. Hoping to go for 4 nights in Oct - three of us. Thanks

Broadway hotel and hostel west 101 st

Coopaloop

Radio City Apartments, just off Time Square! Great spot!

NYC2013

ballymac676 wrote: »

Hi not sure if I should start a new thread here but seeing as it is quite recent thought I would ask the people who have recently visited NY is they can recommend anywhere decent to stay that is not going to break the bank. Hoping to go for 4 nights in Oct - three of us. Thanks

If your looking for an apartment I recommend this website www.airbnb.com. I would however stay away from the places that don't have a lot of reviews. I used it twice when I came over here without any hassle and its about a 1/4 the cost of a hotel.

Falcon.ie

NYC2013 wrote: »

If your looking for an apartment I recommend this website www.airbnb.com. I would however stay away from the places that don't have a lot of reviews. I used it twice when I came over here without any hassle and its about a 1/4 the cost of a hotel.

Couldn't agree with this more. I live full time in Astoria, Queens and have used airbnb.com a few times for parents and friends coming over. Simplest and cheapest way to stay in New York for a tourist.

Mongo

Definitely get yourself a Metrocard. You can go everywhere then!

You can eat quite cheaply but don't be expecting anything superb. Deli sandwiches are massive and cheap. Eating them on the move is great too because just walking around and soaking up the city is the great thing about NYC. Pizza slices are also really big and cheap. 2 of them would do for dinner and again it's genuine NYC experience. Bar food is usually pretty OK price-wise too. Mostly good food as well.

If you don't plan on going on the lash you'll spend way less. Most bars do happy hour specials as well so don't be afraid to ask and get some cheap beer/cocktails!

The attractions/sites will be expensive alright. The Staten Island Ferry is free and you get a good look at the Statue Of Liberty from that. Museums are cheap enough considering you could spend the whole day in the Met/MOMA/Natural History museum.

I'd recommend doing a lot of walking and just soaking up everything. The people,places,smells,sounds. That's the beauty of the city!

Tombo2001

arctan wrote: »

cheers for the tips people, so the 800- 1000 should be ok ? :-)

if you mean spending money for six days then you should be ok, but that depends to some extent on what you like to do.

Do you like walking? If not then you might have a problem.

For example, you could spend a day walking around Brooklyn Heights, park Slope etc, seeing the sights, just stopping for a sandwich or coffee every few hours. That would be a smashing day for me. But you mightnt like it. Ditto for Central Park or Greenwich Village or anywhere else.

If you would rather see shows, go shopping etc, then the budget will be a problem

one small tip, I went to the Whitney museum last Friday evening when it was open late. The normal entry fee is $20 but on this evening it was $5. Now I wasnt all that impressed with the Whitney, but other museums there are amazing, and may have special offers.

Paul_Hacket

melekalikimaka wrote: »

went over last jan, didnt buy any clothes or anything, and spent 2k euro on food and booze, its grossly expensive and tips did my tit in

Unless you were there for a month you went to the wrong places. I'm constantly amazed at the parts of the city that people on boards.ie stay in and the restaurants they recommend. Nobody here eats in midtown, apart from being over priced the food there is brutal. Downtown you can easily have an excellent dinner with drinks for $40, much less if you're having Mexican, Vietnamese etc.

NYC is definitely a cheaper city to both eat and drink in than Dublin, tips included.

Gaspode

5 year old thread closed, feel free to start a new one on New York if needed.