I am a New Yorker, and would like to share some of the awesome things that are free in the Big Apple. Most of them will be useful whether you reside in the city, or visit at some point in time. Some will only apply to residents. Check back often to see what intrigues you!
The first NYC Special is the
Optimum Rewards Card. You can get this card if you get your cable, telephone and internet services from Cablevision (which costs about $150/ month). You, or your parents, can then request this card.
Now you may be saying, $150 a month?? That's ridiculous!
It is, but you can continually renew their introductory offer of $99 a month by cancelling your services and signing up for them under another adults name (that resides in your household). So if you have parents, that's 2 years of the 3 services for $99. An aunt, uncle or older sibling? 1 extra year each.
Their internet isn't to shabby, more than enough for casual users, just enough for gaming. Phone and television are satisfactory.
Now about the card itself, it gets you discounts at various businesses throughout the Tristate (NY, NJ, CT) area and the city, but there is one discount in particular that I think is awesome. Every Tuesday, you are entitled to 2 FREE movie tickets to any Clearview cinema in the city.
Movie tickets cost $13 in the city, so you are essentially getting $104 (13tix x 2ppl x 4weeks) every month! That's more than you pay their cable, phone and internet bill!
The only downside is that there are only 3 theaters total in the city, and it gets more traffic than usual on Tuesdays. Arrive early, or go see a movie before 5pm and you will be fine. The theaters aren't bad at all, and hey it's free, so that makes it even better. Below are the locations of the theaters in NYC:
The one on 54th Street is built into a red carpet theater building, Ziegfield Theater. It only plays one movie at a time (usually the highest grossing at the time, like Harry Potter, Iron Man, Inception etc.), but has the largest screen of all the other theaters.
The last movie I went to see was Hugo at the Clearview Chelsea (23rd and 8th) Theater, I went with a friend. There were very few people, and the theater was quiet and clean, a very pleasant experience. Made even better by the fact that it was free! Hope you found this information useful, and as always...
Enjoy, and live free!
