Big cities on a budget: Get tips on View from the Bay

It seems big cities are best suited to travelers with big budgets but actually urban destinations are filled with bargains. And they're great for families traveling on a shoestring.

My family of four just got back from a spring break in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and D.C.—and this same itinerary also makes for a fun summer vacation.

The budget for our trip was $250 a day, and over eight days we spent about $2,000. And yes, we actually had fun. (Today, I'll be talking about the trip on ABC's View from the Bay, a California Bay Area afternoon lifestyle show.)

Here are four things that we did to keep costs down:

1) Take public transportation.

• In big cities it doesn't make sense to rent a car because you'll have to pay hefty parking fees.
• On our trip, we mainly traveled between cities on the Greyhound bus. It's cheaper than the train—and actually quite comfortable because Greyound recently introduced new buses with comfy seats and free wi-fi.
• In the cities, we made use of the subways.

2) Stay at hotels that offer value.

• We stay at Best Westerns because they offer lots of free perks—all the hotels we stayed at offered free breakfast, so that easily saved us $10 – 20; the free wi-fi was also a big help.
• The Best Western rewards program also allowed us to get one of our nights for free. Travelers commonly join airline rewards programs but they often forget that hotel chains offer them too. Right now, you can earn $50 after staying twice at Best Westerns.

3) Don't spend a dime on activities and attractions.

• In New York, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. You can also take the Staten Island Ferry as a free way to see the Statue of Liberty or spend the day in Central Park.
• In Boston we walked the Freedom Trail.
• In D.C. we visited the recently reopened American History Museum as well as the many other museums that don't charge admission.
• Convention and Visitors Bureau Web sites and information centers are great resources for lists of free activities and events.

4) Dine out at restaurants that dish up cheap, yummy food.

• It’s easy to spend only $5 to $7 per person on dinner when you can choose from ethnic eateries, street vendors, and hole-in-the-walls.
• In Boston you can grab a cup of clam chowder at Quincy Market. We enjoyed a tasty dinner at Picco Pizza in the South End.
• In New York, my favorite cheap eats are from the street-side vendors selling roasted peanuts, hot dogs, and pretzels.
• D.C. is a little trickier when it comes to cheap food—especially in the central area around the museums. I like the cafeteria in the Museum of the American Indian. We had a lot of picnics on the Mall (pictured above).