I knew our weekend in NY would be pricy. And if I had to guess before the weekend started I’d say $1k. And looking at the numbers I was right.
- Dog Boarding - $130
- Hotel - $287.72, hey it’s new york
- Bus to NY - $65.50
- Statue of Libery - $24
- NY Transit (Metro Card) - $32.50
- MMA Entrance - $20
- Cafe @ MMA - $9.10
- Avenue Q - $120
- Irish Pub - $15
- Dim Sum - $21
- Sushi - $19.40
- Oyster Bar - $28.66
- Ellis Island Drink - $3.75
- Uburger - $16.22
- Carniegie Deli - $30
- Sapporo Noodle - $40
- Cash Spent Extra - $50
Grand Total for the weekend - $912.85. Pretty much spot on for what I expected to spend. Yikes! Maybe next time we can be more frugal.
Expensive part of our trip was the hotel for 2 nights @ $145/night including taxes, but it was a Hilton in Midtown. The location was extremely great and it made seeing the city easy. Plus if anyone knows NY, hotels are always expensive in Manhattan.
Our tickets for the Broadway show Avenue Q, were from TKTS. So they were 50%, but still $60/each. The show was fantastic. As a tip, go to the booth at 6-7 pm and watch whatever is left. The lines at 3 pm when they open are horrendous. And the stand only sells tickets for shows that day and for CASH. Also the newest most popular shows (like lion king, mary poppins) are never sold at TKTS. But DH and I just wanted to see a Broadway show. Well worth it!
While we paid to go see the Metropolitan Museum of the Arts, we got in free to the Museum of Modern Art. We also did a lot of walking around and exploring the city. Hence the high food bills.
In our more frugal days we’d carry a backpack with water and snacks. Now, I noticed our age is showing and we can’t strap on packs for 18 hours and 30 lbs and run around. Actually some of our “treats” was DH’s way of sitting down and resting by having a coffee or beer. Yeah, when we have kids I suppose we’ll have to strap on the heavy backpacks again, but we’ll also be moving a lot slower, not walking 16-20 miles in one day, and just overall having a slower pace.
We walked the Brooklyn Bridge, explored Chinatown, saw the statue of liberty, walked in the financial district, and basically enjoyed the city. I think we’ll go one more time, hopefully later this year to catch Yankee stadium, more of central park, and maybe a ballet or opera.
My tip, if you enjoy travel, do it while you are relatively free. I hear some regret in friend’s voices who have kids. It’s a lot harder for them to pack up and go away even for a weekend. So for now I’ll be fancy free and footloose.
Now the question what to do for the summer?
4 responses so far ↓
1 boomie // Jun 5, 2008 at 9:22 pm
YEAH! I get my discount broadway tix at http://www.broadwaybox.com. I wish I knew you were coming because I have 4 tix to MMA with no expiration and I could have sent you 2 for free. My treat. Oh well. Next time. I go there ALL the time! Love it.
Ain’t NYC grand? I just love her.
Sounds like you two had a wonderful time.
What? No SATC Magnolia Bakery cupcakes????
Next Summer plans? The beach of course.
2 chris // Jun 6, 2008 at 12:50 am
Ok, you’ve done two more things than I have done, and I’ve been there a dozen times.
I’ve never walked the Brooklyn Bridge. I was talking to a co-worker today, and they crossed it a few years ago and said there were armed guards on the bridge. Is that still the case?
Also, I’ve never been to the MMA. Guess I’m just not cultural.
I love Chinatown. Between the Gucci and Rolex knockoffs, the shell games and the fresh (and live) fish markets, it’s a must see. I’ve been to San Francisco’s , Toronto’s and Boston’s Chinatowns and none had the helter skelter feel of NYC’s.
If you missed Grand Central Station, you missed a treat. The only downside is they’ve changed the departure signs from mechanical to digital. The old mechanical sign was cool. As updates were received, the letters and numbers would “clack” across many boards as they were updated. Now the digital boards just sweep with new lights with updates. It’s sort of neat to watch trains depart and arrive.
Glad you found the secret to TKTS. Yes, they never have the “hot” tickets, but I’ve seen some great theater by being flexible and open to something I knew nothing about.
I also was in the observation deck of the World Trade Center a few years before it came tumbling down.
If you missed the tour to Ellis Island, take it on your next trip. The information is interesting and the tour enlightening.
3 Livingalmostlarge // Jun 6, 2008 at 3:00 am
Actually Chris, we ate at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station and saw a wedding party! It was very romantic to see the bride and groom.
We did see the statue of liberty and ellis island. I made reservations so we could see the monument. It was very cool.
No guards on the bridge, but we also walked on Saturday morning. It was pretty busy. Had some great pizza under the bridge.
4 frugal zeitgeist // Jun 6, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I’m glad you walked over the Brooklyn Bridge. That’s one of my favorite places to run or bike. Next time, I’d suggest that you get up to see Columbia University, Zabar’s, and the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Let me know if you need any good and CHEAP restaurant suggestions.
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