New York: skip the Times Square restaurants and the "free" tours

Times Square is worth ten minutes at night and no meal. The restaurants there charge double for food you'll find better a few blocks east or in Queens. Ignore people selling bus tour tickets or handing out "free" CDs or bracelets on the street; they end with a demand for money. Buy the subway OMNY fare by tapping a card or phone at the turnstile, and don't pay anyone who offers to swipe you through.