Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
websites listed in “Online Sources for Theatergoers & Performing-
Arts Fans,” to get an idea of what you might like to see. Another
source is the
Broadway Line
(
&
888/BROADWAY;
www.live
broadway.com), where you can get details on current Broadway
shows, hear about special offers and discounts, and choose to be
transferred to Telecharge or Ticketmaster to buy tickets. The
recorded service
NYC/Onstage
(
&
212/768-1818;
www.tdf.org)
provides the same kind of info for Broadway and Off-Broadway.
WHEN YOU ARRIVE
Once you arrive in the city, getting your hands on tickets can take
some street smarts—and failing those; cold, hard cash. Even if it
seems unlikely that seats are available, always
call or visit the box
office
first. Single seats are often easiest to obtain, so people willing
to sit apart from each other may find themselves in luck.
You can also try the
Broadway Ticket Center,
run by the League
of American Theatres and Producers (the same people behind Live-
Broadway.com) at the Times Square Visitors Center, 1560 Broad-
way, between 46th and 47th streets (Mon-Sat 10am-6pm; Sun
10am-3pm; hours subject to seasonal changes). They often have
tickets available for otherwise sold-out shows, both for advance and
same-day purchase, and only charge about $5 extra per ticket.
Even if saving money isn't an issue for you, check the boards at the
TKTS Booth
in Times Square; more on that can be found under
“Reduced-Price Ticket Deals,” below.
In addition, your
hotel concierge
may be able to arrange tickets.
These are usually purchased through a broker and a premium will be
attached, but they're usually good seats and you can count on them
being legitimate. (A $20 tip to the concierge for this service is rea-
sonable—perhaps more if the tickets are for a very hot show. By the
time you've paid this tip, you might come out better by contacting a
broker or ticket agency yourself.) If you want to deal with a licensed
broker,
Keith Prowse & Co.
has an office at 234 W. 44th St.,
between Seventh and Eighth avenues, Suite 1000 (
&
800/669-
8687;
Mon-Sat 9am-8pm; Sun noon-7pm).
If you buy from one of the
scalpers
in front of the theater, you're
taking a risk. They may be legitimate—a couple from the 'burbs
whose companions couldn't make it for the evening, say—but they
could also be swindlers passing off fakes. It's a risk not worth taking.
One preferred
insiders' trick
is to make the rounds of Broad-
way theaters at about 6pm, when unclaimed house seats are made
