How to save $1,000 on a trip to New York
There is nothing like a trip to the Big Apple, but it can easily cost a small fortune. Yet there are ways to enjoy a fantastic holiday without breaking the bank, as
SARAH TURNER discovers…
FLY BUDGET
More airlines than ever fly to New York and fares have never been so competitive. For the cheapest prices, book as early as you can.
Aer Lingus offer flights to JFK for as little as €159 in February, while Norwegian Air rolls in at €119 one-way for the same month.
Plan ahead, shop around and you won’t need to take out a second mortgage for flight tickets.
TAKE THE TRAIN
Take a taxi from JFK into Manhattan and you’ll pay a minimum of $65 (€57), including a tip – it’s impossible to avoid paying tips in New York.
However, flying into Newark allows you to then catch a train costing $12.50 (€11) to Penn Station (panynj.gov), but at JFK you are better off getting a shuttle bus.
NYC Airporter (nycairporter. com) has regular services between JFK and Times Square/Grand Central from $19 (about €17) and can take just over an hour if the traffic is good.
Alternatively, take the AirTrain to Howard Beach and join the subway from there. The AirTrain costs $7.75 (about €6.80).
CHEAP SLEEPS
Be wary of Airbnb accommodation in New York as it is likely to be illegal unless the landlord lives in.
This doesn’t stop people listing their apartments, nor the authorities kicking out bewildered tourists. A Midtown hotel can easily cost $350 a night (€305), but you can find better-value rooms if you head to Brooklyn.
Try the Aloft group (marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/nycylaloft-new-york-brooklyn) or The Hoxton in Williamsburg (thehoxton.com/new-york/williamsburg/hotels) – both have rooms starting from $160 (€140) a night.
If you’re in a group, some of Manhattan’s trendiest hotels, such as Ace (acehotel.com/newyork) or Freehand (freehandhotels.com/ new-york), incorporate low-cost bunk-bed rooms.
They may be designed for avocado-munching millennials to hang out in, but they’re also great for families. Expect to pay around $220 a night (€190) for four people.
GETTING AROUND
Make sure you buy a subway pass. Single-trip fares cost $2.75 (€2.40), so a seven-day pass is much better value.
It costs $32 (€28) for adults or $16 (€14) for concessions and covers buses too. Visit web.mta.info.
JOIN THE CULTURE CLUB
The Museum of Modern Art (moma.org) charges up to $25 (€22) for entry, but on Fridays between 4pm and 8pm you’ll be able to see its paintings by Monet for free.
Then head across town from 8pm to 10pm to see artworks by Edward Hopper at the Whitney Museum of American Art – dig into your pockets for a few cents because you have to give some sort of donation (whitney.org).
SIX OF THE BEST
Entry to some of the city’s biggest attractions isn’t cheap – adult tickets to the top and main deck of the Empire State Building alone cost $58 (€51).
Visitors are better off booking a multi-attraction sightseeing pass in advance.
Pre-book the New York City Pass, which includes entrance to six famous sites such as the Empire State, Top Of The Rock, Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and you can make a saving of about 40%.
The pass costs from €106 per adult and €87 per child (attractiontickets-direct.co.uk).
FANCY A FEAST?
Eating out in New York can be pricey – the average cost of a meal for two with wine is $100 (€90).
However, you can feast on some brilliant (and cheap) pizza and Chinese if you know where to look. In the hip Lower East Side, Trapizzino (trapizzinousa.com) has acclaimed stuffed pizza for $7.50 (€6.50) and rice balls for $3.50 (€3).
In neighbouring Chinatown, you can gorge at Vanessa’s Dumpling House (www.vanessas.com) for under $10 (€8.80).
At the Corner Bistro (cornerbistrony.com), between the trendy West Village and Meatpacking District, the burgers (about €11) are famous across New York. A pint of beer – the locally renowned McSorley’s – will cost you $4.25 (about €3.70).
A CLOSE ENCOUNTER – FOR FREE
Why pay $15 (about €13) on a New York Harbour tour when you can do it for free?
The Staten Island Ferry (siferry. com) gives you a close-up look at the Statue of Liberty and costs nothing. Entrance to Central Park (centralparknyc.org) is also free, and so are some of the events, including performances of Shakespeare each summer.
A donation of a cent will get you into the American Museum of Natural History (amnh.org). And the Brooklyn Brewery (brooklyn brewery.com) offers free tours every Saturday and Sunday between 1pm and 6pm.
BARGAIN HUNTS
Visitors can run up a huge creditcard bill in the designer boutiques of Fifth Avenue, but a true New Yorker never pays full price for fashion. Just off Wall Street, Century 21 (c21stores.com) has seven floors of heavily discounted designer stock – all clothing is at least 50% off.
Union Square, on 14th Street, is another strong location for fashion fans, with Designer Shoe Warehouse (dsw.com) and Nordstrom Rack (nordstrom.com).
On the Upper West Side at 2085 Broadway, Bloomingdale’s Outlet (bloomingdales.com) opened in 2015, while Saks Off Fifth (saks off5th.com) does equally smart fashion and accessories on 57th Street.
If you can wait until next April, Empire Outlets (empire outletsnyc.com) opens on Staten Island with factory shops for Nike, Gap, Brooks Brothers and Levi’s.
IT’S SHOWTIME!
Buy from the TKTS booths in Times Square, Lincoln Center and South Street Seaport and save up to 70% on theatre tickets.
Downloading the TKTS app will let you see which shows are on offer first (tdf.org/nyc/7/TKTSticket-booths).
Some of the biggest hits in New York have lotteries for tickets, including Hamilton (€11) and Book Of Mormon (€28) – you can enter from your phone or laptop.
Broadway For Broke People (broadwayforbrokepeople.com) has the most up-to-date information on shows.
Now you have the lowdown on doing New York cheaply, all you have to do is enjoy yourself!