The Missus and I are heading to NYC in less than 2 weeks; how much cash should I bring?

Three days? $600.

Dead serious. The little things add up.

When you say “cash”, do you mean bills and coins, or money in general? You can pay with plastic pretty much everywhere (notable exception: Chinatown restaurants).

What’s your budget?

I was thinking 400. Wow.

@bob_ I’ll be bringing the plastic along, yes. Just curious as to how expensive things would be (roughly).

$400 for 3 days sounds reasonable, if you intend to eat at non-expensive places. To give you some perspective, a friend and I had dinner at a steak place, nothing too fancy, for $165 (tip included). We also had a late lunch for $63 at a great place in Chinatown.

If you go out drinking… If you use taxis… If you see something that catches your eye in a cute shop… I’m just sayin’. The Van Leeuwen ice cream truck ain’t cheap! Welcome! But be prepared!

There goes the budget. Ah, well. :)

You should also try cupcakes at Crumbs. Those are damn good.
Walk through all of Central park and go to Union Square. Don’t just rely on bus tours to see everything!

As far as cash goes, don’t go crazy. Bring cash for things you need it for, like cabs. I think when you’re in NY it’s always better to not have hundreds of dollars on you at all times. My mom has been robbed twice in NY, and it’s likely that as a tourist, you’re a target. Though, I honestly wouldn’t worry about that too much, just some cautious advice. Plus you can always pay for meals with credit/debit or stop at an ATM to get more cash throughout the trip.
More importantly, have fun :D NY is the shit.

@bob_ Chinatown restaurants wont take plastic ??? That does not make sense.
Are they nuts ? I guess they haven’t realized we’re in the 21st century !
*Tell you what,,,,,If the hookers don’t take plastic then I’m not visiting NY !

It costs money for a business to enable customers to use cards, and it doesn’t pay them back unless all their customers spend over a certain amount of money to cover the cost of those fees.

@jjmah – Cash? ~$200 each. But yeah, you’re going to spend more than that if you do the typical things. Plastic’s where it’s at. The higher end places (for the most part) will take cards.

Many restaurants might not take credit cards, so prepare yourself. Pay with credit cards when you can, so you don’t have to worry about running out of cash. NYC is a big time cash needing city. Keep the money in two places, I have to lecture for a moment, NY is relatively safe, but I would give you this advice no matter where you go…some in your wallet, some in your pocket or bra. If your hotel has a safe leave some behind. Don’t walk around with $500 on you.

Excellent advice JL. I was thinking $600 might not be enough. bob dropped $228 for a lunch and dinner. Before travel, shows etc.

@Pretty_Lilly I don’t know if all restaurants are like that, but the one I went to only took cash, and quite a few had signs warning patrons about it.

go see a show jimah!!!!!

Between sights, attractions, food and drinks, figure about $150 per person per day. You can forego of taxi, as you can hop on and off NYC Subway and/or bus for $8.25/day or $27/week with a MetroCard

all of it.

On weekends, though, trains are wonky. There’s a lot of track work going on. Make sure you check this for train information.

You mentioned Magnolia’s in the Village. . . . I would suggest foregoing the cupcakes, instead, go to Rocco’s for great cookies, cakes and pastries also on Bleeker street on the other side of 7th Avenue.

If you’re down by Little Italy, head on over to Ferrara’s Bakery at Grand & Mulberry.

I heard that Magnolia’s has the best banana cream pie. Is that true?

@jjmah whether it is or not is a personal matter. IMO, they are overpriced and over-hyped…too sugary and crudely presented (I guess that’s one of the appeals as featured in Sex and the City). the taste of their baked goods are not worth the time and the money.

@njnyjobs good to know. Thank-you.

@jjmah you’re welcome . . . I’m just saying . . . if you’re in the area, do drop by Magnolia’s and find out for yourself then move on. At the very least, you can claim direct, first hand experience . . .