New York City on a Budget
By Christine Wynne
How many times have you dreamed of going to the Big Apple only to change your mind because you thought it would be too expensive? We have all heard the horror stories about the $50 cab rides and the hotels for $250 per night. Add dinner and a theater ticket and you have just paid your mortgage payment! After living in New York for the last five years, I have managed to pick up some helpful tips for those travelers who want to visit New York, yet don't want to spend a fortune. If you aren't afraid to take the subway, the bus or simply grab a street map and walk, you can find some brilliant bargains in exciting places.
New York or (Manhattan) is a collection of diverse people, neighborhoods, architecture and history all gathered together on a small island measuring 22.4 square miles. New York is made up of Avenues and Streets. The Avenues run North to South, beginning with 1st Avenue on the east side and going westward to 12th Avenue. The Streets run East to West, beginning with 1st Street in Greenwich Village and increasing to 220th Street at the north end of Manhattan. Below 1st Street is considered to be the Downtown area of Manhattan. This area begins with Battery Park and the Financial District. Just above that is Chinatown with Tribeca to the west and the Lower East Side to the east. Above that is Little Italy in the center with Soho to the west and the East Village to the east. 1st Street to 14th Street contains the general "Village" area. The area west of Broadway is Greenwich Village and to the east is East Village. Continuing north, 14th Street to 34th Street consists of Chelsea to the west and Gramercy Park to the east. "Midtown" is the area stretching from 34th Street to 59th Street. This is where you will find Times Square and the Theater District. 59th Street to 110th Street, which contains the Upper West Side and the Upper East Side is known as "Uptown". Separating these two areas is the green oasis of Central Park. Just north of Central Park from 110th Street to 145th Street lies the village of Harlem. Lastly, while the area from 145th Street to 220th Street has no special designation, it does contain the neighborhood of Washington Heights and the Cloisters.
Transportation
There is no question that the easiest and most economical way to get around New York is the Metrocard. Metrocard is a plastic card used for automated fare collection on all New York City subway lines and buses. The fare is $1.50. When you pay with Metrocard, you have choices that can result in paying less than $1.50. There are several types of Metrocards. The Unlimited Ride Metrocard lets you ride all you want for one price. The more you ride, the less each ride costs. You can purchase a 7-day Metrocard for $17 or a 30-day Metrocard for $63. If you are only in town for the day, the Fun Pass gives you one day of unlimited subway and local bus rides for $4. By the way, that story you may have heard about the subway being dangerous is only a myth.
If you are flying into New York, the most economical way into the city is via bus. From Newark Airport, Olympia Trails runs every ten minutes between Newark Airport and Manhattan for $11 each way. From LaGuardia Airport, New York Airport Service Express Bus provides transportation service to and from Manhattan every twenty minutes for $11 each way. Finally, from JFK Airport, New York Airport Service Express Bus provides service to and from Manhattan every twenty to thirty minutes for $13 each way. On each bus line, stops in Manhattan include Grand Central Station, Port Authority Bus Terminal, Penn Station, World Trade Center and all Midtown Points between 30th Street and 65th Street via a connecting hotel shuttle. For those on a really tight budget, public transportation is available for $1.50 each way from LaGuardia and JFK only. From LaGuardia, the M60 bus (New York City Transit Authority) goes to 125th Street where you can connect with the 2,3,4,5,6,1,9,A,C and D subway trains. From JFK, take the "A - Far Rockaway" subway train, which can be boarded from the long term parking lot. This is only for those with a lot of time, as this form of transportation is not express and may take up to ninety minutes each way.