The Bronx: Travel guide, prices and free housing · 2026

ATAnastasiya TaranavaJul 13, 2019Read

New York is very expensive. Seriously, a single meal costs as much as I spend in a week in Minsk. But coming here without money isn't a problem – you can survive, and quite well at that. ⠀ I've put together a small list of places where you can go and have a great time. ⠀ 1. High Line Park The park's unique feature is that it's built on former railway tracks 10 meters above the ground. So, it's not just a great opportunity to "rise" above the noisy bustle of New York streets, but also to enjoy an oasis of nature in the heart of the concrete jungle. ⠀ 2. American Museum of Natural History Even if you're not a fan of "Night at the Museum," it's still a must-visit. Why did I include this museum in the "budget tourist" list? Because there is no fixed price. Visitors can pay as much as they want for admission (though the suggested ticket price is $22). ⠀ 3. Botanical Gardens Admission to the garden is free on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10:00 AM to noon. Additionally, on Tuesdays, you can admire the gorgeous orchid collection at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for free. 4. Outdoor Cinema The most popular spot among movie buffs is Bryant Park, where mass screenings are held every Monday evening. Also, on Mondays, you can watch movies at Coney Island (right by the sea), on Tuesdays – on the roof of the Bronx Terminal Market, on Wednesdays – in Hudson River Park and McCarren Park, on Thursdays – at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and on Saturdays – on Roosevelt Island. ⠀ 5. Walking Tours You certainly can't walk all of New York, but you can thoroughly explore some of its neighborhoods by joining free tours led by enthusiasts. For example, every Friday at noon, there is a free tour of Times Square (meeting point – Times Square Visitors Center, between 47th and 46th streets). You can walk around the East Side on Sundays starting at 11:00 AM; the meeting point is at the corner of East Houston and Ludlow Street. A number of organizations conduct free tours of Harlem, Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan, Central Park, and other notable areas, but you need to track the schedule of such events and register for them in advance. ⠀ 6. And I will finish with the irreplaceable square – Times Square I assume you'll hang out here for a long time. A gorgeous square with interesting things and popular shops like M&Ms, Disney, etc.

ANAziz NadjimutdinovOct 7, 2016Read

Returning to what I thought was my dream city is no longer as epic as it used to be. You know what I mean? Being here for the 4th time (actually the 5th, but one time I just slept at the airport waiting for a flight), I started to realize that this is just an ordinary city in an ordinary country. No, I still love it and, perhaps, would like to live here, but after several stays, the tourist layer of the city wears off, and you realize that, in essence, there is nowhere left to go. You can just walk around, sit in a cafe, etc. For example, you don't have to rush to Times Square every time you visit. It's just that New York is my standard arrival and departure point from the States, so I'm so used to flying here, doing all my business like getting a SIM card, doing some shopping, and then going to Montana or continuing my travels. I think only those who have been to the same city several times will understand me. Although, of course, even when you are in a city where you have been several times, you can find something new. Especially considering the fact that you haven't been there for about a year. Upon arrival, as usual, I met my old friend Ruslan, who helped me rent a small room in a good area of Brooklyn this time, considering he was doing renovations at his place. A good thing for those who are going to rent a room or an apartment is Airbnb. An app where you can find apartments to rent at reasonable prices in a short time (short time means a couple of hours, or maybe less). True, as far as I understood, to get the address you need to pay for the rent by card, but you can buy a disposable card in any cheap store that sells cards like Amazon, eBay, etc. They have one-time debit cards, and at the checkout, they will immediately credit the cash you pay. Fast, convenient. After that, we ate at a place, and then went to his friends, and I was just falling asleep on my feet, considering the flight. So by the evening, Ruslan woke me up and took me to the apartment where we rented a room for me, and I passed out there. Day two. In essence, I didn't make any plans. I just needed a SIM card, because without the internet, looking for Wi-Fi is not cool, yeah. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but packages like unlimited calls+SMS for a month and 10GB of LTE (which doesn't end, but just slows down after 10GB) cost about $60. Well, that's at T-Mobile, for example. Just for information. For those who want to connect. Well, after the T-Mobile office, the usual walks around the city with the phone began, photographing "moments in the ordinary". Actually, I was heading to Central Park, trying to catch an interesting band that I've been listening to since my first year in the States. I'll talk about this later. I didn't catch them, so it just turned into a long walk with good photos. I don't remember if I said this before, but it doesn't matter. I can remind you just in case. Frankly speaking, friends, taking a bulky camera with you is not worth it. Unless, of course, you are a professional photographer and are not planning any unique photos. But even in that case, you can take photos on your phone (if it allows, of course). In my first year, I took my camera with me. I took it out of my bag a couple of times, and then realized that it was just extra weight on my shoulder during travels. And with a phone: took it out of my pocket, took a picture, put it back. To each their own, of course, but I'm giving advice based on experience. Nothing significant happened that day, and I returned home quite late. Considering I was living alone, it was, honestly, a bit scary. But it's okay - I managed. In general, it's worth saying once again that you should be careful in New York, especially in some areas of Brooklyn, the Bronx, etc., where it can be quite dangerous in the evenings and at night. And during the day there can be many scammers, criminals, etc. Therefore, I especially appeal to those who are going for the first time: try not to walk alo

ANAziz NadjimutdinovFeb 1, 2015Read

Returning to New York happened on October 4th with one of the Romanian girls on adjacent flights. At the airport, I decided to leave my luggage for a day, and together with the girl, I headed into the city with a clear mission: to bring her to her destination in the city, since I had already been here and she hadn't. The destination was a hotel in the center of Manhattan, where our two colleagues from Addis and their friend were staying. Upon arriving there, we left our things and headed to Columbus Circle to meet two more of our former colleagues. Yes, I am surrounded by Romanians again. As if I never left. From Bucharest, to Bucharest, and back to Bucharest. Well, we decided that I would spend the night with the colleagues we met at Columbus Circle, and they would stay at their aunt's place in the Bronx. The Bronx, just so you know, is the outskirts of New York. The farthest part. Besides, I left my backpack in the girls' room, so I had to go back, and only then take the subway to the Bronx. Here, perhaps, I overpraised the city's transport, as it took us a very long time to get there. Either the trains weren't running, or they were canceled, or something like that. Then they figured we could get off now, walk to another station, and take a direct line from there without transfers. Well, okay, I didn't even listen to them, I just walked in silence. I noticed it was getting dark around us. A couple of minutes later, I realized we were walking through Harlem. For those who don't know, Harlem is a predominantly African-American neighborhood in New York, and three white foreigners definitely shouldn't be showing up there at one in the morning. One of us, Radu, is a rapper by nature and really loves that kind of vibe. And you know, he was even happy that we were in such a neighborhood. Not a single policeman around, it was dark, strange people, but he was having fun. Honestly, it was kind of creepy. Even standing at the subway station, I didn't feel safe when some drug addicts were sitting on their knees in a circle near the bench next to us, doing something strange. Anyway, you caught Tip #20, right? On top of everything, we were very "lucky" and our train went express, skipping our station due to some repair work. We had to get back from the terminal station. We arrived home around two in the morning and passed out almost immediately. October 5th. The thing is, I can't even get home properly :D But I managed to turn off my alarms in the morning and oversleep. My flight was at 3 PM, but it's better to arrive at our airline 3 hours early. Plus, I wanted to stop by my friend's place on the way. And here I woke up, turned off the alarm, and fell asleep again. Then I opened my eyes - it was 10 o'clock. My phone was blowing up on silent, to the point that my mom called me long-distance, and besides that, there were Viber, Facebook, Telegram, SMS, etc. In short, I jumped up, got dressed, and flew out as fast as I could because it's a long way. The funniest thing is that on the way, I accidentally grabbed my friend's aunt's watch, which was lying next to my things. I ran back, returned it, and then headed to the subway. I traveled for 2.5 hours and arrived at the airport at 12:30 - just in time. I checked in, dropped off my luggage, and went downstairs to the shops. I had a final meal at McDonald's. Well, that's actually it. Time to go home. It was a crazy adventure, but that's probably enough for now. I even wanted to go home a little bit. Now there were 15-17 hours of the return flight ahead, which went much faster than the initial ones. It was terribly sad to leave this country, but I know that I will definitely return.

EKElnara KainazarovaDec 15, 2014Read

After leaving Philadelphia, we headed to New York to the Port Authority on 42nd Street. We arrived at 3 a.m. New York's 42nd Street is one of the most famous streets, right up there with Broadway. Anyone who has been to New York for more than a day knows that Times Square is there. New York is a city for tourists. It is filled with diners, restaurants, hotels, and hostels. We had booked a room in advance at a Chinese hotel in Chinatown, Manhattan. I didn't share secrets with Demi Moore, of course, but it was still Manhattan. Our hotel had a very convenient location; we could walk around all night and not worry about anything. We actually walked across the Brooklyn Bridge several times, back and forth, and launched Chinese lanterns with girls from New York University. We were in New York for a week, so we saw almost everything in Manhattan. We didn't go to Harlem, of course, or the Bronx, or Brighton Beach. One day we took the ferry to Staten Island (a quiet, cozy place). We never made it up to the Statue of Liberty because we decided to save something for next year, and I wanted to go up to the crown (you have to buy tickets for that a month in advance). We went to the Metropolitan Museum, but we didn't make it to Madame Tussauds. It's a pity, of course, but I believe in second chances. By the way, the food in Chinatown is very good)) just saying, and in Brooklyn, you can find Russian shops where goods are inexpensive, and of course, the Ukrainian restaurant in the center of Manhattan is also quite captivating. Honestly, there is one place I would return to New York for every single time: Central Park. It is a colossal park with an amazing landscape, a playground, a soccer field, rocks, and a lake in the center. You can meet all sorts of incredibly talented people there, from a harpist sitting at the entrance to a magician at the other end of the park. The park connects all parts of Manhattan. We just walked through it for three days in a row. It's like a separate world, a separate island, with beauties unique to it. From the south side of the park, you can reach the Plaza Hotel, the very hotel where 'Home Alone' was filmed. New York is essentially a series of all those places you often see on TV, whether it's 'Spider-Man' or the show 'Gossip Girl'. Little Italy reminds me of 'The Godfather' trilogy. I walked through all the places where Chuck Bass spun his intrigues, including the 'Empire'. The transparent Apple cube looks cool) This turned out to be a very long story about how I visited America for the first time. To everyone thinking about whether to go or not, I don't just advise it, I shout with all my might: 'YES, GO!' It is a unique chance to see the country we could only dream of, the very one we see on our TV screens; you can become a part of it. The main thing is to take the right step. I just ask you not to be afraid of anything; the USA, like the journey itself, is not dangerous or scary at all, you just have to want it. Try. The impossible is possible, everyone has chances, as well as options. Don't be afraid to go alone; you will find friends there with whom you can both live and travel. Good luck. And thanks to the organizers for the opportunity to share my trip. I will definitely write about next year) I'm planning on San Francisco this time, Chicago, and Detroit. Hello to all Eminem fans, see you next summer at his concert. I love the world, people, and of course, InterExchange... ...dreams come true one day, you just have to want it...

DDDmitrii DvornikovBonhamJohn · Oct 31, 2012Read

And so the fateful day arrived. September 10th. The first thought upon waking: my last day in the States. I had an even longer journey ahead than usual to Manhattan. I was heading to Brooklyn to see Lena, who had my suitcases. I remember her explaining to me: "Always take the trains heading Downtown, you don't want to go to the Bronx, man, you don't want to!" A long, long way to Lena's, and then waiting until I could get her attention. The thing is, I didn't have an American phone back then, and the intercom in her building didn't really work. In the end, I arrived, shouted for her, threw pebbles at her window, and luckily, after half an hour, she finally opened the door. "-Did you forget anything? -Doesn't look like it!" In the end, I still left behind an iPod box with an old player and a camera. Small things, Lena brought them all to me later. The bus to Newark. Strange, but that's where I was flying out of. I took one last look at the Manhattan skyline. Mixed feelings, though. When we entered Jersey, I immediately remembered the words from How I Met Your Mother: "Ted, you can't move to New Jersey! Teeed! It's New Jersey!" Check-in, luggage. That was it. Time to say goodbye to Lena. Ha, we said goodbye as if we wouldn't see each other again, even though a week later we were already sitting together at university, whining to each other about how we wanted to go back. I put her on the bus back to New York; she was flying out just a day later. I remember wandering around the airport, eating at McDonald's, going into Duty Free to buy my dad a carton of American Marlboro. Well, that's about it. Everything is a bit blurry; my head was overflowing with two diametrically opposed desires at the same time: to return home and to stay here. Well, I decided to be good and not do anything stupid, so I got on the plane. There's no point in telling what happened next, I think. That's how my best summer ended, the most memorable one, full of ridiculously funny stories, new friends, and unforgettable impressions. It's a huge experience, not just of the language. It's an experience of survival, real survival; you have to think with your head, hustle, and do everything to make your life easier. Without that, unfortunately, it's very easy to ruin your summer. Despite all the problems and difficulties before the trip and during the trip—and there were plenty, as usual—I am wildly glad that I went through the 7 circles of hell and made it to the States. Thanks to all my relatives, friends, teachers who gave me easy exams, thanks to the guys I happened to meet in the USA, thanks to Janus Inc. for such a wonderful workplace and Pontiac, thank you, thank you, thank you.

АГАлександр Горбачевmenus12 · Aug 24, 2010Read

So yeah, we went to Connecticut. The start was a bit depressing. My boss, how should I put this politely... is a maximalist xD. He needs everything to be perfect. From early morning we were preparing the car, which sounds a bit too grand... We just threw in a big board, plastic wrap, tape, blankets, and styrofoam... sounds a bit too modest. Anyway, the point is that this whole process took about 3 hours instead of 20 minutes... sounds a bit too crazy. After a very difficult packing session, we finally set off. Destination – Bridgeport. Our route was mainly along highways, but we also managed to catch the industrial zone of the Bronx. The industry there is very heavy :)))). By the way, the New York Times printing plant is located there. Upon entering Connecticut, we passed through some town, I don't remember the name, but it looks a lot like our 3rd Zarechny microdistrict – a bunch of high-rises packed together and a lot of Russians xDDD. Many streets are named after Indian tribes. Bridgeport. The entire population is blacker than the blackest black of infinity. We arrived quite quickly at the warehouse where we were supposed to be handed our machine. Inside, there was a huge space completely filled with copiers. I've never seen so many copiers in one place. I've never seen such a large single place with copiers. We were asked to confirm the order in the office on the second floor. Going up the stairs, looking out the window, the captain took in the very industrial landscapes and was amazed. At first, we walked into the wrong door, as usual. There was also a huge room there, smaller than the one on the first floor, but still. Lots of machines, tools, and right against the wall stood racks with freshly carved electric guitars, not even painted yet. A custom shop. Well, anyway, we confirmed the order, picked up the copier, loaded it into the car, drove off, and re-loaded it properly xDDD, with all the gear we spent 3 hours collecting, and drove back. We drove according to the route that Google gave us. You enter the departure address, the final address, and it gives you the shortest route where everything is spelled out – where to turn on the highway, the length of each segment, and the total time. On the way, I gradually realized the full power of Google. Because if it says 'Total travel time 1:42, no traffic', we will drive exactly 1:42. Everything is so honed and precise that it gets scary how powerful their database is. The highways themselves are also impressive. How long did they build all this? When we were driving through the Bronx, there were about 5 of these highways intertwined, and all this in the form of huge elevated bridges. This once again confirms the captain's thought that absolutely everything is thought out here. When we finally arrived, it was a very harsh test to drag this 100kg machine into the basement, but with a miracle of Russian engineering, we managed. The board turned out to be useful; we used it to slide the machine down the stairs. In those 10 minutes, at least a liter of sweat could be squeezed out of me. The machine is good, the machine works, and apparently, this will be my new workstation, since management doesn't want to put me at the risograph yet. That's the end of the latest news. Tomorrow I'll go to the post office to complain and find out why my mixer won't fit in the mailbox.

РРомаbr1ckk · Jul 25, 2010Read

I don't even know how much time has passed since my last post. Right now, having kicked off my worn-out sneakers, I'm on the train, half an hour away from Montauk (the easternmost point of NY state), heading home. It's hard to imagine a stranger journey than the one we've had. As always, we had grand plans for today, but I'll save the story of how they turned out for later. To start, I'll say that we've walked through tons of streets, avenues, blocks, and boulevards of New York and all its surroundings. Mostly due to poor planning, we ended up in the most remote, quiet, and cozy neighborhoods, where you sometimes find solitary houses surrounded by forests and fields. As one of my professors likes to say, we've explored New York to its guts, even though we haven't been to many famous places. We made it to the dirty South Bronx, to Harlem—which doesn't look as criminal as people like to say—to Queens with its uniform houses and streets, to the south of quiet, modest Staten Island, and we've stomped through all of diverse Brooklyn, not to mention Manhattan itself. Perhaps our main event was meeting a local American, an elderly man, whom we initially just waved at while passing his house. One evening, he invited us over, and we started talking. It went further—he kept inviting us over, showering us with gifts, treating us to generous lunches and desserts. Such hospitality never ceased to amaze. Recently, he gave me a thick book with paintings by a Spanish artist; I even felt ashamed. Advice! Maybe we're just lucky, but we are increasingly convinced that Americans are very friendly and open to new acquaintances. Talk to people; we learned so much new about American life and everyday routines, about cheap stores, and interesting places, even with our broken English. Finally, we were gifted many, many souvenirs. :) I don't think everyone knows that they hold entire tours of cemeteries here. We managed to visit one, though the guide, who was diligently telling us about local attractions at the entrance and praising our English, spoke so fast that we didn't understand anything and just started wandering between the stone blocks. Looking at large monuments and Egyptian-style tombs is interesting, but it gets boring quickly. The cemetery is located in Brooklyn, 53rd Street station, N line. We managed to visit the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The first one is huge; you won't even be able to see half of it in a full day, but it houses exhibits from all over the world, starting from those same Egyptian tombs and ending with modern installations. MoMA is significantly smaller; we walked through it faster, but it's likely more interesting for students, as you can find a bunch of cool designer things, photos, modern exhibits, etc. The whole time, piercing screams of people are played from everywhere; it was funny to hear them the first time. :) We went to a soccer match, a game between the local Red Bulls and guests from England's Tottenham. On the way (the stadium is in New Jersey), we ended up in a carriage with Europeans who were singing in unison for the whole train ride. The stadium itself turned out to be cozy and reminded me of an English one. We sat in the second row and were in the center of the action even before the match started, when we were shown on the big screen during the American anthem. Very symbolic! :) The fans cursed with choice profanity the whole match but behaved without aggression, so you can go to the fan section calmly (an English fan ran in here, and the entire southern part of the stadium "politely" cursed at him). We also plan to visit a baseball game (we're going to the Mets, because the cheapest tickets for the Yankees start at 90 dollars!). As for souvenirs, I don't think I'll be discovering America if I recommend Best Buy. Of course, all the stores (with rare exceptions) scattered around Times Square are intended for rich tourists, certainly not for poor students from Russia. So do