NEW YORK -- When you hear the term budget travel, we know what you think: cheap hotels, C-list attractions and meal portions that wouldn't satisfy your average toddler.

But what if we said you could save hundreds of dollars on a weekend trip to New York without missing any of the things that make the city great?

The Big Apple is ripe with freebies and good, solid deals. Here are our favorites:

• Walking tour of Central Park (free): To our passionate and knowledgeable volunteer guides, Central Park is a magnificent work of art. And like great appreciators, they clearly enjoy studying and discussing the 843-acre wonder in the middle of Manhattan. The Central Park Conservancy, the group that provides the tours, realizes that money doesn't grow on any of the 26,000 trees in the park, so they give the tours at no cost. Several tours are available, and -- despite an August storm that destroyed or damaged several hundred trees -- most are still going on. 212-360-2726; www.centralparknyc.org.

• Upscale three-course lunch ($26): Believe me, ``$26 lunch'' and ``bargain'' aren't two things we'd typically say in the same sentence. Either of us could eat for a week on that amount. But this was a three-course lunch at Perry St., one of celebrity restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten's spots. Pick two dishes from tasty offerings like the Arctic char sashimi, a spinach and goat cheese omelet or the roasted chicken sandwich, among many more options, and finish it all off with the warm Valrhona chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream or the frangipane torte with pineapple sorbet. The restaurant has a crisp, bright layout, and the service was excellent. Perry St. also offers an affordable wine list with the prix fixe menu. You can find other great dinner and lunch deals like this around town. 176 Perry St. 212-352-1900; www.jean-georges.com

• Cocktail in Times Square ($3.50): Sparkling marquees and flashing neon JumboTrons are the norm in Times Square. Who would have thought a narrow, cramped dive heralded only by a faded maroon awning would stand out? At Jimmy's Corner, owned by former boxing trainer Jimmy Glenn, the air is filled with good tunes and after-work chatter, and the walls are plastered with boxing photos and posters. Squeeze your way through the bar area, grab a table and order a couple of drinks from your friendly server. We had two well drinks for $7, a steal in touristy Times Square. 140 W. 44th St., 212-221-9510.

• Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge (free): Get an up-close look at an engineering and architectural feat that is a piece of history, connects two amazing areas, and offers some fine scenery. Families of both the local and visiting varieties amble across the pedestrian platform as cars zoom by below. When the weather's cooperating, you can't ask for much more. Along the way, you'll see delightful views of Manhattan and Brooklyn, so have a camera for photo-ops featuring some of the city's iconic images. We took the subway to the bridge's Manhattan side and walked across to Brooklyn, but you can do it either way -- subway stops are near both ends.

• Designer haircut (free): In a city where you can expect to drop $200 on a designer haircut, here's a hint: Skip the salon and head to its training grounds, where aspiring stylists learn their craft. Many major styling companies and smaller salons do in-house training and on classroom days, if you're willing to be a hair model, you can score a free, or at least cheap, cut or color. www.salonapprentice.com.

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