World Traveler on a Budget: New York City

If you have read any of my other travel tips, then you already know I LOVE to travel, but am also broke. So I will start with a few tips to help you save money to get where ever you dream of going and then move on to the New York City specific stuff.

• For us broke folk, planning ahead is necessary. New York isn't terribly expensive if you know how to do it right (Don't worry, I'll tell you!), but if you have bigger dreams, plan on saving a year in advance
• The Change Jar - I have managed some awesome trips, including Rome, Italy by dropping my change into a jar every day. My suggestion is to up the ante and drop in dollar bills, too.
• Every time you spend money ask yourself "Would I rather spend two dollars on this energy drink here...or in New York City?" (or where ever you want to go).
• If you truly love to travel, you may need to sacrifice a bit. If it is not worth it to you, that is okay! But for me skipping expensive cable,a bigger place and a nice car are TOTALLY worth the cool places I have been able to visit!

Luckily for me, one of my super freaking awesome friends moved to NYC a few years back, which means I (usually) have a place to crash when I visit. But I visited a few times before she moved there, so here are my tips on making sure you don't spend a crap ton of money getting and sleeping there.

• DO NOT (really, I mean it!) stay in New Jersey if you want to visit New York City. Yes the hotels are cheaper, yes the city is just a twenty or thirty minute bus ride. NO you will NOT save money. Sorry for all the caps, but I made this mistake once and I want to spare you the same. The first time I visited I booked a NJ hotel, thinking (ok, I was told) that it was only a few dollars to ride a bus to the city. Not true anymore. We paid fifty dollars per day round trip for two people and wasted two to three hours each day doing this. DON'T.
• DO mix and match the airports. New York has two large airports and a great transit system, so it really doesn't matter which you fly in or out of. If one is cheaper going in and the other is cheaper going home, it is not a big deal.
• DO look into a travel site that will book your hotel and flight together, but also check on prices for a flight alone. I like Hotwire, but feel free to shop around.
• When you are traveling always book several weeks in advance or at the last minute for the best deals. I last visited for new years going in to 2010 and paid $200 round trip. Off season I have flown in for $140 from Florida.

Once you have the flight and hotel booked, here is a few tips to save you cash while in the city!

• DO NOT (again with the caps, sorry. But really this will save you tons of money)pay full price to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art aka The Met). There is a bit of a story behind this one. I was still in school the first time I went to NYC, and I was going to miss one of my Art History classes aaand I was out of excused absences. So I asked my teacher if visiting the MET could count as an excuse. She said yes, but gave me a pretty awesome piece of advice. The posted admission price ($25 last time I visited) is actually a suggested donation. (It says so in super tiny letters under the price). Give em a dollar, and smile while you do it!
• If you are going to be in the city for more than three or four days then get a weekly unlimited rides subway pass. No matter how little you think you will ride the subway, you will need it! Inevitably you will get on the wrong line or go more places than you originally planned. Seriously. Trust me and just do it.
• Do not pay for guided tours. If you are traveling on a budget, use the internet and do some research, buy a guide book or take along a well art educated friend ( I am more than willing to trade tours for airfare...just saying!)
• Skip the taxis. Yes they are everywhere, yes they will get you where ever you are going quicker, but if you are traveling cheap skip em. You can take a subway within a short walk of any where you want to go.
• Do pay to go to the top of the Empire State building (general admission) , but don't pay to go to see the Statue of Liberty. It is usually closed. And (for me at least) going up wasn't that important. If I was rich, sure. But I'm not, so I skipped it! Next time!

So, the broke travelers on a budget portion is over. Here are a few of my favorite spots in New York City.

• Duck Duck Bar in Brooklyn. Awesome little hole in the wall whiskey/beer joint. Plus, the tattoo shop next door is called "Goose". (Duck, duck...goose...sorry, it made me giggle) Try the hot shot, and you MUST get a pickle back. Do it.
• Yummus Hummus Freaking amazing hummus. Seriously. Just about the time you think you have left Brooklyn and are about to get mugged because you are in the middle of no where, its up on the right.
• Teuscher Chocolate Shop Right by the Rockefeller Center. Expect to pay $2 for the best freaking chocolate you have ever tasted in your life. (It will be a really, really small piece, but so worth it)
• Mamouns Falafels in Greenwich Village (by Washington Square) the other locations just don't compare. (Yes that rhymed...only sort of on purpose). But seriously, the other locations aren't as good.

For the record, I have actually been to all of these places and they freakin rock. That is why I am telling you about them and providing links so you can find them! I am not getting paid by any of these places, but am more than willing to accept donations of food!

That is all I have. New York is one of the main airport hubs in the United States, which makes it super cheap to fly into. You have no excuse, just go. Let me know what your favorite places in New York City are!