New York Travel Guide

Located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States of America, New York state was one of the original 13 British colonies. Often overshadowed by its eponymous megacity, the state has incredible historical sites throughout the north. Outside of its densely populated southeast corner, New York is largely agricultural. It is a major producer of dairy products (3rd in the nation), is the nation's most prolific grower of cabbage, and has an expanding wine industry.

New York Travel Guide - Regions

Some people say that New York has two regions: New York City, and "Upstate", i.e., everything else. In fact New York is a large state with a number of distinct regions.

* The Catskills
* Thousand Islands -- more than just salad dressing
* Long Island
* Finger Lakes -- pretty lakes, breathtaking gorges and fantastic wine tours.
* The Adirondacks
* The Hudson Valley
* The Mohawk Valley (Central New York)
* Western New York
* Southern Tier

New York Travel Guide - Cities

* Albany - The state capital
* Binghamton
* Buffalo
* Cooperstown -- Historic town and home of National Baseball Hall of Fame
* Ithaca -- a small town with an attitude
* New York City - The Big Apple
* Niagara Falls
* Plattsburgh - "ville de lac"
* Rochester
* Saranac Lake - "America's Emerald Village"
* Syracuse
* Utica
* Woodstock

New York Travel Guide - Other Destinations

* Elizabethtown
* Essex -- Charming Federal period town on the shores of Lake Champlain.
* Keene
* Keene Valley -- Great rock and ice climbing.
* Keeseville
* Lake Placid -- Former host to the Winter Olympics, it's now a charming, but pricey tourist town.
* Lake George -- Vacation spot in upstate New York situated on a lake.
* Moriah
* Peru
* Port Henry
* Saranac Lake -- All American City.
* West Point
* Westport
* Willsboro

New York Travel Guide - Things To Do

Nestled among the glacial valleys of the Finger Lakes, only a few miles from Canandaigua lake, is a thriving regional hand crafts community: the Rochester Folk Art Guild. The guild has been producing fine art for over 35 years. It hosts a small crafts gallery; as well as the ceramics, woodworking, sewing and weaving workshops located there. 1445 Upper Hill Rd, Middlesex, +1 585 554-5317

New York Travel Guide - New York City

The metropolis of New York (also referred to as "New York City" or "the Big Apple") is at the bottom of the Hudson Valley in New York state. It is part of the Mid-Atlantic region on the Eastern Seaboard of the USA. The New York Metropolitan Area extends across four states—including lower New York (including parts of Long Island), northeastern New Jersey, parts of southwestern Connecticut and northeastern Pennsylvania.

It is the USA's largest metro area, with a population of 22 million. As of 2002, it was ranked 5th in the world, after Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Mexico City and Seoul. Some 8 million people live within the city.

New York is easily one of the world's greatest cities, and is a major center for media, culture, food, fashion, art, research, finance and trade. It also has one of the largest and most famous skylines on earth, dominated by the iconic Empire State Building.

Districts

New York City is divided by its residents into various districts and quarters, as well as into several official governmental divisions. New York City proper consists of five boroughs, which are actually five separate counties. Each borough is administered by both a borough government and a county government and has a unique culture—each could be a large city in its own right. Within each borough individual neighborhoods—some only a few blocks in size—have "personalities" lauded in music and film. Where you live, work and play in New York says something to New Yorkers about who you are.

The five New York boroughs are:

* Manhattan (New York County)—located on the famous island between the Hudson and East Rivers; includes many diverse and unique neighborhoods and is the most-visited area of New York City.
* Brooklyn (Kings County)—the most populous borough, located south and east of Manhattan across the East River.
* Queens (Queens County)—U-shaped, located to the east of Manhattan, across the East River, and north, east, and south of Brooklyn.
* The Bronx (Bronx County)—located immediately north of Manhattan Island. This is the only part of New York City that is physically connected to the continental U.S.
* Staten Island (Richmond County)—a large island situated within New York harbor, south of Manhattan and just across the narrow Kill Van Kull from New Jersey.

Understand

New York City is one of the global centers of international finance, politics, communications, music, fashion, and culture, and is among the world's most important and influential cities. It is home to many world-class museums, art galleries, and theatres. Many of the world's largest corporations have their headquarters here. The headquarters of the United Nations is in New York and most countries have a consulate here.

Immigrants (and their descendants) from over 180 countries live here, making it one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Travelers are attracted to New York City for its culture, energy and cosmopolitanism.

Orientation

The focus of interest for most travelers are the areas in and around Manhattan island. When most people think of New York, they think of Manhattan and in fact, Manhattan is generally referred to as "the city", while the other four boroughs are typically called "the Outer Boroughs". The island of Manhattan is long and narrow, positioned squarely within the harbor of New York and separated from the Outer Boroughs and New Jersey by the Hudson River (to the west), the East River (actually a tidal strait between Manhattan and Long Island), and the Harlem River (actually a tidal strait between Manhattan and the Bronx).

New York Travel Guide - Getting There

By plane

New York City is served by several airports, both international and domestic:

John F. Kennedy International Airport (IATA: JFK) is located to the east of the city. By far the most convenient route into the city from JFK is a taxi, which runs a standard $45 anywhere in Manhattan, not including tolls or tips. Note that the arrivals terminals are filled with drivers hawking illegal livery rides at grossly inflated prices that prey on newly arrived tourists, so beware. But if you don't want to wait a half hour for a Yellow Cab and the black livery car has a sticker of a car service name - you can usually bargain down the price to $35 - 40.

From the airport, the newly opened JFK AirTrain runs to Howard Beach station to connect with the "A" subway and to Jamaica station to connect with the "E" and "J/Z" subways (Sutphin Blvd station), the Long Island Rail Road and buses. If you are travelling to the downtown area (the financial district), use the "A" train from Howard Beach. If heading to the midtown area (including Times Square) use the "E" train. The JFK AirTrain costs $5; the subway costs $2.

From Jamaica station, you may connect to Long Island Rail Road trains to Long Island or to Penn Station. You may also get trains to Downtown Brooklyn or to Hunterspoint Ave in Queens. This last option is useful if your destination is in downtown Queens or on the east side of Manhattan. The Hunterspoint and Brooklyn trains are less frequent than the Penn Station trains. You may also take trains to Ronkonkoma, where you can get shuttles to Islip airport, useful for catching flights on Southwest Airlines. The Long Island Railroad is sometimes substantially more expensive than the Subway—it costs over $6 to travel from Jamaica to the city center during peak periods. On weekends, any travel within city borders on any MTA railroad is $3.

While traveling to the airport from the city, it is important to board "A" trains with destination signs marked with Far Rockaway via JFK Airport or Rockaway Park via JFK Airport. If you catch a Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd A, you will need to transfer to a train headed to the Rockaways. If yo do end up on a train to Lefferts and miss an oppouttunity to transfer, IT IS OKAY. At Lefferts Boulevard, transfer to the Q10 bus on street level, which travels to JFK Airport. Or you can backtrack as well. When using the "E" train to connect to the AirTrain, exit at the penultimate Sutphin Blvd. stop (the stop that the subway map calls Jamaica is not served by the AirTrain). Subways serve both the Jamaica and Howard Beach station 24 hours a day, so you will always be able to take a train, even if you have an early departure. However at nights, the trains will run slowly (local) and infrequently (every 20 minutes). When taking this route into or out of Manhattan during the overnight hours be alert of your surroundings as you will be passing through some rough neighborhoods.

For JFK, if you really want to slum it and avoid the $5 AirTrain ticket, you can take NYCT buses ($2 or a free transfer from the subway) to Lefferts Boulevard station where you can catch an A train, or to New Lots Avenue, in Brooklyn, where you can catch a 3 train. Note that the latter option is right in the middle of East New York, which may not the best place to be if you're not a local. Transferring between bus and subway requires a MetroCard; the single ride ticket does not allow transfers.

There are also coach services that provide bus service from JFK and La Guardia to Grand Central Station and Penn Station. As of December 2005, the cost is $15 ($27 roundtrip).

JFK Airport is also a major business airport center and many visitors engage in business meetings near the airport; thus, there are numerous hotels close to JFK with amenities that are aimed at the business traveler.

Newark Liberty International Airport (IATA: EWR) is located to the west of the city in New Jersey. From Newark Airport, take the AirTrain to the Newark Airport Train Station (about 10 minutes) to connect to a NJ Transit or Amtrak train running along the Northeast Corridor line to Penn Station. Expect to spend at least 15 minutes getting ticketed and changing trains. One-way fares to Penn Station are $14.00 if you take a NJ Transit train, and between $20 and $30 on Amtrak. Note that if you take the NJ Transit train there is also a stop at Penn Station, New Jersey - stay on till Penn Station, New York. The NJ Transit train from Newark Airport to Penn Station, New York takes about 30 minutes.

Two bus options are also available from Newark. For the most direct route, Olympia Trails ($14 one way, $23 round trip) runs buses every 15 minutes to Manhattan, with stops at the Port Authority Bus Terminal (42nd St. & Eighth Avenue), Bryant Park, and Grand Central Station. One-way trip time is about 40 minutes depending on traffic. For the most inexpensive option possible, however, take NJTransit bus #62 to Newark Penn Station (one-way fare $1.25). From there, you may take a PATH subway train either to World Trade Center station in lower Manhattan, or, by transferring at the Journal Square station to the 33rd St. train (across the platform), to one of several stops along Sixth Avenue (last stop 33rd Street & 6th Avenue). The combined fare for the bus/PATH option ($2.75) is significantly lower than the EWR AirTrain with NJTransit, but will take longer —plan on 1.5–2 hours — and requires 1-2 transfers. As a word of caution, note that this is not a well-publicized option; you may well find yourself to be the only tourist on the bus, so don't expect much help or companionship in finding your way.

When choosing how to get into the city you should also keep in mind where you are going. If you are staying at the New Yorker, which is right next to New York Penn Station, it would make sense to take the EWR AirTrain and a NJTransit train that will take you right to Penn Station. If you are staying at the Millennium, then it is right across from the WTC station, so it might make sense to take the NJTransit bus and the PATH, instead of slugging from Penn Station to WTC on the subway. If you want to use the PATH to get midtown to 6th Ave stops, you will need to change trains in Journal Square.

There is a difference between NJTransit trains and Amtrak Trains serving the EWR airport station. You may not use tickets for one carrier to board the other. Amtrak trains are much more expensive than the NJTransit trains. Both northbound trains will stop at Newark Penn Station and New York Penn Station. The Amtrak trains will be less frequent also, however the upholstery on them will be much more luxurious than the NJTransit trains, however the NJTransit trains are quite serviceable, even if the carriages are not new and updated. The Amtrak services are useful from EWR if you are going more intercity to other parts of the metropolitan area—such as to Philadelphia, Princeton, or Poughkeepsie.

Newark Airport and its surroundings can be an intimidating place for the first time traveler. Newark Airport is surrounded by a network of highways, roads and ramps that can leave the unfamiliar feeling a bit lost. Because Newark is a major international gateway airport, travelers often arrive or depart after a night's stay at a local hotel facility at or near the airport. In addition, Newark is a popular business traveler's hub.

Airport information can be obtained by calling 1-888-EWR-INFO (1-888-397-4636) OR +01-973-961-6000.

LaGuardia Airport (IATA: LGA) is a smaller, older airport providing many of the domestic services for the city including the shuttles to Boston and Washington (D.C.).

From LGA, the M60 bus connects with Astoria N and W trains, and crosses Manhattan using 125th St. It connects with the Lexington Line (4, 5, and 6 trains) at Lexington Av., the 8th (the A and C) and 6th Av. (B, D) Lines at St. Nicholas Av., and the 7th Av. Line at Malcolm X Boulevard aka Lenox Av. (for the 2 and 3) and Broadway (for the 1). This is a useful service if you are staying in Harlem, the Columbia University area or Hostelling International New York, as it goes south on Broadway (west side) to 106th St. Like all other regular MTA buses, this is a $2 service by exact change or MetroCard. The bus does not accept dollar bills. You will need to use coins if you do not already have a MetroCard. There is a change machine in the airport terminal. The M60 stops in front of all the terminals. Timetable

A taxi from LaGuardia can be affordable, especially if traveling in a group. The fare to Midtown will range from $20–30. Make sure to tell the driver to take the 59th St (officially called Queensboro) Bridge to save the $4.50 toll on the other river crossing. The bridge is also more direct and usually faster coming from LGA.

All airports. It would be wise to allow a minimum of 90 minutes for trips between midtown and the airports. Rush hour traffic in New York is notorious, especially on the congested Van Wyck Expressway to Kennedy airport. Also the lack of elevators will make bringing luggage up and down subway stairs difficult. Taxis and suburban shared ride vans are available. Use the phones provided near baggage claim for shared ride vans, or go to the taxi dispatcher. Do not accept offers of rides from people hanging around in the terminal, sometimes these people will take you to a bad neighborhood and demand more money to get to your desired destination, or lock your luggage in the trunk and demand extra payment to release it. See taxis below.

Bus services are available to the major airports from Midtown and Downtown. Grand Central Terminal services do not stop right in front of Grand Central Terminal, but around 41st or 40th Street and Park Avenue, due to police regulations. Prices are competitive with the AirTrain services and there is at least one departure an hour through the day. The driver will help you with your bags. These may be helpful for you if you don't wish to negotiate stations and transfers.

If leaving for an early flight with a two-hour check in, you may need to take a taxi. Check the running hours of the buses.

More detail on the airports and travel from the Port Authority. Authority info

In addition to the big three airports, New York City is also served by Teterboro Airport, in Teterboro, NJ, Westchester County Airport, in White Plains, NY, and MacArthur Airport, in Islip, NY.

By train

New York has two major rail terminals, Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal, served by four primary passenger services: Amtrak, Metro-North Commuter Railroad, Long Island Rail Road, and New Jersey Transit. Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, and New Jersey Transit operate from Penn Station and Metro-North Commuter Railroad operates from Grand Central. New Jersey Transit is a service of the State of New Jersey. Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North are both parts of the Metropolitan Transit Authority which also operates city subways and busses. Penn Station is located at 32nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues; Grand Central at 42nd Street and Park Avenue. There are several smaller stations in all other boroughs except Staten Island and additional terminals on the Long Island Rail Road in Brooklyn and Queens.

Amtrak operates from New York Penn Station, which is the 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, DC up to Boston, including intermediate stops such as Philadelphia and New Haven. Other lines provide less frequent service to points as far away as California (a three-day sleeper trip) and Canada. (Service on the lines other than the lines to Boston and Washington (known as the Northeast corridor) can be a little haphazard, to say the least!) Beware that popular trains leaving near rush hours can fill up quickly: it's a good idea to make reservations online and pick up your ticket at one of the electronic kiosks.

Services to California will require a change of trains in Chicago.

If you have any sleeper ticket or a first class Acela ticket, you may use Amtrak´s Metropolitan Lounge. Business First customers on Continental Airlines flights departing from EWR may also use Amtrak´s Metropolitan Lounge, but this may have changed. This does not apply to plain domestic first class flights offered by Continental, only their Business First services transatlantic, to Hawaii and Guam, and to Tokyo and Hong Kong. The Metropolitan Lounge has a much nicer bathroom than the other Penn Station facilities. It also has drinks, newspapers, and seating. It is located on the side of the station with the big security desk. You may not use the Metropolitan Lounge with a coach ticket or an Acela business ticket.

You may walk up to Amtrak QuikTrack machines at Penn Station and purchase your northeast corridor tickets without a credit card and without waiting in line for a ticket agent. You may also book tickets online at their website and pick up the tickets at these machines. Because Acela has lowered prices, demand has increased, and it is always a good idea to try booking ahead if you know when you want to leave. The first class Acela tickets include a meal served at your seat for Washington and Boston services.

MTA Metro North provides frequent service between Grand Central and the suburbs of New York City to the north, as far as Poughkeepsie and Wassaic, and into Connecticut as far as New Haven, Waterbury and Danbury. At New Haven, passengers may transfer to Amtrak or to the Shore Line East, providing local service between New Haven and New London, Connecticut. The Metro North trains to New Haven and Poughkeepsie share tracks with Amtrak trains that operate from Penn Station.

MTA Long Island Rail Road provides commuter rail service connecting Penn Station with Long Island destinations. The Long Island Rail Road also operates trains to Long Island destinations to and from terminals in Brooklyn and Hunters Point in Queens. Most Long Island Railroad trains pass through a transfer hub at Jamaica in Queens.

New Jersey Transit provides trains between Penn Station and many New Jersey points. One line on New Jersey Transit operates on the same tracks as Amtrak trains to Philadelphia and Washington, making many local stops where Amtrak does not stop. New Jersey Transit also joins with Amtrak in connecting Penn Station with Newark Liberty International Airport. New Jersey Transit also provides an extensive network of busses all over New Jersey, many of which operate from Port Authority Bus Terminal. You can get to Philadelphia and beyond via commuter rail connecting to Philadelphia SEPTA Public transit in Trenton. Atlantic City can be reached by train by using Amtrak or NJT/SEPTA to Philadelphia, and transferring back to NJT to travel from Philadelphia to Atlantic City.

PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) is a subway type system connecting Newark and various points on the New Jersey shore of the Hudson River with New York City. Two lines pass under the Hudson and enter the city, one terminating at a temporary World Trade Center site station in downtown, the other at 33rd Street in midtown. The 33rd Street Station was once connected underground to Penn Station, but now, presumably due to security concerns, the underground passage is closed and you must walk a block west on the surface of 33rd.

By bus

Greyhound is the largest and oldest private bus company in the US, and operates its east-coast hub out of Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal. Recently Peter Pan Bus Company has come to dominate bus travel from New York to Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, coordinating some schedules with Greyhound, while competing vigorously against Greyhound on many routes. The terminal operates on a 24-hour schedule, with regular departures to practically every city in the country, as well as to Toronto and Montreal, Canada. Big cities like Boston, DC, Chicago and LA will have multiple departures daily—smaller cities may only have one or two, so be sure to check the schedules in advance! Remember that distances in the USA are large and you could be on the bus a long time—a very long time.

The Port Authority Bus Terminal also hosts a dozen or so smaller bus companies, which generally offer service along the Boston-to-DC regional axis.

Limoliner is a bus service geared to the high end and business travelers with on board attendant, on board food service and Internet connectivity. It travels between New York and Boston daily.

Super cheap buses

A cheaper group of bus companies known as the "Chinatown Bus" go to Boston, Washington, Philadelphia and a few other destinations, usually picking up and dropping off passengers in ethnic Chinese neighborhoods. If you are going to Boston, the buses no longer drop you off on the street, but at the Boston South Station bus terminal, which is pretty close to Chinatown anyway, however it is sheltered. Prices have increased and are no longer $10. Some of these bus companies are:

* The Fung Wah Bus, granddaddy of all Chinatown buses, which arrives every hour until 10:00 p.m. from Boston at the corner of Canal and Bowery streets.
* The Vamoose Bus from Washington D.C.
* The Today's Bus from Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Richmond and Atlanta.
* The Apex Bus from Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Richmond and Atlanta.
* The Boston Deluxe, connecting New York with Boston, Philadelphia and Hartford.
* The Washington Deluxe from Washington D.C.

Parking in the city

If you are thinking of coming to New York by car, you may want to consider that traffic in Manhattan is very bad, and parking is quite expensive (up to $40 per day) and extremely difficult to come by. When entering New York from New Jersey , as well as with many bridges and tunnels within New York City, you will incur tolls (up to $6) and associated traffic delays. Most New Yorkers don't even own cars, and driving from one attraction to another in Manhattan is all but unheard of. Driving to one of the stations served by the Metro North railroad, New Jersey Transit, or Long Island Railroad (see above) and taking the train in is a better option. There are often secure parking areas in some of these stations.

As a general rule, hotels in New York do not supply parking. The few that do will charge you handsomely for the privilege. It is suggested that you look at the following three websites:

http://www.NYCGarages.com is a free service that allows users to search and compare all daily and monthly rates and locations for parking facilities in Manhattan. The website's instant rate comparison clearly displays the rates on a Google map and the interface is extremely user-friendly. Regular rates, early bird specials, weekend specials, night Specials, SUV/oversize/luxury vehicle rates, motorcycle rates, and all additional posted charges are included in their instant rate comparison. Cheap parking can be found in all areas of Manhattan and parking NYC doesn't have to be expensive.

At http://www.iconparking.com/ you can book your parking time (if you know it) by the block, date, time, and even choose which garage within the iconparking system has space and they MUST honor it. One traveler says, "I've gone into garages that have initially said they're full up and then I said I booked it online and they shrugged and honored it." A hint, when you book online with this company take the printout with you. Most times the attendants/valets will assume you know what you're talking about, but sometimes they want to see the printout. Also, when you pay, they may feign ignorance as to the price you were quoted online. This is another reason to print out the reservation. Utilizing this service, it is possible to pay $10 on a weekday for 8 hours of parking on John Street in the Financial district showing up at 10am and leaving at 6pm. If initially the valet says they don't have to honor that rate, be persistent and you should get it.

The third site is http://www.parkfast.com. This site is for Edison Parkfast. The site isn't as feature-rich and you can't pick your hours or dates, but at least they have some basic rates and locations.

New York Travel Guide - Getting Around

Most of Manhattan is laid out in a grid. Accounting for Manhattan North, which is the convention stating that the island of Manhattan is oriented exactly north to south (it's actually northeast to southwest), streets run east to west and avenues run north to south. This makes it relatively easy to find your way. Both streets and avenues are numbered. Building numbering on avenues starts generally at Houston St., and their addresses rise as you move north. Fifth Avenue divides Manhattan into east and west; numbering starts at Fifth Avenue on each side (except where Central Park interrupts) and increases in either direction. Addresses west of Fifth are written as, for example, 220 W. 34th Street, while those east of Fifth are written as 220 E. 34 Street. Because of this dual-numbering system, it is always advisable to keep in mind the closest intersection to your destination (6th Avenue and 34th Street, Broadway and 51st, etc.). In downtown Manhattan (generally considered as below Houston (HOW-ston) Street), all bets are off as streets meander, dead-end and intersect themselves. Streets in Greenwich Village are particularly notorious for defying logic. For instance West 4th Street intersects with West 10th Street and West 12th Street, and you can stand on the corner of Waverly Place and Waverly Place. As a convenient guide to distance, there are 20 blocks per mile along the avenues (walking North/South). The average person can walk roughly 1 block per minute. Walking East/West on the streets, the blocks are generally much longer.

On foot

For shorter distances, there is no better way of getting around New York than hitting the sidewalk. If you use the subway or buses, you will almost certainly need to walk to and from stations or stops. In all areas of New York a traveler is likely to visit, all streets have wide, smoothly paved sidewalks. For long distances, walking is also fine and a great way to see the city.

Jaywalking is common. If you do not wish to jaywalk, be considerate of New Yorkers by not blocking them from crossing at an intersection while you are waiting for your signal. If you do jaywalk, driving is on the right-hand side of the road on two-way streets so remember to look left to check for on-coming traffic on your side of the road. Be aware that most streets are one way, so you may have to look right. Most New Yorkers who know which streets go which way will only look in the direction traffic is coming from rather than looking in both directions. Be aware of any bicyclists unlawfully going against the proper flow of vehicular traffic.

MetroCard

New York City has a transit system consisting of subway and bus lines with many (but not all) lines operating 24 hours a day. A single ride on the transit system currently costs $2. The rules on transfers between different lines can be complex (see below), but the good news is that the visitor can avoid these by purchasing a daily, weekly or monthly MetroCard which allows unlimited use of the New York Subway and buses operated within the city by New York City Transit, MTA Bus Company (several former private operations that have since been brought under the MTA), and MTA Long Island Bus. MetroCards can be purchased from either a MetroCard Vending Machine (MVM) using cash, ATM or credit cards. You can also buy MetroCard at staffed subway station booths using cash only. For more information see http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/mta/news/public/fares/nyct.htm All the stations are served 24 hours a day (at least once every 20 minutes when service is the least in the middle of the night), but not all the lines operate 24 hours a day. Basically, this means at night you might have to transfer, compared with not having to transfer during the day. It might also take longer due to the transfer and the trains running less frequently, in addition to virtually all service running local.

The rules on transfers are not complex. If you purchase a cash fare on a bus, you may request a transfer for another bus, with a 2 hour time limit. This transfer cannot be used to transfer to subway. If you purchase a cash fare for the subway, you may make unlimited subway transfers with no time limit, as transfers are integrated into the structure. There are a few stations where you can exit the system and re-enter at a nearby station, using a free transfer. If you purchase a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard, you may use it on bus or subway, with time limited transfer (2 hours) between bus and subway. If you purchase Unlimited Ride MetroCards, you may make transfers, with time limit, and have unlimited rides for the period chosen, except that you will not be able to enter the same station twice within about 18 minutes.

If you buy a monthly unlimited with a credit card and your ticket is lost or stolen, you may report it and have a pro-rated refund issued to your credit card. This is a nice layer of protection if you will be in New York for awhile.

Subway

The New York Subway has 26 lines, all of which accept MetroCards. Most lines are identified by letter or number, although a few shorter lines, designated with the letter "S", are referred to as "shuttles". A subway map can be found at http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/submap.htm

An interesting facet of the New York subway is the local/express system, where different trains stop at the same station (usually across the platform), but with express trains bypassing some stations. Tourists will be most familiar with the Lexington Avenue line (4/5 express, 6 local), the Broadway line (N/Q express, R/W local), the cross-town #7 train (which runs between Times Square and Flushing—Main St., with a stop in Grand Central), the 7th Avenue line (1 local, 2/3 express), the 6th Avenue/Central Park West B/D train, and the 8th Avenue/Central Park West/St. Nicholas Avenue A/C train (and part of the E route from 50 St. to World Trade Center).

Generally, you will be able to get free printed subway and bus maps from station attendants. In most places the subway runs only just below street level and is entered by stairways from the sidewalks. In some stations, different sidewalk level entrances serve different platforms; the entrances display the lines and directions accessible from that entrance. If you are used to entrance barriers or gates on other subway or underground systems, you may find the turnstiles on the subway rather different.

Unlike other systems you may not just insert MetroCard in any direction and have it returned to you. You must swipe it in a particular way, described later, and you are responsible for the whole swipe. In other words, you need to think more, or have more awareness than in other systems where you just stick it in. Be aware that New Yorkers will become impatient if you are taking too long or have a bad attitude about sticking it in and it not working. You must keep going, and not stop and stand there complaining about it not working.

Instead of inserting your MetroCard into a slot in the gate, you must swipe it across through a horizontal swipe reader located on the top of the turnstile; this is something of an art which may take a couple of attempts to get right. You are not required to swipe your MetroCard to exit the system.

Unlike some other systems (for example, Toronto), if you make a mistake and go in the wrong direction, you will not always be able to cross over to the other side at the next station without exiting the system. It depends on the station. You will have to ask someone if you don’t know, or get off and experience it for yourself.

Large portions of the system, particularly in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx run above ground. In fact, New York used to have even more elevated portions and tore most of them down. For these stations, you will have to climb up stairs or escalators. Some stations will have elevators. The entire Staten Island line runs above ground.

Uptown and downtown trains refer to north and south in Manhattan. Crosstown only refers to the L train which runs across 14th St. in Manhattan to Brooklyn, the Times Square—Grand Central Shuttle, the aforementioned 7 train, and the G train which connects Brooklyn and Queens, but does not go to Manhattan. Every other train will go through Manhattan, and will be referred to as Manhattan bound, Bronx bound, Brooklyn bound, or Queens bound. In some cases, you might be in Brooklyn and you might take a Queens bound N train, via Manhattan.

Subway cars are climate controlled (generally heated in the winter and air-conditioned in the summer), but the rest of the system, including the stations and platforms, is not. As a result, with New York summer temperatures outside and the air conditioned cars adding to the heat load in the stations and tunnels, waiting for a train can become a somewhat unpleasant experience on a hot day.

The subway may look a bit grungy, but the much-feared subway crime of the 70s and 80s is for the most part a thing of the past. It's still good to use common sense, though. While taking the subway late at night is unlikely to put you in danger, it can be a little strange on certain lines, and if it makes you uncomfortable, don't do it. There is probably a safer line nearby you can take. (Note: Late at night in most of New York City means after 1:30 A.M. or so.) If you do, consider waiting in "designated waiting areas," and try to get in a car where the conductor or operator is (the train operator is in the first car, and the conductor is in the middle of the train, on most lines this is the sixth car of a ten car train). At all times, stay behind the yellow line on the platform while waiting in the station, and if you should drop anything onto the tracks, don't even think of jumping down to retrieve it!

Navigating the subway can seem like an intimidating task to newcomers, but visitors will find that New Yorkers are generally very helpful with directions, and will sometimes even volunteer information if they see you looking bewildered. Bear in mind that lines on the New York subway are identified by letter or number (the N train, the 6 train, etc.), even though the routes are also color-coded on the current generation of subway maps. New Yorkers, especially those over 35 or so, will likely stare at you strangely if you tell them that you are looking for a stop on the "Yellow Line," so be sure to know the station name or at least where you want to go.

The subway per se does not operate on Staten Island. However the surface Staten Island Railway, which is run by New York City Transit, uses subway type cars and accepts MetroCards. However, it is not advisable to go into Staten Island without a car as the Railway trains do not run frequently. A map of the Staten Island Railway can be found at http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/simap.htm

A very useful dynamilc map that, among other things, alows you to find the closest subway to any given address in New York City is available at http://www.cmap.nypirg.org/netmaps/Straps/Straphangers.asp complements of the Straphangers Campaign, a New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) that advocates for rider and commuter rights.

If you have the address of both destinations or know approximately where you want to go check out http://www.hopstop.com/ which will tell you exactly ehat subway station you need and where to walk after you get aboveground.

Schedules for individual subway lines are available via http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/service/schemain.htm. Most subway lines in New York run so frequently that consulting a schedule is not necessary.

Note that the New York Subway is not the only 'subway' or 'underground' style rail system in New York City. The PATH system (operated by the Port Authority of NY & NJ) operates two lines from the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, as described in the Getting In section. The line terminating at 33rd Street has several stations in Manhattan's west side (23rd Street, 14th Street, 9th Street, and Christopher Street) and can be used for within city journeys, but is typically a commuter subway system. The PATH is $1.50 per way, but fare reductions are available to those who purchase multi-ride PATH QuickCards. All PATH stations now accept Pay-Per-Ride but not Unlimited Ride MetroCards.

As a tourist, unless your destination is New Jersey it is better to take the subway.

More PATH information here: http://www.panynj.gov/path/

Buses

There are many different bus lines, which provide 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 http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/mta/maps.htm

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 the Midtown district 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, and M96. These generally operate on 66th, 72nd, 79th, 86th, and 96th Streets respectively, however the eastbound M66 runs on 65th St, and the M79 uses 81st to go around the Museum of Natural History on the west side.

When boarding a bus with a MetroCard, insert the card into the card slot in the top of the farebox by the driver. The farebox will swallow the card, read it and return it to you. You should see the front of the MetroCard and the magnetic strip will be facing you and on the right side as you stick it in the machine. 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 accepts coins but not paper money as the fareboxes are unable to read paper money, and even so 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 accept dollar coins, and will also add up your pennies, even though it says not to use pennies. Rarely used half-dollar coins cannot be used because the coin slots on the fareboxes are not big enough.

Commuter Rail

The Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road (operated by the MTA) are primarily commuter rail services between New York City and its suburbs. The Long Island Rail Road runs mainly out of Penn Station in Manhattan and the Flatbush Avenue terminal in Downtown Brooklyn eastward out to Long Island, the furthest point of service to Montauk, 118 miles from Manhattan. Some additional service runs from Long Island City (at the Hunterspoint Avenue and Long Island City stations to connect with ferries from Midtown) in Queens during weekdays. The Metro-North Railroad provides service from Grand Central Terminal north through The Bronx, Westchester County, the Mid-Hudson Valley, and New Haven, Connecticut, with connecting service to New London. Some service also operates from Hoboken, New Jersey in conjunction with New Jersey Transit to Spring Valley and Port Jervis, New York. Both railroads run on a fixed schedule, and fares are distance-based. Tickets must be purchased before boarding, at windows or at vending machines, to avoid a penalty of about $5 per ticket when bought on board a train. A special $3 weekend fare called CityTicket is available for travel within New York City borders, other times it's around $5 to travel. Like the subway, the Long Island Rail Road operates 24 hours a day, but service is infrequent late at night. The Metro-North Railroad however ends northbound service around 1:45am. West-of-Hudson service on the Port Jervis line however has some sporadic overnight service. New Jersey Transit provides commuter service from New Jersey into Penn Station. Some lines terminate in Hoboken, New Jersey, where connecting PATH trains are available to New York. One should check maps and schedules before boarding a train. All three railroads also offer special getaway packages including admission to a venue (if applicable) and rail fare, often at a discounted rate.

Ferries

Ferries provide an interesting alternative to getting around New York. The most famous ferry is the Staten Island Ferry, running from the tip of Manhattan at Battery Park to Staten Island. The ferry carries passengers and bicycles only, runs every 15 minutes during rush hours, and is free. As it gives a really good view of the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor on its way, this is a very popular trip for visitors. Ride on the starboard (right facing forward) side of the ferry from Manhattan and the port side from Staten Island for the best views (to the west).

Most of the other ferries you will see are operated by New York Waterway, connect the city with the New Jersey Hudson River Waterfront and are not free. Enquire as to fares before boarding.

New York Water Taxi runs ferries between points within Manhattan, with some connections to Brooklyn and New Jersey. Their boats are painted to look like taxis.

Taxi

Real 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. Start off rate is $2.50 now (2004), and then $.40 for each 1/5 mile afterwards. "Yellow cabs" cruise in most of Manhattan and are available at dispatcher lines at airports, but not in the other four "boroughs." See "Livery or Black Car" below.

At the airport or any of the bus or train terminals, use the dispatcher line, and don't get into anything else. Airport trips are flat fare and expensive compared to taking mass transit, which is terrible from the airports, even with the AirTrain at JFK. Newark Airport offers direct service into Penn Station for around $10 from the Newark Airport Train Station, schedules are available on www.njt.com . Info on fares, flat fares, group rides and rules is at http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/passenger/taxicab_rate.shtml

Any other type of car ("Livery or Black Car") may only be called by phone, for a trip and 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.

In some areas, hopping into livery cars is widely practiced. This is useful, especially in outside of Manhattan, where there are few yellow cabs. Negotiate the fare first. They are almost all Lincoln Town Cars, and can be very nice. However, be advised, that if you do get into a livery cab on the street or at an airport, there is a VERY HIGH chance you could be cheated out of up to $10.

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, meter rates are doubled (when going to Westchester or Nassau County).

Tipping 15 to 20% of the fare is customary, even though the Taxicab Driver Rule 2-34 requires a driver to give the correct change to a passenger who has paid the fare but not to ask a passenger for a tip nor indicate that a tip is expected or required. As only very few yellow taxis are equipped to accept credit cards and drivers are very unlikely to accept personal checks, passengers should always carry cash. Always take a receipt when paying the taxi fare.

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.

Car

Best advice is that a car is not only unnecessary but also inadvisable; street parking is practically nonexistent near crowded areas and tourist attractions, and garage parking ranges from very expensive to prohibitively expensive. Note that a large percentage of city cab drivers are aggressive drivers. Traffic can be mind-blowing for the uninitiated, especially in midtown and around rush hours. Manhattan is compact and has excellent public transportation. While this is somewhat less true of the other boroughs (particularly Queens and Staten Island, the only boroughs to be developed with auto and expressway in mind), visitors to New York do not need a car and indeed will be hampered by having one.

The major car rental agencies have offices throughout the city. Smaller agencies are also well represented. Be warned that car rentals in New York are generally more expensive than elsewhere in the United States, and frequently require a deposit of up to $500, if you do not have a credit card. Insurance rates also tend to be higher in New York than in most other cities.

While cheap or free parking can be found in some parts of New York at some times, parking is generally extremely expensive. Paying $40 a day is not at all uncommon. Street parking can be free or at least much cheaper, but can be extremely hard to come by. Note also that New York has "alternate side of the street" parking rules, which may require street parkers to move their cars at different times of the day (such as early morning, or overnight in a few business districts). Alternate side rules are suspended on many obscure holidays, while parking meters and other weekday restrictions are only suspended on a few major holidays (not even on all Federal holidays). Parking enforcement officers are very efficient in New York - trying to leave a car parked illegally for very long will often end with a ticket, and a vehicle illegally parked in an overcrowded place is very likely to be towed away.

Also, note that gas stations are few and far between, especially in Manhattan, where only a handful exist on the fringes of the island. Be prepared to pay much higher prices than in the surrounding suburbs.

New York Travel Guide - Important Cities and Towns

New York City is both the largest city in the United States, and home to over two-fifths of the population of the entire state. Albany is the state capital, and the Town of Hempstead is its largest civil township.

Its major cities and towns are:

* Albany
* Binghamton
* Buffalo
* Cheektowaga
* Elmira
* Grand Island
* Ithaca
* Jamestown
* Mount Vernon
* Newburgh
* New City
* New York City
* Niagara Falls
* Peekskill
* Plattsburgh
* Poughkeepsie
* Rochester
* Schenectady
* Syracuse
* Troy
* Utica
* White Plains
* Yonkers

Article Source: Wikipedia