Big Cities, Little Budgets: New York City

The Big Apple, The City That Never Sleeps, The Concrete Jungle- NYC. There’s something about New York City that is so intriguing and exciting. The constant hustle and bustle, the anticipation of what’s around each block, the city is full of surprises.

Even after my first trip to NYC, when it was cold and rainy, I still thoroughly enjoyed myself and looked forward to when I could return. For many years, my friend Nicole and I had been meaning to go to the city together, but our plans kept falling through. We were both busy with college for a majority of the year and we both worked during the summer. Due to our busy and often conflicting schedules, we knew that we would probably have to schedule this trip for the winter, which meant that it would be cold again and there was a great chance of having bad weather. The more we discussed it though, we realized that if we were already going to be going when it was cold, then we might as well go in December, so we could at least enjoy all of the Christmas decorations.

Shortly after deciding this we realized that unless we actually made reservations, then we would keep pushing back the trip further and further. So, one day in November of 2018, we simply got online, searched around and within only a couple of hours we booked a place for our trip and just like that it became official- we were going to New York City in only a few weeks.

While we didn’t necessarily have any exact plans for our trip, we did take the time to think about what we wanted to do and see while in the city. One thing we did know, and plan for, is that we didn’t want this trip to be too expensive. Being fresh out of college, we were definitely traveling on a budget, but we both became pleasantly surprised at how much we were able to do, without having to spend too much mulla. With some light planning and a little bit of luck, our four night trip to NYC was simultaneously loads of fun and budget friendly.

Looking at the main areas that people spend their money on trips, I have divided these into categories and explained how we were able to save money and what we were able to do.

1. Lodging

-Consider staying outside of the city

First of all, we did not actually stay in NYC, we instead stayed in Jersey City. However, with a simple walk down our street, we could hop on a subway that, within another fifteen or twenty minutes, dropped us off right at One World Trade.

-Look into other options besides a hotel

We decided to use Airbnb and stay in someone’s house that they were renting out. We made sure to check out the pictures and the host reviews beforehand. The unit that we were staying in did have some other people staying in the other bedroom, which is partially how we got such a great price. While it was a little weird at first, we only saw the other people once and it was never a problem having them there.

-Parking is important

We also made sure to book a place that included parking. There were limited spaces on the property, but the host did mention that there was meter parking just across the street. Luckily for us though, we were able to park in the driveway, which meant free parking for our entire visit.

2. Transportation

-Consider traffic

We did drive into Jersey, which we hoped would allow us to avoid some of the really heavy traffic. We did not avoid it. The traffic was awful. However, once we reached the house that we were staying at, we parked the car and it did not leave that spot until we left to return back home.

-Take public transportation

We ended up buying one of the pre-paid cards, for about $30 worth of rides, and it worked out perfectly actually. Like, the last time we rode the subway we were left with only a few cents on our cards.

-Use your own two feet

We did a ton of walking on this trip. Like two days of 21k steps and a day of 33k steps walking. Because there’s a good chance that you will be doing so much walking, it was important for us to pack comfortable shoes. I actually chose a pair of boots that were also waterproof. On top of comfortable shoes, it is equally as important to be prepared for the weather. We knew that NYC in December is cold and possibly snowy. We wore heavy, long coats and took gloves, hats and scarves.

-Always stick together

Honestly, there was never a time during this trip that we felt unsafe or uncomfortable. Because it got dark by 5:00pm, we already knew that we would be walking around while it was dark out, but we recommend just being aware of your surroundings and being smart. We carried pepper spray in our purses, we made sure our phones weren’t dead, we never went anywhere by ourselves and we stayed in higher traffic areas

3. Food

-Take snacks

Bringing our own snacks saved our loves countless of times and I whole heartedly believe that snacks are the most important item when it comes to packing. By having snacks in the car, we didn’t feel the need to make unnecessary snack stops on the way to and from New York, which saved us time and money. Each morning, we also ate the food we brought for breakfast, which often included fruit and granola bars. The place we were staying additionally had complimentary coffee and hot chocolate, so there was no need for us to stop somewhere every morning. Pro Tip: Take candy (we always take caramel creams) with you everywhere you go in the city. When we were stuck on the subway, or in the middle of a museum, it’s amazing the power candy can have on your appetite and overall mood.

-Don’t eat at all of the famous locations

New York City is famous for so many things, one of which is all of the amazing restaurants. However, eating at famous restaurants the entire trip would have run us up probably another $100 or more. Instead, we often grabbed food at tiny pizza joints, local sushi restaurants and even some food carts. Honestly, the food was cheap, it tasted great and we never got food poisoning, so I would say that’s a win.

-Treat yo’ self at least once

On one of the nights we ventured over to Brooklyn and while there, we decided to actually sit down and eat at a nice restaurant. Because it was a nicer place and because it was the only “fancier” place we ate at the whole trip, it did make it more special and fun. Ironically though, I remember all of the food I got at the hole-in-the-wall joints, but for the life of me I can’t remember at all what I ate at this nice restaurant. I do however remember that the ice cream I got at a little shop after dinner was really good though.

-The best garlic bread ever can be found in Jersey City at a place called Krispy’s Pizza. After an extremely busy day walking all over the city we had finally made it back to Jersey. Food was obviously the only thing on our mind and before we knew it we were trekking through the cold, windy and snowy night to grab what is verifiably the best garlic bread I have ever, EVER, had. Just ask me about it sometime.

4. Entertainment

-Plan ahead where you want to spend money

While we did not necessarily have much of a plan at all for this trip besides, “make it to NYC,” we did discuss a few times what we wanted to see. For instance, Nicole and I knew that we wanted to go up to the top of one of the towers, but it wasn’t until we actually reached the city that we decided to visit the Empire State building. Another activity we considered was visiting a museum, so with a little process of elimination, we decided to visit the American Museum of Natural History. These were the only activities for our entire trip that really cost us any money. 

-Enjoy the free stuff

Because we are tourists, we were easily entertained by just walking around the city and seeing the views. Because we walked, we were able to see loads of famous sites such as the Statue of Liberty, the harbor, memorials we had never even heard about, Times Square, and a majority of Central Park. As a bonus, because we visited in December, we were also able to enjoy all of the eye-popping, larger than life Christmas decorations, the light show at Saks on Fifth and the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The only thing these activities cost us were some sore legs. On our first day in the city we additionally were able to go to a taping for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon; this was also free, we actually got a $100 gift card for being in the audience that day- thanks Miley and Converse! While at the show, we saw Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson, Matt Damon, Felicity Jones, Regina King, and of course Higgins and The Roots.

-Take notice of restrooms

Sometimes they are difficult to find. If you are stopping at a restaurant or museum, take advantage of their facilities. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where there’s no restroom…

-Be aware of the “super touristy” spots

A prime example is Times Square. We stopped by Times Square twice, but we never stayed too long, partially because of the crowds. However, we were able to find so many other great spots where it wasn’t crowded at all.

-Look ahead at bag policies

The only place we ran into that didn’t allow bags was NBC Studios. I did know this beforehand, so we only carried our wallets around with us that day.

-Don’t fill your day sunrise to sunset

It’s okay to sleep in a little bit, or relax in the evenings, or even just take a stroll around a newly discovered area. By not overbooking ourselves we never felt stressed or rushed.