NYC on a student budget

[sylvesterbird]

Hi all!

My friend and I will be visiting next week for spring break, and I would love any suggestions on how to see as many shows as possible on as tight a budget as possible. We've already bought tickets to Anything Goes through HipTix, and we're basically going to try to student rush every show we plan on seeing (by the way, how realistic of a possibility is this?). Are there any other lesser-known methods outside of the TKTS booth to get reduced tickets? And which shows (both broadway and off-broadway) should be at the top of my list?
Also, are there rush tickets for previews? I would really love to see Once.

Thanks so much for the help!

[AC126748]

Each individual show has their own student rush/lottery policy. The best way to find out about the availability/cost of rush tickets is to look into the particular show you want to see. The show information pages on Telecharge/Ticketmaster usually list this information; another good resource is Talkin' Broadway's Rush board.

I hope you enjoy your visit.

[THEATRICAL100]

Get. Up. Early. I mean, for shows you know will be doing lotto, you don't want to get there at 9 if it starts at 10. It's a lotto, so time won't effect it.
For rush/sro, definitely don't stay together. Let's say you for sure want to see BOM. Getting SRO tickets to that isn't impossbile. I got there, say a little before 10 one of the days leading up to thanksgiving and was fine. But if it's for a show you know you might not get into, split up and go into the line for one show and have someone else in a line for another.
As for TKTS - yes, they offer some great prices and a lot of shows in one place...however...it's a major, major wait. And it's really hard to tell what shows will be on the board that day so don't cross your fingers.
Sometimes it will be 10 minutes (rare) or it will be an hour. It's unpredictable and if you do Rush, Standing Room or TKTS, you do not want to have reservations. Try not to do SRO and then see a show later. (I did SRO for BOM, had dinner and then saw AGoes...let's just say I apologize to the performers...totally fell asleep . Felt really bad)

[givesmevoice]

Playbill has a page with rush and lotto information for all shows currently running on Broadway.

http://playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/82428-Broadway-Rush-Lottery-and-Standing-Room-Only-Policies

This website has information about what shows have been at TKTS, as well as what they have been discounted for.

http://www.entertainment-link.com/tkts.asp

[supersam1026]

This usually gives me all the information I need for student rush:
http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/82428-Broadway-Rush-Lottery-and-Standing-Room-Only-Policies

EDIT: givesmevoice, I think you posted right before me!

[Baiseur82]

If you are a student I would highly suggest joining TDF. It is $30 to join. However once you are a member top broadway ticket price is around $40. You can purchase your tickets in advance so you don't have to get up early to wait in rush lines also you can buy up to 9 tickets for each show so only one of you would have to join. I love my tdf membership! Best $30 I spend every year!

[sylvesterbird]

Thanks so much for all the information! So does Once have rush tickets for previews? Or is the information posted only for when it opens?

[lightguy06222]

ONCE has announced the lottery policy.

www.broadwayforbrokepeople.com

sign up for studentrush.org

I used to come in to NYC twice a year, see 11 shows in 7 days, and usually never spend more than a few hundred bucks.

do NOT waste time in the TKTS line. TKTS prices are not in your budget.

I've also never signed up for TDF... and I see everything on and off broadway.

See whatever you can with AM rush Tickets... (I suggest Death of a Salesman, Seminar, Porgy and Bess, Venus in Fur, How to Succeed, Sister Act, Memphis and WIT)

Do NOT waste time on "fluff" shows... unless you're into that. (Rock of Ages? Mess. Priscilla... YUCK)

some Off Broadway companies have GREAT rush policies (Russian Transport, How I learned to Drive, Assistance, An Iliad, and more...)

http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/144419-Off-Broadway-Rush-Standing-Room-and-Inexpensive-Ticket-Policies

Have fun, and most important: Be open to seeing ANYTHING.

[bwaylvsong]

-Don't bother with lottos or tkts
-Student rushes are usually easier than general rushes
-Morning rushes are generally easier than "2 hrs before curtain" rushes since you have a better idea of what time other people get there
-Standing Room isn't as tiring as you'd expect

Non-theater:
-Eating in places without waiter service will save you a lot of money on tips
-If you want to eat a big meal, go to a restaurant with a cheap price fixe lunch. I recommend Bangkok House. It's less than $10 including tax and tip, and you won't need to eat much for the rest of the day.
-Mee on 53rd and 9th has good, cheap Chinese food
-There are a lot of places that have $1 pizza. My favorite is 2 Bros on 38th and 8th
-The Columbus Circle mall and the Marriot Marquee have clean public restrooms. Both are upstairs
-The letter grades in restaurant windows are given by health inspectors and reflect the level of cleanliness on a particular day. "Grade Pending" can mean anything from a "B" that wants an "A" to a failure that wants a "C"

[gvendo2005]

www.broadwayforbrokepeople.com


What more can I say?

[lightguy06222]

Also, and most important... explore more of the city than just Midtown. You get your theatre tix at 10 AM, and don't have to be back at the theatre until USUALLY 8 pm. That gives you ALL day to explore... so DO IT! There is MUCH to see.

Check out some museums: The Museum of Natural History, Guggenheim, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MOMA... MANY are PWYC.

The New Museum in the Lower East Side is pretty great, and the Tenement Museum is my favorite in the city.

http://www.ny.com/museums/all.museums.html

Explore the east village! Start at union square, and walk around! The Life Cafe is a great stop if you're a renthead, but there are TONS of amazing cafes, vintage stores, restaurants, used book stores (STRAND books!) and much more in the East Village.

The Lower East Side has lots of cafes, shopping, art galleries, etc. Soho is more expensive for clothing stores, but more sheek stuff than the high-end stores of 5th ave.

FINALLY, if you are gonna spend alot of $$ on ONE show... see SLEEP NO MORE. nothing like you have ever, or will ever experience.