Getting Around

New York City may strike the newcomer as an intimidating place, with its crowded streets, its fast-moving pedestrians and its “canyons” of skyscrapers. Once you develop a basic understanding of the geography of the city and the different transportation systems, however, you will quickly become more confident about your ability to get around the city.

Manhattan streets are laid out in a grid pattern, with avenues running north and south (uptown and downtown) and streets east and west (crosstown). Fifth Avenue divides Manhattan into the east and west sides. South of 4th Street, in the older part of the city, streets follow an irregular pattern and have names instead of numbers. The other boroughs do not have the same rigid layout. Queens has a unique system; because of the large number of avenues, addresses there consist of two sets of numbers. For example, 23-05 31st Avenue denotes house number “5” on 31st Avenue at 23rd Street in Queens.

Get yourself a good street map (available in bookstores) to assist you in finding your way around New York City’s various boroughs. A great way to sample the flavors of New York City’s neighborhoods is to sign up for one of the many different walking tours offered on weekends. During the academic year, Metro International runs excellent walking tours that are designed with international students (and their budgets) in mind. Check out Metro’s website (www.metrointl.org) for details of upcoming tours. For listings of other walking tours look in Time Out New York, The Village Voice, or the New York Press, all available at newsstands.

Transportation

New York City buses and subways are both run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or “MTA.” Their travel information number is (718) 330-1234, and their website address is www.mta.info. For a free subway or bus map, ask an agent in any subway station booth. The standard bus and subway fare is $2 per ride. To travel on the subway, you must buy a “MetroCard,” which is a prepaid travel card. To travel on the bus, you can use a MetroCard or exact change (coins only). MetroCards allow free transfer between the bus and subway. You can purchase single ride MetroCards, but it is more convenient and economical to purchase “pay-per-ride” or “unlimited” MetroCards.

Purchasing a pay-per-ride MetroCard allows you to store money on your card. Each time you ride the subway or bus, your fare is deducted from your card. Pay-per-ride MetroCards can be purchased for a minimum of $4 (2 rides) and a maximum of $80, and are refillable. If you put $10 or more on a pay-per-ride card you receive a 20% bonus, giving you extra rides (so a $20 purchase actually covers $24 worth of rides).

If you ride the subway or bus regularly, it is probably more economical for you to purchase an unlimited ride MetroCard, which will allow you to take as many rides as you need within a fixed period for a set price ($7 for a one-day “fun pass,” $21 for a seven-day unlimited card, $70 for a 30-day unlimited card). If you use your card often enough, you will end up paying considerably less than $2 per ride—the more you ride, the less you pay.

Subways

While the New York subway (often called “the train”) may be best known for its crowds and heat, it is absolutely the fastest way to get around the city. As the subway map shows graphically, it is a vast and sometimes confusing system, with a 100-year history that dates back to separate lines that were independently built and privately managed. However, the network is extensive (running from the farthest reaches of Queens to the northernmost Bronx), offers incredibly good value for money, and is relatively safe, even at night.

The subway runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because of this continuous operation, service changes and disruptions sometimes occur to allow for repairs and construction, especially at night and on weekends. Be sure to look for service change information on signs posted in the stations and on the bulletin boards near the main station booth, or check the MTA website (www.mta.info).

Buses

Buses in New York are not the fastest way to travel, but they can be a great way to see the city, and, like the subway, they run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Separate bus maps are available for each borough. Every bus has a number indicating its route and a letter indicating the borough (M for Manhattan, Q for Queens, B for Brooklyn, Bx for the Bronx and S for Staten Island). It is helpful to know that if you are riding a bus at night you can be let off at any point along your route (as a safety precaution) not just at designated bus stops. For traveling between boroughs, particularly to and from Staten Island, express buses can be a good option. Express buses cost $4 per ride and are marked with an “X” before the route number.

Taxicabs

With its bright yellow exterior featured in countless films, TV shows and photos of the city, a New York taxi will look familiar to almost every visitor to the city. Within Manhattan, taxis, or “cabs,” are generally plentiful and relatively easy to hail at any curbside, except during rush hour (5–6 p.m.). All yellow cabs have meters that indicate the fare. The current fare is an initial $2.50 plus $0.40 per fifth of a mile or $0.20 per minute while stopped in traffic. There is an extra $1 charge 4–8 p.m. weekdays (excluding holidays), and an extra $0.50 nighttime charge from 8 p.m.–6 a.m. Bridge or tunnel tolls are extra. Don’t forget to tip! (See “Tipping”)

Taxi drivers are obligated to take you anywhere in the five boroughs or to Newark airport, and are prohibited from charging you more than the metered fee. To complain about a car or driver or to trace lost property, call the Taxi and Limousine Commission at 311, or go online to www.nyc.gov/html/tlc.

Car Service

Outside of Manhattan, yellow cabs are not generally available on the street. Different “car service” companies offer cars and drivers who will pick you up and drive you to your destination for a fee. You can find a car service company in your area by looking in the “yellow pages” telephone directory under “car service.” Call the car service company and tell the “dispatcher” where you are and where you would like to go. Always ask what the price of your trip will be, as there are no meters in car service vehicles, and different companies may charge different prices. Occasionally, you will have a long wait, so call in advance if you need to depart at a specific time.

Driving

Driving a car in New York can be both costly and frustrating, which is why very few New York City residents choose to keep a car in the city. Parking garages are very expensive, and finding a parking space on the street is a chore; you risk having your car vandalized, and “alternate side of the street” cleaning schedules require that you pay close attention to days and hours when parking is forbidden in a particular location. Car insurance is also very expensive, and heavy or grid-locked traffic is yet another deterrent.

Auto InsruanceIf you do plan to drive, you will need a valid driver’s license. Rules for the validity of your home-country driver’s license vary by state, so check with the local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC).

Auto insrurance

Car insurance is something else to bear in mind when buying, renting or borrowing a car in New York. It is essential to check that you are properly covered in case of accident or theft.

Renting cars is expensive in the city, and is generally impossible if you are younger than 25. If you are traveling out of the city with a group of friends, it may work out economically to rent a car and split the cost. Try checking out car rental agencies in New Jersey or around the three main airports to find rates that are more affordable than those in the city. You can search for good bargains online, or check the “yellow pages” telephone directory for car rental companies in your area.

Sometimes it is cheaper to rent a car via a travel agency in your home country, especially if you’re from Europe. When you pick up your car in the U.S., you will have to show a driver’s license from the country in which you booked the car. If you’re planning a long trip, consider traveling to another state by bus, train or airplane, and renting a car in a smaller town where rates may be much less expensive (reservations can be made from New York if you rent from a national company).