New York City on the Cheap? Keyauni does New York on a budget!

New York, New York. The Big Apple. New York City on a Budget??

I had always heard New York was huge. I mean duh, it’s THE CITY. Ya know, the one that never sleeps. But I was NOT ready, even though I thought I knew, I didn’t. The sheer size of it took my breath away. It was an unbelievable amount to take in. My senses were on a high due to the overload of it all. I wanted to traverse this city as much as I could in the short time frame I had.

In truth there is an insurmountable amount of things to see or activities to do. This is one reason why New York is a popular destination that people come from all over the world to see. New York is also known to be an expensive city, so it may seem like something unattainable for those with smaller pockets. I’m here to debunk that. In fact I was ballin on a budget and still had a FANTASTIC time. There are so many things to do in NYC, that you can totally do New York City cheap!

Forgo the Taxi and use the Subway

Let’s discuss getting around. We know this is nothing new, but it is still one of our main tips for maintaining a New York budget. We actually used public transportation the entire time. We used Lyft about three times for getting to and from the airport and one dinner reservation, otherwise we used buses and subways for our city adventures.

For the bus and subways get a weekly Metro-card. This card is an unlimited ride pass for 7 days for $32. This saves you A LOT of money, as a single ride is 2.75.

Transferring for the different subways and buses can be a lot, or confusing at times. You may have a couple mix ups, getting on the wrong train in the wrong direction… Just go with it as its bound to happen – at least to me it did. However, with the help of Google, a phone charger, and an adventurous attitude you will figure it out relatively quickly!

Using public transportation definitely made the commutes to each site longer, but I found the subways themselves fascinating.

Each subway station has its own unique look. None of the staggering 468 platforms are alike. Some look newly renovated, while others have an old nostalgic feel to them, or art tiled into the walls.

And of course, the people! Uh, as many of you know I have a people watching obsession, and riding the subway was quite literally like I had died and gone to heaven. My only regret was not having a sketch pad.

One day while riding the subway my boyfriend, Archie, wondered aloud how the subways came to be. How did this labyrinth of tunnels come to lay below this massive city? I wondered. So I asked my good friend Google.

Apparently the original subway line was the United States first elevated railway, opened on July 3, 1868. It was called the IRT Ninth Avenue El. The elevated railways expanded over the years and most are still in use today. But from them grew the idea to have them beneath the city.

Alfred Ely Beach built the first demonstration for an underground transit system in New York City in 1869. It was opened in February 1870. His Beach Pneumatic Transit only extended 312 feet under Broadway in Lower Manhattan, operating from Warren Street to Murray Street. It exhibited his idea for a subway propelled by pneumatic tube technology. The tunnel was never extended for financial and political reasons. However in 1888 The Great Blizzard demonstrated why an underground transportation system would be beneficial to the city. A construction plan was approved in 1894, and began in 1900.

The tunnels were dug by New York immigrants, nicknamed sandhogs. It was dangerous and uncomfortable work. The first underground line of the subway opened on October 27, 1904, almost 36 years after the opening of the first elevated line. Back then the fare was $0.05…$0.05 can you believe that!

The first day the trains carried over 150,000 passengers. The oldest structure still in use was opened in 1885, as part of the BMT Lexington Avenue Line in Brooklyn. It is now part of the BMT Jamaica Line. Oddly enough, we spent a good chunk of our time on the Jamaica Line. You may want to read more information about the New York City Subways!

Use Groupon!

That’s our New York City cheap tip number 2. On this trip to New York I actually managed to spend less than planned. Surprising right? A great place to look for deals on food or any other activity is NYC Groupon.

My biggest expense, aside from flight and hotel, had to have been food. I love to eat and planned my trip around sightseeing and food. (I always make sure my hotel offers breakfast, so that is at least one meal covered!)

On Groupon I found a $50 wine tasting and dinner for two at a place called 1742 Wine Bar, located in Manhattan. This voucher included an appetizer, tasting of six different wines, and entrees of our choice. At the end of our tasting. (which were all more like full glasses,) we got to take home a bottle of our choosing. Again, all for $50, plus a nice tip of course.

The building was a little small but aside from that with low lighting, candles, and some unique artwork on the walls, it was the perfect little date spot. The staff was very courteous and the service was great.

For the rest of the trip we mainly hit different food vendors and restaurants we just happened upon. One AMAZING place worth mentioning is The Smoke Joint in Brooklyn. The smell alone while walking by is enough to pull you in. It was one of those little unexpected spots with some of the best food I’ve ever had.

Take in the Free Sights!

That is our New York City on a budget tip 3. Our entire trip really just consisted of wandering around to see the sights, and so many of them are entirely free. There is so much to see! There are a ton of fabulous Instagrammable places in NYC that don’t cost anything, and show off your inside knowledge of the city!

There is for sure more I would have done with more time and money, as far as activities go, museums, and Broadway shows. I will do these things in the future. But for this trip, I really just wanted to take in as much as I could, and not break the bank.

If you really can’t wait until the next trip, and want to see it all, try a City Pass!

Central Park

This was our first stop. If you’re not up for walking, there are bike rentals located all around the park. You can reserve one ahead of time too.
Bike Rental 2 Hours (Adult)

We did not traverse the entire park, as it is roughly 843 acres. It was full of beautiful sculptures, fountains, and foliage. I loved the vibe of the park: tons of people with their families; dogs; the lone jogger; musicians with their guitars, saxophones, or even bucket drums; and people chilling on benches with their morning coffee, just enjoying the tranquility of this oasis in the hectic concrete jungle of New York.

After we walked through the Central Park for a good amount of time ,with my own coffee in hand, we decided it was time to find the pick up location of the night bus tour for two.

Bus Tour for Two!

The Night Bus tour was not free, but we got a great price. We took ours with Top View Sightseeing. It was on a double-decker bus, which I thought was really cool. Top View offers a number of different option, including a Hop On Hop Off day time bus tour, with 16 stops, and detailed tours of specific buroughs. You can see all of their options, and a tour map, here:
Night Tour

The tour includes headphones that are plugged into the jacks nearest your seat. I didn’t originally know that it was a guided tour, with a lot of detailed information on the different areas of the city, available in 8 languages. It felt like the tour literally took us everywhere. With traffic it was roughly an hour and a half to two hours.

We went through Times Square, Little Italy, China Town, across the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn, by the public library, where there are catacombs of books lying beneath the park next to it. There were many other areas, and our headsets kept us informed on everything, from how it came to be, to details on the construction of the buildings, or even how circus elephants were used to demonstrate the strength of the Brooklyn bridge when New Yorker’s were in doubt. Overall the it was a great time, with lots to see, as well as very educational and interesting.

Lost in Times Square

We went to Times Square, more by accident than on purpose.. It is located in the center of the Theater District, with signs, billboards, and lights on every building. These lights are running 24/7, this area actually uses enough electricity to power 161,000 average US homes. Or twice the electricity needed to power all the casinos in Vegas. That is insane.

It was literally like a raging river of people, overflowing with tourists and locals who had gimmicks to make some cash. I fell prey to one of them, and we got a character drawing done. I absolutely loved it, and could not stop laughing. It is probably one of my favorite souvenirs and still makes me giggle. We really didn’t stay in Times Square for long. It was really overwhelming for the both of us.

While we were there, both of our phones had died and neither of us had a charger, which meant no Google Maps. We were kinda lost. We managed to find someone nice enough to pull up directions for us to get back to our hotel. We tried to memorize them best we could, and off we went.

After a couple wrong turns, a ride on the subway, missing a bus, asking yet another stranger, and some delicious street empanadas, we FINALLY managed to catch what we hoped would take us close to our hotel in Queens. Thankfully it did!

I was pretty exhausted after all that but felt a sense of accomplishment. I didn’t freak one time, we got lost in New York City with no phone managed to make it back to the hotel in one piece without having a breakdown about it. I was pretty confident I could take on anything at that moment.

Brooklyn Bridge

We had dinner reservation at the 1742 Wine Bar in Manhattan, and we decided to get ready and go see the Brooklyn Bridge for some photos on the way. With a bus ride and a couple of subway rides we made it to Brooklyn. Following Google Maps, we ended up at the Manhattan Bridge with the Brooklyn bridge across the way.

We started to head off towards the Brooklyn Bridge, then I changed my mind. I decided I wanted to walk across the Manhattan Bridge so that I could get photos of the Brooklyn Bridge, as it was “golden hour” I was very excited. For anyone who doesn’t know, golden hour is that moment before sunset where the daylight is redder and softer in the sky, it makes for some spectacular photos. It was stunning!

While traversing the bridge I was a little concerned at first because there was chain link going up the side (for obvious reasons). I thought Oh no! How am I going toget my photos now! Then I saw that all along the way, photographers before me had cut portions out of the fence big enough for a camera lens. Sweet! I was good to go.

After a few good photos, and some photos of us together, we just decided to walk the length of the bridge and catch a Lyft to our dinner reservation. Walking the bridge at sunset was quite beautiful and very much like something you would see in a movie. At least felt that way to me.

When coming off the bridge we ended up in Chinatown, which was a very happy accident. If anyone has heard the song Ho Hey by the Lumineers. There is a line that says “I took a bus to Chinatown, I’d be standing on Canal and Bowery, she’d be standing next to me”. Well we ended up on Canal and Bowery which I thought was cool.

We sent for our Lyft to pick us up in that location, and you can bet that we both kept singing the song for the rest of the night. Even the ride to dinner was great, being dark with all the city lights. It was gorgeous. It was a truly beautiful evening in New York, and probably one of my favorite nights.

On our last day I wanted to see the Statue of Liberty and Grand Central Station. I however did not want to pay for a Statue of Liberty tour. I did a little digging and found out that the Staten Island Ferry goes right past her! AND! Get this… It’s FREE!

So we were off on the subway to Whitehall Terminal. It literally took us right there as soon as we came up to the street, which was great. It is a cool terminal with large glass windows, that lets visitors see the views. You could grab some food or even a beer inside while you waited for the next departure of the ferry.

Once we got on the ferry we decided to stand out on the deck so that we could get some good pictures, and actually be able to see. Seeing the skyline from the water was a beautiful sight. It was a sunny day, so I managed to get good skyline photos. I almost missed Lady Liberty because I had gotten so focused on my skyline photos. Thankfully Archie called it to my attention in time!

Overall the Ferry was a nice ride lasting about 30 minutes. Once to Staten Island We had to get off that ferry and onto another to head back.

Back at Whitehall we headed out to find a subway terminal to take us to Grand Central Station. The walk to this terminal was beautiful, there was a little park next to Whitehall. The sun was beginning to set and with the water it was just an amazing feeling. The entrance to this subway platform was really unique, and made me think of something you would see off Harry Potter or something, ya know a platform 9 and 3/4 type place.

Once we stepped out of the platform at Grand Central Station, this station again was unlike the rest. There were different levels with several platforms going to different places. We started our way up out of the station and there was a group of break dancers, which I thought was very cool. We sat and watched for a good long while.

When we made our way up out of the platform, I knew I wanted to see what had been in many an iconic movie and T.V. show: the Main Concourse, with its big clock, giant staircases, and Zodiac Mural.

The Zodiac Mural was my favorite part of Grand Central. It is one of New York’s most beloved pieces of public art. French pastelist and etcher Paul César Helleu created the vast tableau in 1912, with the help of collaborating artist Charles Basing.

The signs of the zodiac from October to March, including Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer, are depicted, along with some of the more familiar constellations like Orion, Pegasus, Musca, and Triangulum. Helleu included nearly 2,500 stars, but to amplify the effect of perspective, he added 10-watt light bulbs to the centers of the sixty major stars marking the signs and constellations. This mural has since been restored due to water damage.

It was truly a stunning site I was very glad I got to see. This mural gave me the urge to lay on the floor to stare up at it. There were signs posted that advised against that very thing though, so clearly I was not the first one with that thought. Outside, the terminal was just as beautiful with magnificent statues and the cutest little cafe across the way under the bridge.

Until next time New York..

Overall my first trip to New York was amazing! I felt I truly got to see a lot, even though I know there are infinite things that could be seen or done. I loved every place I did have the opportunity to visit. As I said earlier, in future trips I plan to visit some museums and the library, and to see a Broadway show or two. But I will do that when I am not on a budget. This time I needed to do New York City cheap, and I successfully did!

By using public transportation, finding deals on Groupon, and taking advantage of the many free city sights, I was able to really do New York City cheap, and still have a great time! I hope that my trip can encourage those who feel it isn’t possible to do New York on a budget, because it is!