Cheap New York Thrills. NYC on a Budget.
Cheap Dates. Free Entertainment. Thrift Shops. Flea Markets. Free Personals. Blogs. Meetups. NY Facebook Pages.
Where to Find Inexpensive Things to Do and See in New York City
New York, for all of its expensive real estate and fancy restaurants has a 'cheap side' as well... that's probably at least as much fun, if not more so, than then fancy one.
Check Out NYC online for free.... with FREE New York City Classified Ads and Personals
Online classifieds are an excellent quick and free way to quickly find just about anything you are looking for -- or to advertise for anything you want!
Craig's List Great way to locate just about everything... from apartments to rent to gigs to new friends.
Free All New York Personals"... we pride ourselves on making our FREE Personal Ads available to Everyone on the Net. Even on-line commercial services that have Net access. When you place your FREE Personal Ad you will receive the widest possible Internet exposure because we are continually indexed and cataloged in over 400 Major Web Directories & Search Engines on the Net...."
Times Square "... Experience this street-level view looking south towards the heart of Times Square. Perched 10 feet above the sidewalk in front of the 47th Digital store, watch the crowds along Broadway at the 'Crossroads of the World'...." This is truly a cool webcam! Almost like being there!
Cheap New York City Transportation
Metropolitan Transit Authority How to get around NYC and beyond via subways, buses and trains. Has maps and a nifty "plan a trip" app.
Cheap NYC Dates
Cheap But Impressive "Great Hall Balcony Bar of the Metropolitan Musem Friday and Saturday; 4:00–8:30 p.m.; last call at 8:00 p.m. ... Second-floor balcony overlooking the Great Hall.... Waiters serve appetizers and cocktails from our full bar, accompanied by live classical music "...OK, $20 is the Met's recommended admission price. So leave the power of suggestion to the tourists, fork over your $2.. or $5... and lead your date up to the Great Hall Balcony Bar. Grab a cozy table, order some drinks..., delve into the gratis (but delicious) crunchy munchies and let the chamber ensemble soothe you into museum tempo. Thus fortified, you will now be in the mood to wander amid 10 millennia of world culture and truly appreciate the quiet, stunning beauty of an oxblood-glazed Qing dynasty porcelain vase or a Terry Winters canvas fresh from Chelsea. (For the artistically challenged, there's always Arms and Armor or the mummies.)...."
Best $5 Per Person Date "... Thursday nights are Harold nights at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater—two teams of the comedy troupe's apprentices doing half-hour group improvisations on random topics, based on a set of rules invented by Second City's Del Close. The Harold is usually hilarious; it's cheap, it's intimate, and by its nature it'll give you some shared in-jokes for later... " (from an old Village Voice review)
Wine Tastings ".. Many Manhattan wine shops offer free or inexpensive wine tastings on a regular basis..."
Cheap Eats in Manhattan
NYC Vistor Guide's "Dining on a Budget" "... Eating cheap is not difficult in New York, providing you avoid Midtown. Self-catering has become far easier with the addition of salad bars at many delis. Supermarkets can be a bit tricky, but buying larger sizes of products (such as cola and orange juice) is an American money-saving sport. Frequently a two-liter bottle costs the same as a half-liter bottle! Buy a large coffee at Starbucks and share it. The huge Whole Foods Market on 14th Street overlooking Union Square Park has a great variety of self-service food stalls, and all second-story seating has views of the park. Weekly farmers markets, also called greenmarkets, offer plentiful reasonably-priced locally-grown food and are a great way to meet people. Chinatown, Flushing and Jackson Heights have dozens of cheap restaurants, and if you are on a tight budget, bear in mind that ordering take away saves you a 15% tip. Make sure to visit our restaurants section for a great selection of cheap eats!..." see also their "All You Can Drink Brunches".
Midtown Lunch Cheap (under $10) places to eat in midtown Manhattan.
"... During peak season (late summer/early fall) there can be as many as 80 farmers and food producers selling organic and nonorganic fruits, vegetables (triple-washed organic lettuces, sugar snap peas [even veggie-phobes love these], heirloom tomatoes, hot & sweet peppers of all kinds, fresh corn [what child wouldn't rather have it on the cob?], carrots that make those mini ones that come in a bag taste like cardboard, etc, etc, etc!) meats & poultry, cheeses, fresh milk (full-fat, skim, & chocolate, and it comes in old-fashioned milk bottles!), Pennsylvania Dutch homemade pretzels (once you've tried one you'll never get storebought again), hydroponic tomatoes & lettuce, fresh fish from Long Island, vegetable-dyed wool, beeswax candles, and on and on...."
List of Free TV Shows Taped in NY "... All the links you need to get free tv show tickets in New York City..." You can also sign up for their free email list "... We will send you occasional emails to keep you abreast of the latest
information on TV Show tickets in New York City - Which TV shows have
closed, which ones have opened and which ones need you in their
audience now ! When TV production companies need a TV studio audience
for a new game show or sitcom we send email to this list first and fill
those TV show seats. ..."
Free Gallery Openings with Receptions"... A gallery exhibition opening is a perfect place to start your New York evening: have a glass of wine, enjoy a small art discussion with a person looking at a same painting, say "hi" to somebody you know (or don't know), and be on your way to do something else... or stay if you choose to do so...."
TDF Voucher System for Subsidized admissions to off Broadway plays "... At the heart of the TDF operation is its . It consists of 70,000 theatre-goers who are eligible for deeply discounted tickets because they belong to one of the following groups: students, teachers, union members, retirees, civil service employees, staff members of not-for-profit organizations, performing arts professionals, members of the armed forces and clergy..."
BroadwayBox.comhas discount codes for various Broadway plays. "... The Discount Codes provided by you and others will assist many Broadway fans to get heavily discounted tickets, for the show of their choice, on a preferred date, with the convenience of ordering from home... "
A Virtual 10 Minute Tour of Metropolitan Museum of Art
Cheap New York Music
"Starry Nights continues at the American Museum of Natural History's Rose Center for Earth and Space with sizzling live jazz in one of the most spectacular settings in New York. Visitors to Starry Nights, which is presented the first Friday of every month, can also enjoy mouthwatering tapas and wine and other beverages.... Performances are 6:00 – 7:00 and 7:30 – 8:30 p.m".
SonicVision... "is a trip out of this world and into the minds of the universe’s most creative musical artists and digital animators, set to a soundtrack featuring today’s coolest music.... SonicVision takes audiences in the Hayden Planetarium Space Theater on a mind-warping musical roller-coaster ride through fantastical dreamspace. With a mix by Moby and featuring tracks from Radiohead, U2, David Bowie, Coldplay, Queens of the Stone Age, Prodigy, The Flaming Lips, Fischerspooner, Spiritualized, Audioslave, Stereolab, Boards of Canada, David Byrne and Brian Eno, Goldfrapp, Zwan, White Zombie, and Moby, the music ignites this one-of-a-kind computer-generated musical and visual experience, which uses next-generation digital technology to illuminate the Planetarium's dome with a dazzling morphing of colorful visions.... And now, for a limited time only, you can bring a friend free on Fridays and Saturdays! For a limited time, just print out the coupon at left and give your friend a totally unique experience for free. Offer applies to Friday and Saturday night showtimes only. Not valid for online or phone orders."
Favorite Place to Look for CURRENT Up to the Minute Cheap New York Thrills
Club Free Time "... You never run out of FREE things to do, FREE events to go to in New York City -- don't miss the opportunities that only New York City provides!
Where else but in New York City can you listen to a world-class musician, discuss a book with a famous author, take a part in poetry reading, have a glass of wine at an exhibition opening, and all that on the same day, and all that free of charge!
The quality and quantity of free events, free things to do that happen in New York City daily is truly amazing. The trick is to know about those events BEFORE they happen, not after the fact. That's where Club freeTime comes in handy -- Club freeTime allows you to take advantage of all the free things to do, all the free events that take place in New York City, as you find out about them just in time!
Club freeTime is the only complete source of free events, free things to do in New York City: your perfect guide to free Entertainment & free Culture in the City that never sleeps.
"... In addition to providing information about free events, free things to do in New York City, Club freeTime offers its members complimentary tickets (a member can reserve up to 8 complimentary tickets per performance) to classical music concerts, dance performances and theater in New York City: when a producer wants that special buzz of the "full house" - Club freeTime members are welcomed for their enthusiasm and sophistication!..."
Some of New York City's Best "Cheap Thrills" Where You Can Connect with Real New Yorkers... Up Close and Personal
We've put together some ideas for getting real... for getting 'up close and personal' with New York and its New Yorkers with some more intimate activities that often involve connecting with real people..
New York Improv"We Cause Scenes" " ... causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places. Created in August of 2001 by Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere has executed over 100 missions involving tens of thousands of undercover agents. The group is based in New York City...."
Below is a video of one of New York Improv's scenes... a pantless NY Subway ride.
Make Connections wtih Like Minded New Yorkers via Meetups!
New York City has a wide variety of Meetups... over 5,000 of them within 25 miles. These Meetups are organized by the members themselves, and are totally free except for prices of meals, tickets, etc.
Meetups in NYC cover almost every imaginable interest, hobby, avocation, and activity. And if you can't find what you're looking for, start your own Meetup... and soon you'll have people who enjoy your hobby... or your type of food... or your kind of travel... flocking to Meetup with you!
MeetUps are a great way and SAFE way to make connections with like-minded people who share your passions and interests.
NYC Bloggers Over 6,000 blogs... but out of date. Enough active blogs to keep you amused though.
Neighborhood Tours
New York City is a city of neighborhoods... and what better way to get in touch with them than to talk a walk... either by yourself with a guidebook... or with an 'expert'.
Greenwich Village: Off the Beaten PathA Walking, Tasting and Discovery Tour. The REAL -- New York! Unique Food Establishments. Amazing Sites from the 1800's. Interesting History and Culture. $25 includes enough food for lunch.
ManhattanWalks"... tours are customized to incorporate all the ways New Yorkers move around their City - on foot, by subway, bus, taxi and car. Experience the City with Marty and see how Manhattan's divergent communities and neighborhoods evolved over the years - Uptown, Downtown, East Side, West Side, from one end of the Big Apple to the other..."
Foraging in New York City "... ethnobotanist Nat Bletter as he shows us around some good foraging spots in New York City. He tells us about his work with indigenous folks, and bridging the medicine trail...."
Freegan's Take Green to An Extreme "... Some New York City dwellers, who aren't homeless, show how they sift through garbage for food to avoid consumerism. ..."
New York City Flea Markets and Thrift Shops
The Housing Works Thrift Shops "... occupy seven upscale locations in New York City, selling high-end vintage treasures to bargain hunters and fashionistas alike..."
Angel Street Thrift Shop "... Shoppers can find a wide range of products to furnish their homes or add to their wardrobes. These items are donated by individuals, fashion and home furnishing companies. This mix of used, new, the unusual and the practical make for an exciting shopping experience that changes each day...".
Cheap Jack's Vintage Clothing "... now housed in 12,000 square feet and every square foot was packed to
the rafters with unique and high-end vintage clothing. CJ's became not
only a landmark and a destination in itself, but a place to see and be
seen by designers, as well as Broadway, television and film stars. The
store became known as a wonderful resource for outfitting stage
productions, movies, and anyone ahead of the fashion curve...."
