Everyone must experience Central Park on a Sunday morning, as it's full of eccentrics, runners, cyclists, skaters, over the top performers - this is the best entertainment ever! But to top it off you must sit by the lake and watch all the enthusiasts with their model speed boats - very competitive!

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My four-year-old daughter and I found ourselves living it up in New York recently when we joined my husband on a business trip. We had a great time eating out, exploring the city on open-top bus tours, and doing museums and Broadway shows, but some of the best things we did really were free (or at least nearly free). Here are my top ten things to do with kids for next to nothing in NYC…

1. Lay out a blanket in Central Park (picnic optional) and soak up the atmosphere. The huge expanse of grass at the Great Lawn is a favourite spot and great for games too.

2. Visit Belvedere Castle in the middle of Central Park at 79th Street. It is the highest point of the park with great views, a visitor centre, walking tours and free educational programs.

3. Attend Saturday morning story time for children of all ages in Central Park at the Hans Christian Anderson Memorial (mid-park from East 73rd entrance. Check for times at www.centralparknyc.org).

4. Visit one of the spectacular toy shops: Toys-R-Us in Times Square or FAO Schwartz (the corner of Fifth Avenue and Central Park South) which has a giant electronic keyboard built into the floor upstairs that children can play with their feet. You can easily spend an hour or more exploring and trying out the display toys without buying a thing.

5. Take the Staten Island ferry. Day or night this is one of the best free (or paid for) boat rides in the world. It takes about half an hour each way. You can get straight off and back on again or spend time on the dockside at Staten Island looking at the distant Manhattan skyline. The ride gives spectacular views of the downtown skyline and the Statue of Liberty, all lit-up to magical effect at night.

6. If it’s a quiet stroll you’re after and you find yourself in Brooklyn, take a walk along the Brooklyn Seafront for a great view of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. (And if you do want to spend a few dollars there is a great ice-cream parlour there too.)

7. Stand in the middle of Times Square for ten minutes and don’t forget to look up.

8. Stand just about anywhere and play how many yellow cabs can you count in a minute?
And if it’s summer…

9. Summerstage (held at Rumsey Playfield near 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue) and Shakespeare in the Park (at the open-air Delacorte Theater near the W81st Street entrance to the park) are two of the most popular summertime programs and both are free. Top-shelf acts and great performances.

10. Fancy a dip? There are 14 miles of public beaches in four of NY’s boroughs: Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. Contact General Parks and Recreation Department Information at www.nycparks.completeinet.net for more info.

General info at www.nyctourism.com
Central Park info at www.centralparknyc.org
Summerstage info: www.summerstage.org
More info on Shakespeare in the Park can be found at: www.publictheater.org

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For the best free view in the world go on this 25 minute commuter ferry to Staten Island and back again. Best views of lower Manhattan, and the Statue of Liberty. Before going, walk around Battery Park which has nice cafes and walks.

Battery Park, South Street, at Whitehall Street. Nearest subways: South Ferry and Bowling Green

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MoMA has the finest and largest holding of 20th and 21st century modern art in the world.

To save $20 admission go after 4pm (up to 8pm) on Fridays when it's free - although it gets busy, it's a great way of seeing some of the best displays of modern art you can ever see.

11W 53rd Street; nearest subway: Fifth-53rd Street
www.moma.org/

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A running track (1.58 miles) follows the edge of the reservoir (now officially the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir) and lets you experience the same views as Dustin Hoffman in the opening sequences of Marathon Man - the skyline of buildings that surround the park.

No worries about muggers - forget those scenes from Death Wish - you'll always have the company of other runners, even in the snow.

The reservoir is located in Central Park between 86th and 96th

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It goes past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Nice and cool on deck in the summer.

Keep walking south all along Broadway until you come to the bull sculpture by Wall Street. Follow the street around to the left and you'll come to the ferry terminal.

Alternatively catch the subway to South Ferry.

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In the centre of China Town, this is where they sell loads of designer copies if you are into that. I got a Prada bag for $10. You must NOT accept the first price they offer, you need to haggle.

My bag started off at $30, I soon whittled her down. She wasn't happy but these people make a fortune. I also found fake Tiffany copies which were really good as I was wearing the genuine article and was able to compare.

Don't believe everything they tell you. I can only wear real silver and on various stalls they were telling me their jewellery was real silver and it wasn't, so you need to keep your wits about you. Great bargains to be had!

Canal Street

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Take the A and C lines of the subway to the first stop beyond the East River, which is High Street. Then walk back across the Brooklyn Bridge, keeping in the pedestrian lane - the cyclists come fast! You'll have a splendid view of the Manhattan skyline, though little is left of the tenements of Miller's View from the Bridge.

Likewise the free (yes, free) Staten Island Ferry will delight with this cityscape.

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If you have a ticket for a Broadway show you get in free to the 11pm set (subject to availability). See in your "Playbill".

315 W, 44th St (walking distance from Times Sq.) Tel:212-581-3080

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If you want to do something totally free and absolutely amazing, take a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. You walk on a special walkway above the traffic, which is speeding by underneath you, you have brilliant views of New York and it's all for free.

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A cluster of parking lots in downtown NYC are transformed on a Sunday to a giant outdoor antiques market, full of trash and treasure and people-watching opportunities.

I got an amazing silver necklace for $25 a few years ago, and there's always a few oddments that are good for people back home who hate tacky souvenirs but expect a gift.

Look for the tourist leaflets - the markets are clustered around 20-something street.

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A great view of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. Unless there's a minor league baseball game on the island (which does cost) then just turn around, come right back and enjoy the view all over again.

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Free meter parking in Manhattan is the holy grail for most drivers. On weekends, free meter parking can be found on side streets (not the main avenues) in Chelsea. Aim for south of 21st Street down to about 15th and between 8th and 10th.

Chelsea

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Free movies in Bryant Park next door to the NYC public library every Monday. It's over for the season, but it'll be back next year. Go early, take a blanket, grab some wine and smoke and enjoy classic movies with like-minded people.

www.bryantpark.org/calendar/film-festival.php. It's on 40th and 42nd Streets & Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Subway station 42nd Street/Bryant Park (F,V,B,D)

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