@shewolfnm,
One of the things I learned from Roberta and Frank is that most museums in New York have "suggested minimum donation". There's not an actual admission fee for a lot of New York Museums, and there is a good group of them that are free or reduced admission on various days of the week or parts of a day. You need to read the website details carefully. We were told to smartly advance to the booths and say "this is my donation" - hand over our $5 or whatever and march in. Works for some museums, but not for any of the special exhibitions they might have (and who has time to do an entire museum in one day anyway?)
Again, for best food options I recommend Yelp.
When I travelled just with The Empress, we usually spent $15 - $20 on meals. Bagel/tea from a food cart - $2 - $3. Fruit from a food cart - $1. Shawarma or something similar mid-day from a cart - mebbe $5. Muffin/yogurt/fruit/tea later in the day - a total of $5 - $6. We each bought one small bottle of water the first day, and brought a porta-bottle in our luggage, then went to a CVS to buy a 4 gallon vat of water which we kept refrigerated in our room and topped our smaller bottles off throughout the days as we went along. We budgeted for $40/day on food, so that the leftover from the 'lighter' days went to one splash-out meal during the trip.
You do need money for transit. I'd recommend one of the 7 (?) day passes. You can find fellas selling them out of briefcases in or near quite a few stations for a reduced fee. I was leery, but they worked.
I recommend studying this and making yourself a short list. We did quite well with the 2006 and 2007 versions.
http://nymag.com/restaurants/cheapeats/2008/
http://nymag.com/restaurants/cheapeats/2008/48673/
the $1 list
Quote:The Plain Cheese Slice
Critics' Pick
99¢ Fresh Pizza
151 E. 43rd St.
Relatively light and crisp, with a garlic-powder nose and visible flecks of oregano. The flat lip has a vaguely greasy, fried flavor, but the balance is good, the components integrated, and sag nonexistent. The winner"despite a stealthily applied sales tax that edges the price up to $1.07.
2 Bros. Pizza
32 St. Marks Pl.
Doughy, saucy, and so overloaded with cheese it suffers from chronic droop syndrome. The lip is thick and somewhat detached, like deep-dish or pan pizza, and the overall flavor is cafeteria school lunch. On the plus side, it is more filling.
Quote:The Xinjiang Lamb Skewer
Manhattan Chinatown Cart
Forsyth St. at Division St.
Smaller chunks of meat, a modest dusting of spice, and an overall lambier flavor. All in all, a nice snack for a Chinatown stroll.
Quote:Chive-and-Pork Fried Dumplings
Vanessa’s Dumpling House
118A Eldridge St.
After a recent renovation, Vanessa’s dropped from five to four for a dollar, brazenly deviating from the going rate. But what you lose in volume, you gain in a superb contrast of textures: the crisp chewiness of the golden-seared side versus its soft, quasi-tender counterpart.
Critics' Pick
Prosperity Dumpling
46 Eldridge St.
A five-minute wait guaranteed freshness, and the plump, irregularly shaped beauties have the tenderest wrapper and a loosely packed, juicy filling. The crisp side could be crisper, but sheer quantity and thus better value nudge the dark horse Prosperity into the winner’s seat.
the best $5 or less options
http://nymag.com/restaurants/cheapeats/2008/48680/