NYC Dates on a Budget

Dating in NYC can get pretty expensive. Especially if you are old school like myself who frowns on the whole dutch thing. I'll do the dutch thing if it's a blind date, but If I am asking a girl out then it should be my responsibility to pay. Not many of my friends agree with me, but that's who I am....broke and funny.

That's how I came up with my NYC dates on a budget. Dinner and movie..yawn...that is mad boring. What are we in the 1950's? First of all, doing the dinner and movie thing is expensive. Secondly, you can't talk during the movies so how are you supposed to get to know someone?

If you opt on the dinner AND the movie, this the breakdown.... Dinner for two depending on where you are going is going to run you about $50. I'm not including drinks. If you order drinks and I mean drink(s) not juice or soda, let's say close to $75. Right now movies in NYC are about $12-$13pp. If you get popcorn, soda or candy, factor an extra $15-$20. The grand total of $100-$120. This is not one of those Visa commercials where it ends in..... PRICELESS. This story is going to end in.....GOING TO COLLECTIONS.

If you want to save your money and have a good time, these are my top 3 suggestions:

1. Walk a NYC bridge (weather pending). I recommend the Brooklyn Bridge.

In MY opinion, the Brooklyn Bridge is the most beautiful bridge in the world. I also recommend you walking the bridge as the sun is setting. You get a great view of the city and Brooklyn. There are plenty of areas to stop and take in the sights, take pictures and hang out. Don't go during the day because there are MAD TOURISTS. They can be so annoying and its crowded. Night time is the best. Start off by City Hall and walk over to Brooklyn. Once you are in Brooklyn, head over to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory on Fulton Ferry Pier. You can also wait on the long ass line to Grimaldi's Pizza. It's ok and not my favorite. See my NYC Pizza post for my faves.

2. A Picnic. Yeah, yeah I sound like a herb, but I'm serious. You can go to any of the major parks. You have Central Park, Riverside Park, Battery Park, Flushing Meadow Park, Prospect Park, etc...There are tons of parks. I suggest you go to park that also has other things to do. For example, Central Park is known for their rowboats and zoo, Prospect Park has their paddle boats and zoo (plus the Brooklyn Museum & Botanic Garden is nearby) and Flushing Meadows Corona Park has their miniature golf and New York Hall of Science. Pack a picnic with some sandwiches, fruits, cheese, and some ahem..wine. Pack it in some plastic bottles so you won't get arrested. Be smart. Once you've had your fill, walk off the food in the park, stroll through the museum or hit some balls on the mini range. You'll have fun, plenty of laughs and most importantly it won't break your bank.

3. Pick a hood, any hood in NYC. Also be smart about this one. Don't go to an unsafe hood. You're not bulletproof. Pick a neighborhood you've never been to and that you want to explore. Go to Chinatown in Lower Manhattan, Williamsburg in Brooklyn, Jackson Heights in Queens or Little Italy in the Bronx. Do a little research before you go. Read up on some food recommendations and things to do in NYC. This is NYC mi gente!! There is always some festival, street fair, performance, show, etc.  Also there are tons of free things to do in NYC.

There! I hooked you up. Not only am I helping you keep your chips in your pocket, but I've given you some tips on having fun and economically friendly dates. Don't forget that this is your city. Be safe and have fun. Don't forget to give up your seat on the bus/train to a pregnant woman , elderly or handicapped person.

NYC Chinatown Eats...the quickie tour

A couple of weeks ago, my brother-in-law extraordinaire took my friends and I on a quick tour of his favorite Chinatown eats. We started our tour walking from City Hall to his favorite dumpling spot in Chinatown, creatively called the Fried Dumpling at 106 Mosco Street. We ordered 5 dumplings for $1. It's literally a hole in the wall. The dumplings are so fresh and light, unlike the big bulky dumplings/wontons you get at those crappy take-outs.

Walking up Mosco Street reminded me of the little Chinese lady who used to make her famous Hong Kong cakes back in the day. Her little red gated shack is still there. It's on the corner of Mott and Mosco Streets.

We used to wait on line for up to half an hour for 2 bags of her famous, hot, toasty and yummy cakes. Boy, do I miss her!

Next stop was getting some authentic Chinese style beef jerky at New Beef King 89 Bayard Street. At first, I was hesitant to try this spot out. I've never really had beef jerky. The only beef jerky I've ever seen were those nasty looking beef sticks at the bodega/grocery stores. My brother-in-law ordered us the fruit flavored beef jerky, pork strip jerky and regular beef strips.

I have to say that I fell in love. I have gone back 2x since then. My favorite has to be the fruit flavored beef jerky and pork strip jerky. I haven't tried the other ones, but I will the next time I go back. This is another must on your Chinatown tour!

Since we were pretty much full from the dumplings and jerky, we roamed the streets of Chinatown to walk it off. We stopped at this little old school Chinese owned stationary store that sells everything from hand fans to snaps. Who knew snaps could be so much fun at our age?

We stocked up on snaps and tossed them at people walking by. Yes I know, we are supposed to be mature adults, but it was so much fun. In the end we just tossed them at one another. The snap game ended when my sister tossed one towards my head as I was putting my Yankee cap on and it busted on my hand. It hurt lol. After laughing and creating havoc with the snaps, champagne poppers and faux Chinese New Year "fireworks", we were hungry for some dinner.





Our final stop was Joe's Shanghai. My BFF Dee has made me boycott Joe's Shanghai for years, but I broke down and cheated. It was amazing! I've been dreaming of these dumplings ever since. I even went to their original Queens location, but the Chinatown location is better. Joe's Shanghai is famous for their soup dumplings The minute you sit at a table, the waiter already wants to know which dumplings you want to order.  You have a choice of pork or seafood/crabmeat dumpling. Both are equally delicious. They come in a bamboo steamer basket.

There is way to eat these dumpling since they are filled with soup. You pick up the dumpling from the top with the tongs. You place the dumpling on your soup spoon. You then break a little hole with your teeth on the side of the dumpling. This enables you to drink or slurp the soup from inside the dumpling. Now remember, these are piping hot! The soup inside the dumpling is also VERY hot. So be careful that you don't burn your lips. I've warned you! The rest of the food there is pretty good. Make sure you hit this spot. These dumplings are amazing. Whenever I post a mobile upload of these dumplings on my FB page, I get tons of comments saying how much people love these dumplings or asking where did I get them.

In the future, I'll add the rest of my favorite Chinatown eats. For now, this is a great quickie jump off for those of you who want to start exploring Chinatown in NYC. So forget about going to Chinatown to get your bootleg Gucci bag or bootleg Prada sunglasses.  Go to Chinatown and get some authentic & original culinary fare!


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