This column originally appeared in Looped In NYC, our weekly newsletter for where to go and what to know.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a joke that New York City has a $20 \u201cleaving the house tax\u201d because it\u2019s so hard to venture out without dropping at least that much. It\u2019s true: Gotham is one of the most expensive cities in the world and a fantastic place to accidentally blow way more cash than anticipated.<\/p>\n
So when the Looped In team asked me to plan a night of activities under $20 \u2013 in this economy \u2013 I battened down the bank account and girded my loins. Not because I\u2019m a particularly high roller \u2013 I really do find that the best things in life, like watching ships go by on the East River with some friends and a flask, are cheap or free \u2013 but because drinks and bites and cover fees and subway fares (RIP, unlimited MetroCard) add up quickly. Would I actually be able to write this column?<\/p>\n
With help from my colleague, Emily Nadal, we made a list of options and set out for an evening in Manhattan. Here\u2019s where we went and what we spent:<\/p>\n
Rudy\u2019s<\/a> (Hell\u2019s Kitchen): $5<\/p>\n In the end we decided to start the night at Hell\u2019s Kitchen holdout Rudy\u2019s, home of the free hot dog with drink purchase deal. For just $4, I enjoyed a pint of lager and a particularly well-grilled dirty water dog in the company of bros and more grizzled-looking locals alike, because nothing unites New Yorkers like love for a deal. (I also tipped the bartender, bringing my total to $5.)<\/p>\n Shi Jiao Fu Zhou<\/a> (Chinatown): $3.25<\/p>\n Next we ventured to Chinatown\u2019s Shi Jiao Fu Zhou, where, for the ridiculous price of $3.25, I enjoyed a plate of peanut noodles and resisted the urge to tell the cashier that it\u2019s not the \u201880s anymore, and they could easily get away with charging more (but we\u2019re also glad they don\u2019t).<\/p>\n PhotoSLAM<\/a> at the International Center of Photography<\/a> (Lower East Side): $5<\/p>\n Laden with carbs, we shuffled off to the International Center of Photography, an institution that, despite spending my entire life in New York City, I had somehow failed to ever visit before. The \u201chomecoming\u201d themed PhotoSLAM is like \u201cThe Moth,\u201d but each presenter only gets five minutes, and their stories are based on a photo series. It was pretty cool! After the show, we chatted with the host, pointing out how amazing it is to go from hot dogs and beer with the post-work Midtown crowd to viewing these moving photo essays in less than an hour (and spending very little). “That’s New York City for you,” he said.<\/p>\n While the PhotoSLAM event is sporadic, and there aren\u2019t any upcoming ones currently scheduled, ICP has a wealth of other public programming<\/a> worth checking out.<\/p>\n Art gallery hopping (Thursdays, various locations): Free entry, free wine<\/p>\n Pro-tip: If you\u2019re in Manhattan on a Thursday night, you can easily find an art gallery opening, and they often serve wine. The experience and your beverage come free of charge. OSMOS<\/a> on 1st Street was nearby, so we checked out a photo exhibition of haunting, saturated images of America by Catherine DeLattre and the late Fred Herzog. The space was intimate and the crowd was kind and sociable.<\/p>\n Ray\u2019s Candy Shop<\/a> (Alphabet City): $5 for cookies and ice cream<\/p>\n Finally, I ended my night at the legendary Ray\u2019s Candy Shop across from Tompkins Square Park. Cannot recommend this over half-century-old institution enough: It is a stronghold of old school NYC energy, a portal to another era of the city still staffed by its namesake, the man the myth the legend, the indefatigable<\/a> over 90-year-young<\/a> Ray Alvarez<\/a>. I still had $6.75 to spare, so I splurged: $5 for cookies and an ice cream cone.<\/p>\n Total spent: $18.25<\/p>\n In total we visited five spots, including two cultural experiences, and I got two drinks, a hot dog, a plate of noodles, a cookie and ice cream with $1.75 to spare.<\/p>\n Emily Nadal contributed to this story.<\/p>\n