[MrMusical1982]

Hey guys, I was wondering, how much will it cost to go to New York to watch the musicals there and stay there for 2 to 3 weeks? Anyone can provide a cost breakdown....in simple form....I'm planning to fulfill one of my dreams of going to new york to watch some of my favourite musicals. As for the stay....I don't mind a slightly mid-range hotel stay. No need to be 5-star rating type.

You can provide the figures in USD. I can always covert it back to Singapore Dollars later...

[teapot]

OK, you need to give me a little more information. What shows do you want to see? Are you willing to take rear balcony seats so as to maximize the number of shows you can see, or are you looking for orchestra seats to get a more intimate experience? Are you looking for just a room and a meal, or are you looking for a New York glamour experience? Can you risk going for half price tickets on the day of the show, knowing you might have to take your fifth or sixth choice rather than the big hits? There are SO many ways to save money, depending on when you go, including the youth hostel, the YMCA, or university dorms during summer...and NYC has food at every price level. Planning ahead can get you discount tickets, but there are no refunds, so you have to be sure you are going when you think you are going. Me, I've lived long enough that it's the Waldorf and cabs now, but I've done the dorm rooms and subway trip many times . Obviously, the costs are completely opposite ends of the scale.

[MrMusical1982]

Hmm...let me go think about it...well, I'm not exactly going for the glamour kind of stay, yes, I like to afford for sitting in the orchastral seating...I want the intimate experience...that's the whole point, I dun mind paying more for the tickets, after all, that's the point of my trip to NY. As for the tickets, I can always book them online at the broadway website using my credit card.

Food, that I can walk around and try different stuff. I love streetside stores, stuff that you can buy and eat as you walk around looking at things.

Shows: (a few of my favourites)

The Phantom of the Opera
Hairspray
Grease
Chicago
Mama mia
Spring Awakening.

They are ordered in precedence of which I'm willing to pay for the best seats. Like for Phantom of the Opera, I'll be willing to do whatever it takes to get the best seat in the house (best refers to intimate experience).

As for stay, I'm thinking of moving from one location to another, understanding that broadway uses different venues for different shows. So for example, when I'm going to watch The Phantom of the Opera, I wanna find a location to stay near the theatre...and while staying there, I might be able to check out other shows that might be happening at the same venue....something along this line.

[teapot]

New York is a great city for walking, and the theaters are in good proximity to each other. Those that are farther out are on the subway lines, or easy bus distance. You shouldn't need to move hotels for that reason. I found a decent hotel in the Wall Street area for my sister for $280.00US per night plus tax and she subway'd to everywhere she needed to be. The tickets for the shows you mentioned, like Phantom, orchestra seats run about $115.00US, with premium seats about $200.00US. Some are more, some are less, and availability affects the price. Food is EASY...I recommend getting a Zagat's guide for NYC. You get price ranges and good suggestions. Also, go to the US website for Chowhounds to get suggestions for any kind of food you want. Street food and storefront eateries in NYC are great, and for special occasions there are great top restaurants as well. If you can handle hostelling, this is a respectable place near the theater district http://www.hinewyork.org/about.shtml . Hope this helped some.

[MrMusical1982]

Well, thanks for the amazing suggestions, I'll definitely take them into consideration when I plan my trip. I'll be saving up for it! I think $115 to $200 US is still quite alright for me. As for restaurant, maybe not necessary, I can always go to the malls and look for a slightly middle-class-range restaurants...Basically, I'm going to be there, armed with my digital camera, my personal macbook (when I get my hands on one), street map of some sort, a getting around guide for NY, and also brochures from the various broadway house...I'll be blogging, and sharing my experience there on the forum here as well as on my personal website...it should be fun!

It's also an opportunity to gather inspiration and ideas when I return to singapore. After all, that's what a writer does, getting experience wherever it may be found.

[teapot]

NYC and malls don't go together. NYC is a real city, with neighborhoods and arondissements....malls are out of town, in the suburbs, and not-so-much where you will be. There are run-of-the-mill chains in the Times Square area, but I would avoid the mundane like the plague. I think they are more expensive and less satisfying than the REAL stuff you can find. There are some good guidebooks with built-in maps, but I never found them very helpful. NYC is a place that has a surprise on every streetcorner. There is SO much there to do and see. I grew up outside the city, and spent all my free time there. Even so, there are things I haven't done, and I have had a lifetime and then some compared to most of you on the boards here. READ EVERYTHING you can get your hands on. Try to get copies of the NY Times...the paper has the best news on the theater district outside of an entertainment trade paper. Go to the NYC blogs. You'll want to have a lot of your research done before you ever even get your reservations started. Good luck. It will be an amazing trip.

[Luc]

Speaking from experience,
CHOOSE THE CHEAPEST HOTEL THAT YOU CAN GET YOUR PAWS ON.
Seriously. There's so much to do in New York, so you will hardly be at your hotel. Promise. We would get there between 11:00 and midnight each night, and then leave at like 8:00 the next morning. So for almost the whole time you're in your hotel, you're sleeping. Please please please don't waste money on a fancy hotel. Not worth it.

And also, I wouldn't see Grease. It's one of my favorite shows, but I was greatly disappointed with it on Broadway last October. Unless you can get rush for really cheap I wouldn't go. See something else.

[ActingDude17]