Day One: Rockefeller Center

• Start the first day with a visit to the Rockefeller Center complex. While there is a fee to access the center's 70th-floor Top of the Rock observation deck, access to the actual complex is free. Visitors can relax in any of the many plazas, view the fine examples of Art Deco-style art and architecture that are incorporated throughout the complex and, at Christmas time, see the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
  
  

St. Patrick's Cathedral

• St. Patrick's Cathedral sits just across Fifth Avenue from Rockefeller Center.spc 003 image by John R. Amelia from Fotolia.com
  
  Facing Rockefeller Center across Fifth Avenue is a great example of a very different style of architecture---the late 19th century neo-Gothic St. Patrick's Cathedral. Entrance to and tours of the cathedral are free, and services---including music masses---are held throughout the day, every day.
  
  

Times Square

• As night falls, head over to the neon-lit Times Square. While Times Square is a destination for activities such as shopping, drinking and dining, visitors can just take a seat or wander around to get a feel for the hectic atmosphere of the "Crossroads of the World." It is, of course, free to observe the masses of people who gather and pass through here, and to view the "spectaculars"---animated, digital advertisements. These electric billboards are such a central part of Times Square that a zoning law requires businesses to use them.
  
  

Day Two: Central Park

• Central Park Zoo is an oasis in the heart of Manhattan.bridge in central park image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
  
  Covering an area of 843 acres, Central Park is large enough to spend the whole of your second day in---without spending a dime. Visitors can wander along the winding pedestrian paths independently, or with a free guided walking tour. Such tours last between an hour and an hour and a half and are led by volunteer guides who explain the history, ecology and design of the park.
  
  Free activities in the park include playing chess and checkers at the Chess and Checkers House's 24 chess tables; bird watching with a free "Discovery Kit" available from the Central Park Conservancy; fishing with a borrowed rod and bait from the Conservancy; swimming in summer at the Lasker pool and paying tribute to John Lennon at the Strawberry Fields memorial---located across from the Dakota Apartments, where Lennon lived.