Semi-spontaneously went into NYC at the last minute last night and met an acquaintance and went to a show. Ate pierogies, bagels, arepas, a burger. Drank many beers and one enormous coffee. Slept on said acquaintance's couch, then met up with a good friend from college. Hugged lots of people, almost fell asleep in a park in Brooklyn, watched hispanic dudes play volleyball for a few hours with a girl from my program (the only friend I've made in NJ) who introduced me to her extremely friendly Brooklyn friends. They spent all of dinner talking about looking for an apartment and citing prices and damn if you don't have to pay a premium to be where the fun is (IE where it's provided for you instead of making your own like in St Louis).
I think if I sit home and read library books and eat rice with veggies for the rest of the week my budget will work out to be only spending twice what I should have.
That city has so many pretty ladies. Hot damn.