$75 for bagels and a coffee? That’s the cost of travelling in New York
Thanks to an accommodation shortage, inflation and a bad Aussie dollar, the Big Apple has gotten very expensive. Here’s how to navigate prices rising higher than the Empire State building.
New York is the one city in the world where it feels like you are walking through a movie set while actually walking through a movie set. Led by my Taylor Swift-obsessed 11-year-old daughter, my family and I are on the hunt for the singer’s apartment on cobblestoned Franklin Street in the cool downtown neighbourhood of Tribeca.
With classic fire escapes on the outside of low-rise buildings, skyscrapers in the background and yellow cabs beeping their horns, it all looks familiar thanks to movies and television shows such as When Harry Met Sally, Ghostbusters, and Sex and the City. But when we spot film cameras on cranes, dozens of crew, towering lights and glammed-up actors, we realise there is a movie being made right around us.
Producers armed with walkie-talkies usher us out of shot but as a detour takes us down an adjacent street, I spot a good-looking man whose face rings a bell. After few seconds of blatantly staring it finally clicks. No, it’s not an old friend or flatmate from years ago; it’s Orlando Bloom, actor from Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean and the long-term fiance of global pop sensation Katy Perry. One of his young assistants gives me a wink as she walks past.
This is what I love about New York. The random and memorable encounters that occur when you are on your way to somewhere else (for the record, Tay Tay wasn’t home but we may have spotted a cat in her window). What do they say about life happening when you are making plans? In New York, the best moments happen when you are on the street en route to those plans. It is here you glimpse this urban jungle in all its glorious chaos; the energy, diversity and creativity of millions of people chasing their dreams, and crammed on to one ridiculously small island.
It is my sixth visit to the Big Apple, and my first since 2018 and the pandemic. My introduction to the city came in 2009 when my husband and I scored $1000 return flights, stayed in the East Village and fell in love with a city where you could go salsa dancing at 11pm in Union Square Park or get sweet treats delivered to your apartment at 3am from the perfectly named Insomnia Cookies.
We came again in 2012, rented a West Village studio apartment and pretended we were locals, getting coffee and bagels at the same cafe every morning. The Australian dollar was almost at parity with the US, so not only was food and drink cheap (even after you added tax and tips), makeup, clothes and shoes were up to half the price at home.
Despite the reputation of New Yorkers being rude and inhospitable, we encountered the opposite. Back in 2009, when you had to rely on actual maps rather than a smartphone, if we spent longer than a few minutes looking lost, a stranger would ask if we needed directions. We never felt unsafe; we walked everywhere, even late at night after seeing a Broadway show.
So it is a shock to go back in April and find New York has changed. The most dramatic difference is cost: the Australian dollar is worth only US66c and rising inflation has increased the prices of everything. Accommodation is also more expensive because there is less of it available. In September last year, New York City authorities launched a crackdown on Airbnb, banning most short-term leases on private properties. Renting a local apartment is now virtually impossible; listings on Airbnb have dropped 80 per cent.
Deals done during the pandemic between the city and struggling hotels to house an influx of migrants has added to the room shortage. The New York Times reported in May that one in five hotels hosts migrants instead of tourists, and is paid up to $US185 ($280) a night by the government for each room. The city is legally required to provide shelter for anyone seeking refuge and now almost 65,000 migrants live temporarily in hotels. This has led to a loss of 16,352 hotel rooms, and the average nightly rate for a stay in New York has increased 8.5 per cent to $US301, according to real estate data quoted.
In the lead-up to our trip, I had been warned about the increased cost of Manhattan but I am still unprepared. The day after we arrive, I take my two children for breakfast in the Financial District at a place frequented by locals, not just tourists, and almost spit out my coffee on seeing the bill: three bagels and a standard American black coffee is $US48. That equates to a jaw-dropping $75.
A trip to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building costs $US44 an adult; $US79 to visit the top floor on level 102. This adds up to $460 for a family of four. Museum prices have also increased. After essentially being free since 1970 (you could choose how much to pay), the Metropolitan Museum of Art introduced a $US30 ticket for tourists – but not locals – in 2022. Other cultural institutions such as the Guggenheim Museum and Whitney Museum of American Art charge $US30 for an adult.
The impact of the high cost of living on residents is apparent. We walk down streets strewn with rubbish, rats emerge from piles of uncollected garbage, and we see more homeless people and others clearly affected by drugs than on any previous trip to New York. The distinctive and unpleasant smell of marijuana, now legally available, pervades the city.
With the intensity of New York dialled up, accommodation becomes all the more important to provide much-needed respite. The next best thing to an actual apartment is an apartment hotel such as Sonder. Founded by Frances Davidson in 2014 and available for bookings either directly or through Airbnb, Sonder manages more than 9000 rooms in 40 cities across 10 countries. There are 14 properties in New York alone. We stay at Sonder Battery Park, a few minutes’ walk from a subway station on Rector Street and 10 minutes from the Financial District and One Trade Centre.
Our one-bedroom apartment has a separate living area (where my children sleep on a comfortable sofa bed), well-equipped galley kitchen, large bathroom, plenty of storage and a washing machine and dryer. The generous 58sq m of space is airy and bright, with high ceilings and huge windows overlooking Battery Park and a beautiful old building next door. Mid-century modern-style chairs and lamps as well as art on the walls are nice design touches throughout. There’s even a filter coffee machine with good beans supplied (saving $US8 a cup), forcing me to rethink my disdain for American coffee.
Close to the residential areas of Battery Park City and Tribeca, it has a huge Whole Foods Market nearby and Target, which not only sells clothes and homewares but is a supermarket. Both outlets become sources of delicious dinners. The apartment becomes our haven, and we return exhausted after sightseeing to watch the sun set over the park as commuters make their way home. A rooftop pool and courtyard offer even better views but they are available only during the summer months.
We spend 10 days exploring the different neighbourhoods of New York, walking from the Brooklyn Bridge to the top of Central Park. We wander the picturesque streets of Greenwich Village, stopping at Magnolia Bakery, not for its famed cupcakes but the banana pudding, a tiramisu-style combo of fresh banana, sponge and vanilla cream.
The High Line park in Chelsea, celebrating its 15th birthday, is next, and we marvel at the transformation of this elevated railway line into an urban oasis of nature, art and people-watching (including sneaky peeks into apartments and the hotel rooms of The Standard). Lunch follows at Chelsea Markets, where we feast on mouth-watering barbecue brisket sandwiches at Dickson’s Farmstand Meats. The beef short rib on a toasted roll with coleslaw and house-made barbecue sauce seems reasonable at $US18. A double chocolate brownie from Fat Witch Bakery goes down a treat.
The kids (and surprisingly my husband and I) love the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side not only for seeing the set of the movie Night at the Museum but the 43 exquisitely painted dioramas that display taxidermied North American animals in their habitat. First opened in 1942, the displays were restored in 2012; we could have stared at the intricate details for hours.
A boat ride with Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises around the island of Manhattan proves a superior way to see the Statue of Liberty than from the Staten Island Ferry. Climbing down through the hatch of the only American nuclear missile submarine on display in the US, Growler, at the Intrepid Museum on Hudson River, is like going back in time to World War II.
Seeing the Art Deco architecture of the Rockefeller Centre never fails to impress, as do the views from the top. And being in New York on the same day as fashion’s night of nights, the Met Gala, we follow the crowds to spot celebrities dressed to the nines leaving their hotels (singer Shakira is our favourite in a striking red dress).
Although the city feels harder and its edges sharper, so much remains unchanged, including strangers’ willingness to help. We don’t need directions but we need much more when my seven-year-old son becomes stranded on a subway platform in Brooklyn. He gets out of the carriage but the doors shut too quickly and the rest of us are still inside. My son panics and so do we; we can’t open the doors or alert the driver. In our complete terror, a couple from New Jersey shout to us through the closed doors that they will stay with him while we travel to the next station and get the train back. I will never forget those 20 minutes, nor their kindness.
Then there is the theatre of everyday life – both good and bad – that transpires before our eyes. As we watch a pianist play in Bryant Park in Midtown among stunning spring floral displays and smartly dressed workers having lunch, a man starts antagonising police. “Come and get me,” he shouts along with a string of expletives, running in front of us. As my family and I stand in shock, a passer-by deadpans: “Welcome to New York.” It’s like a scene from a movie. It may be chaotic and expensive but it is still my favourite city in the world.
In the know
Sonder Battery Park is at 2 Washington Street. One-bedroom apartments that sleep four from $US573 ($850) a night, two-night minimum. Book direct or via Airbnb.
More to the story
For a luxurious escape from Manhattan’s fabulously manic streets try The Peninsula New York. The historic property is in the heart of the action on the corner of Fifth Ave and 55th Street, just a few blocks from the Rockefeller Centre and Central Park. Built in 1905 as the Gotham Hotel, the neoclassical facade makes a grand New York entrance.
It became The Peninsula in 1998 and has been renovated a number of times since; most recently a progressive refurbishment of all 219 guestrooms and suites, the rooftop restaurant and lobby. We stay in the executive suite, newly renovated by Bill Rooney Studio. It has a master bedroom and living room with a sofa bed.
The rooms have a relaxing neutral palate with an Art Deco-inspired design. The highlight is the glass-enclosed pool on level 22; it’s a serene space, whether taking a dip in the warm water or lying on the lounges reading. The gun-barrel views straight down Fifth Ave are incredible; in one direction is the whole of Central Park from 59th to 110th Street while the other stretches all the way to Tribeca.
Rooms from $US1200 ($1780) a night.
Saving tips
The New York Library has free exhibitions on the ground floor; the current Polonsky Exhibition of Treasures displays some extraordinary items from the 56 million in the library’s collection.
Central Park has 340ha to explore but there are other wonderful parks to visit and they are all free: Madison Square Park, The High Line, Union Square Park, Bryant Park, Washington Square Park and Little Island, a man-made park on the Hudson River.
Last-minute tickets for The Met Opera are available online on the day of the performance for $US25.
New York CityPass delivers discounts of 40 per cent across five attractions, including the Empire State Building, American Museum of Natural History, Top of The Rock and Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises around Manhattan, among others; $US146 for adults and $US124 for children.
The Guggenheim and some other museums have pay-as-you-wish days for tourists that vary in frequency from weekly to monthly. Limited tickets are released on their websites.
Milanda Rout was a guest of Airbnb and The Peninsula.
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