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A visit to New York City, even for a weekend, can easily leave your bank account as dry as the Mojave Desert. One hundred dollars can see you through the week in Niagara Falls, but is easily spent within your first hour in the Big Apple.
So here are some suggestions on how to avoid going home broke, as well as some cool places to visit, not known to the average tourist.
For starters, if you don't know anyone in the city, you're going to need a place to stay. Some people make the mistake of opting to stay in Brooklyn or Queens, only to find themselves in a hotel an hour outside of Manhattan with bars on the windows.
If it's old New York you're in search of, the Chelsea Hotel, located at 222 West 23rd St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues, is the place for you. This Manhattan institution probably has a more colorful, if not infamous, history than any other building in the city.
It may be most notorious for being the hotel in which punk rock legend Sid Vicious killed his girlfriend, Nancy Spungeon. But the list of people who have called the Chelsea Hotel home is long and varied, including Mark Twain, Sarah Bernhardt, Allen Ginsberg, Andy Warhol, Mohammed Ali and Dylan Thomas, to name a few. Its old-world architecture and charismatic residents themselves are an experience.
To stay at the Chelsea will cost you anywhere from $185 a night up to $485 for a suite. If that's a little too rich for your blood, then try the Milford Plaza.
The Milford Plaza, located at 270 West 45th St., stands in the heart of Manhattan's Theater District. Just a few blocks from Times Square, this newly renovated Manhattan landmark offers some of the best rates in the city, as well as the best location.
A single room can cost you as little as $129 a night, going up to $179. A double room costs between $144 and $194 a night. If you research some of the other hotels in this prime Manhattan location, these rates are shockingly low.
Now that you've checked into your room, what next? After traveling, most people tend to be hungry. If you're staying at the Milford Plaza, and you're starving, a quick trip right across the street to Smith's Bar and Grill is the best way to go.
Located at the corner of 44th Street and Eighth Avenue, Smith's makes a great corned beef sandwich (ask for it on a roll) at a fraction of what most New York delicatessens would charge.
Another, perhaps more lively, joint to check out is Rudy's Bar and Grill, located a block farther at the corner of West 44th Street and Ninth Avenue. This famous pub features the best blues juke box in the city. With the purchase of a drink you are entitled to an unlimited amount of free hot dogs. On weekends, it may be hard to find a booth, but standing is a small price to pay to frequent this Hell's Kitchen legend.
If a bigger, more formal meal is what you're looking for, try Carmine's. Located at 200 West 44th St. between Seventh and Eighth avenues, this family-style Italian restaurant serves up huge portions of pasta and veal. Your stomach and wallet would be equally well served if you split a single portion between two people, or possibly three.
If you're staying downtown at the Chelsea, for a quick bite, and another bit of New York history, take a 10-block walk down to the White Horse Tavern.
Located at 567 Hudson St., at the corner of West 10th, this New York icon continues to introduce new generations to the spirits of people like Jack Kerouac and Dylan Thomas. Order one of the burgers, which are huge and delicious, and treat yourself to a pint of Guinness. Their chili is pretty good, too.
Maybe, if you're there late at night, you'll catch a glimpse of the ghost of Dylan Thomas, who, as the plaque on the wall states, spent the final hours of his short life drinking whiskey in this saloon.
Now you're full, relaxed, and wanting to see the sights. Here are three not only cheap but completely free ways to go about doing this.
First, the Statue of Liberty is one of the biggest tourist attractions not only in New York but probably all of the world. Many tourists make the mistake of shelling out $10 per person to take a ferry around it, snapping pictures off the side of the boat.
The Staten Island Ferry, which takes almost the same route as the Statue of Liberty Ferry, once cost a meager 50 cents, but is now completely free. The ride lasts 25 minutes and offers a close-up view of Lady Liberty and a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline.
If it's a more relaxed afternoon you're looking for, a trip to the Strand bookstore, located at 858 Broadway at the corner of East 11th Street will be well worth your while.
The books aren't well organized, but they are plentiful. Browsing through shelf after shelf of rare, out-of-print books not only can kill an afternoon, but for the avid reader perhaps a year or two. The staff don't mind if you choose to read a whole novel without paying.
Third is a walk down Broadway. You can start anywhere you please, be it West 115th Street next to Columbia University or West 68th Street at Columbus Circle, next to Central Park.
Heading downtown you'll pass everything from the Empire State Building to the Ed Sullivan Theater to Macy's. To fuel up midway through your journey, take a one block detour down 57th Street to Seventh Avenue. There you'll find the Carnegie Deli, another cheap and delicious New York institution.
Broadway shows and expensive restaurants are one side of New York City. But there's a whole other side to the city, seldom seen by visitors. A side that promotes history, not glitz, and is much easier on your wallet.