USA holiday - how much money to take
Discussion
We are budgeting £100 per day per person for food, drinks, incidentals - most of our hotels have breakfast included but no idea on standard and whether there is enough to last the day. But we are doing Chicago to LA.
So when are you in Chicago? We arrive 23 Jul and were looking only last night at where to get deep dish pizza near the Willis Tower. The couple we looked at did not seem too badly priced.
So when are you in Chicago? We arrive 23 Jul and were looking only last night at where to get deep dish pizza near the Willis Tower. The couple we looked at did not seem too badly priced.
mattyn1 said:
We are budgeting £100 per day per person for food, drinks, incidentals - most of our hotels have breakfast included but no idea on standard and whether there is enough to last the day. But we are doing Chicago to LA.
So when are you in Chicago? We arrive 23 Jul and were looking only last night at where to get deep dish pizza near the Willis Tower. The couple we looked at did not seem too badly priced.
The one most tourists (including us) get drawn to is Lou Malnatis, it’s ok. I’ve had Pizzeria Uno recommended to me by a native but not tried it yet, got to wait until September.So when are you in Chicago? We arrive 23 Jul and were looking only last night at where to get deep dish pizza near the Willis Tower. The couple we looked at did not seem too badly priced.
Had very good Italian American food at Alina’s. Last time I was there they didn’t have a booze licence so charged corkage, not sure if that’s still the case.
mattyn1 said:
We are budgeting £100 per day per person for food, drinks, incidentals - most of our hotels have breakfast included but no idea on standard and whether there is enough to last the day. But we are doing Chicago to LA.
So when are you in Chicago? We arrive 23 Jul and were looking only last night at where to get deep dish pizza near the Willis Tower. The couple we looked at did not seem too badly priced.
22nd July, just for 36 hours but it's how the return flights worked out, haven't looked into Chicago yet but pizza pie is on the list!So when are you in Chicago? We arrive 23 Jul and were looking only last night at where to get deep dish pizza near the Willis Tower. The couple we looked at did not seem too badly priced.
belleair302 said:
$450 a day should cover you for everything. Where are you staying in Clearwater as I have a home there.
We're staying at the Wyndham Grand Clearwater for 5 days, we did a day in Clearwater a few years back when we were staying in Orlando and loved the beach there.It's my wife's birthday while we're there so if you can suggest any places to eat that would be amazing, nothing too grand but good food and ambience would be great.
Martyn76 said:
mattyn1 said:
We are budgeting £100 per day per person for food, drinks, incidentals - most of our hotels have breakfast included but no idea on standard and whether there is enough to last the day. But we are doing Chicago to LA.
So when are you in Chicago? We arrive 23 Jul and were looking only last night at where to get deep dish pizza near the Willis Tower. The couple we looked at did not seem too badly priced.
22nd July, just for 36 hours but it's how the return flights worked out, haven't looked into Chicago yet but pizza pie is on the list!So when are you in Chicago? We arrive 23 Jul and were looking only last night at where to get deep dish pizza near the Willis Tower. The couple we looked at did not seem too badly priced.
We are looking into either Giordano's near the Willis Tower or Rosati's near the R66 Start Sign. However I do like the look of the Lou Malnatis mentioned above which there is one just over the back of our hotel. I see a Pizzeria Uno quite close to the Bean.
Point being, we aint going hungry!!!!!
200 a day in Ny for 4, so at 50 a day each...to give an idea...
Grab egg cheese and bacon roll from a cart at 5USD plus a coffee (not sue what they charge for that, but say 10USD total
mid morning drink another 5USD from a bodega
Lunch, pizza at johns on Bleecker (one of the best and most famous) 25 for 2 to share, so 12.50 plus a coke at 3 plus tip so each would be USD18
Alternatives: at about the same price +- USD5, shake shack (Madison Sq park and sit out side), 'Chick filla', 'street meat' (ie food truck) , 'just salad', bodega (or equiv) for hot sandwich , cheap Chinese (might look crap on the outside but as long as you see a 'A' rating and its busy.... also look at supermarket food and take to a park they normally all sell sushi, salads, sandwiches, and also pay by weight hot food buffet.
add another 5USD for a drink in the afternoon
Dinner, Ramen is about 17USD, Korean fried wings for 2 USD25, 3XTacos for 18 or a burrito for 17, of course all plus a drink and tip
a bit right field, couple of pubs give free pizza or hot dog for every drink you buy
So around USD50 could be done, if you plan where you eat (seek out the best of the above online ) and happy with more casual /outside dining, infact all the stuff above is probably tastier and more memorable than most the restaurants that charge 25-40USD (plus tip) for 1 entree and would be more my go to recommendation
But you do need to plan or your find yourself hungry in an expensive area
Lower East Side is a good cheap place to eat, Tribeca not so much, that said, everywhere has its own 'secret' cheap amazing food hole in the wall, even in Midtown !
Good luck and enjoy the moments, nice to hear someone actually understand what going to NYC is about, people watching whilst eating locally known good cheap eats is the fabric of NY to most NYers, not the Empire state building or Central Park....
Grab egg cheese and bacon roll from a cart at 5USD plus a coffee (not sue what they charge for that, but say 10USD total
mid morning drink another 5USD from a bodega
Lunch, pizza at johns on Bleecker (one of the best and most famous) 25 for 2 to share, so 12.50 plus a coke at 3 plus tip so each would be USD18
Alternatives: at about the same price +- USD5, shake shack (Madison Sq park and sit out side), 'Chick filla', 'street meat' (ie food truck) , 'just salad', bodega (or equiv) for hot sandwich , cheap Chinese (might look crap on the outside but as long as you see a 'A' rating and its busy.... also look at supermarket food and take to a park they normally all sell sushi, salads, sandwiches, and also pay by weight hot food buffet.
add another 5USD for a drink in the afternoon
Dinner, Ramen is about 17USD, Korean fried wings for 2 USD25, 3XTacos for 18 or a burrito for 17, of course all plus a drink and tip
a bit right field, couple of pubs give free pizza or hot dog for every drink you buy
So around USD50 could be done, if you plan where you eat (seek out the best of the above online ) and happy with more casual /outside dining, infact all the stuff above is probably tastier and more memorable than most the restaurants that charge 25-40USD (plus tip) for 1 entree and would be more my go to recommendation
But you do need to plan or your find yourself hungry in an expensive area
Lower East Side is a good cheap place to eat, Tribeca not so much, that said, everywhere has its own 'secret' cheap amazing food hole in the wall, even in Midtown !
Good luck and enjoy the moments, nice to hear someone actually understand what going to NYC is about, people watching whilst eating locally known good cheap eats is the fabric of NY to most NYers, not the Empire state building or Central Park....
satans worm said:
200 a day in Ny for 4, so at 50 a day each...to give an idea...
Grab egg cheese and bacon roll from a cart at 5USD plus a coffee (not sue what they charge for that, but say 10USD total
mid morning drink another 5USD from a bodega
Lunch, pizza at johns on Bleecker (one of the best and most famous) 25 for 2 to share, so 12.50 plus a coke at 3 plus tip so each would be USD18
Alternatives: at about the same price +- USD5, shake shack (Madison Sq park and sit out side), 'Chick filla', 'street meat' (ie food truck) , 'just salad', bodega (or equiv) for hot sandwich , cheap Chinese (might look crap on the outside but as long as you see a 'A' rating and its busy.... also look at supermarket food and take to a park they normally all sell sushi, salads, sandwiches, and also pay by weight hot food buffet.
add another 5USD for a drink in the afternoon
Dinner, Ramen is about 17USD, Korean fried wings for 2 USD25, 3XTacos for 18 or a burrito for 17, of course all plus a drink and tip
a bit right field, couple of pubs give free pizza or hot dog for every drink you buy
So around USD50 could be done, if you plan where you eat (seek out the best of the above online ) and happy with more casual /outside dining, infact all the stuff above is probably tastier and more memorable than most the restaurants that charge 25-40USD (plus tip) for 1 entree and would be more my go to recommendation
But you do need to plan or your find yourself hungry in an expensive area
Lower East Side is a good cheap place to eat, Tribeca not so much, that said, everywhere has its own 'secret' cheap amazing food hole in the wall, even in Midtown !
Good luck and enjoy the moments, nice to hear someone actually understand what going to NYC is about, people watching whilst eating locally known good cheap eats is the fabric of NY to most NYers, not the Empire state building or Central Park....
Thanks for the reply, some good ideas re places and areas to eat , we're all quite partial to Ramen, etc and of course pizza, Johns on Blecker St is on our list for sure.Grab egg cheese and bacon roll from a cart at 5USD plus a coffee (not sue what they charge for that, but say 10USD total
mid morning drink another 5USD from a bodega
Lunch, pizza at johns on Bleecker (one of the best and most famous) 25 for 2 to share, so 12.50 plus a coke at 3 plus tip so each would be USD18
Alternatives: at about the same price +- USD5, shake shack (Madison Sq park and sit out side), 'Chick filla', 'street meat' (ie food truck) , 'just salad', bodega (or equiv) for hot sandwich , cheap Chinese (might look crap on the outside but as long as you see a 'A' rating and its busy.... also look at supermarket food and take to a park they normally all sell sushi, salads, sandwiches, and also pay by weight hot food buffet.
add another 5USD for a drink in the afternoon
Dinner, Ramen is about 17USD, Korean fried wings for 2 USD25, 3XTacos for 18 or a burrito for 17, of course all plus a drink and tip
a bit right field, couple of pubs give free pizza or hot dog for every drink you buy
So around USD50 could be done, if you plan where you eat (seek out the best of the above online ) and happy with more casual /outside dining, infact all the stuff above is probably tastier and more memorable than most the restaurants that charge 25-40USD (plus tip) for 1 entree and would be more my go to recommendation
But you do need to plan or your find yourself hungry in an expensive area
Lower East Side is a good cheap place to eat, Tribeca not so much, that said, everywhere has its own 'secret' cheap amazing food hole in the wall, even in Midtown !
Good luck and enjoy the moments, nice to hear someone actually understand what going to NYC is about, people watching whilst eating locally known good cheap eats is the fabric of NY to most NYers, not the Empire state building or Central Park....
The whole point of this thread to get info and ideas which it has! Keep it coming PH!
Martyn76 said:
We're staying at the Wyndham Grand Clearwater for 5 days, we did a day in Clearwater a few years back when we were staying in Orlando and loved the beach there.
It's my wife's birthday while we're there so if you can suggest any places to eat that would be amazing, nothing too grand but good food and ambience would be great.
Pop over to Dunedin in the car or Uber it, dine outside at Bon Appetit on the marina or explore the myriad of places along the main st. The Living Room on Main St is lively. Lucky Lobster too is worth a lunchtime stop. Likewise head south over the Sand Key Bridge and into Belleair Bluffs and enjoy a meal at Sea Weed or E&E Steakout Grill. Odd location but epic food. Otherwise keep going south, maybe 15 mins for Guppy’s or Salt Rock Grill. St Petersburg has a great food scene but you may not want a 35/min drive for a meal. It's my wife's birthday while we're there so if you can suggest any places to eat that would be amazing, nothing too grand but good food and ambience would be great.
Martyn76 said:
Thanks for the reply, some good ideas re places and areas to eat , we're all quite partial to Ramen, etc and of course pizza, Johns on Blecker St is on our list for sure.
The whole point of this thread to get info and ideas which it has! Keep it coming PH!
It's been excellent at reminding me why I avoid the USA. Silly prices and demands for tips all the time should be enough to deter most visitors.The whole point of this thread to get info and ideas which it has! Keep it coming PH!
There's many other countries to visit out there!
I've recently visited NYC and Vegas and cannot believe how much more expensive they were since the last time we went, Pre Covid. Especially Vegas.
We (two adults) spent £2,500 in a week including food, uber/taxi, Grand Canyon, Sphere, Yankees game etc. The latter items cost about £500 so £2000 on food/travel.
NYC: We (wife) didn't want to use the subway, which meant travel was a killer cost wise. NYC we did the city pass last time which was great value for the tourist stuff highly recommend it, we didn't this time as we'd done it all before and were a bit bored. We looked at going to a show but the prices were horrific.
Walking was painful - I'm actually shocked that the road layout hasn't been changed over the years - you are stopping and waiting at nearly every single intersection no matter which way you walk, cars turn into the road you're crossing on too but were generally ok at giving way. Extremely fast e-bikes ridden by doordashers are everywhere and you need to check for them when crossing as they definitely don't stop for anything.
We wanted to go to Brooklyn, walk the bridge, visit Dumbo and get a pastrami sandwich from Katz Deli - but illness prevented!
The highline walk was ok but not very big.
There's a free ferry to Staten Island that gets you views of the Statue of Liberty, don't go in rush hour.
The Yankees game was actually a really good shout - The game lasts a few hours, had never been to one before but unlike games in the UK people are up and down a lot and its more of a sit and eat/drink - half the people weren't even watching the game. We got an Uber there and back which wasn't cheap - we left the game early to make sure we had a ride home as we stayed in Times Square.
We had a nice dinner at a steakhouse someone recommended - there was a Groupon deal we bought:
https://www.groupon.com/deals/club-a-steak-house-5
add on Gratuity of course.
Taxi from JFK is slow if rush hour, use the loo before hand! ours took 1.5hrs! Its capped at $70 but soon became $95 with congestion, tolls and tip. Uber was $125.
Something I saw on the last day of the holiday was on Uber you can trial subscribe to Uber One which gives 10% ish off rides ....
I got home crying for vegetables!
We (two adults) spent £2,500 in a week including food, uber/taxi, Grand Canyon, Sphere, Yankees game etc. The latter items cost about £500 so £2000 on food/travel.
NYC: We (wife) didn't want to use the subway, which meant travel was a killer cost wise. NYC we did the city pass last time which was great value for the tourist stuff highly recommend it, we didn't this time as we'd done it all before and were a bit bored. We looked at going to a show but the prices were horrific.
Walking was painful - I'm actually shocked that the road layout hasn't been changed over the years - you are stopping and waiting at nearly every single intersection no matter which way you walk, cars turn into the road you're crossing on too but were generally ok at giving way. Extremely fast e-bikes ridden by doordashers are everywhere and you need to check for them when crossing as they definitely don't stop for anything.
We wanted to go to Brooklyn, walk the bridge, visit Dumbo and get a pastrami sandwich from Katz Deli - but illness prevented!
The highline walk was ok but not very big.
There's a free ferry to Staten Island that gets you views of the Statue of Liberty, don't go in rush hour.
The Yankees game was actually a really good shout - The game lasts a few hours, had never been to one before but unlike games in the UK people are up and down a lot and its more of a sit and eat/drink - half the people weren't even watching the game. We got an Uber there and back which wasn't cheap - we left the game early to make sure we had a ride home as we stayed in Times Square.
We had a nice dinner at a steakhouse someone recommended - there was a Groupon deal we bought:
https://www.groupon.com/deals/club-a-steak-house-5
add on Gratuity of course.
Taxi from JFK is slow if rush hour, use the loo before hand! ours took 1.5hrs! Its capped at $70 but soon became $95 with congestion, tolls and tip. Uber was $125.
Something I saw on the last day of the holiday was on Uber you can trial subscribe to Uber One which gives 10% ish off rides ....
I got home crying for vegetables!
belleair302 said:
Martyn76 said:
We're staying at the Wyndham Grand Clearwater for 5 days, we did a day in Clearwater a few years back when we were staying in Orlando and loved the beach there.
It's my wife's birthday while we're there so if you can suggest any places to eat that would be amazing, nothing too grand but good food and ambience would be great.
Pop over to Dunedin in the car or Uber it, dine outside at Bon Appetit on the marina or explore the myriad of places along the main st. The Living Room on Main St is lively. Lucky Lobster too is worth a lunchtime stop. Likewise head south over the Sand Key Bridge and into Belleair Bluffs and enjoy a meal at Sea Weed or E&E Steakout Grill. Odd location but epic food. Otherwise keep going south, maybe 15 mins for Guppy’s or Salt Rock Grill. St Petersburg has a great food scene but you may not want a 35/min drive for a meal. It's my wife's birthday while we're there so if you can suggest any places to eat that would be amazing, nothing too grand but good food and ambience would be great.
belleair302 said:
Martyn76 said:
We're staying at the Wyndham Grand Clearwater for 5 days, we did a day in Clearwater a few years back when we were staying in Orlando and loved the beach there.
It's my wife's birthday while we're there so if you can suggest any places to eat that would be amazing, nothing too grand but good food and ambience would be great.
Pop over to Dunedin in the car or Uber it, dine outside at Bon Appetit on the marina or explore the myriad of places along the main st. The Living Room on Main St is lively. Lucky Lobster too is worth a lunchtime stop. Likewise head south over the Sand Key Bridge and into Belleair Bluffs and enjoy a meal at Sea Weed or E&E Steakout Grill. Odd location but epic food. Otherwise keep going south, maybe 15 mins for Guppy’s or Salt Rock Grill. St Petersburg has a great food scene but you may not want a 35/min drive for a meal. It's my wife's birthday while we're there so if you can suggest any places to eat that would be amazing, nothing too grand but good food and ambience would be great.
Was over there about two months ago (Washington) and it’s definitely more expensive than two years previous when we last visited (NYC) probably due to inflation that we’ve all experienced and that the exchange rate isn’t that great.
We’re not foodies so we were pretty flexible with mid range stuff but it still worked out at about $100 for two with a couple of beers each plus tip. Google is your friend here - open maps, have a mooch for what takes your fancy and then check out the menus. You can eat quite reasonably with a little research and staying away from the tourist traps and just stick to sandwich bars or the usual burger joints for lunches which are still reasonable value.
We found Washington quite good value for money as a lot of attractions are free (maybe a booking fee for reserving timed slots) and there’s a lot to explore on foot and if you like museums then you’ll be well satisfied and it’s cheap to get around by public transport. Really did exceed my expectations.
We also did an Ice Hockey match that turned out to be a highlight of our trip. Was a bit pricey (about £150 booked with tickets in the nosebleeds from U.K.) but well worth it. Americans do sporting events properly with all the razzmatazz and made my usual visit to Leyton Orient on a Saturday afternoon a bit drab in comparison, just make sure you stand for the national anthem. Feels a bit weird to us cynical Brits but someone will nudge you if you don’t!.
America is a wonderful country despite of what you hear over here on the news and whatnot. It’s not without its problems but is still a fantastic place to visit and I can’t wait to go back. You’ll have a great time!
We’re not foodies so we were pretty flexible with mid range stuff but it still worked out at about $100 for two with a couple of beers each plus tip. Google is your friend here - open maps, have a mooch for what takes your fancy and then check out the menus. You can eat quite reasonably with a little research and staying away from the tourist traps and just stick to sandwich bars or the usual burger joints for lunches which are still reasonable value.
We found Washington quite good value for money as a lot of attractions are free (maybe a booking fee for reserving timed slots) and there’s a lot to explore on foot and if you like museums then you’ll be well satisfied and it’s cheap to get around by public transport. Really did exceed my expectations.
We also did an Ice Hockey match that turned out to be a highlight of our trip. Was a bit pricey (about £150 booked with tickets in the nosebleeds from U.K.) but well worth it. Americans do sporting events properly with all the razzmatazz and made my usual visit to Leyton Orient on a Saturday afternoon a bit drab in comparison, just make sure you stand for the national anthem. Feels a bit weird to us cynical Brits but someone will nudge you if you don’t!.
America is a wonderful country despite of what you hear over here on the news and whatnot. It’s not without its problems but is still a fantastic place to visit and I can’t wait to go back. You’ll have a great time!
I was in NYC for 8 days last August / September and the all in costs roughly worked out at €3.5k for me (just me).
Now that included:
Flights €450
Hotel in Manhattan €950 (room shared between 3)
Tickets to US Open €300
City Pass for tourist attractions €120
So that leaves €1,680 that I spent on other stuff, that's €210 per day.
Now it was mostly myself and a mate so there was a good lot of beer and $8/9/10 per beer. Usually deli/supermarket breakfast, fast food lunch and sit down evening meal. The shock was $9 for a small, basic hot dog from a street vendor.
That was very comfortable without thinking too much about budgets (and probably mostly on beer).
What a fantastic trip though!
Now that included:
Flights €450
Hotel in Manhattan €950 (room shared between 3)
Tickets to US Open €300
City Pass for tourist attractions €120
So that leaves €1,680 that I spent on other stuff, that's €210 per day.
Now it was mostly myself and a mate so there was a good lot of beer and $8/9/10 per beer. Usually deli/supermarket breakfast, fast food lunch and sit down evening meal. The shock was $9 for a small, basic hot dog from a street vendor.
That was very comfortable without thinking too much about budgets (and probably mostly on beer).
What a fantastic trip though!
Johnny 89 said:
I was in NYC for 8 days last August / September and the all in costs roughly worked out at €3.5k for me (just me).
The shock was $9 for a small, basic hot dog from a street vendor.
I believe i read somewhere that a hotdog vendor in central park pays close to 300k a year just for the license to serve in the spot, just to understand its not all ripping you off (well, it is, but just not all the vendor themselves. the city is at it too !)The shock was $9 for a small, basic hot dog from a street vendor.
satans worm said:
I believe i read somewhere that a hotdog vendor in central park pays close to 300k a year just for the license to serve in the spot, just to understand its not all ripping you off (well, it is, but just not all the vendor themselves. the city is at it too !)
Oh I'd well believe it. We got talking to one of the vendors one evening, a guy from Kazakhstan. A bit of an eye opener really!Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff