How Much Did It Cost?: New York City Trip January 2019 — Mark Darden - Author. Publisher. Content Creator. Sports Enthusiast.

What's up guys! It's Mark Darden with another blog post. As you may know, last weekend I was in New York City for the New York Times Travel Show, the Big Ten Super Saturday showcase, and to eat A LOT of food. Now you are probably want to ask this question, "MSD, how much did your trip to New York cost?" Well, I will tell you in this travel expense report. I hope that this report will give you an idea on how much money I spend on trips and to show people that travel is not as expensive as you may think. Also, February 1st is the 2nd anniversary of my website and I can't believe that 2 years have come and gone that fast. I've done a lot of travel in the past two years and will continue to do so in 2019 and beyond.

All prices are in US Dollars

MTA Metrocard, mode of transportation for the weekend

Transportation - $383.56

CMH to LGA, American Airlines: $297.60
MTA Metrocard: $32.00
Lyft: $23.29, $9.03, $21.64 ($53.96)

Lodging - $94.81

The Local NYC Hostel: $94.81

Entertainment - $181.11

New York Times Travel Show: $65.24
One World Observatory: $41.37
Illinois vs. Maryland at MSG: $34.25
Penn State vs. Michigan at MSG: $40.25
Today Show: Free
Times Square: Free
Madison Square Park: Free

Food - $213.06

Burger King at CMH: $7.78
Vending Machine at CMH: $1.75
Dona Bella Pizza: $9.28
Starbucks: $7.25
Hudson Newsstand: $5.15
Iron Bar & Lounge: $42.00
Hot dogs, Oreo churro, and drink at MSG: $23.25
Beer and bottled water at MSG: $19.00
Popcorn and Ice Cream at MSG: $13.25 + $5 cash tip
Versa: $27.00
Katz's Delicatessen: $44.29
Vending Machine at The Local: $1.85, $2.35, $2.35 ($6.55)
Walgreens: $1.51

Miscellaneous - $15.00

Coat check at Javits Center: $4.00, $4.00 ($8.00)
Bag check at The Local: $2.00
Henna tattoo: $5 cash tip

GRAND TOTAL FOR TRIP: $887.54

LIVE FROM STUDIO 1A AT ROCKEFELLER CENTER IT'S THE TODAY SHOW!

Now, let's put the numbers into context. For transportation, the most expensive cost for the entire trip was the flight to LaGuardia Airport. Almost $300 on American Airlines for a flight that was delayed by 3 hours due to weather. The MTA Metrocard was a 7-day unlimited trip pass that was very useful during my time in the city. I exclusively rode the subway because everywhere I wanted or needed to go was by a subway station. The E Line was the subway of choice during the weekend. I used Lyft three times during the weekend, twice to get to and from CMH and once to get to LGA.

I met Al Roker during his outdoor segment

I stayed at The Local NYC hostel in Long Island City. It was good to rest my head after a long day and it was worth the price. It two blocks away from the Court Square station and had a great view of the Manhattan skyline. I even got a free room upgrade which was a bonus.

My main reason for going to New York was for the New York Times Travel Show at the Javits Center. I went for the conference and trade show on Friday and Sunday and I had a lot of fun. I made some connections that could help take Buckeye Muscle Media to the next level and I got a chance to scope out new destinations to visit in the future. I also went to the One World Observatory at the World Trade Center. I went on Saturday morning and it could not have been a better day to go. The skies were clear and you could see for miles.

I also got the opportunity to attend the Big Ten Super Saturday Hoops and Hockey Showcase at Madison Square Garden. There a basketball game at 12 pm and a hockey game at 7 pm. My first time at The World's Most Famous Arena was a memorable day as I got to go to two events on the same day. The Illinois Fighting Illini took on the Maryland Terrapins in men's basketball and the Penn State Nittany Lions faced off against the Michigan Wolverines in men's hockey.

Hot Pastrami sandwich with fries from Katz's Delicatessen

I ate A LOT of food while I was New York. I went to Dona Bella Pizza, Versa, and Katz's Delicatessen among other places. At Katz's, I got a huge pastrami sandwich with fries and a root beer which almost put me into food coma. I went to Iron Bar near Times Square and got a Minnesota Juicy Lucy Burger and an extra side of sweet potato fries. I went there because I found out that it was an Ohio State bar and it was close to Times Square. I was somewhat ashamed at myself for spending $19 for a bottled water and a beer while I was at The Garden. It was a pretty good beer and the water was refreshing but I still felt weird spending $13 for a beer and $6 for bottled water. At Versa, I got a stack of pancakes topped with blueberries and buttercream and potatoes. It was a nice late brunch between games on Saturday.

Minnesota Juicy Lucy Burger from Iron Bar

I think that I made out pretty good with this trip to New York City. Outside of the flight, I kept my spending in check. I hope my Travel Expense Report will show people that travel IS NOT as expensive as you may think and to give people an idea on how much money they may spend on their travels. Don't forget to order a copy of my new book IT'S GAME TIME FOLKS!: Quest for 30 in the shop today. Thanks for reading!

Miss Curacao Universe 2018, Akisha Albert

Flatiron Building near Madison Square Park