Make the most of Manhattan without blowing the budget , writes Elaine Glusac People go to New York for the street life, restaurants, cultural treasures and more. I go to New York because it makes me think, which is how I found myself on a beautiful September morning walking the High Line on the West Side of Manhattan, marvelling at the resilience of nature, the engineering of tall buildings and how people can afford to live here. I didn’t have to figure out the last — I did that 30 years ago — but I was tasked with coming up with ways travellers can visit affordably.
For this test of budget travel , I focused on popular places, many of them in expensive areas of Manhattan, with one excursion to Brooklyn . I found I didn’t have to forgo theatre or good food over my three-day stay while indulging in my admission-free favourites: parks, pop-up art and conversations with strangers. Take the train.