Jason

I am planning on going to New York next June (first week) for the first time. I will only be there a week for vacation and will be on a somewhat limited budget. Any advice on good, but inexpensive hotels, restaurants, plays, shopping, etc. will be very helpful.

ERNIE

Jason: A lot of the answers to your questions depend on your age, what you want to do in the city, will you be traveling alone, and your interests. There are relatively inexpensive hotels in parts of the city you may not be interested in or far from your planned activities. Send me an idea of what you want to spend on a hotel. That will be your biggest expense. There are many good inexpensive restaurants and you can get 1/2 price Broadway show tickets.

michelle

Go to the Seaport area-east side of downtown Manhattan-and take an evening boat cruise. Preferably on the old schooner if it's still available. You get great views of the Staute of Liberty and it's reasonably priced-you can take your own food and drink-most 'dinner' or evening cruises do not have good food and you're paying a lot for it.

Owen O'Neill

$100 or less is inexpensive in NYC. Hotel taxes total around 12% in addition. Best I've found is Hotel Madison on East 27th at corner of Madison Ave. It's a few short blocks from the Park/Lex subway, close to the Village and not that far from midtown. $85 per night INCLUDING taxes and breakfast. This is a budget hotel - not swank but it is clean, safe and convenient. Do NOT stay at the Gershwin a few doors away - it's cool and funky but the service is horrible and they are terribly unorganized (at least when I stayed there). Find a copy of "Mr. Cheap" - the NYC version. Lots of great bargain ideas of all types. Also consider hostels - under $25 per night eevn in NYC.

ernie

Jason. You have a lot of time to plan this trip. A week in the city is a long time and can be expensive. If you have access to the Sunday N Y Times, read the travel section where you will find hotel ads. This is a bad time of year for this because the city is at capacity and the hotels don't advertise. After the first of the year, the hotels will run specials. A good, well located hotel will cost apprx $125.00 per night. My choice would be in midtown where transportation is easy, and the streets safe for walking. I usually stay at the Hotel Edison on West 47th St. There is so much to do and see and it is really too early to begin to plan your trip except for the hotel. Remind me after the fist of the year and I will be happy to suggest things to do.

Brian Kilgore

NY is very expensive, but there are some tricks. There are little grocery stores all over town, with prepared hot foods and salads, and cut up fruit. If you plan on eating from these once a day, you'll save a lot of money compared to eating at restaurants. Stop at a store in theevening, and bring back something to have in your hotel room for breakfast. Use buses and the subway instead of cabs, and you'll save a lot of money. Check guidebooks to see which days museums have reduced prices. The Pizza at the cafeteria in the Trump Tower is a bargain at $3 a slice, and very, very good. Restuarants have menus posted outside, so you can be prepared for the size of the bill before you go in. Most fancy restuatnts have great food at lunch time, for much less than it costs to eat in the same place for dinner. You'll get the excitement of gret restaurants, at two thirds the price.
BAK