NYC on a Budget: What New York City Has to Offer without Breaking the Bank

When I speak to people that are relatively new to New York City, they speak about all these different festivals and free concerts and park events and all the places to see in the city that they have been to.  When thinking about what I have seen, I do not measure up in any way. As a native New Yorker that is always on a budget, I have stopped myself from seeing the city.  I always believed that I had to break the bank in order to enjoy the richness of NYC.

To clarify, when I speak of NYC I am including all 5 boroughs (Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island).  Many foreigners believe that NYC only consists of Manhattan, but there is so much more to the city than the little island that hold so much attention.

Now that I finished that rant, I decided that I was going to see more of my beloved city before my final exit.  I lived out of state a couple of times and I have decided that I eventually want to leave, but not before I can say that I have truly seen a large amount of NYC. For the first time last weekend I actually sat down and had a picnic with friends in Sheep Meadow and that made me realize how little of the city I have seen.

When considering what to do next, I needed some means of resource to know where to go next. NY1 news is a handy channel and website to set your attention to, since they have a special segment that tells you about all the free or cheap events that are going on in the five boroughs. They have a handy Community Calendar where you can see all the events going on and you can even add an event if you so wish to share with the rest of us.

This weekend I will be going to the Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy. There is always free entertainment and if you have some extra bucks, get some funnel cake or fried zeppolis or sausage and peppers.  The possibilities are endless.  I have heard many good things and it doesn’t hurt to try a little Italian food.