ilovetotravel29

Is $40 bucks a day a good amount of pocket money for transportation and food in NYC? I will not be eating at upscale restaurants except for maybe 1 or 2 nights, and I already have my gift/souvenir budget that I keep seperate. But for transportation (probably catching the subway about 5x a day) and food and the always present iced coffee or espresso, would $40-$50 be a good and decent budget?

emd

You can get a 7 day unlimited metro card, good for unlimited subway and metro til midnight 7 days from first day of use for $24. I think you are only going for 5 days, right? That is your best bet. A one day pass is $7. Each ride individually would be $2 apiece.

See:

http://www.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm#unlimited

So if pay $24 for a 7 day card and you use it 5 days, that's $4.80 a day. That leaves you $45 on your $50 a day budget.

Coffee drink = $5

That leaves you $40 to eat. If you find a place for a breakfast sandwich for $5, that leaves $35; $12 for lunch and $23 for dinner WITH TIP. I think you can do it. I'd plan some of the dinners in places where you know your money is going to cover it. Go on menupages.com and see what is close to your hotel or to where you'll be going. Otherwise, you might end up eating crappy for an $18 dinner. The ethnic places, esp. Asian, will be good for your dinner budget.

I think it will be tricky to do anything upscale on that budget, even for one night but esp. for 2 nights. You'd have to cut back the lunch and dinners all the other days to cover it. Or cut out your coffee drink for like 3 days and add that in for a prix fixe nicer dinner. I had a nice prixe fixe dinner at Le Rivage on my last trip - gret assortment of appetizers to choose from, a salad, big assortment of entrees to choose from, and dessert and coffee for $32, tip extra.

ilovetotravel29

emd--thank you, thank you, thank you! I will definately get the metro card. Yay!

Here is a funny question--do a lot of delis and coffee shops serve coffee in the cups with the playing cards on them? I know this may sound odd, but it seems as if every crime show I see that is "supposedly" set in NYC has detectives and cops drinking coffee out of cups with playing cards on them.

emd

dunno.

But I think this might help you on the food budget. New York Magazine has a "cheap Eats" section. It is archived on thier website. Good list of "75 best places for dinner under $20", that kind of help. Go to:

http://newyorkmetro.com/restaurants/...ats/02/az1.htm

emd

ilove, I've been thinking tht it is good thing you decided on NYC for your birthday. Your busget would not have been possible in Tokyo- we''l maybe you could have done it but you'd have been eating a lot of udon noddle soup. It is easier to be budget oreinted in NYC, esp. w/those 7 day metrocards. In Tokyo there are like 10 diff. subway lines run by completely diff. companies, and no one discount card for them like in NYC.

emd

Just one more idea. I imagine you aren't going to get an in-room coffee maker at the price you are paying for your room. Have you thought of taking a really small one cup coffee maker w/you for your room? Like this one:

http://tinyurl.com/yxh5w9

ilovetotravel29

Emd---for some reason, and though I have a coffee part and an espresso machine, I prefer to buy my coffee fresh made somewhere else. I probably will try and keep my coffee to two drinks at 2 bucks each if possible---I will be avoiding Starbucks like the plague, since when I travel, I try to eat only at places that are unavailable at home.

traveler24

I know this is really "cheap"--
I like a cup of coffee when I first get up in AM --so I take one of those "coils" that plug into electric outlet, heat water in a cup and use a disposable filter to make my coffee.
(I take my own ground coffee with me)
Works for me...

trippinkpj

I have done the Melitta drip style coffee on trips. On your budget, that's the best way to go, or you'll spend too much of your food budget on coffee.

nytraveler

This can certainly be done if you are VERY careful. But I think your problem is the ever present coffee. If you go into a deli and get a regular coffee - not too bad. But if you're in Starbucks or similar 4 times a day it will take half your budget.

Also this is a very tight budget unless you plan on doing lots of hot dogs or slices for lunch and then a minimal dinner.

(For perspective a simple dinner for 2 in our local neighborhood restaurant - share a salad, pasta and glass of wine each plus cappuchinos with tip and tax is about $65. Any sort of even semi-splurgish dinners is at least $100 each - incluidng tax, tip and wine.)

So - it really depends on what you want. You won;t starve - but your chices can be limited.

If you check the web site of the Village Voice they have a list of inexpensive places with decent food (dinner under $25) - or you could check out menupages.com to see diner reviews and actual menus.

If you're in NYC in good weather there are a lot of take out delis where you can get a good sandwich or salad - but that depends on the weather and where you can find to sit and eat.

emd

I think so too. If your budget is as tight as your posts indicate, coffee is going to take up too much of it, IMO. If you are paying for a cup or 2 in the a.m. and then a specialty iced coffee or expresso later in the day (as you indicated in your first post above), it could be $9-10 right there. Your post said "tons of coffee." Is that just 2 cups?

seetheworld

LOL, I don't think you'll want the iced coffee in December, ilovetotravel!

Is there a "shared" microwave in the lobby by chance?

ilovetotravel29

Hi!

As for coffee, maybe tons wasn't the right word...at least 2 drinks a day, and NOT the fancy 4 bucks kind...but I am thinking I can get two shots of espresso or a medium cup of coffee for about 2 bucks, right? So about 4-5 bucks a day on coffee, 5 bucks for transportation (with the metro card), which leaves about 30-40 bucks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I want to eat like a local, and I don't want fast food...so I will get tons of bagels for breakfast, and a cheap lunch (under 10 bucks) and the rest of the money for a decent dinner.

thanks everybody!!

seetheworld

I thought I saw this place for bagels on one of your threads.

I don't know if the prices on this menu are up-to-date and accurate, but here's the link. It gives prices for coffee, etc.

http://www.ess-a-bagel.com/menu2/

bugswife1

Of course you can do it. Dunkin' Donuts has delicious coffee. A medium iced coffee is about $2.40 and you can nurse it all morning. The deli coffee is even cheaper.

If you are out and about in the morning when everyone is going to work, there are plenty of coffee/donut/bagel carts that you can utilize. $1.50 for coffee and a donut or bagel with cream cheese. The food is fresh, they sell out daily, and so many people do this on the way to work.

Chinese restaurants usually have a fairly inexpensive lunch menu, or just get some pizza. Or go to a deli where they have soup & half a sandwich wrap for $5.00.

You can eat in a decent restaurant for dinner if you go to the theater district and eat off the pre-theater menu. Or, head down to the lower east side and eat in a hundred little dives with the best food.

Or you can always nosh all day, run around, and not worry about a sit down meal at all.

ConstantMovement

As a local New Yorker, I see no problem with this budget if you skip the fancy dinners; and I don't think you'll have to subsist on hotdogs and slices either

Off the top of my head, some suggestions for lunch/dinners under $20 with tax and tip (just an entree and soda):

BBQ's
known for their BBQ chicken and ribs. They have an early bird special (2 for 1) and locations all around the city, including 42nd between 8th and 9th Ave. A half chicken with fries is $6.99.

ARIBBA ARIBBA
50th and 9th ave
Mexican. Happy hour drink specials and $9.99 enchilada combo with rice and beans and salad.

CHAT N CHEW
16th between Broadway and 5th Ave
Diner/comfort food.

Any number of diners will also be great places for cheap meals. A burger and fries, or similar, will easliy run you less than $15. A few diner locations:

34th and 8th Ave (Tick Tock Diner)
16th and 6th Ave
12th and 6th Ave
51st and 9th Ave (Renaissance Diner)

And like someone else pointed out, just grab breakfast at one of the push carts. They're out early morning until as late as 11am, and there are tons of delis to grab a coffee at any time of the day. the delis are also a great place for breakfast sandwhiches-- you can get 2 eggs on a roll for $2.99.

As for splurging at a nice restaurant, I would suggest splurging on lunch instead of dinner if you want to save even more money.

lizziea06

Here are a few of my favorite places to get dinner or snack. You could stay under your budget by having meals at any of the following:

East Village:
Caracas Arepa Bar - AWESOME. Each aripa is under $5 and SO tasty. 7th & 1st Ave
Momofuku - Asian noodles and yummy things. Cool atmosphere, counter service. 13th and 1st.
Pommes Frites - real belguim frites, eat them only w/ mayo! 2nd Ave b/t 7th and 8th
Cafecito - The best Cuban sandwich, very cute little restaurant, cash only. Ave C b/t 11th & 12th.

SoHo
Alidoro - One of my favorite places to get a sandwich in NYC. They are the size of footballs, and could easily be a meal and a half. Try the Mischa. Sullivan b/t Spring and Prince.
Mooncake Foods - awesome Asian food (soups, salads). Watts & 6th Ave.
Broome St. Bar - Dive bar with GREAT burgers. They serve them on pita bread, and the blue cheese burger is divine. W. Broadway & Broome.
Pepe Rosso to Go - There's about 2 picnic tables out front of this place. Yummy paninis and pasta Sullivan and Houston.

Margo_Chester

Also try "Cosi" very good sandwiches, salads etc. and I really like their coffee, can't remember exactly how much it was, but it was reasonable.

www.getcosi.com

mcnyc

You can get flavored coffee even for $1.50. Bugswife's suggestion of going to a coffee vendor in carts is a great one as well...if you're early enough, go to one that has a long line. It'll most likely be the cart that's worth it to stand out in the cold (note: depending on where you are, you can also get a bagel w/coffee for about $1.50).

Another thing, for dinner, if you happen to be downtown on your way home, on 6th Ave between 10th and 11th streets (if not one set of blocks up), there's something called Jefferson Market, which has real nice gourmet dinners, heated and ready to eat/bring home for about $8 (note: there's no place to sit down and eat). Another place I'd recommend which is Whole Foods for either their buffet or their ready-to-go meals, which I often pick up on my way home. You can get a nice variety for not too bad a price. Maybe $8, give or take a dollar. Everything there is organic, and a huge plus in my book: you can actually sit down and eat here! Even alone, you won't feel so lonely.

Dojos is another very budget friendly place with delicious food. We used to treat ourselves to this place as college students. The location I'm most familiar with is the corner of West 4th Street and Mercer Street. It's not any cheaper to eat in or take out. They get you coming and going with a 10% surcharge for take-out orders. Might as well sit down and take a load off. Food comes fast, just so you know.

If you want to treat yourself to a fancy hot chocolate and meal, Max Brenner's not too bad. And I do mean a treat (approx $10/plate). http://www.maxbrenner.com He just opened a new restaurant on Broadway, closer to 14th Street.

Believe me, most of us here in NY would not be able to pay our rents if we had fancy dinners every night.

Another thing to do is to have brunch around the city. Fancy restaurants are often most affordable during weekend brunches, AND lunches (per constant movement's suggestions).

Another place you might want to try out is Pomme Frites on 2nd Ave btwn 7th & 8th Streets. That'll fill you up and they have the best fries that I can think of in the city.

When are you coming to NYC? With the weather we're currently having, it's going to be a cold cold winter...

mcnyc

I need to clarify, I meant you could also get a $1.50 coffee/bagel at a deli, not only at a street cart. Again, that depends on where you are in the city.

Another note: if you feel like trekking downtown, there's a small farmer's market on Thursdays with delicious bread and croissants, right on Bowling Green, across from Battery Park.