New York on a budget, is it possible ???….Hell yeah !! I love visiting the US and going on a city break!
New York is so good they named it twice, and you really have to see it to believe it !. After years of going there with work, I have seen many a mad sight in New York, from a business man all suited and booted,by literally topping off his look with some White, knee high boots to the best buskers on the subway EVER ! And rats just crossing the street!
It really should be on every bodies bucket list , as the sheer size of the sky scrappers and Beauty of central Park placed in the middle is breath taking. I have put together a New York on a Budget guide to help you and I start off with the Airport. For starters, when you book your dream getaway, make sure that you book through a cash back website such as Quidco. A £500 flight ticket, could see you grab a nice chunk of cashback, that would top up your spending Budget ! Don’t feel that you have to fly into JFK, as the Airport can have you waiting in queues for several hours and the traffic to get to the city is flipping dire !. Have a look at Newark Airport as you will clear Customs quickly and you can get the train up to Manhattan, which will only take you 25 minutes for a bargain price of $13 !. From JFK your looking at $60 + for a cab and also an hours stop start ride to the city !
Something New Yorkers like to do is eat and Fortunately they do it well. The city is saturated with Deli’s offering the freshest of salads with a HUGEEEEE variety of things to add such as garlic sprouts, baby mozzarella, charred aubergine,honestly the variety is immense. They are also pretty hot on their soups, which is fab in the winter as it gets really Chilly.
One of the best places to get a breakfast in New York on a budget is at Grand Central Station, a great place when in New York on a Budget ! On the Lower floor they have a Dining Concourse that houses several eateries and a large seating area, it is a great place to get a fab Breakfast and people watch ! With a huge mix of folk, from tramps to the Upper class set, with nobody batting an eyelid at who or what is sat next to them.
La Chula honestly does the best Mexican breakfast that I have ever tasted, sorry I mean the Best ever breakfast in general ! For $9 you get a large portion of breakfast with a real decent cup of coffee and this will set you up for your busy day ! I always have the Huevos Rancheros which consists of 2 sunny side up eggs, with soft corn tortillas, salsa Verde, rice, beans and the freshest, greenest guacamole Ever. It is topped of with some Mexican cheese and it is honestly worth a try !!!!
You will really use those legs walking around the city and a great tip for a top up and speedy lunch is to grab a slice of pizza. Most places will do a large slice for 99c each and they are generally really Nice. Perfect for visiting New York on a budget.
This is a great option if you are traveling the world with kids with you as food can be a pricey business, and with several varieties of pizza, it usually keeps everybody happy !
If you’re looking for a sweet treat in the afternoon, a great Find is Magnolia Bakery. Made famous by it’s amazing Cup cakes and a little TV show called Sex in the City, this is a great stop off point for a treat !
This place is a diabetics nightmare and a sweetaholics dream as the Cupcakes are plentiful, the coffee is grand and the other sweet assortments a tad too tempting !
Unfortunately, it isn’t the cheapest place to grab a snack, but it is worth a visit at least once during your stay.
Now New York has some really tacky places and this place that I highly recommend you visit for Dinner is at the top of the list ! Located in The Times square area, is a fab place called Ellens Stardust Diner.
This 1950s themed diner has the world famous singing waitstaff, and they sing around you, above you and in among you with old classic to current chart topping songs !
Glee the TV show was based on Stardust and with burgers and milkshakes, it will provide you with a real American dinner experience. The food honestly will not blow you away, but you go for the atmosphere and smile factor and With Burgers starting around the $17 mark, it isn’t a badly priced night out. A word of warning though, as it is a really popular food place to visit, you may have to queue for table.
Before you leave for NY, Google the High Line. It is New York’s old high railway line that is around 1.4 miles long and runs off between buildings and apartment blocks. It was recently turned into a beautiful walkway full of exotic plants and great views and best of all it is free to do !!
Also save money by riding on the Staten Island Ferry free and getting great views of Manhattan and the statue of Liberty ! This Ferry is to transport Staten Islanders to and from Manhattan and it beats the $90 boat tours, that do exactly the same Job !! I promise you it does exactly the same job for a whole lot less !!!!!!!
So I hope this little venture into visiting New York on a Budget has helped with your Forking curiosity and will hopefully save you some money, Please do let me know what you thought of these places should you visit them