Ain’t nuthin’ like being broke over a three day weekend! If you only have $200 in your pocket, guess what? You broke. You need at least $250 to have a good time, if you roll like we do.
That said, the gateway to the summer is here: Memorial Day Weekend. What to do, what to do? For one thing, you can head to the beach. All you need is a bus pass. If you get hungry and thirsty, make some new friends a few feet away from your blanket.
After the break, check out what $200 can get you this weekend.
Above: Chocolate City, Washington, DC.
If you live in DC and want to get out of town, book a ticket ($1-$20) on a Bolt bus and head to NYC. Why not? There’s not much to do in DC other than gawk at the homeless people camped out in the park near the White House. Once you’re in Midtown NYC, head to a subway and take a train to Williamsburg and find a bar which will lead you to crashing at an artist loft.
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$200 isn’t gonna get you to Los Angeles, not if you’re coming from NYC, DC or ATL. However, if you’re coming from Mexico, say from Tiajuana or any other border town, you can walk to Cali and hop on public transportation to LA. There’s plenty of beaches and food trucks to stretch your loot for the whole weekend. Need a place to sleep? Grab your sleeping bag and head to the beach! Or if you’re looking to leave LA, head to Mexico for the weekend. You can ride a bike or hop on a bus, it don’t matter.
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Now that Oprah is gone, why would anyone want to go to Chicago? By the time you get to Chicago from where you’re at, you might as well turn around cuz you spent your whole $200 on a ticket to get there. If you do stick around, have a picnic or go whale watching at The Field Museum which opens “Whales: Giants of the Deep” (Field Museum, 1400 S Lake Shore Dr; 312-665-7100; 9am–5pm; $22, seniors $18, kids ages 3–11 $15), an exhibit organized by the Museum of New Zealand.
Visit here for more info. If you’re leaving Chicago, head to Canada for $121.00 round trip. Sure, you’re cutting it close. No worries tho, you’ll find a friendly Canadien who will house you and feed you for the weekend; Canadiens are friendly.
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Two words for Atlanta: Strip Club.
$200 will get you into a club, get you liquor, food and tips for your lap dance.
We recommend Mardi Gras. If you’re leaving the ATL, head to the Carolinas, specifically Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A ticket from ATL to the beach will run you most of your loot, $121.00. Take a bus, sleep on the way and hitchhike to Myrtle Beach.
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$200 in Miami goes a long way, so long in fact, you can leave the city and head to the island of Puerto Rico for $99.00 round trip ticket. Food is cheap (all you need is rice and beans), you can sleep on the beach or crash a hotel party and still have $100 left over.
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Philly, the City of Brotherly Love. We’ve never been to Philadelphia but our favorite hip-hop band The Roots are from there. We hear their cheese steaks are divine. If you’re coming from NYC with a bus from Chinatown, it will cost ya $15-$20 dollars. If you want to spend the night stay at the Fitz Carlton for $60 bucks a night then head to the Longwood Gardens for some fireworks. If you want to do the reverse, we recommend Bolt Bus and an internet connection so you could search for a friendly host who’ll let you crash for me. Best bet is this Couchsurfing.org. To get to all the beaches, all you need is a one day Fun Pass: $7.00
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If you’re in Puerto Rico and want to get out of your lil pueblo, head to San Juan. There you can grab a room at the Tres Palmas (Three Palms Inn) for about $70 bucks a night. If you don’t tip you got at least two days stay which includes breakfast and free towels to the beach across the street. Or if you are in Mayaguez you can take a lancha or a passenger ferry to the Dominican Republic for a day. This service got your back.
