What to do in the city when cash is tight by Marlene Marte
After a long, cold winter, everyone looks forward to spring break. But not everyone can afford to pack up their bags and leave the city. According to BillShrink.com, the average college student spends $1,100 a week on spring break on just flight and travel expenses.
This year, with a rise in MetroCard fares and an increase in taxes being taken out of paychecks, a fun spring break seems more impossible than ever for the average and financially struggling college students at CCNY. Sharone Roberts, 20, says, “I never get to go away for Spring Break. The only trips I will be taking this year are from my fridge to my couch.”
Luckily for Roberts, the city offers many inexpensive things to do right here at home!
Matilda on Broadway – From a Novel, to a Film to a Musical! Matilda has made it to Times Square! Forget watching the classic on your old school VHS this Spring Break, come over to the The Shubert Theatre, 225 West 44th Street New York, NY 10036 and enjoy the show! Tickets for the Musical range from as low as $32 to $147. Pick a show on any day of the week and choose from a 2:00pm or 8:00pm show. Perfect flexibility for those of you still working or running on a tight schedule during break.
Spa Castle – Also super flexible, is Spa Castle aka HEAVEN on Earth. Open 6am to midnight, 7 days a week, Spa Castle is located at 131-10 11th Ave College Point, NY 11356. The entrance fee of only $35 on weekdays and $45 on weekends gives you access to locker rooms, saunas, spa pods, baths, indoors and outdoors pools, and super refreshing and spacious lounge areas. Food, beverages and treatments are also available for purchase. There is no way this castle won’t make you feel like a King/Queen for a day.
NYC High Line – If you haven’t explored the west side before, the time time is now. The West Side High Line which expands from about 14 street to 30th street, is a public park elevated about the streets on the west side of Manhattan. You can enjoy the beauty of the newly transformed park for a picnic, or a long walk with friends but if you’d like to take the experience up a notch, the highline staff provides tours starting at $15. The tour gives you the scoop on the design, art, and history of the High Line.
Museum of Sex – Sex and the City gets deeper than ever thanks to the Museum of Sex located at 233 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10016. Open All week, from 10am to 8pm and sometimes 9pm, the Museum admission which is generally $17.50, allows students in for a discounted price of $15.25. Explore your curiosity through their exhibitions on desire, the sex lives of animal, and art. Museums and sex on the first date? Give it a shot!
Your one splurge!
NYC Helicopter Tour – You enjoy the city at ground level all year around. Up the amp and explore the city from a bird’s eye view! The helicopter departs and drops-off from Downtown Manhattan Heliport, Pier 6, New York, NY, 10004 and tickets are priced at $149 per person. All you need is an ID and of course your camera! The tour includes an unforgettable air journey over The Statue of Liberty, Empire State building, Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, the Hudson River, Ground Zero and more. The tour which lasts approximately 15 minutes will not only be unforgettable, but will give you a historical insight on the city that never sleeps.
