Eating out is expensive, but hosting your friends doesn't have to be
Published
June 21, 2026 10:30AM (EDT)
Dinner party (Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty Images)
There are plenty of fantasies that feel-good television shows set in the Big Apple sell. Being able to afford a $700-per-month brownstone apartment in a highly sought-after neighborhood on a columnist’s salary. Prancing around the city in Manolo Blahniks, pain-free. Only hailing cabs, never taking the Subway. And always going out to eat and drink with your closest pals — my favorite fantasy of them all.
