Thursday, February 19, 2009

Birthday Trip Budget

I plan to go to NYC for my birthday weekend in March. I'd like to stay in a hotel, have at least one treatment at a spa and find some other fun inexpensive stuff to do. Here is my budget:

Spa Treatment - $100
Food - $60
Hotel - $150
Misc. - $40
TOTAL - $350

I think I can stick to it. If I go over by a few dollars, it's okay, I just don't want to spend more than $400. Any ideas on sights I should see and inexpensive but good restaurants?

3 comments:

MoneyMaus said...

I love NYC! You will have a fantastic time.

Good restaurants... if you like chicken, check out Pio Pio and if you like Indian (it's Southern Indian which is vegetarian but fantastic), check out Tiffin Wallah. Most of the restaurants I like in NYC are a bit more on the pricey side, but those are not as high and phenomenal. :D REALLY cheap is Gray's Papaya. Yum!

Rae said...

If you are looking for discount spa treatments in NYC try www.lifehacker.com. Just be careful, sometimes they turn out to be glorified nail salons. Make sure you double check with the spa's website before ordering. WWW.yelp.com is also a great place to look up reviews. You can also use that as a tool to track down inexpensive restaurants. I'm assuming you're staying for 2 days? $30 a day might be difficult.

Wandering around Central Park is free and there’s a lot to see. You could grab a hot dog and pretzel from the cart to save money on lunch. The Met has "suggested donations" so technically you can go there for free. The museum is huge, and it would take more than a day to explore it all.

If it's nice out I would also suggest walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. There's a pizza place called Grimaldi's that has some of the best pizza I've ever had. They don't sell by the slice, so hopefully you're traveling with someone to split the cost. There's a pier right down the block that has some of the best views of NYC skyline.

You could look up the most famous NYC landmarks, jot down their locations, and create your own tour. Buy a one day unlimited subway pass for $7.50 and use www.hopstop.com to plan your routes. Times Square, the Stock Exchange, World Trade Center, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, NYC Public Library, and Rockefeller Center are just some examples.

If you do visit the WTC site, I suggest wandering across the street to Century 21 for discount designer shopping.

FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com said...

That is SO freaky.

I am planning a trip to NY in march too :)