San Franciscan in New York

Like most young people living in Manhattan the bulk of my finances goes to a faceless landlord on the 1st of each month. Don't despair! Manhattan gets my vote for the most entertaining place without ever having to pay a dime. Of course it takes will power and a general knowledge of what's out there, but a walk in nearly any neighborhood will give the casual visitor enough to talk about for months after they leave.

Quick Tips:

Forget what you've been told all your life; New York, for better or worse, is a very safe place to vist thanks to our mayor. I feel more comfortable walking the streets of Manhattan late at night than in most other places.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking in New York has to be one of life's greatest pleasures. There is no other city in the world that offers so much sensory stimulation, 24 hours a day, than this one. For that reason, when travelling longer distances, take a bus. You'll see more that way. If you enjoy people watching take the Subway. Like Paris, many of the stations have live performers playing music, doing magic tricks, or dancing salsa with blow-up dolls (42nd St. station.) If you have to get there 'right now!' take a cab; they're a lot cheaper than in most American cities.

My favorite of the seemingly hundreds of Thai restaurants in the East Village. This place is all about cool. Very simple setting that attracts a young and hip crowd uninterested in paying the big bucks for a plate of pad thai. 6$ lunch specials are a far better choice than the Indian lunch buffets just around the corner on 6th St. Perhaps most important, SEA has the friendliest staff of any restaurant I've been to in New York. Portions are very filling and a lot of attention is paid to presentation. They don't have a full bar, but beer and wine are available. Go now before you can't get a seat!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I enjoy going out to sushi every once in awhile, but have a hard time with paying for such a small amount of food. Well, we have an answer. In a word, Sandobe. I am invariably shocked at how small the bill is when I go there. Beer and sake are available. Expect a wait at the door, but it moves quickly. I've never seen a place turnover customers so fast. Perhaps a bad choice for a date, but good for a group of say, 4-6 people. Anymore and you'll have a tough time getting a table. They have a long list of crab based rolls which are the house speciality.

Many visitors think getting a hold of tickets to sporting events in New York, especially Knicks' tickets, is Difficult. This probably stems from the much hyped 'fact' that the Knicks have sold out hundreds of consecutive games over the past few decades. Ok, I'm going to say this once, 'GETTING KNICKS' IS EASY!' Just head down to the Garden about a half hour before the game and wait for someone selling tickets to approach you. My bargaining skills are average, but I've never paid more than $30 for a ticket, and there's not a bad seat in the house. Just make sure you're buying a ticket for the right day. Remember: as always, scalping is against the law.