I'm going to NYC in Oct. for the first time. I'm not too interested in tourist info as much as local fun

Question

I am looking for advice for good fun on a budget that will include great food, drink, and people. I would like to see the parks in Oct. and of course a Broadway Show! I'm a down to earth person with eclectic taste.

Answer 1

Central Park will be a really pretty walk in October. If you walk on the East side of the park, you can pass the Central Park Zoo, and eventually, the back of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

For discounts on Broadway Shows, find one of the TKTS Discount Booths. You can buy tickets to a show that's playing that day with significant discount. Try to arrive early, as the lines can be VERY long. It's worth it though, because I've gotten tickets for half price. According to their site, the Times Square Booth sells day-of-performance tickets only and the South Street Seaport Booth sells tickets to evening performances on the day of the performance, and matinée tickets the day before.

The East Village is a great neighborhood to visit if you have the time, especially if you want to just roam the streets and see local flavor- lots of boutiques, cafes, etc. Great for people watching. If you like cheap Japanese food, try Kenka on St. Marks Place. Great food, great prices, and definitely an interesting atmosphere- busy, but laid back, with all sorts of kitschy memorabilia from Japanese fims and posters on the walls. Not the best for families though- it's more for groups of friends. Also in the East Village is The Strand, NYC's largest used book store. They literally have miles of books at great prices, including NYC history and guide books.

Also, try walking across the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn. The walk itself is gorgeous, and there's the Brooklyn Bridge Park too. Lots of great walking and sights, all for free.

In general, definitely try searching sites like Citysearch or Yelp to look at reviews of different stores or restaurants. NY Magazine or Time Out NY also have "Cheap" guides to help people plan outings that don't hurt your wallet.

If you're looking for cheap places to stay, but want a unique experience, go to Craigslist and look at NYC sublets. Some people have short-term (like 1 week or a weekend) sublets for vacationers- it's way cheaper than a hotel, and you get a whole apartment to stay in.

Answer 2

For a Broadway show, defintely look into getting your tickets half-price through TKTS (link below). make sure you do your homework in terms of what you want to see, get reviews, etc. because you really don't want to really on the opinions of the other people in line (I'm speaking from personal experience). If you do go the TKTS route, go to the one at South Street Seaport, the lines are much shorter, but I beileve you can't get same-day matinees.

http://www.tdf.org/TDF_ServicePage.aspx?id=56

A great value is the ride all day subway passes. The subway is safe and the best way to see different areas of the city. Things to do on a budget:

Take a walk down 5th Avenue and see the high-end stores. The great thing is these days you can go in the stores and they actually treat you well even if you're not dressed chic - they never know whether the person in shorts and a tee-shirt isn't a hip-hop star or a dotcom millionaire.

Stop off at St. Patrick's Cathedral (My wife and I never miss an opportunity to vist, and we're Jewish).

Go to the Village and have the obligatory New York lunch - a slice (or two) of pizza and a coke.

Check out the Times Square area, get some food from the street vendors.

Browse the Diamond District (47th between 5th and 6th Avenue), and see the 5 carat and up stones.

Go to the Lower east Side. If you're there on a Sunday, take a walk down Orchard Street. Go to Katz's delicatessan for a knish (it's five bucks, but is the best knish I've ever had). Stop off at Economy Candy to see how much a small store in New York can hold.

Explore Central Park - you can easily spend all day there.

If you're there on a Friday, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) is free after 4 PM thanks to Target (you'll have to wait in line for a bit).

Food - take your pick, we tend to go ethnic. Tons of Chainese, Italian, Indian, etc. We had great pre-Thaeter at a Turkish place called Dervish, but it'll run $30 a head. There's lots of sites with NY menus, here's one I've used with much luck.

http://nymag.com/menus/

Answer 3

Be careful, don't walk around Central Park alone, or after sunsetl. It can be very dangerous. Stay on the sidewalks and know how to get back to your apartment and which method of transportation will get you back to to your hotel.

Answer 4

Here is a great site to take you off the tourist path.
http://www.notfortourists.com/ultimate-web-index.aspx?citid=10000&catid=10000

Answer 5

u have to go to manhattan.