Thanksgiving can hit Hawai'i students in college on the East Coast hard. It's too expensive and far to fly home, roommates have gone home to their families, it's 40 degrees outside and everything's closed.

The alternative to spending time alone with turkey slices on a hot plate? Head to New York.

Every November, students from Hawai'i gather from all over the Northeast to spend the four-day weekend shopping for bootleg DVDs in Chinatown, dodging cars on 42nd Street and getting lost on the subway. To catch up with anyone you might recognize, go to the L&L Hawaiian Barbecue on Fulton Street and eat loco moco and Spam musubi ... and drink Pass-O-Guava.

And for those looking for bargains, New York is paradise if you know where to look. So, for all the students (or other thrifty travelers) who'd like to have a good weekend but don't have much money, read on for a handy guide.

A FERRY YOU CAN RIDE FOR FREE? YUP, YOU'RE NOT IN HAWAI'I ANYMORE

It's a good thing Rudy Giuliani needed to solidify his hold on the white suburbs of that "other" borough of Staten Island, because otherwise this wonderful boat ride wouldn't be free. Facing re-election in 1997, Rudy eliminated the 50-cent fare, making the Staten Island Ferry the best way to kill an afternoon.

The ride across the water boasts views of Lady Liberty, Ellis Island and Lower Manhattan, and beers are three bucks.

Take the 1 train to the bottom of Manhattan, bypass the tourists in line for the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, and follow the pack of people who look like they know where they're going. The ferry makes the trip from Lower Manhattan to Staten Island (and back) every half-hour from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., then runs hourly. South Ferry (terminal building), 4 South St. New York, www.siferry.com.

GET CULTURED

Get over your conscience and check out the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Avenue and 82nd Street (4, 5 or 6 trains to 86th).

The "suggested donation" for entry is $20, and if you have it, hey, feel free to pay. The rest of us can give whatever coins we have in our pockets. A nickel will get you access to Van Gogh. Awesome. And while you're there, don't miss the more than 4,000-year-old Mastaba Tomb of Perneb. It was "bought" from Egypt (under British rule) in 1913 and rebuilt at the museum, stone by stone.

The Met is open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. most days (except Thanksgiving Day, go figure. Open the next day, though.) It's open every Friday and Saturday until 9 p.m. 1000 5th Avenue at 82nd Street. 212-535-7710, www.metmuseum.org.

You can spend a whole day there, or check out one of the dozens of cheap-to-free museums at www.ny.com/museums/free.html.

WANDER

Central Park. Go. Find the drum circle near the band shell on 72nd Street. Lie on the Great Lawn. Bring a flask. Talk to strangers.

When that gets old, take the train to the Williamsburg or Brooklyn Bridge. Both have great views, and the walk across isn't half bad. You'll see all of downtown Manhattan (midtown to the financial district), the Brooklyn waterfront, and whatever bridge you're not currently on.

Take the F, J, M, or Z to Delancey for the Williamsburg Bridge, and the 4, 5 or 6 to the Brooklyn Bridge stop.

HAGGLE, BUY

Stroll down 5th Avenue in midtown for a delightful shopping trip without entering a store.

Saks, Louis Vuitton and Prada all have good merchandise (I'm told) but West African immigrants sell look-alike bags on blankets on the street at a fraction of the price, and they don't look half bad.

After that, take the bus across 42nd Street to 8th Avenue, hop on the A, C or E train to West 4th and 6th, and go shopping for used books and records. A walk to the East Village will take you past a variety of vendors of art, T-shirts and books, and once you get to Third Avenue, you're on St. Mark's Place, where you can buy a scarf, a tattoo and a tongue-piercing, all from the same store.

Most trains also run to Canal Street, which is the heart of Chinatown, where the stores and street vendors sell anything and everything.

Don't buy street DVDs, as you could be buying blank discs. And don't be afraid to haggle.

The price you get depends on how convincing you can act the part of someone who'd consider buying that knit cap if it was only $5. If done right, you'll get what you want at the price you want, and the seller won't regret it too much.

Note: Whatever you do, DO NOT try to go to Macy's or Century 21 the day after Thanksgiving unless you're jealous of sardines. (It's a busy shopping day.)

PARADE

I hear rumors there's some sort of event every Thanksgiving morning. I think Macy's sponsors some sort of march. Something with big balloons. Apparently, to see this anomaly, one has to get out of bed at 5 a.m., dress for a late November morning in New York, and catch the subway to Columbus Circle to stand on a crowded sidewalk for five hours.

If, for some ungodly reason, you want to do this, the parade begins at 9 a.m. on 77th and Central Park West (B or C trains); it then turns onto Broadway at Columbus Circle (A, B, C, D or 1 trains) then proceeds to Herald Square where it turns left onto 34th Street. The parade ends on 7th Avenue. Parade information: www.macys.com/campaign/parade/parade.jsp.

It is also perfectly acceptable to watch the parade on television, in sweats with the heat on, the worse for wear from the late night before, eating Cheerios.

Gus Downes, formerly of Kailua, is a recent college graduate. He lives in Brooklyn and is usually broke.