Suzy's brother, Chris, has moved to Manhattan and he's giving us the inside scoop on the cheapest way to see the town.

His latest discovery: prime Met Opera and NYC Ballet tickets for $25.  

THE MET: Orchestra and grand tier tickets are available for $25 for select weekend performances through the end of the 2008-09 season. To gain access to these specially priced tickets you must enter the Met Opera weekly online drawing.

It's simple. You sign-up for your preferred peformance on Monday.  Drawing is conducted on Tuesday and winners posted online.  Wednesday purchase tix.  Saturday or Sunday go to the Met!  

A similar low-cost program exists for the New York City Ballet.

THE NEW YORK CITY BALLET: 50 Orchestra seats will be available at $25 each for every performance during NYCB's 2009 Winter Season.

These tickets, at a limit of two per person for each of that week's performances, are available every Monday at 10 AM through March 1 at the David H. Koch Theater Box Office (Lincoln Center at Columbus Avenue and 63rd Street) or through CenterCharge (212-721-6500) by mentioning code 25ORCH.

Suzy's Tip: $25 Orchestra seats may not be ordered on-line.

Note: Due to ticket availability at the inception of this program, $25 Orchestra seats will not be available for the following performances: February 14 at 2 PM.