Understanding the NYC subway and other New York City, NY Transportation Tips

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: There are SEVERAL trains in New York. However, most run of the same line. Example: the 4-5-6 train (green). The 4-5 is an EXPRESS train and the 6 is a LOCAL train. This means that the EXPRESS (4-5) stops at only CERTAIN stops...not every single one. The LOCAL trains stop at EVERY stop.

If you're unused to NYC subways, take the LOCAL trains. At least you will be sure that you don't miss your stop, if the Express train does not stop at your particular stop.

When you're in the station looking for which direction you should go in, you need to figure out two things. 1) what line do you need? 2) what direction?

The line you need will be a number or a letter. We don't discern our subway lines by color. You don't need any NAMED direction (ie. what's the last stop on a line?) but rather, you need to know whether you're going UPTOWN or DOWNTOWN, WESTSIDE or EASTSIDE.

With the MetroCard (which is what we call ANY ticket for the subway/bus) you can reuse it for a free transfer (up to 2 hours) to another train or bus as long as it's at the same area/stop (If you get off at 59th St by subway, you can transfer for a bus on 59th Street for free). Unlimited MetroCards also have the free transfer feature, but two riders can't use one unlimited MetroCard to enter the subway at the same time. Eighteen minutes must elapse before the card can be used again.

If you have to stand on the train, move out of the way when the doors open at a stop so that people can get onto the train. Likewise, wait for people to get off the train before boarding. Normally, people waiting to get on a train will wait towards the sides while people getting off the train will alight in the middle of the crowd.

The subway runs 24 hours, but during late hours, you could wait up to an hour. If you choose to ride the subway at night, wait for the train near the station booth and ride in the center car, where the conductor is, so you will have more company.

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Website: http://www.mta.info/

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: The traffic in Manhattan ensures that even fi you leave plenty of time when taking the bus, you will arrive at your destination late. This does not mean that you should never take the bus - it can be a great way to see landmarks and street life while sitting down. An especially good route is the M1 along Fifth and Madison Avenues from 59th Street to the Battery and back.

CIty buses are blue and white and they stop every two or three blocks at stops marked by white and lbue signs. When the bus arrives, check the lighted sign in front to make sure it's your route. MetroCards are the easiest way to pay for a bus ride. Otherwise, you must have EXACT change - $2.00. Only quarters, dimes and nickels are accepted; no bills. (However, you may be lucky and someone on the bus might be able to break your bills for you). Free transfers are available if you need to change buses to reach your desintation, but you must ask for one when you pay your fare. No paper transfer is necessary when using a MetroCard.

Most buses "kneel," which means that the front right side of the bus comes down to street level to make ti easy to board. All buses are wheelchair accessible; use the entrance toward the back of the bus, where there is a lift. To request a stop, press the yellow strip between the windows, which will illuminate a "stop requested" sign at the front of the bus. Exit from either the front of rear doors (you have to push the rear doors open). There are about 30 express bus routes operated by the NYC transit. Many of them run between Manhattan and Staten Island during weekday rush hours only. Express bus riders may purchase the $20 MetroCard to obtain 11 rides for the price of 10. Call 718 330 1234 for express-bus schedule information.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Taxis are a very convenient way to get around, particularly at night, BUT NOT DURING RUSH HOUR. Taxis are yellow - anyone who tells you he's a taxi driver in a car a color other than yellow is lying. If the light on teh top of the cab is lit in the middle, the cab is empty and in service. Most hotels have taxi stands, as do Grand CEntral and Penn Station. Hailing a cab yourself is easy enough. Stand just off hte corner,a little bit out in the street, and raise your arm. This is usually enough to get a cab to stop. Yelling "taxi" or whistling is unnecessary - the city is noisy enough as it is. Rate for taxis are:
$2.50 just for getting in
$0.40 for each 1/5 mile
$0.40 for each 120 seconds stopped in traffic.
$1.00 peak surcharge (4pm - 8pm weekdays)
$0.50 additional night charge (8pm - 6am)
Plus, tip in the range of 15-20 percent.

In the back of every cab there is a list of riders' rights, which includes "the right ot a receipt," "the right to be taken to any destination in the metropolitan area," etc. You also have the right to a seatbelt. It would be wise to buckle up, as taxis move fast and allow little margin for error. Taxi drivers sometimes try to rip you off by taking a longer route than is necessary, but if they think you know what you're talking about, they won't mess with you. Know where you're going and try to mention that you'd like to go via a certain street.

Personally, I think NYC taxi drivers are the safest on earth. Granted they don't drive like a tractor in a farm, slow and steady or whatever, but they get you where you need to go in one piece and quickly. And the whole whistling thing, shhh, but I do it! :-)

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: Driving in Manhattan should be easy: above 14th Street, the streets forma perpendicular, numeric grid - avenues are north - south, streets are east - west. Fifth Avenue divides the East side from the West side. However the combination of traffic, crazy drivers, and one-way streets makes driving a nightmare for the inexperienced. If you can avoid it, do.

Don't block the intersectionl it's illegal and causes gridlock. Technically, you are not allowed to honk your horn unless someone is in danger of hitting you or being hit by you, but no one pays attention to this. (But DO pay attention if you are in a residential neighborhood, like the Upper East side, where you WILL be fined). Parking tickets are a serious business here, so read the signs before you park. Alternate side rules mean that one certain days you cannot park on one side of the street, because it is being cleaned. You cannot park in loading zones, within 20 feet of a fire hydrant, at a bus stop, or anywhere else a sign tells you not to. Lock your car doors, remove the stereo if you don't want someone else to do it for you and don't leave anything valuable in plain sight.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: To get from the airport into Manhattan, plan ahead: figure out exactly where you're going and the best wya for you to get there before you deplane. The return trip to the airport should be a cinch: use the bus services mentioned above, call that limo service again, take the Air Shuttle to JFK, or pull your bags to the cub and hail a cab.

There are two major airports in New York City, both in Queens: John F. Kennedy International Airport, the bigger and grimier of the two, and LaGuardia Airport, which is closer to Manhattan. From midtown Manhattan, it's about 15 miles to JFK Airport and around 5 miles to LaGuardia. Be prepared to spend an hour or MORE to get from either airport into mid-Manhattan. Newark International Airport in New Jersey is actually closer to some parts of Manhattan than either New York City airport and the journey takes around 30 minutes.

GOOD NEWS: AirTrain JFK: My new favorite transport option is AirTrain JFK, which connects all the terminals of JKF Airport to the MTA Long Island RailRoad (LIRR). Connecting to and from JFK costs $5 each way. You can reach AirTrain via the LIRR at Jamaica Station. The LIRR runs between Manhattan's Penn Station and Jamaica several times a day; the LIRR trip costs $12 one way and lasts 35 minutes. This is a relatively inexpensive, relatively quick (no worry about rush horu traffic), and reliable method of transport.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: The simplest way into the city, thoguh certainly not the cheapest, is to take a taxi. The fare from JFK Airport is a fixed rate of $45 to go anywhere in Manhattan, plus tolls and tip. The trip from LaGuardia into the city is a metered one, with fares to Upper Manhattan ranging from $16 to $20, fares to Midtown ranging from $19 to $22, and fares to Lower Manhattan ranging from $22 to $26, plus tolls and tip. Fares from Newark Airport, which are metered don't include toll or tip, cost between $28 to $32 to midtown Manhattan.

There is an authorized taxi stand where a dispatcher directs passengers to the appropriate cab, so have the exact address of your destination handy (it also helps to have cross streets). The meter should read $2.00 at the start of your trip, though there is a 50 cent surcharge for trips commencing between 8PM and 6AM. Though drivers standing in the terminal soliciting travelers may offer better deals, beware: these people are unlicensed drivers. This means that they are not driving a standard yellow cab with a medallion on the roof, and may use unregulated (read: potentially rigged) meters, and are not required to follow the rules and regulations that govern licensed cabbies. Remember to always take your receipt.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: If economizing is a concern, you should consider taking the bus into the city. Carey Transportation buses depart for the city every 30 minutes from 6AM to 12AM from all terminals at both JFK and LaGuardia. The fare is $13 from JFK and $10 to LaGuardia. The trip takes about an hour to get to Port Authority Bus Terminal on 42nd Street between Eighth Avenue and Ninth Avenue. The bus subsequently stops at a string of hotels before terminating at the Carey Ticket Office at 125 Park across the street from Grand Central Terminal. Gray Line also operates shuttles from all terminals to specific locations in Manhattan for a one-way fare of $16 from JFK and $13 from LaGuardia. New Jersey Transit's Newark Airport Express Bus (number 300) leaves from each terminal every 20 to 30 minutes all day and terminates at Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. Fare is $7 one-way or $12 round-trip and the trip takes 30 to 60 minutes. Olympic Trails has a bus that serves Manhattan from all Newark Airport terminals. The bus serves Newark Airport terminals from 5Am to 11PM with stops near Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station. Fare for either bus is $7 one-way and $12 round-trip. Inquiries can be made at the Ground Transporation Desk.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: If price is not a concern, using a limousine service (usually just a plain old car) allows you to hire a car in advance that will meet you at the airport when your flight is scheduled to arrive. This option is more expensive than a taxi - the trip from JFK Airport to Times Square will run you about $57 plus tolls and tip; the same trip from LaGuardia Airport will cost $47, plus tolls and tip. A few limo services are:
American Dream Car and Limo Service - 212 427 2648
Jaffa Express Limo Service 212 289 7272
Jerusalem Car Service 212 996 2100

You can book in advance or call them from phones at the Ground Transportation Desk.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: New Jersey's Transit's Airlink Bus (number 302) travels to Pennsylvanian Station in Newark Airport. From there you can catch a PATH or Amtrack train to New York and many other destinations. PATH trains run 24 hours a day between New York and New Jersey. Amtrak trains are more expensive, but go directly to Penn Station in Manhattan. Airlink buses leave each Newark Airport terminal every 20 to 30 minutes and the journey takes 15 to 30 minutes. The fare if $4 and requires exact change.

Delta Airlines operates a water shuttle from the LaGuardia Airport Marine Air Terminal to the East 34th Street Pier and Wall Street Pier 11, with a shuttle bus from the air terminals to the Marine Air Terminal. The water shuttle leaves weekdays hourly from 7:45 AM to 10:45 PM and from 3:45 PM to 6:45 PM and takes less time than ground transport. The fare if $20 one way and $30 round trip.

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