See Big Apple On A Shoestring, Sort Of

Q. My girlfriend and I would like to go to New York City this fall, but our budgets are limited. Also, we’d like to go to a television talk show taping, especially “Sally Jessy Raphael.” Can you help us on keeping costs in line and getting talk show tickets?

A. I think fall is the best season to visit New York, when the heat and the mobs of summer tourists are gone and the city is loaded with special events.

First, about the show tickets. Some talk shows, of course, are taped in Chicago, Los Angeles and so on. The New York ones include: “The Late Show with David Letterman,” 1-212-975-5853; “Geraldo,” 1-212-265-8520; “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,” 1-212-456-3054; “Ricki Lake,” 1-212-889-6767, ext. 758; “Sally Jessy Raphael,” 1-212-582-1722; and “Rosie O’Donnell,” 1-212-664-3056.

These tickets are on a long list of freebies compiled by the New York City Convention and Visitors Bureau, which also has found many other ways to see the Big Apple on a budget. That’s not to say you can visit the city on a shoestring; New York is expensive, and the best you can do is grab all the freebies and cut-rates you can find.

New York is a collection of neighborhoods, and many fall events are the kind you’d find in any small town. There are street festivals in areas such as Little Italy, South Street and Washington Square; street markets all over Manhattan; bird walks, flower shows and a Halloween party at the New York Botanical Garden; Oktoberfest parties in several boroughs; parades and street fairs for Columbus Day and a “tourist expo” staged primarily for visitors, which involves local performing artists on stages along a 10-block section of the Avenue of the Americas.

Suggested freebies include a chance to explore the city with a resident through the Big Apple Greeters program (1-212-669-2896); free visits or tours at memorable places such as St. John the Divine Cathedral, the New York Stock Exchange, the New York Public Library with its beaux arts decor, and art deco-laden Rockefeller Center; and admission-free days at various museums.

Here are some ways to plan your trip:

Hotel Reservations Network, 1-800-96-HOTEL, can find rooms as low as $55 a night and discounts at some pricier hotels.

Call the Convention and Visitors Bureau, 1-800-NYC-VISIT, available around the clock, for good taped information. To speak with a representative, however, phone from 9-6 weekdays, 10-3 weekends and holidays.

This toll-free call presents a menu of options. The New York by Phone option is a bonanza of information from theaters, restaurants, hotels and many attractions.

Another option on the toll-free menu is the City Events line for updated information on stage shows, movies, museums and tours.

For even more data, order a Complete Big Apple Visitors Kit, which includes the visitors guide plus hotel, restaurant and other information. To obtain this kit, send $4.95 to cover postage and handling to the N.Y. Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2 Columbus Circle, New York N.Y., 10019.

Once in the city, there are other helpful phone numbers where, for a 25-cent call, you can access the New York City on Stage hotline for theater, performance, dance and music events, 768-1818; street festivals and the like, 765-ARTS; and Moviephone, 777-FILM.