Welcome to NYC Travel Guru.

Enjoy NYC on the cheap in October  with these great events  

Archtober

This is a month-long festival of architecture, art and design events, including exhibitions, lectures, film screenings, hands-on workshops, tours and more. Hundreds of them, in all five boroughs. Some require registration, others not. 

Some are free, others not.

For full information and registration, visit archtober.org

New York Times Food Festival

Save Sat. Oct. 8 for this one-day foodie event in Damrosch Park on the Lincoln Center campus. In addition to tastings of dishes chosen by NYTimes food gurus, there will be cooking demos, talks and more. 

An all-day pass is $40 and NY Times 

Subscribers get a discount. https://www.nytimes.com/events/foodfestival-2022?launch_id=16265685 

SUBMERGE Marine Science Festival

Save Sat. Oct. 15 for this annual family event, which celebrates NYC’s coastal waters by bringing marine science to life, with something for   everyone. And it’s FREE. There are interactive exhibits an experiments,   science entertainment, catch-and-release fishing and more. 

The goal is to inspire audiences of all ages and make marine science and STEM interesting and accessible for all. It’s 11am to 3pm at Hudson River Park Pier 84, at 44th  St.

https://hudsonriverpark.org/visit/events/event/submerge-marine-science-festival-3/ 

This year, there also are field trips  for schools to experience SUBMERGE on Friday Oct. 14. Reach out to education@hrpt.ny.gov to learn more.
 

Ice Skating in Bryant Park

The Winter Village opens for the season on Oct. 28, but reservations are open now for the FREE skating sessions at the ice rink. 

Reserve now for dates through Thanksgiving. 

Reservations that include skate rentals have preference over bring-your-own skates. 

www.wintervillage.org

High Line Tours

Hear the story behind New York City’s park in the sky. Join a free tour led by knowledgeable volunteer guides who offer you an insider’s perspective on the park’s history, design and landscape. 

High Line Tour: From Freight to Flowers is Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays

Bannned Books Available Free

Through Oct. 31, the NYPL is giving cardholders unlimited access to Toni Morrison's Beloved and The Bluest Eye, on the free e-reader app, SimplyE. The award-winning author was a champion for the power of reading and an outspoken critic of censorship and book bans. 

Discover two of her best-loved—and frequently banned—titles, and explore her legacy.

More information here. 

Halloween Harvest Festival

Head to Essex Market on Sunday, Oct. 30, for pumpkin decorating, cooking demos, a costume parade, all-day specials from vendors, and more, all FREE.

www.essexmarket.nyc

Enjoy NYC on the cheap 

in November 

with these FREE 

and low-cost events 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

The larger-than-life balloons, marching bands and more are back, marching from Central Park West and 79th St. downtown to Macy's on 34th & Herald Square.  Additional information on the Macy's website.

Ice Skating – Bryant Park

The annual Winter Village in Bryant opened for the season on October 28. Once again, reservations are required for the FREE skating sessions at the ice rink. 

Reserve soonest for dates through Thanksgiving. 

Reservations that include skate rentals have preference over bring-your-own skates. 

www.wintervillage.org

Ice Skating – Rockefeller Center 

The Rink opens Nov. 5. Reservations are open now. 

https://www.rockefellercenter.com/attractions/the-rink-at-rockefeller-center 

New Lena Horne Theatre  

The Nederlander Organization officially re-christens the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway, as the Lena Horne Theatre in an unveiling ceremony November 1. It is the first time a Broadway theatre has been named for a Black woman, was announced in June. 

The theater is currently home to SIX, the musical about the six wives of Henry VIII.

Golden Girls Kitchen

Fans of the iconic 80s comedy can settle down for dishes from the show made famous by Blanche, Rose, Dorothy and Sophia.

The fast-casual spot pop-up opens in mid-November at 5 E. 54th St.  Reservations are required - and should be booked now.  

Prices start  at $40 per person for a 90-minute reservation that includes one "Golden Main" and a slice of cheesecake.  There also are cocktails and mocktails from the restaurant's Rusty Anchor Bar. A Drag Brunch is set to start in January.

Of course there's also a gift shop with Golden Girls memorabilia. 

Click here for reservations and additional information. 

Stargazing Tuesdays

Head to the High Line each Tuesday night through October for a walk along the park and a chance to take a closer look at the stars. Peer through high-powered telescopes provided by the knowledgeable members of the Amateur Astronomers Association to see rare celestial sights.

Stargazing at the High Line is dusk through 9:45pm at 23rdSt., weather permitting,  and it's FREE. No experience or RSVP is necessary. 

www.thehighline.org/events/stargazing/

For the first time in nearly a decade, the New York Aquarium at Coney Island is fully reopen after a long restoration following Superstorm Sandy in 2012. 

Save money in NYC and enjoy NYC on the cheap with FREE museum admission - or pay-what-you-wish - every day of the week, including weekends.

Always FREE Museum Admission

American Folk Art Museum 

Brooklyn Academy of Music

BAMcafé live events 

El Museo del Barrio 

Godwin-Ternbach Museum at Queens College 

Green-Wood Cemetery

Fashion Institute of Technology Museum

National Museum of the American Indian—Smithsonian Institution

International Print Center

Pay-as-you-wish Admission 

American Museum of Natural History 

Bronx Museum 

Brooklyn Museum  

The Cloisters 

El Museo del Barrio 

 P.S.1 MoMA 

Queens Botanical Garden 

(free Nov-March) 

Queens Museum of Art Sculpture Center at Socrates Sculpture Park 

Staten Island Museum

 Storefront for Art & Architecture 

Studio Museum in Harlem  

Waterfront Museum

Monthly Free Hours

Bronx Museum
First Friday, 6-10 pm

Brooklyn Children's Museum
Second Weekend, before 11 am

Brooklyn Museum
First Saturday, 5-11 pm

El Museo del Barrio
Third Saturday, 11 am-8 pm

Neue Gallerie
First Friday, 6-8 pm

Noguchi Museum
First Friday, pay what you wish

 This list was published originally on our NYC on the Cheap website, which was hacked and destroyed early in 2022.  

The original article is (C) Copyright Evelyn Kanter.  

It has been updated for 2022 for our new rebranded 

NYC Travel Guru.

Beware of cheap imitators.

 Enjoy NYC on the cheap with these FREE and pay-as-you-wish admission days and hours for NYC museums, zoos and botanical gardens.  Some are weekly, others are monthly. 

Note that free admission does not include special exhibits or attractions such as IMAX films.

Weekly FREE days or hours 

Monday 

Museum at Eldridge Street 

Yeshiva University Museum  

Tuesday 

9/11 Memorial Museum (5-8 pm) Brooklyn Botanic Garden 

Staten Island Museum (12-2 pm) 

Wave Hill 9 am-noon  

Wednesday

Bronx Zoo (pay what you wish) Museum of Jewish Heritage (4-8 pm) New York Botanical Garden 

Queens Botanical Garden 

(April-October, 3-6 pm) 

Van Cortlandt House Museum Yeshiva University Museum (5-8 pm)  

Thursday 

Brooklyn Children’s Museum 

(3-5 pm) 

China Institute (6-8 pm) 

International Center of Photography (6-9 pm - pay what you wish) 

Museum of Arts and Design 

(6-9 pm - pay what you wish) Museum of Chinese in America 

New Museum (7-9 pm) 

Trinity Church: Concerts at One 

(1-2 pm - September through May)  

Friday

 Japan Society (6-9 pm) 

Morgan Library & Museum (7-9 pm) Museum of Modern Art (4-8 pm) 

Neue Galerie (6-8 pm) 

New-York Historical Society 

(6-8 pm - pay what you wish) 

New York Aquarium 

(3 pm-closing - pay what you wish) New York Hall of Science

 (2-5 pm -  September through June) Rubin Museum of Art (7-10 pm) Staten Island Museum (12-2 pm) Whitney Museum of American Art (7-9:30 pm) 

Yeshiva University Museum  

Saturday 

Brooklyn Botanic Garden 

(10 am-noon) 

Jewish Museum 

New York Botanical Garden 

(10 am-noon) 

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (5:45-7:45 pm - pay what you wish) Wave Hill (9 am-Noon) 

Sunday 

Frick Collection 

(11 am-1 pm - pay what you wish) New York Hall of Science 

(10-11 am -  September to June) Queens Botanical Garden 

(April-October, 4-6 pm )

Studio Museum in Harlem

 This list was published originally on our NYC on the Cheap website, which was hacked and destroyed early in 2022.  

The original article is (C) Copyright Evelyn Kanter.  It has been updated for 2022 for our new rebranded NYC Travel Guru.

Beware of cheap imitators.

Give my regards  to Broadway!

A museum celebrating the best of the world's best theater is getting ready to open - where else - on Broadway.  Tickets are on sale now. 

The Museum of  Broadway will include exhibits and immersive experiences featuring The Ziegfeld Follies, Oklahoma!, The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’, RENT, and more, to highlight more than 500 productions from the 1700s to the present.

Walk though sets inspired by shows, enjoy original cast albums and more.

The museum will also feature work from Emmy Award-winning illustrator I. Javier Ameijeiras (Rent Live!), neon artist Dani B, Tony Award-nominated dancer Robert Fairchild (An American in Paris, former NYCB principal), Drama Desk Award-winning scenic designer David Korins (Hamilton, Beetlejuice), choreographer Julio Monge (West Side Story), and dancer Tanairi Vazquez (West Side Story, Hamilton). 

A full list of the artists featured in the museum can be found here along with renderings of some of the exhibits. .

Get a first look at renderings of The Museum of Broadway below.

Tickets for The Museum of Broadway are on sale now exclusively through Audience Rewards.  

Timed  tickets start at $39, and a portion of every ticket sold will be donated  to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Celebrate the 200th birthday in 2022 of Frederick Law Olmstead, designer of Central Park and also Brooklyn's Prospect Park.  

 Central Park may be the best-known park in the world, but even so, it has secrets. Here are our favorites. 

Orient Yourself With Lampposts 

It’s easy to get lost when foliage is too thick for you to see the buildings and skyline to help you find your way. Look to the lamposts instead.  

There are two sets of numbers on each one. The first set indicates the nearest cross street, from 59th to 110th.  The second set tells you if you’re on the east or west side—odd means west, even means east. 

Ruins of a 19th Century Tavern

 The remnants of a century-old stone structure can be found behind the Conservatory Garden, at 105th St. and Fifth Ave., called McGown’s Pass. It’s named for McGown’s Pass Tavern, which closed in 1915. Originally, the site was the Academy of St. Vincent, built in 1845. Then it was occupied by a hotel, then a restaurant and then a museum, before burning down in 1881 and replaced by the tavern. The Central Park Conservatory now uses it as a compost pile.

Shakespeare Garden  

Every planting in this four-acre patch is mentioned in a Shakespeare play or sonnet, and most are labeled with the quotation, so you can find a rose by any name that smells so sweet.  The Shakespeare Garden is on the west side of the park near 79th St. 

What Lies Beneath

There are many relics of the NYC subway’s past hidden beneath the streets. One of the most intriguing is the so-called Ghost Tunnel under the corner of Central Park at Fifth Ave. and 59th St. It was built in the 1970s as part of the plan to build the Second Avenue subway, but  abandoned by the recession. Forty years later, the Second Avenue Subway is reality, and the loop is alive, helping move the Q train link to it’s new northern route. 

Why the  Roads are Curved

 The pathways were designed in the 1850s with deliberate curves, to prevent horse-drawn carriage racing. Today, those curves still prevent speeding,  and add some scenic benefits for cyclists. 

The Ramble Cave 

 Back when Central Park was under construction, workers discovered a natural cave near the Ramble. Not surprisingly, it became a magnet for shady, dangerous underground activity (both literally and figuratively), and it was filled in. 

Central Park Casino 

The children’s playground on the east side of the park near Fifth Avenue and 72nd Street was once the site of the Central Park Casino. Originally, it was designated as the Ladies’ Refreshment Salon for afternoon tea and gossip. It became a speakeasy during Prohibition, serving both women and men, and  after Prohibition it became an upscale nightclub. When the Depression hit, it lost popularity because of its high prices, and NYC master builder Robert Moses demolished it in 1936. 

Be Seated 

Central Park contains 9,000+ benches, and 4,500+ have been adopted with a personalized plaque. The Adopt-A-Bench program was established in 1986 to help fund the care of Central Park’s benches and surrounding landscapes. In recognition of contributions to the fund, Central Park Conservancy installs a personalized plaque on a park bench of the donor’s choosing, for a $10,000 endowment. 

See the Central Park website for additional information on all these fabulous features and secrets. 

This post was published originally on NYC on the Cheap, now re-branded as NYC Travel Guru, and is (C) Copyright by Evelyn Kanter. 

  Get your FREE New York City Identification Card to get FREE admission at more than 40 top NYC museums, zoos and other attractions, discounts for shopping and for theater and sports events.  

You can even use it as a library card to check out books and CDs. The IDNYC card also can be used to help you open a bank account, get into a government building, and more – including as an official government-issued ID to vote. 

The IDNYC card can be used as a library card, for all three New York systems – the NYPL, the Queens Library and the Brooklyn Library.  It is the only card accepted across all three systems. 

More than 670,000 New Yorkers applied for the card in its first year in 2015, so you are in good company.

Sorry visitors - The IDNYC card is for New York City residents only,  since it requires proof of residency to get one. Any NYC resident over the age of 10 (ten) can get an IDNYC card, and enrollment is free. 

The program was launched in 2015 as a way to give New Yorkers a way to cut the cost of culture, plus it’s a valid identification card for those who don’t have a driver’s license or another government identification with a photo, such as a US Passport or Global Entry or TSA card.  

Free Museum Admission 

 The IDNYC card is a free pass for admission to top museums including the American Museum of Natural History, the Bronx Zoo and the Queens Museum.  

Discounts for Shopping & More

There also are discounts for shopping, and for sporting events, including for the New York Nets.  

Check the official IDNYC website for how to apply online, and the list of current benefits.   

This article was published originally on our NYC on the Cheap website, which was hacked and destroyed early in 2022.  The original article is (C) Copyright Evelyn Kanter.  It has been updated for 2022 for our new rebranded NYC Travel Guru.  

Beware of cheap imitators.  

It's a warm weather thing. NYC sprouts outdoor markets for the best in international food and crafts. 

These are some top choices. 

Smorgasburg

The largest weekly outdoor food event in New York City returns for the season, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through October.  Now in multiple locations - Williamsburg, Prospect Park, 

 WTC and Jersey City 

www.smorgasburg.com

Brooklyn Flea

Vingage and contemporary crafts, food and more. Ope rain or shine, so let's hope for shine.

 80 Pearl St, Dumbo 

Saturdays + Sundays 10am-5pm

www.brooklynflea.com

Queens Night Market

Eat your way around the world at this market, with vendors representing most of the cultural diversity of Queens, NYC's most culurally diverse borough.

Every Saturday, 5p to Midnight at the New York Hall of Science in 

Flushing Meadow Corona Park 

www.queensnightmarket.com

Uptown Night Market

 After a successful debut in 2021, the Uptown Night Market returns to the arches in West Harlem, with 50-plus local vendors selling food, drinks and merch set to live music.

The main stage and booths line 12th Avenue between W 133th and W 135th Streets, 4pm to 10pm on the second Thursday of each month, through November.  

By Subway - Take the 1 train to 125th St or 137th St. 

www.uptownnightmarket.com

McCarren Park House

One of North Brooklyn’s busiest parks finally has a food concession stand, including a bar.  It's 

on the Greenpoint side of McCarren Park. Equally important, the bathrooms have re-opened.

McCarren Park House is at 855 Lorimer Street, near Bedford Avenue. It’s open  Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to midnight. 

https://mccarrenparkhouse.com/

  Any time is a good time to clean out your closet and dresser drawers, especially now, when it’s called spring cleaning. 

If you have designer duds, consigning them for resale can help pay for new purchases or your bills. Or, buy somebody else’s gently worn famous label clothing, shoes and accessories at one of New York City’s top consignment and resale shops. 

According to eBay, nearly half of Americans don’t have available space in which to stash the new stuff they get. That number surely is even higher in NYC, where most of us don’t have garages or attics. 

These NYC resale and consignment shops pay the best, buy the most, have the best policies, and the best inventory for you to shop if you want to buy or trade instead of sell. NYC resale and consignment stores are just one of many ways to live in NYC on the cheap. 

Buffalo Exchange 

This buy-sell-trade outlet is a go-to for both budget-challenged college students and fashionable folks with bigger wallets. 

Among the endless racks of tweedy blazers, oversized flannels, soft tees with oddball slogans and chunky-knit sweaters, you can find Milly dresses, Marc by Marc Jacobs blouses, Vince tops, and Jeffrey Campbell shoes. The prices are almost too good to be true, partly because this is a national chain with serious clout to buy out manufacturer overstock. 

No appointment is necessary to sell, but prepared to wait on a sizable line if you go on the weekend.  The store recommends you call before going if it’s your first time, so they can give you an idea of what they’re looking for at the moment and save you some time. You’ll get 30% of what they plan to sell the item for, or 50% store credit.  

You can book an appointment online to buy or sell. Various locations in Astoria, Williamsburg, Park Slope, the East Village and Chelsea. 

NYC Travel Guru considers Buffalo Exchange  to be the best resale shop in New York City.   It is the only resale shop included in our new NYC guidebook 100 Things to Do in NYC Before You Die  Order from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

 Michael’s Consignment 

This Upper East Side store only accepts the best of the best. Consigned merchandise must have a top designer label and not a second or third tier label—so for example, they take Donna Karan but not DKNY, Chloé but not SEE by Chloé, etc. Items must be in pristine condition, and no more than two years old (with the exception of Chanel, Hermes, and Pucci).  

You’ll receive 50% of the selling price, which is reduced approximately 20% every 30 days. After 90 days, the item gets discounted 50% off the original selling price. If you’re outside of New York, you can ship your stuff to them. Michael’s now also has an excellent online store, to shop by category or by designer. 1125 Madison Avenue. 

Crossroads Trading Co 

Rather than consignment, this  is a buy-sell-trade store, which means when you bring your clothes in, you get cash (or a check) on the spot – 50% for trade, 30% for cash. No appointments are necessary, so just drop in. Weekdays offer the least amount of waiting time. 

The store buyers are friendly and quick, and if you’re in a rush, you can drop off your goods and return in 24 hours to collect your payment. 

Sellers may bring up to 50 items to sell. Please bring only laundered items. Sellers must be 18 or older with a valid government-issued photo ID. 

Crossroads accepts both high-end or fast fashion, such as from H&M and Zara, but it has to be in good (clean) condition, stylish, and in season. If you decide to trade, you get credit worth 50% of what your items will sell for. 

The racks are plentiful but well organized, and you’ll find everything from Anna Sui, Elizabeth and James, and Free People to Badgley Mischka, Gap—and the occasional Miu Miu. 

This is a national chain, with multiple locations in California, plus in Seattle, Portland, Chicago, and, of course, in NYC. 24 West 26th Street in Chelsea and 135 N. 7th Street in Williamsburg. 

INA  

There are three locations in Manhattan,  one of which is specifically for men’s merchandise. Appointments can be made with store buyers, or you can choose to ship them your merchandise by filing out an Online Consignment Form (they reimburse your shipping costs on the first sales check). 

They accept merchandise from the last five years from a bevy of high-end and contemporary designers, from such brands as Anthropologie, J.Crew, Banana Republic and Express. Locations are 19 Prince St., 21 Prince St. (menswear) and 208 West 18th St. 

Beacon’s Closet 

One of the most well-known buy-sell-trade stores in New York, scouted by TV stylists, dug through by the fashion-conscious, and thoroughly searched by students and those on a budget. This means you’ll find some real gems since so many people make this their go-to for selling cast-offs, and you’ll also always find it crowded. 

Beacon’s buys everything from Topshop to Thakoon, so the racks can get overwhelmingly full. Beacon’s Closet follows what’s selling at other fast fashion and high-end stores every season, so that determines how well you’ll do with your items that you hope to sell. Your items must be stylish, in good condition, and be something that’s selling well that season. If all those standards are met, you get 35% cash or 55% store credit. Four locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan.  Each one is open 7 days. 

This article was published originally on our NYC on the Cheap website, which was hacked and destroyed early in 2022.  The original article is (C) Copyright Evelyn Kanter.  It has been updated for 2022 for our new rebranded NYC Travel Guru.  Beware of cheap imitators.  

 Quick access to pet care is important to pet parents anywhere in NYC who are concerned about their pet’s health. These options will help you access the best pet care in Brooklyn. 

Emergency Animal Clinic 

As with humans, emergencies take many forms. With pets, it could be your furry child has eaten something potentially dangerous, sustained an injury, or just looking or behaving extremely sick. 

 In these cases, a local emergency animal clinic is the best bet.  But don’t wait for an emergency to have a recourse list of clinics and top local vets who can provide your pet with a thorough examination before an emergency arises. 

Local In-Clinic Options 

Establish a “regular vet” for your pet, just as you have a regular primary physician for yourself and a pediatrician for your kids. Their familiarity with your pet will provide care for chronic problems and other non-emergency issues. 

Pet Telehealth 

The third option is a telehealth visit for your pet. Pet telehealth is becoming more popular as a quick and  effective and simple way to get veterinary care. 

A pet telehealth appointment allows you to connect to a licensed veterinarian via  a video call, text or chat for non-emergency pet needs. 

This is now one of the fastest ways to get pet health care, especially if you are not sure whether to go to an urgent care hospital or wait for a clinic appointment.  

Get Help for Your Furry Friend Today 

While local emergency clinics and local traditional animal clinics are great options for pet health care, pet telehealth is a quick and simple option for many pet owners. 

If you’re interested in getting pet telehealth in Brooklyn, (delete link here and more to)check out Vetster  for options in  Brooklyn and the rest of NYC.  You’ll be able to get all the answers to your pet health concerns, and help keep your beloved pet healthy and safe.  

Evelyn Kanter is a native and lifelong New Yorker and journalist who was a producer and on-air reporter for CBSNews and WCBS Newsradio 88 and for ABC News and WABC-TV Eyewitness News in a"previous life".  Since then, Evelyn Kanter has written hundreds of articles about her hometown for national and intrenational publications and webzines, plus for my own award-winning website, and written or edited nearly a half-dozen books about her homteown and Tri-State area.  The photo is  NYC Travel Guru Evelyn Kanter on  Eyewitness News This Morning promoting my latest NYC guidebook, 100 Thngs to do in NYC Before You Die. 

If customers can’t find it, it doesn’t exist. Clearly list and describe the services you offer. Also, be sure to showcase a premium service.

Are your customers raving about you on social media? Share their great stories to help turn potential customers into loyal ones.

Running a holiday sale or weekly special? Definitely promote it here to get customers excited about getting a sweet deal.

Have you opened a new location, redesigned your shop, or added a new product or service? Don't keep it to yourself, let folks know.

Customers have questions, you have answers. Display the most frequently asked questions, so everybody benefits.