I Love NYC (on sale)

GETTING THERE

The promise of a $157 round-trip airfare (nonstop) from Minneapolis to LaGuardia International Airport seemed too good to be true. For me, it was. I ended up paying about $210 (including taxes and fees) after the rock-bottom fare I tried to buy was "unavailable." Bait and switch? Hard to tell. You'll get a better price if you're willing to endure a layover, and the deals are expected to last through the end of the year. Look for deals at www.kayak.com, travelzoo.com and www.travelocity.com, among many others.

What's hot: pedicabs, which gather like hungry sparrows at all the major attractions, including Central Park. In fact, they're becoming so popular that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed legislation requiring pedicabs to be licensed and inspected to ensure that they have insurance, lights, seatbelts and weatherproof brakes. The New York City Pedicab Owners Association has a list of members at www.nycpoa.org.

THEATER/MUSIC

TKTS has long been a popular way to buy discount tickets the day of the performance, but there's a new deal in town geared toward budget-conscious tourists. The Theater Development Fund, a nonprofit group that runs TKTS, has just launched a can't-be-beat deal called TDF National Membership. For $12 you get an annual membership that enables you to buy tickets to select productions for $20 to $36. That's a deal! The advantage over the TKTS booth, which now has three locations in Manhattan, is that you can buy tickets ahead of time. The disadvantage is that the selection can be more limited. It took less than five minutes to sign up for the program and I got access to more than 50 events, including several popular shows. The only catch is that you must be part of a long list of groups, including students, teachers, union members and senior citizens, to qualify.

With tourism down, I took my chances and tried to buy tickets to the not-to-be-missed Broadway musical "Next to Normal" the old-fashioned way at the TKTS booth, where I got tickets for half-price ($62) about 15 minutes after the booth opened at 3 p.m. the day of the performance. TDF's director of communications, David Le Shay, said that if you have your heart set on seeing a particular show, it's best to buy tickets ahead of time because despite tough economic times for many, some productions are still selling briskly. You'll have the best chance at getting a discount when you shoot for matinees, Sunday and early-in-the-week performances.

Where to shop: www.playbill.com, www.ticketliquidator.com, www.ticketsplus.com, www.ticketnetwork.com, www.stubhub.com and www.ticketsnow.com.

WHERE TO STAY

Times are tough for New York hotels. During the first week of September, for example, average annual daily room rates in the city dropped more than 30 percent to $192, according to a survey by Smith Travel Research. Nationwide, room rates dipped only 8.6 percent to $92 during the same period. For a room at the Hilton on Avenue of the Americas, I paid about $200 per night when I booked through Travelocity.com -- about $100 less per night than I paid at the same hotel more than a year ago, and this time I got a renovated room with a partial view of Central Park. Even if you don't get a discount, most hotels I checked offered free breakfast, Internet access or access to the spa and several offers for a free night's stay.

Penny pincher: a youth hostel such as L-HOSTELS at 1961 7th Ave. (118th Street) in Harlem, www.l-hostels.com or 1-212-222-3103. Recent price: $24 per night! The hostel is in a recently renovated building that was converted from luxury apartments; check out the rooftop deck. More info at "Hostel Handbook" (www.hostelhandbook.com) by Jim Williams.

Tight budget/big style: You'll like the vibe but might rue the size of the rooms at the Pod Hotel. Located on a shady and quiet residential street, the Pod blends into the other brownstones along the street; inside, it's like an ultra-hip dance club. The name is no accident: The rooms have iPod docking stations, but the rooms are also as small as bean pods. Price: as low as $100 per night. A bonus: There's a farm-to-fork-style restaurant in the hotel's sunny courtyard that serves tasty breakfast and lunch.

Splurge: The new Standard hotel in the now-edgy Meat Packing District straddles the must-see High Line Park (see below). An oasis of cool International Design, the concrete and glass building has floor-to-ceiling windows that give guests unobstructed skyline and Hudson River views, while those on the High Line below have been known to get a peek at things unintended. Pick a corner room with a freestanding bathtub that lets you bathe and gaze, but you'll pay for it. Rates can exceed $500 per night.

Still drying: Ink48, a new 222-room Kimpton Hotel isn't finished yet, but the hotel is offering a "Rough Draft Rate" of 48 percent off rack rates, which start at $429 per night. Ink48 Hotel, 653 11th Ave., New York; 1-212-757-0088 or www.ink48.com.

Where to look: Bundled air/hotel packages at www.hotels.com, www.quikbook.com, www.expedia.com and www.orbitz.com.

New public spaces

Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC initiative aims to create a friendlier city by reducing air pollution and making it easier to get around the city. Since then, dozens of roads and parking areas have become pedestrian spaces, including Times Square, which has been closed to vehicular traffic since Memorial Day weekend. The car ban -- from Broadway around Times Square (north of 42nd Street) and Herald Square (north of 32nd Street) -- creates three acres of open space for pedestrians. A similar effort is underway at 25 other locations. So rather than dodging the lethal taxis that used to dominate the intersections, tourists now laze under umbrellas shading dozens of red bistro tables set up in the middle of the street. A tourist's dream.

Check out:

1. The street scene around Father Duffy Square has also changed with a new TKTS sales booth at the intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue at 46th Street. The structure combines a ticket booth and bright-red steps that face the statue of Father Duffy. It's the perfect stoop to take in the sights, and truly one of the best seats on Broadway. Distance from the ground to the top of 27 bleacher-style steps is more than 16 feet above Times Square.

2. The High Line Park: An elevated rail line that was built in 1934 to ferry goods to city factories and warehouses was recently transformed into a glorious green space that offers views of the Hudson River you can't get from ground level. When all segments are completed, the park will include 1.5 miles of gardens, trails and attractions that will wander through three neighborhoods. The park is elevated 18 to 30 feet above the ground and ranges in width from 20 to 60 feet because former trackside loading areas were included in the project. Plantings represent several ecosystems, including prairie and wetland. Where else in Manhattan can you see a bur oak and prairie dropseed grasses? Entry points are every two or three blocks. Info: www.thehighline.org.

3. Governor's Island: I didn't think anything could top the High Line, but my visit to the revamped Governor's Island confirmed that New York has never been a better place for those who like to travel on the cheap. The 172-acre island, which is just seven minutes (by my watch) by ferry, has never been open to the public until now, but the closing of the Coast Guard base that had occupied the island has created a don't-miss opportunity to enjoy nature, art and views of the Statue of Liberty. The island, which is open weekends only through October, has seven miles of trails, including a 2.2-mile trail along the periphery. The goal was to make everything free, and that includes the ferry ride and an hour of bike rental on Fridays. The ferry departs from the Battery Maritime Building. Info: www.govisland.com.

CHEAP FOOD

It's a great time to be hungry in Manhattan, whether you're a casual eater who likes street food, or you're a gastro-snob who favors multi-course sit-down meals. Prix fixe meals are all the rage in NYC right now, even at four-star restaurants like Eleven Madison Park (11 Madison Ave., 1-212-889-0905), which is offering a three-course prix fixe meal for $88. My visit happily coincided with restaurant week, which had been extended several weeks to generate more business, so there was no shortage of deals. Worst part was deciding where to eat.

I started at Benoit, the sister restaurant to one by the same name in Paris, both of which are part of the Alain Ducasse empire, but this one fit my budget much better than the one across the pond. Its $24 prix fixe menu, which included puff-pastry crusted salmon with julienned vegetables and tarragon sauce (a signature dish) followed by a smile-worthy lemon tart, made me forget this wasn't Paris.

Best value: DBGB Kitchen and Bar (299 Bowery, 1-212-933-5300) is offering a three-course prix fixe lunch for an astounding $22. This is the latest offering from chef du jour Daniel Boulud, who runs some of the hottest restaurants in Manhattan right now. DBGB, which is in an up-and-coming downtown neighborhood, offers a value-priced way to enjoy world-class fare.

Brown-bag it: After your visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, stop at the nearby Dean and Delucca store at 85th and Madison Ave. and pack a lunch into Central Park. For less than the cost of a cab ride from the airport I savored grilled scallops, seared tuna and a handful of fresh macaroons as the sun set over the lagoon across from the Bethesda Fountain. Perfect.

Where to find the best deals: www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek.

Jim Buchta • 612-673-7376