After spending an amazing summer interning in New York City last year, I'm moving back for good in a few months and wanted to share my knowledge. While New York can certainly drain your paycheck, experiencing the city for a weekend can be done under $100 -- as an unpaid intern I learned plenty of tricks for making cash last!

For those of you coming to NYC from farther than New Jersey, you'll have to plan on spending more than $100, as you'll have higher travel expenses. For roundtrip train tickets, try Amtrak or Megabus in the New England area, and websites such as airfarewatchdog.com and kayak.com to search for the best ticket prices.

This itinerary begins in New Jersey. Head into the city on the NJ Transit from Newark and go to Penn Station in the heart of the city ($10). Before leaving Penn Station, stop at a MetroCard vendor and fill up a card with six trips ($12), because you never know when you might need to hop on the subway to get somewhere quick.

If you can, contact a friend willing to let you crash for free, but if you don't have that option, consider checking hostelworld.com for hostels around $30 a night.

Once you're settled, head into midtown Manhattan for dinner at Blockheads, on 50th Street between 8th and 9th avenue, to enjoy delicious Mexican food for $10. If it's warm out, dine in Blockheads' outdoor seating area. After dinner, stroll through Times Square for the city lights, and then visit the "Top of the Rock" at Rockefeller Plaza to get a birds' eye view of the city ($19). The observation deck is open until midnight and the website recommends ordering tickets online at topoftherocknyc.com.

Saturday morning grab a quick, cheap breakfast at a nearby grocer ($3). Head uptown on the 4/5/6 subway to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The prices listed are only recommended donations, so hand over a dollar and you'll get full access. After The Met, stroll down Fifth Avenue and hook a left on 62nd Street toward Lexington Avenue. The Bread Factory's paninis are fantastic, and come with free chips ($7), so grab lunch and have a picnic in Central Park.

One value of the city is using the subway system to go long distances quickly. Head downtown on the N/R/W subway to Union Square and browse the 18 miles of new, used, rare, and out of print books at the Strand bookstore on 12th Street and Broadway. Not into books? Continue downtown and explore the street vendors of Canal Street. Together, the tables overflowing with items and the masses of people can be overwhelming, but it's a fun experience.

For dinner, go to the 8th Street Wine Cellar between 5th and 6th avenue (minors welcome). Keep your eyes peeled; it really is a cellar below other buildings. Feel like an insider in the dim-lit, semi-hidden environment and get some great food ($10). Don't hesitate to save any leftovers -- you'll need them tomorrow! Walk over to Washington Square Park to relax and reflect on the weekend.

Make Sunday a leisurely, entertaining day. Before going home Sunday evening, you've got to experience Broadway. Shows such as In The Heights, Spring Awakening and Legally Blonde offer rush or lottery tickets at discounted prices. Get up early and wait for the box office to open (rush) or an hour before curtain (lottery) and get an awesome, cheap seat to a matinee ($26.50). Sleep in, take a nap, munch on some leftovers and use the extra $2.50 you've got left wisely before heading out to the show. For a real taste of the city, the Birdbath bakery is an eco-friendly bakery with a location in the East Village--treats are made with local ingredients. After the show, take in the city one last time, and then say goodbye to Times Square.

(Total spent: $100)
 

Editor's Note: The information in this article is current as of June 2008.

Sources: njtransit.com; strandbooks.com; nysun.com; mta.info; topoftherocknyc.com; nyctourist.com; pps.org; menupages.com; talkinbroadway.com