In following the last few posts on budget travel in New York City, I thought i would write a quick post about things to do in NYC without breaking the bank. Here are some things to know.

Catch a Broadway show. You don’t need to buy your tickets in advance on Ticketmaster. You can actually by half-price tickets at the TKTS booth in Times Square. The booth is right across from the restaurant Blue Fin (where I dined at– check out my review). Here’s the little secret, though: You don’t need to go to TKTS to get low price Broadway tickets. I got my tickets, in the Orchestra section, for $62.50, which was half price. But the balcony tickets were selling online for $45. And the truth is that the theater is so small that it doesn’t really matter where you sit. I saw Westside Story, which was incredible.

Go to the Museums. Here’s something you should know about the museum entrance fees. You don’t have to pay them. Now, I’m not advocating sneaking in to the museums. But for many of the museums, such as the Museum of Natural History, the fees are optional. This has something to do with tax law and the law of exempt organizations, but nevertheless, the fees are recommended and nopt mandatory. So, you can pay what you can to get in.

Travel by subway. It’s very reasonable, albeit confusing at times. Cabs can get quite expensive (I was quoted $75 to take a cab from Times Square to Newark International Airport, whereas public transit only cost me $15). The subway in New York takes you everywhere you need to be. Mind you, I got lost in Harlem and saw a few subway rats. But it was still cheaper than anything else I could have taken.

Check out my other blog posts on affordable travel and NYC:

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