All Things Travel: New York City On A Budget
BOSTON (CBS) – Springtime is a great time to visit New York City. It turned out to be less expensive and more fun than I expected.
Plan to go before school gets out and the hoards of foreign visitors invade the city and hotel rates go up.
The reason for the trip was a relative singing in a high school choir event at Carnegie Hall. That was Friday night with two hours of great live entertainment in a great historical hall.
Our nearby hotel, a Hilton Garden Inn, was about $160 per night, plus tax. The room included a stocked coffee and tea machine, a micro and mini-fridge. There were a number of take-out places a block or so nearby where you could get food to bring back to the room.
Ask the front desk for a tip on an inexpensive restaurant of your favorite food nearby.
My wife suggested that we take a double-decker "hop on, hop off" bus trip around the city, something I have not done for 50 years. The trip cost $49 for a two-and-a half hour route from Broadway to the waterfront, near the new World Trade Center exhibit and back. You can get on and off the bus any time you want.
The first five minutes of the trip were almost worth the price.
Sit on the upper deck of the bus and see the great lighted signs of Broadway as you've never seen before and certainly not as you might see them from a taxi. In fact, don't take cabs; take the subway or walk.
Our tour guide was Dennis Lynch from the Big Bus Company. Lynch knows the territory. The company operates in 15 cities from Dubai to Shanghai.
The two most-asked questions from riders: Where were you on 9/11 and how much is the rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city?
Hurricane Sandy flooded downtown Wall Street and the park at the tip of The Battery is being remodeled and should open this summer. I think it will be a great place for lunch. Then take the free Staten Island Ferry across the harbor and back or a ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty.
Try an off-Broadway show or stand in-line for discounted theatre tickets that go on sale every day.
What is the best way to get to New York?
We took the Amtrak Acela Express, the high-end price of the trip. The Amtrak Regional is a better buy and takes only an hour more.
Then there is the bus. You start with the LimoLiner from The Sheraton Boston Hotel or take Peter Pan from South Station for about $20. Rail, bus and train bring you into the center city.
One more tip.
At our hotel, you could pay $15 for a late checkout. That could be a good idea to sleep-in on the final day of your trip.
The Big Apple has polished up its act.
Bob Weiss reports on business travel on Mondays at 5:55 a.m. on WBZ NewsRadio 1030.
