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New York City
Author: AngMoKio (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5)
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New York City Budget Travel Guide is created for the benefit of independent travelers who want to see New York City on a limited budget. Yes, New York City is an expensive travel destinaiton, but with proper planning, you can see more of New York City than others who spend more than you on their trip there. For this budget travel guide, I try to assemble all the details you need especially on what to see and how to get there. There are a lot of sights covered on this budget travel guide. I encourage you to go through them to decide which one you would like to visit. Many of the sights described in this budget travel guide are located on the island of Manhattan. That is where most of the sights of New York City are located. Nonetheless I will include notable sights in the other boroughs. Now let me tell you about New York CityNew York City is the largest city in the United States. It can be considered the "capital of the world". This is the city where news happen and fashion made.The metropolitan area of New Yock City is one of the largest urban centres in the United States. The city consists of five boroughs of which the most important is Manhattan. Most of the tourist attractions of New York City are all located there. Manhattan is an elongated island with the Hudson River to the west and the East River to the east of it. The famous New York City skyline is found in Manhattan, as well as famous places such as Central Park, the New York Stock Exchange, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wall Street, Battery Park, Rockefeller Center, Plaza Hotel, the Waldorf=Astoria, you name it, they are all in Manhattan, New York City. In addition to Manhattan, the other boroughs are Queens, The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. Manhattan is the most densely populated area in the United States while New York City is the second most densely populated city after Union City in New Jersey, which is just across the Hudson River. How to find accommodation: New York City HotelsHotels in New York City are expensive. You certainly do not want to arrive at a hotel doorstep and check whether they have room for you. You will be given the rack rate, which is the highest you have to pay.The thing to do is to book online. But before you do that, note that different Hotel Booking website actually offer rooms at the same hotel at very different prices. So how do you get the best rates? Use our free Hotel Search Box below. Key in New York City, and it will provide you a list of the estimated rate for the hotel rooms. Choose the hotel you are interested, and then the engine will show you how much different hotel booking sites are offering. By doing this little homework, you are assured of getting the lowest price each time you book. Find a hotel
Arriving in New York CityNew York City is well connected by air with flights from almost every corner of the world. Three large airports (and several small ones) serve the region. John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport are large international airports while LaGuardia Airport is a busy domestic airport. All three airports are run by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. All airports- It would be wise to allow a minimum of 90 minutes for trips between midtown and the airports whether you use public transport or a taxi. Rush hour traffic in New York is notorious, especially on the congested Van Wyck Expressway to Kennedy airport. The lack of elevators at most subway stations makes lugging luggage up and down subway stairs difficult and peak hours should be avoided. Refer to a subway map to find disabled access stations which will have elevators. Suburban shared ride vans are available: use the phones provided near baggage claim for information. If taking a taxi, go to the taxi dispatcher. Do not accept offers of rides from people hanging around in the terminal because there is a high risk of being cheated. Since only the subway runs 24 hrs, if leaving for an early flight with a two-hour check in, you may need to take a taxi. Check bus schedules carefully if your flight leaves during the wee hours. If you are on extreme tight schedule and have to catch the flight or want something extra then US Helicopter flies you in 9 minutes (plus connection time 35..70min heli>airline, 35..120min airline>heli) from Midtown to Newark or JFK for roughly $100 one-way. Connection to Other Airports- Connections between airports are poor at best. New York Airport Express runs buses between LGA and JFK. ETS Air Shuttle runs (very infrequent) buses between LGA and Newark Airport. A taxi is your best, although slightly more expensive, option when changing airports in New York - unless you have plenty of time!Arriving in New York City by PlaneI will cover this in more detail within their separate pages:
Arriving by TrainYou can get to New York City by taking the Amtrak trains or New York City's commuter trains.AmtrakAmtrak, 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245), operates from New York Penn Station, which is directly under Madison Square Garden, its largest hub in Amtrak's east-coast system, with dozens of arrivals and departures daily. Amtrak's Acela express train provides regular fast commuter service between major points on the east coast from Washington, D.C. up to Boston, with stops at Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Haven, and Providence. Direct Amtrak services are available to points along the East Coast down to Florida; to points between New York and Chicago (including Pittsburgh, and Cleveland); to New York State (including Albany, Rochester, Buffalo and Niagara Falls); and to Toronto and Montreal in Canada. Service to California (three days) requires a change of train in Chicago. Popular trains leaving near rush hours can fill up quickly: it's a good idea to make reservations online, or via phone, and pick up your ticket at one of the electronic kiosks.Amtrak's Metropolitan Lounge, located near the big security desk in Penn Station, offers Airline Business Class lounge amenities (and clean bathrooms). Travelers with sleeper tickets, First Class Acela tickets, or Continental Airline Business First tickets (for travel from Newark to Hawaii, Guam, Tokyo, HongKong, or Transatlantic destinations) can use this lounge. Tickets for Northeast corridor trains can be purchased from QuikTrack machines with a credit card. Tickets booked online can be collected at these machines (keep the credit card or reference number handy). It is best to buy your tickets in advance for popular services. Commuter RailNew York City is served by three commuter railroads.Getting around New York City on a budgetWithout a doubt, the best way to travel in New York City on a budget is to take the subway. Use it if the distance is too far to make walking practical. Otherwise, walk. You will be able to see a lot more, at a comfortable pace when you walk. However, as you are unlikely to have that much time to cover all the sights, take the subway whenever necessary. The fare is just US$2.00 no matter how far you travel. You can also buy the one-day FunPass for US$7.50, which allows you unlimited travel all day, or better still, the US$25.00 7-day unlimited ride MetroCard.Taking the Subway in New York CityThe New York City subway is easily the best way to travel around the city. It may look grungy and dirty, but few New Yorkers will trade their 24 hour, extensive, and fairly reliable subway system for a better looking one. The much-feared subway crimes of the 70s and 80s are for the most part a thing of the past, and it is almost always completely safe. Just use common sense when traveling late at night alone and try to use heavily-traveled stations. Nowadays you are more likely to get struck by lightning, statistically, than be the victim of the crime on the subway.Things to know about the Subway in New York CityImportant lines in Manhattan:
 Metrocard Vending Machine Author: Alphachimp (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5) MetroCardMetroCards are stored value cards issued by the New York City Transit Authority for taking the bus and subway in New York. While it is possible to pay for a bus using exact change (in coins) you must have a MetroCard to enter the subway system. Once you enter, you can spend the rest of your life there as long as you don't leave the system. Cards can be bought online, at stations (either from a vending machine or from a token booth), or at many grocery stores and newstands (look for a MetroCard sign on the store window). Information on types of MetroCards and fares can be found online at www.mta.info/metrocard. Less traveled stations will typically only have a MetroCard vending machine or token booth on the more heavily-traveled platform (more times than not this is the Manhattan-bound platform).Which MetroCard is right for you? It depends on how long you plan to stay, how you intend to use the system, and how often you intend using the system. The base fare is $2 which you pay when you enter a bus or pass through a station turnstile for the first time. However, most MetroCards discount this fare:
Swiping Technique/EtiquetteTo pass through the turnstile you must slide the card with the logo facing you and magnetic strip down. The cards are designed so that experienced users can swipe through without breaking stride. If you stand at the turnstile and try to jerk the card through the reader, you will likely fail. The trick is to hold the card out to your side in a fixed position and walk it through as if it were coming in for a landing. Beware of failure, though. It can be quite discomforting to walk into the bar if your swipe failed (you'll know it succeeded because the display will flash "Go"). If you've never used a MetroCard before it is best to ensure that there is no one behind you while you perfect your technique as a huge line can form very quickly. A good rule of thumb is, swipe the card fast. Everything else is done quickly in New York City.TransfersWith a MetroCard, you can transfer from subway to local bus, local bus bus to local bus, express bus to subway, or express bus to local bus (but not to the same bus route or a bus route going in the return direction) during a two hour period for free. If you board a local bus and pay the $2 fare with a MetroCard, you can transfer to an express bus for $3, resulting in the standard $5 fare for an express bus. You can transfer from one subway line to another for free as often as you like at designated transfer stations (any station where you can cross over to a different line/direction without exiting through a turnstile). While the PATH system accepts payment by metrocard, no free transfers are available.Local/ExpressSome lines are express, i.e., trains don't stop at every station so make sure you get on the right train. Local and express lines use different tracks and there is always a local line accompanying the express. For example, the 2, 3 are the express trains for the 7th Avenue Line between 96th Street and Chambers Street in Manhattan and the 1 runs as a local alongside them.The off-hour/weekend messBe aware that while most of the subway is available for use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, many lines do not run on weekends or late nights. Some trains don't run with other trains picking up the slack. Express trains often run local and some entrances to the subway are closed. For a detailed look at what exactly each train line does during the different hours of the day, consult the individual line maps located on the MTA website. Track work notices are also clearly posted at stations so if you expect to be out late, look out for them. Before leaving on weekends, check the MTA website for diversions that might get you sidetracked. It's better to know before getting lost somewhere. Remember: If you do feel confused, ask someone for help. And, there's always more than one way to get somewhere, especially in New York City.How to take a Taxi in New York CityThere are two types of taxis that you can take: the Yellow Cabs and the Black Car.New York City Yellow CabsReal NYC taxis are yellow, have a metal seal on the hood ("medallion"), a light with a taxi number on the roof, a meter for billing, stickers on the windshield for various licenses, special taxi license plates, and a divider in the car. If only the medallion number on the roof is lit, the taxi is available for hire. If the medallion number on the roof is not lit or the off-duty sign on the roof is lit, the taxi is not available for hire. However, sometimes the taxi will stop for you even if the off-duty sign is lit, usually if you are going in the same direction as the taxi driver to turn the cab in after his shift, so if you are desperate, it's worth a try to hail it. The meter starts at $2.50, and then $.40 for each 1/5 mile afterwards. There is a night surcharge of $0.50 (8pm to 6am) and a rush hour surcharge of $1.00 (4pm-8pm M-F). A tip of 10-20% is expected and passengers must pay all tolls. "Yellow cabs" cruise in most of Manhattan and are available at dispatcher lines at airports, but are harder to find in the other four boroughs. Some cabs accept credit cards for payment and all will be required to do so by the end of 2008.Info on fares, flat fares, group rides and rules are available online at the NYC.gov website. New York City Livery Cabs or Black CarKnown as car services or livery cabs, these cars may only be called by phone, are flat rate rather than metered (ask for the fare before getting in), and are not allowed to cruise the street or airports for fares. Their license plates will say either "Livery" or "TLC" on the bottom. Since yellow cabs are hard to come in the outer boroughs, limos are particularly useful for getting to the airport (your hotel can arrange one or look up the yellow pages). In some areas, livery cabs can be flagged on the street. Though this is technically illegal (the cabbie, not you, can get into trouble), it is useful in upper Manhattan and the outer boroughs and is accepted practice. Negotiate the fare before you get inside. A tip of 10-20% is expected and passengers must pay all tolls.TippingTips of 10-20% are expected in both yellow cabs as well as livery cabs. A simple way of computing the tip is to add 10% of the fare and round up from there. Thus, if the meter reads $6.20, you pay $7 and if the meter reads $6.50, you pay $8. Always tip more for better service (for example, if the cabbie helps you with your bags or stroller). Don't tip at all if the service is lousy (for example, if the cabbie refuses to turn on the AC on a hot day). For livery cabs, tip 10-20% depending on the quality of the service but you don't need to tip at all if you hail the cab on the street and negotiate the fare in advance (leave an extra dollar or two anyway!).All licensed taxis and sedan limousines are authorized to take 3 passengers in the backseat and 1 in the front seat for a total of 4. However, some of the newer minivan and SUV yellow cabs can seat more passengers and may take more than four passengers (even though the licensed limit is posted in the cab). Larger than sedan limousines can be reserved, also useful for airport trips with lots of luggage, by calling any of the dozens of companies in the yellow pages. Be wary of unlicensed cars (known as 'gypsy cabs') cruising for passengers, especially near the airports. While drivers may claim to offer you a cheaper rate than an actual taxi, your chances of actually getting this rate (not to mention getting to your destination safely and quickly) are slim. If you are in doubt, ask an airport staffer for help finding a cab or cabstand. Major airports have taxi information cards for passengers. For all cabs, you pay the tolls for bridges, tunnels and highways, even if the cab has an E-ZPass to use the express toll lane. Be careful of being overcharged by cabbies for toll crossings—on some bridges and tunnels (like the Queens-Midtown Tunnel) rates are not posted in plain view. So, a crossing which actually cost the cab driver $4 is easily passed onto the unsuspecting passenger as a $5 charge. Outside the city, other than flat fare destinations and Newark Airport, meter rates are doubled (when going to Westchester or Nassau County). There are also bizarre van and shuttle services in different parts of the city. You will have to ask where it is going and how much it costs. Usually, you will see people lining up and some mysterious van will appear and they will board. There are services between Chinatown and Queens (you won’t have to make any transfers if it goes where you need to go!), and also there are separate services in Brooklyn, and Queens. Many of these services are branded as "Dollar Vans" (actually costing $1.25), and follow major bus routes. One should use good judgment before using these vans to prevent getting cheated out of money, or something considerably worse than losing money. Taking the Bus in New York CityThere is an extensive bus network in New York offering good transport away from the subway. Bus lines are identified by letters followed by numbers. The letters indicates the borough in which the line mostly operates (M=Manhattan; Bx=Bronx; B=Brooklyn; Q=Queens; S=Staten Island). Bus maps for each borough can be found at the MTA website.Even in Manhattan, with its dense subway network, buses can often be the best way of making a cross-town (i.e. east to west or vice versa) journey. And outside peak hours, a ride by bus from the tip of Manhattan at Battery Park to Midtown is a good and cheap way of taking in the sights. Buses are particularly useful when going across Central Park (e.g., going from the Metropolitan Museum to the Museum of Natural History). The buses that traverse the park are the M66, M72, M79, M86, M96, and M106. These generally operate on or around 66th, 72nd, 79th, 86th, 96th, and 106th Streets, respectively; however, the eastbound M66 runs on 65th St on the West Side and 67th St. east of Madison Av., the westbound M66 runs on 68th St. on the East Side east of Madison Av., the M79 uses 81st St. to go around the Museum of Natural History on the West Side, and the M106 crosses the park at 96th/97th street and travels the same route as the M96 on the West Side. When boarding a bus with a MetroCard, insert the card into the card slot in the top of the fare box by the driver. The fare box will swallow the card, read it and return it to you. You should see that the notched corner of the MetroCard will be in the far left corner when you place it into the fare box. It will be vertically oriented. This is different from entering the subway where you don’t stick it in as much, but slide it horizontally oriented through the swipe device, with the front toward you and the magnetic strip on the bottom. The fareboxes also accept coins but not paper money as they are unable to read paper money, and even so, bills would be shredded in the "fare collection vacuum". As a safety precaution, drivers do not handle money. Change is not given, so exact fares must be paid. The fareboxes accepts all coins (dollar coins included) except pennies. Rarely used half-dollar coins cannot be used because the coin slots on the fareboxes are not big enough. Joining a Local Tour of New York CitySome times, it may just be more practical to join a New York Local Tour than to go there yourself. Also, you may want an experience like no other, which can only come through a local tour. Check out the following:Content Attribution: I attribute Wikitravel which I use as refernce in building this page. Therefore this page is available under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License. |
Places of Interest in New York City
ManhattanDocumented RoadsSights in Lower ManhattanSights in the Seaport and the Civic Center neighborhoodsSights in the Lower East SideSights in SoHo and TriBeCaSights in Greenwich VillageSights in the East VillageSights in Gramercy and the Flatiron DistrictSights in Chelsea and the Garment DistrictSights in the Theater DistrictSights in Lower MidtownSights in Upper MidtownSights on the Upper East SideSights in Central ParkSights in the Upper West SideSights in Morningside Heights and HarlemSights in Upper ManhattanSights in The BronxSights in QueensSights in BrooklynSights on Staten IslandSights Farther Afield | |||||||||
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