New York City on a Budget!

Hi friends! On to a more fun topic from the last entry I shared with you - I'm going to share my tried and tested top tips for visiting New York City on a MAJOR budget (like $20/day budget).

To give you guys some context, I spent last summer working at Walt Disney World in Florida, and my younger Sister Amy was at a camp just outside of New York City. So, we made plans to meet in Florida and do some travelling before heading back home. Amy met me in Florida where we spent 10 days and then we moved on to a day in Washington D.C., followed by 4 days in glorious NYC - all on $20 a day! I'll be doing a complete Florida guide at some point in the future so keep your eyes peeled for that.

With New York being the last stop of our journey, funds were running pretty low. HOWEVER, this didn't stop us from seeing ALL the sights (from the FRIENDS apartment block to Grand Central Station & the MET Steps), and if anything it made the experience even more of a story to tell!! Also before I get stuck in, I better give some (or most) of the credit for these tips to my sister who pretty much acted as my official tour guide.

Here we are in Times Square!

First and foremost, you need to prioritise what you want to see and set your expectations! We had a full plan before we even arrived at our hotel (which gave us major Twilight Zone vibes - s p o o k y)! Being on a budget means that we weren't able to eat at or visit the super expensive locations or see a broadway show but, to be honest, we never missed them!

A major way that we managed to save money was on transport. The subway can get you anywhere in NYC and with the help of Google Maps (an absolute godsend), its pretty easy! You can buy a weekly pass at the subway for around $30, and we were a bit cheeky and only bought the one. This meant we had to squish through the turnstiles together, which while against the rules was very funny. So while I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing this, especially with the risks of being caught, it saved us a bit of cash!

With our transport sorted we could get all over the city, and sight seeing can be done for free!! Our first stop was the Rockefeller Center, which you can see and go inside for nothing. However, to go to higher floors you do have to pay. This is with the exception of 'The Rainbow Room', for which you don't have to pay admission but you do have to buy a drink! We missed its opening hours when were there but if you can catch it I've heard its great.

There are other ways to see the city's skyline from a rooftop that don't cost money - just some mediocre acting skills! This way is especially exciting for fans of Gossip Girl as it involves a visit to the one and only Empire Hotel. It has a beautiful roof top bar, that if you tell the bell-boy at hotel reception that's where you're going you can get up there for free! I've never been to the Top of the Rock so can't compare, but the top of the Empire Hotel was still pretty spectacular.

Of course, when people hear the words New York City one of the first things people think of is the Lady Liberty - and you can see her for free too!! You just need to get on the Staten Island Ferry, which runs every half an hour, taking you right by the infamous monument. It doesn't stop at the island she stands on, nor does it pass super close, but for me it was close enough! Its especially great on a sunny day because you get a really nice breeze and its all round good vibes! But on a rainy day it is still a good option as there's a roofed part of the boat with windows so you can still see the statue in all her glory.

Being on a budget, my sister and I accepted the fact that we wouldn't be eating in really fancy restaurants. We weren't there for a 5 star holiday but to see the sights and experience New York while we had the chance! But we still had to eat. We fell in love, and became slightly obsessive, with Dollar Pizza. You're never more than 15 minutes from one and you get 2 huge slices of pizza and a can of Coca-Cola for $3!! This more than kept us fed and for being so cheap it was actually delicious - I'd go as far to say you can't go to New York and not have one!

Having saved money on food this way meant we had more money to do other activities that we really wanted to do. At the top of my to do list was Ellen's Stardust Diner, where the waiters all sing show tunes while they work!

As can be imagined, it is not the cheapest, but if you get up early and are quick to get in the queue you can order from the breakfast menu which is that bit cheaper! Naturally, it was one of my favourite things we did while in NYC and made saving money in other parts of the trip so worthwhile!! Although I would say be sure to bring some cash, as they are pretty pushy for cash tips and we found it really played a role in how good the service was!

[Outside Ellen's!]

Finally, Amy LOVES museums (I think we visited every.single. one. in D.C.), so we had to visit the American Museum of Natural History! It is technically free admission to the museum, however they do ask if you'd like to donate money upon entering, which we did. Being such a huge and spectacular museum it is no wonder the movie 'Night At The Museum was filmed there! One tip I would give would be to get up early and be there well before opening time, we did this and watched the queue extend down to the next block before the doors even opened so it was 100% worth the early alarm!!

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These are just a handful of the sights we managed to see in the four days we were in New York, and while we were EXHAUSTED, we ticked pretty much everything off our list. For funding the trip completely by ourselves I'm super proud of us - and even more proud of us for not killing each other! And, while as much as there likely won't be any international travel for a little while I thought this would be fun to share and might give those planning a trip some ideas.

As always, feel free to let me know what you think and subscribe through the box at the bottom of my website.

Until next time!

Lana