Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with newyorkcity and cheap

Have to fly in July, but we'll adapt to anything else!

amicamentis — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:53:46 -0800

How to find the best NYC --> Europe flight deals when both day of week and destination are flexible. Caveat: flying out July 2010. My roommate and I are planning an extended European vacation beginning around the middle of July next year. I know that this is the absolute worst time to fly out, so we need some tips about how to cut down the price.

We are flying from NYC but would be willing to travel to Newark or even Philadelphia if there were significant savings. I have used RyanAir in the past and am familiar with inter-European travel, which is why we don't care much about the city that we first land in. So far, it looks like flying into Dublin is the least expensive. We would also be fine with Paris, London, Glasgow, Amsterdam, or Geneva.

What now? I've heard that if you're flying during peak season then you should just buy tickets as early as possible because they will never lower. However, with our flexibility it seems that there may be some deal, somewhere a bit closer to our flight date. Is this wishful thinking?

We would appreciate any website recommendations that would give fares on neighboring cities as well, or flexibility about the day of the week. I've tried Kayak and liked it - are there others?

In addition, our vacation will probably continue for several months. Will the customs agents give us any problems for having a return ticket for more than three months from the day we enter the country?

Thanks!

New York for the Young

ashaw — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 09:06:24 -0800

Help planning a 5 Day trip to NYC - Do you know of any secret delights that New York City has to offer? I need recommendations/advice on everything from where to stay to where to go. Much more details inside. Just to spark some ideas, I'm a twenty year old single british male traveller who has clichéd hipster young adult interests like: music (open mic, gigs, records), antique fairs, flea markets, good cheap vintage/secondhand clothes, coffee shops, cheap carnivorous food, literature, art, film as well as all the usual tourist traps (brooklyn bridge, statue of liberty, modern art museum etc).

I'm very much boggled by my research, NYC is huge and I don't know where to stay which is relatively cheap ($80 a night would be pushing it) and in a good location to get to all the areas. I know the US hasn't got the travellers mentality to hostels, so any recommendations would be excellent.

Would be great if someone could tell me if there is a sightseeing tour which can hit most of the tourist spots leaving more time to do the more unique, quirky stuff. I've been told the Lower East Side and Williamsburg are all good places to spend some time.

Remember the cheaper the better and bearing in mind I'm not of drinking age, so alternatives for night life would be really great.

Food "Glorious" Food

orville sash — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:44:06 -0800

Looking for cheap caterers (or alternatives to caterers) in New York City for a wedding! Some of you may be familiar with my innumerable Askme wedding questions. We're starting to work all of that out, and we honing in on setting a date and getting things organized.

There's just one sticking point - food. Catering is so expensive! The caterers are asking for so much money! Even just asking for them to do cocktails and dessert costs a fortune. So my question breaks down thusly:

1.) Do you know of caterers in New York City who will do things like buffet or cocktails and dessert for a reasonable price?
2.) Have you had good experience using catering alternatives, like your friends and family? How has that worked for you?
3.) We have spoken to one company which offers "drop off service" for buffet style food and their prices are very reasonable, but we would have to hire help. Does this seem like a recipe for disaster?

Details:

-Wedding will likely be around 110 people.
-Our upper limit for food prices is $4k-$5k.

Feel free to ask me any questions. I'll follow up.

Could you loan me a couple bucks?

orville sash — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:17:53 -0800

How much should my wedding cost, and how can I do it cheaper? So I recently got engaged (previously) and we're now planning the wedding. The thing is, we want to have a decent sized wedding (@ 150 people), but we want to do it on the cheap. Our families will likely not be assisting us financially with doing this. Problem is, I have no idea how much I should be preparing to spend.

Fortunately, we will be able to save some money in a few ways:

-My dad's a judge, so he will be performing the ceremony.
-We will be using the same location for ceremony and reception.
-I am almost positive I can find a PA that I wont have to pay for and I have all necessary mixing/turntable equipment for Djing.
-We're not into flowers or BS place settings with boring personalized gifts for everyone
-Fiance's best friend is a clothing designer and will be making the wedding dress
-We'll probably be able to have a friend make the cake (or cakes) instead of going to a baker.

This leaves, basically, location and catering. We live in NYC, and have found some helpful suggestions for locations, but how much should I reasonably expect to pay for location and caterer? Is there any way to do it cheaper?

Free samples in NYC

HotPatatta — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 10:37:43 -0800

Where can I find the best free samples (of anything!) in NYC? My roommate and I look forward to raiding the cheese samples at our local grocery store every weekend. As I unabashedly stuffed my face this time, I started wondering about other places that are generous with free samples, e.g., beauty products, food, drink, pie(!!!), cleaning products, etc. Your suggestions, please.

Cheap travel from Delaware to NYC?

viewofdelft — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:23:54 -0800

What are the cheapest ways to get from Newark, Delaware, to New York City? I'm a research assistant at the University of Delaware and as part of a long and wonkish I-95 corridor project, we've decided to produce a map or informational pamphlet letting students know the cheapest ways to get from here (Newark, Delaware) to New York City.

A few things to keep in mind:
1. Any mode of transportation is fair game (air, rail, highway, seaports, etc.), as is any type of vehicle (plane, train, automobile, bus, shoes, etc.).
2. Be creative, but within reasonable limits of safety (i.e., no airmailing oneself).
3. It's alright if many of the suggested travel methods begin in Philadelphia (and maybe even Baltimore) if these departure points are more familiar to you.
4. Cost is the most important factor, although I don't want to discourage that outlandish teleportation idea you've been waiting to uncork.

After we've completed the map or pamphlet, I'll contact each of the contributors about mailing them a finished product. Thank you.

Cheap NYC fun

HotPatatta — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:43:20 -0800

The Staten Island Ferry is said to be "one of the best values in New York City" because it's free and offers great views of the city. What are other "best values" in NYC, including shopping, food, activities, and anything else that's surprisingly inexpensive. I'll be moving to the City later this summer I need to not blow my nestegg.

Cheap or Free Things To Do In New York Next Week?

Becko — Fri, 18 May 2007 18:20:28 -0800

I have a week in New York City and limited funds... I'll be heading to New York City on Sunday and I'll be there until Saturday. I'd like some ideas for cool things to keep me occupied without costing me a ton. I'm staying at the Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. I plan on taking subways and walking, what is the best way to quickly get accustomed to the subway system? I've been to New York City once before, but it was about 3 or 4 years ago.

Friday I plan to hit some museums because they have free/pay what you can nights. I'd love to get tickets to see a taping of a show, but it seems like this is a bad time for that, are there even shows taping at this time? If so, how can I go about getting a hold of a couple tickets? I'd love to go to a neat tea store or cafe. I love tea, especially really unique atmospheres of tea stores. I'm sure there are a ton in New York, but what are some of the best?

I just graduated from art school and I think it would be cool to show my illustration portfolio to some art directors if possible. Does anyone know the best way to get in touch with art directors? Or is there a cool art scene I can hit up?

Also, this is probably a shot in the dark, but last time I was in New York we stumbled across a Udon place near the location of the former World Trade Center. My fiance's mom has tried to locate the place again on other trips but has been unsuccessful. Anyone know what this restaurant is called? It was almost exclusively udon, but it had other Japanese items as well.

I know there are a lot of New York tourist questions, but I didn't find any specifically addressing my questions about free/cheap things. Especially events that are taking place this coming week.