This week we trip on a deal in New York City.
It's the best hidden gems of the Big Apple.
Amazing Gotham attractions you've never heard of.
Plus the Hip Village Hotel under $100 a night.
The best tours of the city.
And our list of the top 10 tourist attractions that are completely free.
That and more on this week's trip on a deal.
Today trip on a deal is brought to you by End Now Productions.
Contact them for your webcast and online video needs at endnow.com.
Hello and welcome to trip on a deal from the crossroads of the world.
Times Square, I'm Ruth.
And I'm John.
This area holds some great memories for us.
John and I both used to be producers at Good Morning America
at the Times Square studio right across the street.
And I used to direct the entertainment show The Insider right here at the Viacom building.
But today we want to create some New York memories for you.
So we offer you the visitors list of the best hidden gems of the Big Apple.
First off, where to stay?
There are some amazing hotels in New York but they average over $200 a night.
The Marriott here in Times Square is about $180 a night.
But one alternative, the new Jane Hotel in the Hip West Village.
They offer teeny 50 square foot rooms they call cabins.
It's like a ship cabin enough for a bed and your suitcase for the low price of 99 bucks a night.
And hey, in the city that never sleeps, why do you need to spend time in your room?
So you want unique accommodations in the city?
The popular American Museum of Natural History offers sleepovers
each month for kids 8 to 12 years old.
For 129 bucks you can take a flashlight to or through the dinosaur hall
and sleep under the big blue whale.
Sleeping with the fishes, so to speak.
New York City boasts over 100 great museums.
Many of them are pretty famous.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, MoMA.
Many of them smell so famous.
Here are five great destinations you've probably never heard of.
Number five, Cleveland may boast the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
but an annex recently opened right here in New York City.
A great place to live out your inner rock star.
Number four, the Tenement Museum is a fascinating and surprising look
at how immigrants really lived in New York 100 years ago.
We recommend you purchase tickets in advance.
Number three, the Museum of Cartoon and Comic Art
highlights comics from Richie Rich to the Watchmen.
Number two, the Medieval Museum at the Cloisters
has an incredible collection of art from medieval Europe.
Even the building is medieval, shipped stone by stone from Europe.
And number one, the Ground Zero Museum Workshop shows a moving collection
of artifacts and photos from 9-11.
Worth a stop but be warned, advanced tickets are required.
So how do you get the best out of one of the best cities in the world?
Well, there are tons of tours.
You can see the double-decker gray line bus right now.
There's the circle line that goes all around Manhattan.
But here is our list of some of the best city tours you've never heard of.
The original Greenwich Village walking tour is a three-hour culinary feast
through New York's ethnic eateries.
SweetWalks.com takes you behind the scenes of the city's best chocolatiers.
BikeTheBigApple.com offers weekly tours through the streets of Manhattan
and beyond with your own pedal power.
Any movie buff would appreciate ScreenTours.com, TV and movie site tours,
plus Sopranos tours and Sex in the City tours.
Now if you want to plan your own New York movie tour,
visit NewYorkInTheMovies.com.
You'll find an interactive map of shooting locations
for over 80 popular movies and television shows shot in Manhattan.
Tours can be expensive.
How about a free tour?
BigAppleGreeter.org is a non-profit organization that matches visitors
with volunteer New Yorkers who want to show you why their city is awesome.
Their volunteers speak 22 languages and it's all free.
Now that's awesome.
The Big Apple Greeter program is number 10 on the Trip on a Deal list
of the top 10 free activities in New York City.
Want to hear the rest?
Here they are.
Number 9.
Get a free tour of historic Grand Central Terminal every Friday afternoon.
Number 8.
Hollywood in NYC.
nycgo.com has a great list of TV shows that tape right here in the city.
If you want to sit in the audience, many of them enter around Times Square.
The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Good Morning America and The Late Show.
And our number 7 is Times Square.
Now it may have gone from seedy and scary to Disneyland commercial,
but a walk down Broadway is still a pretty unique experience and quite a thrill actually.
Number 6.
The Alliance for Downtown New York gives a free Wall Street walking tour
every Thursday and Saturday.
Number 5.
Brooklyn Bridge.
One of the oldest suspension bridges in the world.
It offers a dramatic, mile-long pedestrian and bike path from Manhattan to Brooklyn.
And the spiderweb shot, the foot of the span will go on your mantle for sure.
Number 4.
Rockefeller Center offers free concerts in the summer and you can see the Today Show every morning there.
Plus it's across the street from gorgeous St. Patrick's Cathedral, jaw-dropping and won't cost you a cent.
Number 3.
Many of the major art museums in New York have set aside a day when you can go for free
or even ask for a suggested donation.
You can pay what you wish at the Met, the Whitney, the Jewish Museum and a host of others.
Some destinations like the amazing National Museum of the American Indian are always free.
Number 2.
The Staten Island Ferry.
It's a free ride from the southern tip of Manhattan and straight past Lady Liberty,
the best view in the city at the best price.
And number 1.
Has to be Central Park.
Not only are there enough nooks to occupy you for a full day, the boathouse, the castle and on and on,
but in summer there are free concerts and professional plays with tickets available on the day of
to the hearty souls who wait in line.
In fact, last year we saw hair on Broadway at the summer stage was great, right?
We sure did.
It was free.
And a year before it hit on Broadway.
Can't beat that.
Want a last-minute deal to get to the Big Apple?
Expedia.com has a pretty good updated page on deals here.
Check it out.
Well, I'm the diggin' cowboy.
Keepin' it free upon you big daddy.
Hello, Mama.
Hello.
So, Nicky Cowboy, how do I get to Central Park?
Uh, Central Park from here you just head uptown where my instinct would say go that way.
45 is about, probably about 50.
If you're not lucky enough to ask if Nicky Cowboy how to get places in New York,
there are scores of informational websites here are two of the most original.
NewYorkology.com is an entertaining and well thought out blog about what's happening in New York.
And if you're taking the kids to the city, be sure to check out mommypoppins.com
full of great ideas to help parents make the most out of the Big Apple.
And while you're on the go, you might want to pick up a snack for more than 4,000 food vendors
New York City has to offer.
Yeah, they're pretty good.
And actually, believe it or not, New Yorkers eat them too.
Now, if you want any more information on all the links and stories that we feature today,
you can get it at trippandideal.com.
Plus, follow us on Twitter.
Twitter.com slash Trippandideal.
And don't forget to join us next week so you can...
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