# How much would a long weekend in NYC doing the tourist thing typically cost? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 18, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-long-weekend-in-nyc-doing-the-tourist-thing-typically-cost/596752 "2011-09-18T22:00:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-long-weekend-in-nyc-doing-the-tourist-thing-typically-cost/596752/1 "2011-09-18T22:00:41Z")
Excluding getting there and back (we’ll do Acela from Boston to Penn Station, which is easy to cost out 🙂 ). I am wondering how prices of ordinary tourist things differ between Boston & NY. Boston is an expensive city to stay in a hotel, but I assume not on the scale of NY. The only hotels we’ve stayed in in NY have been chain hotels at conference rates, or a really sketchy place the husband stayed at in Brooklyn near Grand Army Plaza on a business trip. Not knowing the neighborhoods, I have no idea how to pick a non-sketchy hotel on a non-sketchy block without paying $600 a night. I get the feeling that restaurant meals are pricier in NY than in Boston, but I am not sure how much pricier. A dinner out for us here in Boston can run us anywhere from $20 per person at a cheap place to $70 per person at a nicer but not uber nice place. We only do uber nice ($100+ per person) a couple of times a year. So, assuming we’re there Saturday noon through Tuesday morning in the fall, prefer to take the subway (cabs are not cost effective in Boston so we don’t have a taxi habit), might do one Broadway show, want to do a couple major museums, Empire State Building, maybe Statue of Liberty, a couple of really good dinners, the rest of the meals casual middle of the road or even a hot dog on the street, what do you think a NYC trip might run us? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-long-weekend-in-nyc-doing-the-tourist-thing-typically-cost/596752/2 "2011-09-18T22:16:19Z")
I can recommend two hotels where you should be able to get a good (albeit small) room for about $150/night: the Chelsea Savoy and the Hotel Alexander. The former is in Chelsea, the latter on the Upper West Side. Both are clean, in safe neighborhoods, bedbug-free and near subway stations. I’ve stayed in both, and plan on staying at the Chelsea Savoy next time I’m in NYC. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-long-weekend-in-nyc-doing-the-tourist-thing-typically-cost/596752/3 "2011-09-18T22:19:31Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > I can recommend two hotels where you should be able to get a good (albeit small) room for about $150/night: the Chelsea Savoy and the Hotel Alexander. The former is in Chelsea, the latter on the Upper West Side. Both are clean, in safe neighborhoods, bedbug-free and near subway stations. I’ve stayed in both, and plan on staying at the Chelsea Savoy next time I’m in NYC. Small is fine! We’re not planning to hold a dance party or anything. 🙂 I will check those out, thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-long-weekend-in-nyc-doing-the-tourist-thing-typically-cost/596752/4 "2011-09-18T22:36:47Z")
Side question: How much would it cost me to just ride cabs all weekend trying to find Cash Cab? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-long-weekend-in-nyc-doing-the-tourist-thing-typically-cost/596752/5 "2011-09-18T23:05:21Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > Side question: How much would it cost me to just ride cabs all weekend trying to find Cash Cab? 😃 A bajillion gazillion dollars, since the contestants on that show are prearranged. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-long-weekend-in-nyc-doing-the-tourist-thing-typically-cost/596752/6 "2011-09-18T23:19:16Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > A bajillion gazillion dollars, since the contestants on that show are prearranged. 😛 Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Ben Bailey wouldn’t do that to me! ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-long-weekend-in-nyc-doing-the-tourist-thing-typically-cost/596752/7 "2011-09-18T23:45:16Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > A bajillion gazillion dollars, since the contestants on that show are prearranged. 😛 _Some_ are prearranged. Usually the ones who do really freaking well. But he picks up plenty random people off the street.