Getting around in New York

ok, so everyone is telling you just how much safer new yourk is today - but htings are relative! This is a major urban centre, and there are times when you must take care - going on the subway is one such time of course. There are a few tips for you to follow. Firstly, you can get a day pass instead of paying for each trip - tourist passes are convenient as they allow bus and subway to be used unlimited together - so they are a bargain. In manhatten, things are "safe" - but you can easily get lost or on the wrong train if not careful. Take, for example, the "A Train" - we wanted to travel on ... more

hiring a cab in new york for the first time can be a scary prospect - but take heart from my experience, and I hope that my tips will also help to save you any of the agonies and pitfalls that await the new traveller to this vibrant city in USA. Yellow cabs are just so efficient - they swarm like bees around the streets, but of course...just liek anywhere else, sods law tells you they are always full when you want one! Taxis are much cleaner than I expected, and closely regulated by the new york mayor's staff!! As a result, go and stand on the edge of the kerb - or even just into the road ... more

New Yorks cabbies appear to be a law unto themselves !! They are reasonably cheap and certainly plentiful, but like New Yorkers in general they are for the most part pretty rude and their driving can leave you gasping for air !! In their defence the traffic in New York is unbelievable and they have a nightmare of a job but pedestrians had better beware because they don't take any prisoners !! We took the subway one day which is much cheaper and far less stressful but for convenience and purely for the adrenalin rush then a New York cab drive is a must !! ... more

Earlier this year I visited New York with my husband. We opted not to book transfers from JFK Airport, instead we thought we would take a New York cab. What an experience! I was a little concerned as we were in a strange country and a little jet lagged, but my fears were soon put aside. We had been warned away from taxis by our tour operator. Our driver was a breath of fresh air. He was friendly and pointed out the sites as were drove into Manhatten. Like most New York cabbies he knew roughly where our was but because they do not have to undergo any formal tests his knowledge of many of the ... more

They had to build an entire city in blocks before they realised how appalling this was for channelling traffic - you reach a set of traffic lights every minute - and the subway avoids the horror that this provides on the roads. Quick and cheap - with a uniform fair; you can buy subway tokens, used to get on and ride just about anywhere - except the very furthest reaches off Manhatten. Care must be taken, however: very confusingly the stations are names after the Avenue or Street number, so there are loads of stations names the same, though they are at totally different points, just around the ... more

Here comes a prime example of how NOT to travel on the Metro, the New York equivalent of the London Underground system. My experience of what I can only describe as a unique form of travel came back in February 2006, where I was one part of a travelling group of 50 Ryde School students who went to the USA (firstly New York, before moving onto Washington) on a school trip covering subjects such as Art, History and Politics, the latter being relevant to me as I was taking an A-level in the subject at the time. WHAT WE WERE DOING We were heading to one of the Art Museums at the time and, I would ... more

In the world we live in it is very important to respect our environnement since we rely directly on the earth to survive. We must reduce the amount of pollution on our planet and the subways are the best way to reduce pollution caused by transport vehicules like cars. Subways are fast, efficient and cheap. They allow you to get from one point of a large city to another without the trouble caused by trafic and much faster than a car. There are few disadvantages like at rush hours when the subways are overcrowded, but it's not that big of a problem. ... more