Big Apple, Small Budget

By Nick Burry.

Empire
State
buildingNEW YORK CITY has a wealth of artistic offerings, but a steady diet of museums, plays and concerts can leave the culturally ambitious traveler with a skyscraper-sized credit card bill. However, most of the city’s cultural institutions have specific times and special programs when admission is discounted, or even free. The following tips will help you create a stimulating itinerary while avoiding post-trip buyer’s remorse.

THEATER AND OPERA - Now that the stagehand strike is ancient history, Broadway is once again a glittering (if at times campy) beacon of song, dance and drama. Bypass box office prices and head to a TKTS (www.tdf.org) discount booth—which slashes 25% to 50% off the price of day-of performances—at Times Square or South Street Seaport (matinee tickets are sold the day before here). A brand-new outpost recently opened in Downtown Brooklyn, where you can expect the shortest lines.

Jazz at Lincoln CenterA distant cousin of Broadway, the opera is a stalwart symbol of high-class culture—but it’s a myth that you need a tuxedo and gilded binoculars to enjoy it. With an array of new productions to attract a contemporary audience and tickets available for the cost of a round of cocktails, The Metropolitan Opera (www.metoperafamily.org) has become more attractive to budget travelers.

Full-time students (age 29 and younger) can purchase weekday performance tickets for only $25. For postgrads with sudden opera urges, the Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman Rush Ticket Program makes $100 orchestra tickets available for only $20 on the day of the show. And if you have comfortable shoes, same-day standing room tickets can be had for as little as $15.

Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at
Lincoln CenterMUSIC - From classical to world to jazz, music is the beating heart of New York’s cultural scene. And while any New Yorker can tell you how to get to Carnegie Hall (www.carnegiehall.org), not everyone knows that tickets to the legendary concert venue are available for less than the cost of going to a movie. A limited number of partial-view seats go on sale for just $10 starting at noon on the day of the performance. Even without a full view of the stage, Isaac Stern Auditorium’s perfect acoustics ensure that there is no bad seat in the house.

The Metropolitan OperaFollow an evening of classical music at Carnegie Hall with a jazz nightcap at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (www.jalc.org). Tickets for the after-hours sets, which begin at 11pm or 1am, go for only $10 ($5 for students). Dizzy’s Club, which is a part of Jazz at Lincoln Center, was named after jazz great Dizzy Gillespie, and is “the best jazz room in this city” according to Tony Bennett.

New MuseumMUSEUMS AND ART - It could take weeks to thoroughly explore the exhibits in New York’s world-class museums. It could also take a few trips to the ATM to cover the $20 entrance fees and “suggested donations” at every stop along the way. Art aficionados and history buff s who plan on experiencing all the sights might consider purchasing a $74 CityPass (www.citypass.com), which grants a swift and discounted entrance to six of the city’s top attractions.

While a CityPass might be useful for hard-core museum junkies, there are cheaper options for the casual art lover, including special evenings when entrance fees are waived. On Fridays from 4pm to 8pm, anyone can enjoy the Cézannes, Picassos and Pollocks at The Museum of Modern Art (www.moma.org) free of charge. If you miss Free Friday, MoMA is still worth the price. Just make sure to save your ticket stub, which grants you free admission to P.S.1 (www.ps1.org), the avant-garde, contemporary art affiliate of MoMA. (And don’t let its Queens address deter you; it’s only minutes from Midtown Manhattan by subway.)

Metropolitan Opera HouseThe striking, stacked-box structure of the New Museum (www.newmuseum.org) rises from the once-slummy Bowery, bridging the gap between the neighborhood’s bohemian past and ultra-chic present. With a pared-down, straightforward mission of exploring new art and ideas, the New Museum is aptly named. Thankfully, not everything new is expensive. General admission is a relatively cheap $12, and Thursday nights from 7 to 10 are completely free.

Despite the inexpensive (or free) opportunities to browse first-rate collections, you shouldn’t limit your art crawl to museums. Th e city is home to hundreds of art galleries that host free opening parties, complete with cases of complimentary wine and bevies of well-heeled buyers. Check out ArtCal (www.artcal.net) for the latest schedule, particularly in Chelsea, where a cluster of warehouse-peppered West Side streets has supplanted SoHo as New York’s art gallery epicenter.

New York City can be an intimidating place for the cultural traveler. Dozens of famous museums, theaters and concert halls vie for attention, but entrance fees can sometimes make for tough choices. By taking advantage of the special discounts and free off erings, any traveler can experience high culture on a low budget.

AFFORDABLE ACCOMMODATIONS:

THE COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL
95 W Broadway www.cosmohotel.com; 212-566-1900 Find clean, comfortable, newly renovated rooms in a great downtown location for less than $300 a night.

THE POD HOTEL
230 E 51st St www.thepodhotel.com; 800-742-5945 This funky, modern spot has a great roof deck—and rooms for as little as $159 a night.

BIG APPLE HOSTEL
119 W 45th St www.bigapplehostel.com; 212-302-2603 A hard-to-find deck with a backyard grill complements dorm-style rooms for as little as $40 a night, or private rooms for $125.

DINE ON $20 A DAY:

BREAKFAST: B & H DAIRY
127 2nd Ave 212-505-8065 At this tiny vegetarian diner, get two eggs, home fries and homemade challah for $3.25.

LUNCH: SHAKE SHACK
Madison Square Park www.shakeshacknyc.com 212-889-6600 Whether you’re in the mood for a famous burger or Chicago-style hot dog, the menu has it all, mostly for around $5.

DINNER: JOHN’S OF BLEECKER STREET
278 Bleecker St www.johnspizzerianyc.com 212-391-7560 Enjoy a classic thin-crust, brick-oven pizza for $12 at the original Greenwich Village location.