Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
TKTS booth
Right
Gotham Bar and Grill
New York on a Budget
TKTS Booths
Tickets for Broadway
and off-Broadway shows
are sold at a 25 to 50
percent discount (plus a
small service charge) on
the day of the show at
TKTS booths. Payment is
in cash or travelers' checks
only. Queues get very
long very quickly so it is
advisable to arrive early.
d
47th St & Broadway
•
Map J3
•
Open 3-8pm daily,
10am-2pm for Wed & Sat
matinees, 11am-3pm Sun
Philharmonic concerts,
Shakespeare in the Park
at the Delacorte Theater
in Central Park, and
outdoor performances
at Lincoln Center's
Damrosch Park - all free
- are among the reasons
why New Yorkers love
summer. Contact NYC &
Company (212 484 1222)
for a current schedule.
account and pay you in
dollars. The transaction
fees are less than those at
Currency Exchanges, and
you get the wholesale
exchange rate used be-
tween banks
(see p169)
.
Bargain Buys
CityPass will buy you
admission to six top
attractions for $53 ($41
for ages 6-17), half the
price. You can buy it at
participating sites, in-
cluding the Empire State
Building, the Guggen-
heim Museum, the
American Museum of
Natural History, the
Museum of Modern Art,
Circle Line sightseeing
cruises, and the Intrepid
Sea Air Space Museum.
Saving on Transit
The best transit deal
is the $7 Fun Pass, a
Metrocard that allows
unlimited subway and
bus rides from the first
ride until 3am the next
morning. If you are
staying in the city longer,
a $20 Metrocard includes
two free rides, and a $21
card will buy you unlimited
rides for one full week.
Free TV Shows
Watch your favorite
show for free - if you
can get in a request
early enough. For more
information, call the
individual networks.
Same-day tickets are
sometimes available at
the Tourist Information
Center
(see p162)
or
from the NBC lobby desk.
d
ABC: 212 456 3054
•
CBS:
212 975 2476
•
NBC: 212 664
7174, www.shopnbc.com
Sale Periods
White sales on linens
are held in January and
August, coat sales are
featured during the
November Veteran's Day
and February George
Washington's Birthday
holidays. Bathing suits go
on sale after the 4th of
July and everything is on
sale after Christmas.
Cheap Eats
Pre-theater prix fixe
dinners are good value,
but lunch menus are
usually even better.
During Restaurant Week,
for two weeks in January
and again in June, New
York's best restaurants
offer three-course lunches
priced according to the
year: $20.02, $20.03, and
dinners for $35. The
promotion is very popular,
so book ahead through
www.opentable.com
Free Events
There are regular
free drama performances
and concerts in Central
Park in July and August.
Contact Summerstage
(212 360 2777). Free
masterclasses and
excellent concerts are
also held by faculty and
talented students at
the Julliard School (212
799 5000).
Discount Malls
Round trips are
available seven times a
day to Woodbury Com-
mon Premium Outlets, a
one-hour drive to a mall
of 220 discount outlets
carrying top name brands
such as Armani, Gucci,
and Burberry. Tickets
cost $35. d
Short Line Bus
Tours: Port Authority Bus
Terminal, 800 631 8405
Changing Money
You can save money
by using your bank card at
ATMs (Automated Teller
Machines). Many accept
Plus or Cirrus network
cards and will debit your
Free Summer
Venues
Metropolitan Opera
performances, New York
166
