New York offers a panoply of diversions to tempt every palate: shows, restaurants, virtual reality games and displays, concerts. We have some of the most famous historic structure in the world: Radio City Music Hall, The Empire State Building, Broadway. But the one things that most things New York have in common is that they cost a pretty penny, so you have to save yours to partake.
There are some amusing opportunities that don't come with a prohibitive price tag and there are ways of enjoying even some of the pricier venues at less expensive rates, but you have to be in the know and a discriminating shopper, so to speak.
Okay, let's get to the tricks of the trade. TKTS, a notable relic in Manhattan offers two cogent alternatives to high-priced Broadway tickets. Same day ticket purchase at its midtown location on the West Side and a day in advance purchase at the South Street Seaport. Of course, you have to wait in line for an extensive period of time - sometimes up to three hours during the holiday season - but the half price tickets are often well worth the wait. The Theater Development Fund offers a $30 yearly subscription per person that entitles the bearer to discounts all year-round on the best of Broadway. All right, very often the tickets are for weeknight performances but a bargain is a bargain.
Then there are a multitude of museums in New York, each one with a prescribed price, but most people do not realize that paying full price is voluntary. Most museums will accept as little as a $1.00 admission fee and not dismiss your patronage out of hand.
There are art galleries to frequent gratis and performance art in Central Park for free during the summer months. Some designers offer sample sales on Seventh Avenue, which is a wonderful place to bargain shop if you have a discerning eye. You can find nice clothes for $10 a piece and a lot of terrific food, house and personal items at Jack's $.99 store on 32nd Street. Next, for the hungry wayfarer who has traversed the City in search of its sights and sounds, there is the food court in the Toys R Us building near Macy's that encompasses the tastiest ethnic foods from many countries - you've got a range from Mexican to Thai.
Also, once you become an aficionado of the department stores and you have at least a semi-permanent address, you can receive sales enticements in the mail and be weighted down with free gifts with purchase at the cosmetics counters. In fact, if you keep your antennae up, you can get two for one or one and a half at spas and salons or free treatments with the purchase of a particular treatment.
All in all New York is the hedonistic Mecca of the world. You can feel “free” to indulge with a restrained pocket if you keep your eyes and ears peeled to the secret underground of the Cheap New Yorker.
