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New York City in May

I think you're close to the transit authority. Seedy. Don't talk to the locals, there, if you can get away with it. Okay in daylight, but don't let your guard down. Do not walk around at night, alone.
 
According to the hotel info, it is supposedly close to everything. They like charging to park the car and won't let me take it in and out until we leave without extra charges but we'd planned to walk or get other transportation while we are in the City.

What about staying in Secaucus or Jersey City? Is it easy to get on public transportation and go into the City?
 
It's really close to the Village. I just wouldn't walk around alone in it. Jersey is EXPENSIVE but they have parking. Through the Holland Tunnel and you're in Jersey but you just went through Harlem. Busses are cheap, but you'll have to know the schedules. Call first. The trains are great and you can even go shopping in the subway. Just park the car safely. You don't want the extra worry.
 
How about getting a cab? Down here we call a taxi. From what I've seen on TV you have to hail a cab in NYC. I don't know if I can do that.
 
Never took a cab in NYC. We were too poor. Busses and trains. You might be able to call one, but they might also charge extra.
 
The woman I'm going with is from New York but she moved to Texas a long time ago. I go to San Antonio, leave my car at the hotel, and take the trolley downtown and walk everywhere I want to go. Walk all over downtown Austin too. But, I'm in my element in those places. Feeling a lot out of my comfort zone at the moment.

We're flying into Boston, then going to NYC for a couple of days, then going to Philadelphia, then going to Newburgh, then going to Sleepy Hollow, then going back to Boston. Or, that is the plan at the moment. Getting my travel companion to settle on an itinerary is like herding cats. The trip is still a month away too.
 
West 32nd is near Macy's, and Madison Square Garden. The PATH train station is underneath the Garden, and the PATH train goes back and forth to Hoboken and Jersey City. But you should set aside a LOT of time for commuting if you stay in Jersey. Also, the trains don't run that often late at night, and the buses mostly stop around 1AM from Port Authority, which is 8 blocks north of MSG.

You could take cabs back and forth to Jersey, but it is VERY EXPENSIVE. You'll be spending as much per day on cabs as you do for your hotel room. The Holland Tunnel connects to Greenwich Village and the Lincoln Tunnel comes out around 42nd St/Port Authority. The Geo. Washington Bridge connects wayyy uptown, in Washington Heights. (My neck of the woods)

There are lots of hotels around W32nd-W34th (it's only 8-10 blocks south of Times Square if you want to see a Broadway show).

Cabs are easy to hail -- just stand by the curb, and wave at the ones with the light on at the top of the roof. If the top is dark, it's occupied. if the light is only sort of on around the corners, it's Off Duty. But check a map first -- your destination could very well be within walking distance, or an easy ride by subway.

There are tons on online guides and transportation maps avaible, just Google "NYC tourist information", or go to http://MTA.info for subway, bus & train routes.
 
Eggs Mayonaise is correct.

Holland Tunnel is nowhere near Harlem, but you don't want to stay in Jersey if you're only going to be there a couple days. Midtown is fine where you're staying and pretty safe.

Don't drive around the city if you don't have to. You'll spend more time finding a parking space where you wont' get ticketed or towed than if you took trains or cabs. Eggs is correct about hailing a cab too. Just stand at the curb and stick your hand out the window. You can even pay with debit cards now. Not sure about leaving a tip on the cards though, I never did that.
 
OOP! There is no window at the curb to stick you hand out through when hailing a cab! WTF? where the hell did I get that from? <laughs at my own stupidity>
 
Finster said:
Eggs Mayonaise is correct.

Holland Tunnel is nowhere near Harlem, but you don't want to stay in Jersey if you're only going to be there a couple days. Midtown is fine where you're staying and pretty safe.

Don't drive around the city if you don't have to. You'll spend more time finding a parking space where you wont' get ticketed or towed than if you took trains or cabs. Eggs is correct about hailing a cab too. Just stand at the curb and stick your hand out the window. You can even pay with debit cards now. Not sure about leaving a tip on the cards though, I never did that.
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Yes, you can add a tip if you pay for a cab ride with a credit/debit card. The transaction happens via touchscreen, and they have buttons for pre-calculatged percentages, and I think there's an option to type in your own amount as well.
 
Finster said:
Eggs Mayonaise is correct.

Holland Tunnel is nowhere near Harlem, but you don't want to stay in Jersey if you're only going to be there a couple days. Midtown is fine where you're staying and pretty safe.

Don't drive around the city if you don't have to. You'll spend more time finding a parking space where you wont' get ticketed or towed than if you took trains or cabs. Eggs is correct about hailing a cab too. Just stand at the curb and stick your hand out the window. You can even pay with debit cards now. Not sure about leaving a tip on the cards though, I never did that.
Click to expand...
oh . That's right. Times Square, past the big Sony. We kept going. Dinner in Little Italy. Oh shit, we're in Harlem. We asked two girls They shrug, We're lost too. We find the tunnel. Must've been the Lincoln. Jersey. Hotels 200 a night back in '91. flopped in a flea bag. The desk guy took one look at the python and didn't bother to count heads.
 
Thanks for the great advice!

The hotels I wanted filled up for the dates we'll be there between yesterday and today. Figures. We're going to be there just before Fleet Week starts and Memorial Day Weekend. Got a hotel in Long Island City - 3 miles away, near subway. Will probably get a 7-day unlimited pass and go the subway and walk. My travel buddy wants to visit Soho, Chelsea, The Village, and the Naval Yard. I'd like to see Times Square, Central Park and Ellis Island. Broadway would be nice but I can't get this travel buddy in to see a movie much less live theater. If NYC doesn't scare the you-know-what out of me, I'll come back and maybe get to Broadway then.

My travel buddy is from Brooklyn. She said the same thing about the car. She also said I can't carry my purse with me. Really? I could rebuild the world with my purse. How do women get around in NYC without a purse?
 
We were looking for apartments in Brooklyn, so we went to Coney Island. We found some interesting ones on Ocean Parkway. They had cheap rents.
 
Yup, if your hotel is near Queens Plaza or along Northern Blvd. there are several subway routes to choose from.

http://new.mta.info/

As for carrying a purse, yeah there's always a risk but it's not like it was in the 70's-80's. Just carry one that has a relatively short strap, and wear it across your shoulder so that the bag is resting under your arm. The bigger issue is keeping it close when you're not wearing it. Don't keave it hanging on the back of a chair where you can't see it. But this is just common sense stuff, it applies to anywhere, not just NYC.

It's not that NYC is more dangerous, it just moves faster than most places. ;)
 
Eloisel, I don't know how you're going to get all that in in two days! I have friends coming in from Norway and they want to do the entire tourist thing. It's going to be amusing dragging around a bunch of bikers on the tour bus. But this thing might be the ticket for you and your friend.

This might be a good option for you guys to get a big amount of stuff in: New York Sightseeing

Oh, and last time I heard there will be no fleet for Fleet Week. Stupid 'sequester' limited the Navy's budget and they wont' be sending ships to NY this year. You can check out the Intrepid Museum too. That's another all day thing though. Central Park is huge! You can spend hours there.

Two days is just not enough time to get in and enjoy all the things you want to do.

Don't be afraid in the city. It's a much nicer and safer place than it has been in ages. Wear a cross body bag and keep it close. Like Eggs said, common sense.
 
OMG! How could I be so dumb? I have my NYC wallet subway map/bookmark. Okay. Now I know where I am. You're not far, but we were on the EAST side of Manhattan. So go East on 5th av. You're close to Queens. We came from the North in the Bronx( Just South of Pelham) You'll need a 4.5, or 6 to get to the Village ( Delancy's cool) BDFG will take you to Broadway( Southbound).
 
Generally I make a list of what I want to see and do at a place. Once I get there, I find that either I don't want to do some things on the list after all or there are other things I'd rather do that aren't necessarily listed for the tourists and you just won't know about until you see a sign for it in a shop window or something.

My travel buddy likes to have a firm itinerary that changes every five minutes. She has the patience of a gnat. But, if I put her in front of some otters swimming in an aquarium or park her in front of a giant turtle pond, she's okay. She likes animals and water. I like looking at stuff. We like riding on boats, ferries, planes, and trains. Some stuff I've set in stone - the ghost tour in Boston, the river cruise on the Hudson River, the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Everything else happens as it does.
 
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