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Bargain Sites for Big Apple Visitors
The Travel Tightwad · March 26, 2002

New York is the most expensive city in the Americas, according to the latest Economist Intelligence Unit report on the world's priciest places. But that doesn't mean you have to get fleeced when you visit the Big Apple.

Just log on to the Internet and you'll find plenty of ways to pare the price of your visit, whether you're looking for an inexpensive restaurant or trying to discover good deals on entertainment. In the Travel Tightwad's continuing series on how to save money when you travel to the most popular destinations in the U. S., we set our sights on Gotham this week:

The NYC Insider: I like simple websites, and the NYC Insider fits the bill. I'm especially partial to its list of free museums, some of which I'd never even heard of. Free museums are an integral part of a visit to Manhattan, but this site also has the good sense to warn patrons that "free" doesn't necessarily mean there's no cost associated with it. Some museums, it notes, have a suggested admission fee, and it adds, "We do not advocate that everyone ignore the suggested admission fee." Good advice.

ny.com: Another excellent resource for a New York visitor, this site is not only an easy-to-follow guide, but it's also got the line on saving big bucks. Check out its list of Unique, NYC Insider Experiences for under $30, which include The Greenwich Village Literary Pub Crawl ($15) and Sex & The City - Tour of the show's hotspots ($25). I like the fact that you can surf directly to a booking service where you can reserve tickets for these events. That's in sharp contrast to discounts offered in other destinations (Las Vegas and Orlando come to mind) where booking online with a coupon or special offer remains difficult.

NYC & Company: This is the official Convention and Visitors Bureau site, and careful readers of this column will note that this is the first time I've ever recommended anything remotely official. But I've been following the NYC & Company site for years, and it's really worth a visit. Plus, the Big Apple is eager to attract more tourists and is rolling out the red carpet. For example, here's where you'll read about Summer Restaurant Week, which takes place June 24 to 30. For about $20-excluding beverage, tax, and gratuity-you can indulge in a three-course menu at more than 150 of the city's best dining establishments. What a bargain!

Studio Audiences: You like cheap, but you'd rather have free. Of course you would. Studio Audiences is a site where you'll get the details on how to secure free tickets to your favorite TV shows while you're in town. Ever wanted to see a broadcast of Saturday Night Live - up close and personal. The site explains that there are actually two ways to get tickets, and it even tells you what your chances are of actually receiving them (tickets to popular shows are often allocated by lottery). You could probably hunt all over the Web to find the information on your show, but why do that when it's all in one place?

This column doesn't even scratch the surface on all the online moneysaving opportunities in Gotham, but it's a good start. There's even better news for bargain-hunters to the Big Apple that I wanted to mention by way of a postscript. When I lived in New York City a decade ago, it impressed me as a place that was a little rough around the edges, if not inhospitable. In the mid-1990s, I was astonished when New York's image began to change (crime rates fell, and it seemed as if visitors really were wanted). September 11 seems to have accelerated that trend, and no place is that more obvious than on the Web.

New York is welcoming virtual visitors with open arms-and big-time deals. If you're looking to save a bundle on your next vacation, you owe it to yourself to click online first.

Christopher Elliott is a travel commentator based in Key Largo, Fla. All e-mailed questions may be edited, condensed or republished at the site's discretion.