Between Broadway shows, towering department stores, and $200-a-head tasting menus, New York City has no shortage of ways to blow all your cash.
But, luckily, the city is also home to plenty of affordable activities that make it possible to live here without going bankrupt. So when my friend Kelly came up from Philadelphia for a recent weekend visit, I intended to strike a balance between showing her the magic of New York and sticking to my budget.
Kelly agreed. Thanks to multiple weddings, bridal showers, and bachelorette parties on both our schedules for the fall, we knew we wanted to keep our weekend together cheap.
Despite aiming to keep our expenses low, we still managed to fit in plenty of food, exploring, and classic New York sightseeing. In total, we spent less than $50 per person on food and activities for the entire weekend.
Here's everything we were able to fit in.
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Kelly arrived around 8 p.m. on Friday night, and we headed straight to dinner. We met up with a few friends at Artichoke Basille’s Pizza, where we filled up on the joint’s classic artichoke slice.
Known for its late-night crowd and huge, creamy pieces of pizza, Artichoke is a must-try for anyone visiting New York. We went to the one in Park Slope, but there are locations throughout the city, including the original on 14th Street.
Cost: $5 per slice … but trust me, one slice is more than enough.
From dinner, we headed to a nearby dive bar called High Dive.
You can’t beat the prices at $6 per beer, and it was a fun way to see some of Park Slope’s local flavor.
I had an early morning run planned for the next day, so I stuck to one drink.
Cost: $7 with tip
I’m training for a half marathon, so I got up with the sun to go running, and Kelly decided to join.
While I don’t advocate forcing guests to exercise against their will (she volunteered!), going for a run or walk is far and away the best way to see a city in my opinion.
As we cruised through the tree-lined streets of picturesque neighborhoods like Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights, I got to show Kelly all the little things that make New York — and Brooklyn in particular — great, such as historic brownstones and cute coffee shops.
Cost: Free!
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