Cheapskate or Destitute

   John G., If you can't afford to take your sweetie with you to your Emmy celebration because it's  too costly, that may be understandable,  but if she accompanies you on the trip to NYC, at least buy her some butter for her muffin.  You say you don't want to use your debit card for 30 cents, and you have no cash.  Who the heck would travel to NYC without at least a few dollars cash in their pocket. I also would not expect the Amtrak Cafe to dole out pats of butter for a muffin bought elsewhere.  And you did say you bought some nut snack on the city street, so you must have used your debit card for that purchase. You add that you and the sweetie window shopped because you couldn't afford to buy anything, and you further said you slammed the door on an Uber driver who said it would cost your tuxedo-clad self $20 for a 9 block ride from your hotel to the Emmy ceremony. I'm not from the midwest either, but that doesn't seem like an outrageous charge to me.
   I've never traveled on an expense account, though for about 14 years attended employer-covered conferences in Syracuse, which covered lodging, meals, and mileage. Most of us employees didn't hesitate to spend our own money on any other purchases or non-covered items, such as alcoholic beverages for example.
   I doubt if any of us were paid more than you are, though I would expect reporters such as yourself are not very highly paid. You may be well served to ask your  employer for a butter allowance.