<p>The meal plans are ridiculously expensives, I think the cheapest they have to offer is like $8 per meal, so I'm wondering if there are more affordable ways to eats at NYU. Are there supermarkets close by?</p>
<p>hahaha, you learn by the end of sophomore year to not do any meal plans. If you are an incoming freshman, get the smallest one. In actuality, they are really convenient, albeit expensive. I was on the 14 meal/week plan, which was something like 10 dollars a meal, and went to get a breakfast to go sandwich freshman year, which includes a drink and a sandwich. The sandwich was TERRIBLE, AND I WASNT ALLOWED TO GET A SMALL BOTTLE OF POMEGRANATE JUICE!!! I vowed to never get the 14 meal a week plan. Plus, a lot of them are closed at weird times. Nice thing about it though was Weinstein, and being able to get chick fil a, or a breakfast burrito, or french toast, or a quiznos sandwich at 1am as a study break. hahah. But yea, there are some super markets close to campus. Cheapest and dingiest would be Gristedes, which has a location on University, and they have a wide array of things, comparable to Vons on the west coast. A little farther in union square is Trader Joes, which I have grown to hate. The lines are ridiculous, but good prices. There is a measley selection of everything though, cause everything is Trader Joe’s brand, so you cant compare prices OR get your favorite brand. Also, they dont have that many items. Really close to that is the Whole Foods, which I only went to once, and was appalled at the prices. But there are definitely people here that went there frequently. There are also CVS’s/Walgreens scattered around. So for freshman year, stick with the meal plan, it isnt THAT bad, and with the space, you cant exactly go full on grocery shopping. There are lots of options for it, though, to get some essential items. Also, there is a decent amount of affordable food in the WSP area that is open late: Mamouns, SAMMYS HALAL!!![BEST 4AM DRUNKEN CRAVING SPOT EVER!!! CHICKEN AND RICE!!! Ok, sorry, I got really excited while reminiscing], Francesco’s, dollar pizza, Waverly Diner,space market, papaya dog, and washington square diner. All of these places are open until at least 3am, even on week nights. All of which are cheap, too (well, comparatively speaking)</p>
<p>wow thanks a lot for the response. im on the 14 meal plan too, even though i dont think itll be enough, but ill try to satisfy my stomach with grocery snacks and stuff lol. An apartment style suite is definitely looking a lot more appealing for next year. One question about late night snack options, since im definitely a fan of them, is it relatively safe to go out at 11PM-3AMish for a quick bite? I never lived in the states but I heard NYC was pretty rough.</p>
<p>Well it is the safest large city in the states according to the official statistics.</p>
<p>^Point. I wouldn’t worry about the safety issue as long as long as you know where you’re going (save the exploring for daytime or night with friends).</p>
<p>The meal plan is very convenient and impossible to get out of if you’re a dorming freshman. I had 14 meals a week when I was a freshman and I always lost meals at the end which is why I think a flex plan is a better option. That way you don’t have to worry about running out of them at the end of the week and can use as many or few as you like at a time. I actually think the food is decent but nothing compared to what NYC restaurants have to offer so don’t hesitate to go exploring.</p>
<p>Definitely having at least small meal plan is an advantage because it’s where I spent a lot of time with friends sharing meals (meeting for lunch, etc). Also it can be good too for swiping friends without meal plans.</p>
<p>If you’re stuck with the meal plan as a freshman, you might as well use it because if you don’t, you’re just wasting the money. If you really hate the NYU food, just use it for lunch or swipe in your friends. Don’t waste the money for no reason.</p>
<p>^ YES please swipe in your friends, or even a complete stranger like me 
But yeah MAP is right in not getting the full meal plan after freshman year. I had the smallest meal plan 75 flex my first semester. Even then it was a little too much. Although it was definitely convenient at times and Palladium brunch is always nice. </p>
<p>I didn’t get it my second semester and I shopped at food emporium in union square. It’s more like the grocery store you would find anywhere else in the U.S.</p>
<p>I always get a bite late at night and it’s not a problem at all. As long as you aren’t just wandering around with your wallet in your hand looking lost and walking down dark alleys.</p>
<p>Make sure to use all of the Dining Dollars, too. Dining Dollars can be used towards meals, snacks, COFFEE (Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts on 14th and the coffee kiosk in Weinstein) and the supplies that the dining hall sells. (Laundry stuff, bags of chips, stuff in their convenience stores.) I know someone who used his Dining Dollars to buy an entire CASE of Red Bull, and he drank from that case all year, lololol.</p>
<p>I would opt for the 175 meal flex. You will never lose the meals. If you go with the 10 or 14 meal a week, you will lose the meals week to week if you don’t use them. With the flex, if you run out of meals which is really impossible, you can always use your dining dollars or just a credi/debit card.
For sophomore year and subsequent years, my D does not get the meal plans. She shops at Trader Joes, Union Square.</p>
<p>As far as safety late at night, If you are dorming in freshman dorms, near Washington Square, it is so bright at night and so many people around you will never feel alone. The dorms near Union Square are the same, bright, lot of people around. I don’t know about the other dorms, but my daughter has never had a problem. You just need to know where you are.
Then there is always the Safe Ride program that goes on all night, it gets you from one NYU building to another. Its available, but I don’t think my daughter has ever taken that.</p>
<p>I think I’m going for the 10 meal plan…can someone explain to me exactly how it works? You swipe the card and then are allowed anything in that cafe? The dining dollars can be used at outside locations, but can they be used on things like toilet paper and other things that arent food? Am I only allowed to use one of my weekly “meals” at an NYU cafe, or does NYU allow for that one Subway and other local food places to be counted as a “meal”?</p>
<p>^^^Here is the link to the NYU Dining Services webpage. The info it contains should answer all your questions:</p>
<p>[Welcome</a> to CampusDish at NYU!](<a href=“http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSE/NYU]Welcome”>http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSE/NYU)</p>
<p>Also, this Meal Plan FAQ is very helpful:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.campusdish.com/NR/rdonlyres/7DADF766-3A7E-4BE6-BCF1-F447C4C96FA8/73339/MealPlanFAQs.pdf[/url]”>http://www.campusdish.com/NR/rdonlyres/7DADF766-3A7E-4BE6-BCF1-F447C4C96FA8/73339/MealPlanFAQs.pdf</a></p>
<p>It depends on the dining hall you go to. Palladium, Rubin, Hayden, Downstein, 3rd North, and maybe some other that I’m missing are buffet style. 1 swipe and you can eat all you want. Other places like Upstein (which has quiznos, a breakfast bar, and chick-fil-a), Kimmel, and UHall have food to order. 1 swipe will get you an entree, side, and drink at those places.</p>
<p>The little stores at each of the dining halls carry supplies like toilet paper, tampons, and whatnot which you can buy with dining dollars. You can also use dining dollars at dunkin donuts, and starbucks.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure you can only use NYU meal swipes at NYU dining halls.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, there are Welcome Week Leaders standing around Kimmel/Weinstein and most dining halls in order to answer questions about dining dollars/meals.</p>
<p>And yes, NYU meal swipes are like Monopoly money everywhere else. If NYU OWNS IT, you can use it. So no, Space Market is NOT A DINING HALL, despite it being physically attached to Weinstein.</p>
<p>About safety, I have walked around the village late at night (1-5am) and never had a problem. This involved walking from Bobst to alphabet city(Avenues A-D) where I live, which has a reputation for being rough. </p>
<p>Advice: late at night keep walking and don’t display valuables; respect cars, not crosswalks, so cross even if you aren’t “allowed” to, but do check for cars.</p>
<p>I start in the Fall but I am from the city. I agree with the other posters. NYC is safe if your are smart! At night walk like you know where you are going. If you feel like someone is following, walk into a store(you are bound to find a 24 Hour Deli and Drug store on every other coner).<br>
NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER use the atms in the streets or in a Deli. 1. You make your self a target. 2. You those atms machines are rumored to save your card number and pin.<br>
Basicaly do not make your self a target/victum.</p>
<p>Cheap Cheap Cheap food you can find a Dollar Pizza shop(there is one on St. Mark, one by west 4th, and to by 14th street) for 3 dollars you can get two silces and a bottle drink.</p>
<p>^^ Haha I was just thinking about that, I LOVE that $1 pizza at that pizza place on St.Marks, its going to be hard not to eat it all the time!</p>
<p>theres a new one on 6th avenue. It isn’t 2 bros, but it tastes jsut as good, only a dollar, better neighborhood, and closer to most of the freshman dorms.</p>
<p>I love St.Marks though, I mean some of those little tattoo shops are creepy, but I love that Tea Kettle resturant/coffee shop. Im addicted to those bubble teas!</p>
<p>I plan on probably getting the 175 flex meal plan. I was wondering (I know this sounds cheap, but we are all thinking it!), if you go into one of the buffet style dining halls… could you take some extra food home to snack on or eat for breakfast the next day?</p>
<p>You have to use another meal swipe to get a to-go box.</p>