There are tons of ways to pretend that New York doesn’t have the highest cost of living in the country. Behold, tourists and New Yorkers with sorry wallets: your guide to a free week in NYC.
A.M.: Take a Shape Up NYC class.
Screw the Monday blues by starting your day off with some physical activity. (YES, I'm being serious.) Shape Up NYC offers free fitness classes — including ballet, kickboxing, Zumba, Pilates, and aerobics — in all five boroughs, every day of the week. It’s sort of the best thing ever? Check the sched here.
Eric Thayer / Reuters
Afternoon: Take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry.
Yeah, OK, I know… Staten Island: garbage, fist-pumping, “it’s so far,” “it’s so boring,” “wait, this is a borough?” blah blah — but the views! Skip the ferry during rush hour and peep the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline ON A BOAT. And if you can find it in your heart to cough up a few bucks, there are snacks — and booze! — on board. The ride each way is about 25–30 minutes, and you can find the schedule here.
Mark Lennihan, file / AP
P.M.: Watch a live jazz show at Arthur's Tavern.
Catch performances at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. at this historic West Village jazz club, which was once host to legends Charlie Parker and Roy Hargrove. There’s never a cover charge, and on Monday nights you can check out the same Dixieland jazz band that’s been playing for 35 years. (Whoa.)
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