Free views
The best bargain in New York? The Staten Island Ferry (www.siferry.com), which docks at Battery Park, is free and offers a great sunset view of Manhattan. Rather than pay to enter the viewing platform at the Rockefeller Center, (001 212 332 6868, www.rockefellercenter.com), you can drink in the view from the Rainbow Room on the 65th floor – if you can stomach £8.75 ($18) for a cocktail.

Set aside Friday nights for culture
While New Yorkers hit the city’s bars, visitors should go to the museums of the Upper East Side. The Museum of Modern Art (001 212 708 9400, www.moma.org) has free admission on Fridays between 4pm and 8pm. The Whitney Museum of American Art 001 212 570 3676, www.whitney.org) has entry by donation on Fridays between 6pm and 9pm.

Outlet shopping
If you can tear yourself away from Manhattan for the day, Woodbury Common (001 845 928 4000, www.premiumoutlets.com) has the outlet versions of all the big Fifth Avenue names, including Barney’s, Chanel and Jimmy Choo. But be warned – it gets busy before Christmas. The bus, which takes 50 minutes each way from the Port Authority Bus Station, costs about £19 return, but includes discount vouchers for shops and restaurants.

Buy a City Pass
If you’re planning to tick off the city’s major sights, including the Empire State Building, Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum and the Guggenheim, it’s worth investing in a City Pass (001 208 787 4300, www.citypass.com). The pass costs about £31pp (£24 for under17s) and includes entry to all the above and Circle Line Cruises.

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Going out
Catching a Broadway show is expensive, but there are two ways to avoid this. The TKTS (001 212 221 0885, www.tdf.org ) booth near Times Square (Broadway and 47th Street) sells half-price, same-day tickets to a variety of shows, including Avenue Q and A Chorus Line. It doesn’t accept credit cards, however. Some shows, including Spamalot, sell standing and discount tickets for the same day’s performance. Visit www.talkinbroadway.com/boards for details, under “rush”. The Metropolitan Opera (001 212 362 6000, www.metopera.org) sells tickets on the day of performance for under £10, although senior citizens can buy orchestra seats online for the same price. See the website for details. Proof of age is needed when picking up the tickets.

Eating and drinking
Happy hour is alive and well in New York. Most bars have daily specials. In particular, beer fans will warm to the Blind Tiger on Bleecker Street (001 212 462 4682, www.blindtigeralehouse.com ), now in a new location in Greenwich Village, which has a happy hour from noon till 8pm on weekdays, with 28 specialty beers on tap. The Corner Bistro (331 West Fourth Street), appropriately near the Meatpacking District, is a perennial winner of best-burger awards and refuses to go upmarket; an exemplary burger and beer will cost you a little less than £5.

Spas
Most New Yorkers wouldn’t dream of forking out for a pricey hotel spa treatment. Within an unprepossessing office building on West 32nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway (the heart of Koreatown) the Juvenex Spa (001 646 733 1330, www.juvenexspa.com) gives the best value in Manhattan. A battered lift delivers you to the fifth floor and a South Pacific-style wonderland, with plunge pools and steam igloos. About £56 buys you the basic package, but it’s worth paying an extra £15 for a thorough massage. Juvenex is open 24 hours a day; daytime it’s for women only with couples allowed in after 7pm.

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