Want to see an NYC Broadway Show for under $40?

Let me tell you how you CAN.  It is completely reasonable to pay $25-$40 a ticket to see a Broadway play or musical in New York City.  I've done it.  I've also not done it and it is so much better if you can.  It's not without some work and planning though.  You can't just show up at the ticket office and ask for a $30 ticket.  There are three ways in which you can get cheap tickets; student rush, rush, and lottery.  I've done all three so let's start with student rush because I think it's the easiest.  

Student Rush Tickets:  These are usually going to be tickets sold in the morning when the shows box office opens and you have to have a student ID.  In my case only one person in our two person group needed a student ID.  I would still recommend getting to the box office and waiting in line before it actually opens in the morning.  They don't have unlimited tickets, but by getting there early and having a student ID you have a good shot.  When I did this we got there right when the box office opened, but I'm sure it depends on which show you're trying to see.  We ended up sitting towards the right side of the theater and about the 5th row back. We paid $30 each for these tickets. Not too shabby.

Rush Tickets:  Rush tickets are open to anyone.  You don't have to have a student ID to get these tickets, but that means you have to work a little harder for them since anyone can get them.  Let me tell you my story on how I got rush tickets.  The box office opened at 10am for this show so I wanted to get in line no later than 8am.  Yeah I'm serious.  I'm sure it depends on the show, but I think it was completely worth it.  When we got there a little before 8am we were about the 6th and 7th people in line.  Once I saw where we were in line and how long the line got after us I was glad we were where we were.  I wasn't too worried about getting the tickets at this point, but I was sitting outside on the street in New York City in some very cold weather.  A man walking by was kind enough to hand my friend and I a cardboard box to sit on...he said it would be warmer than the pavement...and who said people in NYC weren't nice?  Anyway we got our tickets and ended up on the right hand side again but the 2nd row.  By the way Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) starred in this show and I almost had to be restrained from jumping on the stage and hugging that kid.  These tickets were $30 each.

Lottery:  I'm going to give my specific experience with the Wicked Lottery.  Each Lottery can be different, but I know this is how it works for Wicked.  The day of the show you have to be at the box office two and a half hours before the show starts.  For half an hour they will take your name down (for free) and put it into their lottery.  If you're with a big group keep in mind that if you win you can only get two tickets total.  My friend and I each put our name in.  Then you wait.  After the half an hour they shut down taking names and start rolling the raffle barrel with everyone's name in it from the last half an hour.  One by one they pull names out and find out if they are taking one or two tickets.  People...they called my name.  I screamed like I was a 13 year old about to meet a backstreet boy in 1999.  And I didn't care.  They put us in a line, had us pay (they only take cash so remember that before you go), and gave us our tickets!!!  We sat...drumroll please.........front row center.  Now you might say, didn't you have to look up the whole time?  Yeah, but not that much, it wasn't like watching a huge screen movie in the front row, but I could see them spit when they were talking.  I was pretty pleased with our seats.  And to think the poor suckers a couple rows behind me probably paid $300 or more for their seat.  I'll take my front row center $25 seat.

Now each show is going to be different so I suggest going to this website and looking before you go.  Do your research people.  It pays.  I can't tell you how happy I am to say that I saw these 3 Broadway shows all for under $100.  Considering I paid over $100 for my balcony seat the first time I saw Wicked, these prices rock!!

These gentlemen jumped in the picture with me,
the tall one said he played for the NBA...
anyone in the basketball know want to tell me if this is true??

'Round 'Round Get Around I Get Around...NYC Edition

One of the most nerve-wracking things about traveling to a new place is figuring out how to get around.  Whether it's by car, walking, bus, subway, or taxi you need to know how you are going to get from point A to point B.  I personally enjoy NYC because I don't have to drive at all.  Usually when you drive you can miss simple things, but walking and taking public transportation you get to see more of the city...and NYC is definitely the perfect place for it.  Here are a few tricks I have learned to save some money and make you feel a little better about using their system:

Apps are amazing...check out a few before you go

• Instead of taking a taxi from the airport (which will run around $45 into Manhattan) follow the signs to AirTrain and take it for only about $7 to the nearest Subway station
• Get a Subway pass for more than one day if you are planning on being there more than one day, the Subway will get you almost anywhere
• On the subway you will either be heading uptown or downtown, even if you are going sideways at some points of your ride
• Check for closings at certain times of the night on certain Subway lines, I learned this one the hard way and ended up walking almost 1 mile in Queens back to my hotel around midnight...it was FANTASTIC
• If you take a wrong line or go the wrong direction don't panic...just take another look at your map, double check, and back-track or find a new route
• If you have plans at a certain time (Broadway Plays, Dinner Reservations, etc.) try and head out a little early...there can always be hold-ups when in NYC
• If you have a smartphone, try to download an App for the Subway system, they are a lifesaver (I recommend the New York Subway App by Presselite)
• Find a map with your destinations on it and find the stops closest to it, there is usually more than one option
• Check out their website and pre-plan what you are going to do for your trip here

Overall the best advice is to go with the flow and know that everything won't go perfect, but you also won't be stranded forever.  Don't be afraid to ask someone either, a lot of people will be new there just like you, but many of the locals use the public transportation regularly and will be able to send you in the right direction.  New York City is amazing and probably my favorite city in the U.S. enjoy the ride.