I spent 5 days in New York this month. With enough savings and an excuse to go to (my pal Rheanna is over on a graduate visa), myself and my housemate Síne booked flights in mid-April. On a tight timeframe as well as an even tighter budget, I had been going to see and do as much as possible.
Pre-trip spending
Flights: EUR347 return with Icelandair that included a stopover in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Accommodation: EUR0, once we stayed with this friend in Brooklyn for the duration of our trip.
Visa: $14 (EUR12.93)
Plane food: EUR9 for any turkey pretzel sandwich (in-flight meals aren't included in the price with Icelandair).
On the ground
Thursday
7pm: Síne and I landed at JFK Airport and faced an hour-and-a-half wait through passport control. After pricing a taxi to the friend's office in Manhattan – $78 excluding tolls – we made the journey via trains and buses. A ticket for the AirTrain from JFK to Jamaica Station costs $5 and then we needed to get another train and the subway. At this point, i was too tired to check out MetroCards properly, therefore we each bought one-way tickets ($15).
10pm: After we met Rheanna at Swift Hibernian Lounge (leaving Ireland to visit an Irish pub on holidays is really a stereotype I'm pleased to fulfil), she suggested we order food from there because the kitchen stayed open until 4am. I went for that mac 'n' cheese, two pints of Diet Coke and a Guinness. Our friend covered the bill and we covered the tip ($10 each). Jet lag kicked in and that we got the subway to the friend's apartment on Bushwick Avenue ($3).
Friday
10am: We hit the Brooklyn Standard deli in the morning; I got a normal 'F' smoothie – pineapple, strawberry, mango and apple juice ($5.50). Although delicious, this was the start of a slippery single-use plastic slope I discovered unattainable off during Ny.
12:30pm: We went on to a brunch spot Rheanna recommended: The Butcher's Daughter. I ordered a pesto quesadilla ($11) along with a matcha latte with oat milk ($7.50 – $2.50 for the oat milk, rookie mistake on my small part). Síne also ordered the pesto quesadilla, while Rheanna opted for the plantain party bowl ($15).
2pm: Following a stroll through Williamsburg, I ended in an Apple Store to purchase a headphone adaptor ($9.80). We ignored Rheanna's protests and went for a walk in Domino Park ('It simply seems very fake'), before relaxing on wooden deck chairs. Heat meant the temptation in the Mom & Icepops popsicle stand was too much: we splashed on two for $7. I acquired lemon and jasmine flavour – their best-selling pop.
4:30pm: A busy period at the office meant my planning had fallen by the wayside. We went to Pianos bar to regroup and plan in advance with the aid of frozen margaritas and also the happy hour nachos. The entire found $23.64 such as the tip, which we split three ways.
6:30pm: We decided to prioritise the 9/11 Memorial Museum, making the final entry at 6:30pm. The guided tours were sold out, so we bought standard entry tickets ($26 each). It became probably the most emotionally intense experiences I've had; I'd recommend putting aside about two hours for this. We also made the very wise decision to pick up unlimited ride MetroCards for the rest of our amount of time in NYC ($34).
8:30pm: Rheanna was not excited about our plans to go ahead and take Ellis Island ferry during our stay, insisting we'd get every bit as good a view when we walked down to harbour (rest assured, we did not feel by doing this). After a squint at Lady Liberty, we headed to BlackTail Bar for any cocktail using their extensive menu. I went for any Soft Touch ($21 including tip) and took advantage of their free postcards to inspire jealousy in Ireland. Next on our pub crawl was The Boiler Room, that you recognise from the karaoke scene within the movie P.S., I really like You. I taken care of two drinks ($16 including tip).
11:30pm: Our NY pal was keen to create us to some house party during sex Stuy, therefore we caught an Uber there. We'd left it past too far to create booze and jet lag was kicking in, so we didn't stick around. The 30 minute walk to Bushwick Avenue unfortunately didn't yield an infamous $1 pizza slice. However, we did stop off in Bunton's Renowned bar for any nightcap ($6). Our hunger led us to a deli before bedtime, where I ordered some type of falafel and cheese concoction in a drunken haze ($6.50).
Saturday
1pm: Broadway, in my experience, seemed to be the done thing to do much more Ny. We chose to trek into Times Square with the expectation of securing victory in the ticket lottery. Before that, we dropped into Chelsea Market for breakfast. Chelsea Marketplace is referred to as an 'urban food court', featuring from donuts to sushi to currywurst. I made a decision on Sarabeth's for food because it had probably the most traditional menu, and I was craving eggs benedict ($15.92).
2pm: At TKTS – the discount ticket booth in Times Square – i was met with similar response as all the theatres: 'It's Saturday! You'll never get something cheaper than $80!' I made a decision to break up the disappointing answers with a pitstop in Pret-A-Manger. I acquired an iced chocolate, which the cashier gave me on the house when i was the final order on her shift. Score! ($0)
6pm: Síne and I decided to get rid of our Broadway woes with a ride a bike around Central Park. Our leisurely pace slowly progressed directly into my own personal Tour De France as I struggled with steep inclines and my dress getting tangled in the spokes. My advice to anyone thinking of doing the work throughout their stay: wear literally anything else other than a maxi dress. ($15 to have an hour).
7pm: Next on our list – Chinatown along with a recommendation of to-die-for dumplings at Deluxe Green Bo. I recovered from my maxi dress drama with a feast of split satay soup buns, pork dumplings, Shanghai rice and spring rolls. ($12).
8pm: I popped into Union Market going to the pub to get some flowers for our recently married friend ($19.59). Unfortunately, they didn't last long in Empellon Al Pastor, despite our heroic efforts in order to save all of them with sugar water. Here, myself and my travelling companion split rounds ($19.31 each including tip) and then ended the night time in another Irish bar, ironically called Sláinte. They'd a two drink minimum for card payments; who had been I to argue? ($18 including tip).
Sunday
11am: We made a beeline to Williamsburg Pizza to sate our longing for an effective New York slice, before going to our prime Line. I tried the Bianco, which in fact had fresh mozzarella, ricotta, pecorino and parmigiano-reggiano. If someone tells you there's such a thing as an excessive amount of cheese, they're lying. I washed it down having a can of Coke ($7.50 including tip).
12pm: I succumbed to the siren call of Sephora, despite previously insisting that this wasn't a shopping holiday. Those minis are simply too hard to face up to. ($105).
1pm: After my retail pitstop we reached our prime Line: single.5 mile long public park built above a historic freight line. Entry is free, so we split an ice cream sandwich in the Melt Bakery cart for cooling off. ($2.50).
4pm: I avoided the lure of skincare stores in Koreatown and went straight to a Korean food hall to sample yet more dumplings and bubble tea ($14.90).
6pm: Fuelled by dumplings, we decided to dance the night away at Tiki Disco in the Well. Had I been aware of the eye-watering $30 card minimum, I might have made other plans. Nevertheless, it had been a fun night of disco and drinking; sadly this resulted in no photos being safe for work. ($50).
11pm: We designed a brief visit The Graham but my Sephora guilt ensured I didn't order another drink. But I did say a passionate yes to mozzarella sticks from the local takeaway ($4).
Monday
12pm: Because the skies opened on our last day, we decided to shelter in the Met. We were particularly interested in the exhibition 'Camp: Notes On Fashion' due to our keen curiosity about the Met Gala. Our budget lunch was consumed in Chick-Fil-A: an ideal option for something cheap, cheerful and chicken-y. I went for chicken tenders and a lemonade ($12.84).
1:30pm: Our need to arrive dry meant an Uber ($10) was your best option. After a 10 minute wait in line (don't be intimidated by the queues, they move fast), i was inside. General admission is $25 but and worth every penny. The Play It Loud exhibition featuring the instruments of rock 'n roll was a highlight.
4PM: We made the journey back to our friend's apartment to collect our stuff and visit JFK for the flight.
The final tally
Notes: I'm under no illusion about how lucky I'm which i didn't need to pay for accommodation; it's prohibitively expensive in NYC. I did the trip entirely cashless, initially putting $100 on my small Revolut card to avoid fees and using my normal bank card when it ran out. This was solely right down to poor organisation on my small part. I avoided taking out money where possible, but you'll still incur fees for making card payments in the US. Next time I'll definitely take out half of my spending money in cash and put anything else on my Revolut.
More spending diaries:
- What I allocated to a four-day trip to Rome
- What I spent on a four-day trip around Nice
