Published 2013-01-28T18:39:00Z”/>
Thomas Martinez
New York City is known for its insane crowds in the summertime, but during the week after New Year’s Day the tourists seem to disperse.
Now don’t get me wrong, the city is still busy with people rushing to catch the Subway, and pushing you to get to their destinations, but the hustle and bustle of the city seems less hectic.
My fiancee and I recently visited New York during this time for a week and we got to see more attractions than we thought we were going to see. When we went to the Empire State Building we only had to wait 10 minutes to get to the top, opposed to the usual wait of three hours or more.
I bought our plane tickets to New York in October, and for two round-trip tickets it cost just under $1200. Buying tickets in advance always helps to save money, especially when you’re buying them for a week in the off season.
When we landed in the city I had a friend from the Marines pick us up and we stayed at his house in Queens. This saved us around $2,000 in hotel costs, giving us more money for shows and fine dining.
During our visit, we got a seven-day subway train pass for $30 each. We took the train from Queens to Manhattan, which took about an hour. The pass provided us with unlimited subway rides, allowing us easier access to the city.
We also picked up a sightseeing New York Pass for $180 a person, which allowed us to go to more than 70 attractions for free. The pass also got us to the front of the line for each attraction.
Unfortunately, once we arrived at each destination we realized that this luxury wasn’t needed because of the lack of tourists.
We got to see “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” at Discovery Times Square with set pieces, clothes and various props from all eight movies without waiting for the crowds.
Another great thing about being in New York City after New Years was that the subway trains were never packed, so we could always find a seat. Also, you can really learn the ins and outs of the subway system because there is no rush.
My experience in New York City after New Year’s Day was amazing; the trip was better than I could have ever imagined. There were few lines, so we got to see more attractions, and without so many tourists flooding the streets, we were able to walk around the city more.
One week in New York cost us less than $2,000 and I was able to experience all I wanted, plus more.
I will be back next year to have fun in the city while saving myself some green.
<hr />
<strong>The Orion can be reached at</strong> <a href=”mailto:[email protected]”><em>[email protected]</em></a>
