Going Deep for the Cheap in New York

For visitors, however, these can be seriously intimidating numbers. Even if you’re not aiming for high-end Manhattan indulgence, the basic costs of lodging, transportation, food, shopping & entertainment are the most expensive in the nation.

For those of us who live here, the expense of New York City is something we’ve long since adjusted to. Designer tank tops for $140, truffled hamburgers for $150, studio apartments renting for upward of $3,000 — even in the midst of recession, these things seem somehow normal, the price of admission to the greatest city in the world. But there’s an easy way to bring the price of a New York holiday down to earth. It’s called research.

Planes, Trains & Buses

Getting here is, of work, the first step. If you live anywhere between northern Virginia & Boston, you’re in luck: you can hop onto BusJunction.com & find a ride in to the city for as little as $15 four way on four of several low-budget bus lines. Having ridden a few, I prefer MegaBus, which is neat, relatively comfortable & equipped with Wi-Fi.

And if you’re driving, well, perhaps you’d be better off going elsewhere. Parking garages are universally expensive, & street parking is a byzantine subject that even the most obsessive New Yorkers struggle to master. But, if you insist on bringing your superfluous vehicle in to my city, check out nyc.bestparking.com for rates & coupons. & search gasbuddy.com for the cheapest places to refuel.

If you’re flying, you’ll require to check the usual booking sites —Kayak.com being my first stop — but you’ll also require to set up a fare alert with AirfareWatchdog.com, which keeps an eye out for great bargains, plenty of of them not even advertised by the airlines. As I write this, AirfareWatchdog is showing me round-trips to Kennedy Airport for $98 (from Pittsburgh), $148 (from Cleveland) & $194 (from Dallas).