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New York City packs a staggering range of sights and activities into the 301 square miles of its five boroughs. You probably want to focus most of your visit in Manhattan, but with more time, taking a trip to Brooklyn or one of the other three boroughs (Queens, the Bronx, or Staten Island) is worthwhile.

If flying into one of the three major airports that service New York—John F. Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA), or New Jersey’s Newark (EWR)—pick your mode of transportation for getting to Manhattan before your plane lands. Tourists typically either take a car service or head to the taxi line, but those aren’t necessarily the best choices, especially during rush hour. Consider public transportation, especially if you’re traveling light and without young children—it’s an inexpensive option.

Once you’re in Manhattan, getting around can be a breeze when you get the hang of the subway system. Better yet, if you’re not in a rush and the weather’s cooperating, just walk—it’s the best way to discover the true New York. Not quite sure where you are or how to get where you’re headed? Ask a local. You may be surprised at how friendly the city’s inhabitants are, debunking their reputation for rudeness. In the same getting-there-is-half-the-fun spirit, there are also boat and bus journeys that let you see the city from a whole new perspective.

Air Travel

Generally, international flights go in and out of John F. Kennedy or Newark airport, while domestic flights go in and out of both of these, as well as LaGuardia Airport.

Airline Security Issues

Transportation Security Administration (TSA ).
The TSA offers travel tips and has answers for almost every question about travel safety and security procedures. | www.tsa.gov .

Airports

The major air gateways to New York City are LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and JFK International Airport (JFK) in the borough of Queens, and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in the state of New Jersey.

Airport Information
JFK International Airport (JFK ). | 718/244–4444 | www.jfkairport.com .
LaGuardia Airport (LGA ). | 718/533–3400 | www.laguardiaairport.com .
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR ). | 973/961–6000 | www.newarkairport.com .

Transfers—Car Services

Car services can be a great convenience, because the driver often meets you in the baggage-claim area and helps with your luggage. The flat rates are often comparable to taxi fares, but some car services charge for parking and wait time at the airport. To eliminate these expenses, other car services require you to telephone their dispatcher (or order a car through their app) when you land so they can send the next available car to pick you up. The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission rules require all car services be licensed and pick up riders only by prior arrangement; if possible, call 24 hours in advance for reservations or at least a half day before your flight’s departure. Drivers of nonlicensed vehicles (“gypsy cabs”) often solicit fares outside the terminal in baggage-claim areas. Don’t take them: you run the risk of an unsafe ride in a vehicle that may not be properly insured and will almost certainly pay more than the going rate. Getting a car via the Uber ride-sharing service or one of its competitors is another option.

Transfers—Taxis and Shuttles

Outside the baggage-claim area at each of New York’s major airports are taxi stands where a uniformed dispatcher helps passengers find taxis (). Cabs are not permitted to pick up fares anywhere else in the arrivals area, so if you want a taxi, take your place in line. Shuttle services generally pick up passengers from a designated spot along the curb.

GO Airlink NYC, NYC Airporter, and SuperShuttle run vans and some buses from JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (NYC Airporter does not run to Manhattan from Newark) airports to popular spots like Grand Central Terminal, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Penn Station, and hotels in Manhattan. Fares on NYC Airporter, for instance, cost about $14–$17 one way and $26–$30 round-trip per person to or from JFK or LGA. Those rates are significantly cheaper than taking a taxi if you’re on your own, but probably not if there are two or more of you traveling together. If you choose to use such services, keep in mind that customers’ satisfaction with them is very mixed; online reviews often complain of rude employees and significant waits for vans to both arrive and reach their destinations. In any case, allow lots of time for the shuttle’s other pickups and drop-offs along the way.

Shuttle Service
GO Airlink NYC. | 877/599–8200 , 212/812–9000 | www.goairlinkshuttle.com .
NYC Airporter. | 718/777–5111 | www.nycairporter.com .
SuperShuttle. | 800/258–3826 | www.supershuttle.com .

Transfers from JFK International Airport

The rate for traveling between JFK and Manhattan by yellow cab in either direction is a flat fee of $52.80 plus surcharges and tolls (which average about $6). The trip takes 35–60 minutes. Prices are roughly $25–$55 for trips to most other locations in New York City. You should also tip the driver for safe driving and good service.

JFK’s AirTrain ($5) connects JFK Airport to the New York City Subway (A, E, J, and Z trains) and the Long Island Railroad (LIRR)—both of which take you to Manhattan or Brooklyn. The monorail system runs 24 hours. TIP Not sure which train to take? Check | www.citymapper.com | www.iridenyc.com , or | tripplanner.mta.info (or their corresponding apps) for the best route to your destination. Subway travel between JFK and Manhattan takes less than an hour and costs $3.75 in subway fare (including $1 to buy a MetroCard) plus $5 for the AirTrain. The LIRR travels between JFK’s AirTrain stop (Jamaica Station) and Penn Station in around 30 minutes, for about $17, including the AirTrain fee. When traveling from Manhattan to the Howard Beach station, be sure to take the A train marked “Far Rockaway” or “Rockaway Park,” not “Lefferts Boulevard.”

JFK Transfer Information
AirTrain JFK. | 877/535–2478 | www.airtrainjfk.com .
Long Island Railroad. | 511 | www.mta.info/lirr .

Transfers from LaGuardia Airport

Taxis cost $30–$50 (plus tip and tolls) to most destinations in New York City, and take at least 20–40 minutes.

For $2.75 (pay with a MetroCard or exact change in coins, no pennies) you can ride the Q70 bus to the Woodside–61st Street subway station (with connections to the 7 train, or to the LIRR, with service to Penn Station) or to the Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue subway stop, where you can transfer to the E, F, M, R, and 7 trains and reach many points in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Another option is to take the M60 bus to its end point at 106th Street and Broadway on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, with connections en route to several New York City Subway lines (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, A, B, C, D, N, and Q trains). Allow at least 60 minutes for the entire trip to Midtown, and perhaps a bit more during heavy traffic or rain.

Transfers from Newark Airport

Taxis to Manhattan cost $50–$70 plus tolls and tip and take 20–45 minutes in light traffic; inquire with the airport’s taxi dispatcher about shared group rates, too. If you’re heading to the airport from Manhattan, there’s a $17.50 surcharge on top of the normal taxi rate, plus tolls and a customary tip.

AirTrain Newark, an elevated light-rail system, can take you from the airline terminal to the Newark Liberty International Airport Station. From here you can take New Jersey Transit (or, for a much higher price, Amtrak) trains heading to New York Penn Station. It’s an efficient and low-cost way to get to New York City, particularly if you don’t have many in your group and aren’t carrying massive amounts of luggage. Total travel time to New York Penn Station via New Jersey Transit is approximately 30 minutes and costs $13. By contrast, a similar, slightly faster trip (about 25 minutes) via Amtrak costs roughly $28. The AirTrain runs every three minutes from 5 am to midnight and every 15 minutes from midnight to 5 am. Note that New Jersey Transit trains first make a stop at the confusingly named Newark Penn Station before they reach New York Penn Station, their final stop. If you’re not sure when to get off the train, ask a conductor or fellow passenger.

Coach USA, with Olympia Trails, runs Newark Airport Express buses that leave for Manhattan and stop at Port Authority, Bryant Park (at 42nd Street and 5th Avenue), and Grand Central Terminal about every 15 to 30 minutes until midnight. The trip takes roughly 45 minutes, and the fare is $16 (plus a $1 administrative fee). Buses headed to Newark Airport depart at the same intervals, from the same Manhattan locations.

Newark Airport Transfer Information
AirTrain Newark. | 888/397–4636 | www.airtrainnewark.com .
Coach USA—Newark Airport Express. | 877/863–9275 , 908/354–3330 | newarkairportexpress.com .

Transfers Between Airports

There are several transportation options for connecting to and from area airports, including shuttles, AirTrain and mass transit, and car service or taxi. SuperShuttle and NYC Airporter run vans and buses between Newark, JFK, and LaGuardia airports. AirTrain provides information on how to reach your destination from any of New York’s airports. Note that if you arrive after midnight at any airport, you may wait a long time for a taxi. There is also no shuttle service on NYC Airporter at that time.

Contacts
AirTrain. | 800/247–7433 | www.panynj.gov/airtrain .

Boat Travel

The Staten Island Ferry runs across New York Harbor between Whitehall Street (next to Battery Park in Lower Manhattan) and St. George terminal in Staten Island. The free 25-minute ride gives you a view of the Financial District skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island.

New York Water Taxi shuttles passengers to the city’s many waterfront attractions between the Hudson River (on Manhattan’s west side) and East River (on its east side), including stops in Lower Manhattan (for access to the 9/11 Memorial Museum) and the South Street Seaport, as well as two locations in Brooklyn.

An all-day pass on the water taxi is $30; a similar pass that also allows passengers to visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum as part of their sightseeing package is $54. Another package includes a visit to One World Observatory for $58.

Also consider NY Waterway, which runs ferry service across the Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey ports; it also operates on the East River, connecting Manhattan with Brooklyn, Queens, and, seasonally, with Governors Island (the ferries also connect several locations within Brooklyn and in Long Island City, Queens).

NY Waterway ferries offer single-trip ($4–$9), 10-trip (New Jersey routes only; $60–$83), and monthly passes ($160–$272), and their East River Ferry has all-day hop-on, hop-off passes ($12–$18).

Information
New York Water Taxi (NYWT ). | 212/742–1969 | www.nywatertaxi.com .
NY Waterway. | 800/533–3779 | www.nywaterway.com .
Staten Island Ferry. | 311 | www.siferry.com .

Bus Travel

Most city buses in Manhattan follow easy-to-understand routes along the island’s street grid. Routes go north and south on the avenues and east and west on the major two-way crosstown streets: 96th, 86th, 79th, 72nd, 66th, 57th, 42nd, 34th, 23rd, and 14th. Bus routes usually operate 24 hours a day, but service is infrequent late at night. Traffic jams can make rides maddeningly slow, especially along 5th Avenue in Midtown and on the Upper East Side. Certain bus routes provide “limited-stop service” during weekday rush hours, which saves travel time by stopping only at major cross streets and transfer points. A sign posted at the front of the bus indicates limited service; ask the driver whether the bus stops near where you want to go before boarding.

To find a bus stop, look for a light-blue sign (green for a “limited” bus, which skips more stops) on a green pole; bus numbers and routes are listed, with the stop’s name underneath.

Bus fare is the same as subway fare: $2.75. Pay when you board with exact change in coins (no pennies, and no change is given) or with a MetroCard.

MetroCards allow you one free transfer between buses or from bus to subway; when using coins on the bus, you can ask the driver for a free transfer coupon, good for one change to an intersecting route. Legal transfer points are listed on the back of the slip. Transfers generally have time limits of two hours.

Several routes in the city now have so-called Select Bus Service (SBS) rather than limited-stop service. These routes include those along 1st and 2nd Avenues and 34th Street in Manhattan, as well as the M60, which travels between LaGuardia Airport and 125th Street in Harlem. The buses, which are distinguished from normal city buses by signs identifying the bus as SBS on the front, make fewer stops. In addition, riders must pay for their rides before boarding with either a MetroCard or coins at a machine mounted on the street. The machine prints out a receipt. This receipt is the only proof of payment, so be sure to hold onto it for your entire SBS trip or risk a fine for fare evasion.

Bus route maps and schedules are posted at many bus stops in Manhattan, major stops throughout the other boroughs, and MTA.info . Each of the five boroughs of New York has a separate bus map; they’re available from some station booths, but rarely on buses. The best places to obtain them are the information kiosks in Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station, and the MTA’s website. Additionally, the MTA Bus Time app ( bustime.mta.info ) provides riders with real-time bus arrival information citywide.

Most buses that travel outside the city depart from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, on 8th Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets. You must purchase your ticket at a ticket counter, not from the bus driver, so give yourself enough time to wait in line. The terminal is connected to the subway (A, C, E, N, Q, R, 1, 2, 3, and 7 lines), which offers direct travel on to Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal, and more. Several bus lines serving northern New Jersey and Rockland County, New York, make daily stops at the George Washington Bridge Bus Station from 5 am to 1 am. The station is connected to the 175th Street station on the A line of the subway, which travels down the west side of Manhattan.

A variety of discount bus services, including BoltBus and Megabus, run direct routes to and from cities such as Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, D.C., with the majority of destinations along the East Coast. These budget options, priced from as little as $10 one way (sometimes even less, if you snag a deal), depart from locations throughout the city and can be more convenient than traditional bus services, although not always as comfortable.

Buses in New York
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Travel Information Line. | 511 | www.mta.info .

Buses to New York
BoltBus. | 877/265–8287 | www.boltbus.com .
Coach USA. | 800/877–1888 | www.coachusa.com .
Go Buses (by Academy Bus). | 855/888–7160 | www.gobuses.com .
Greyhound. | 800/231–2222 | www.greyhound.com .
Megabus. | 877/462–6342 | us.megabus.com .
New Jersey Transit. | 973/275–5555 | www.njtransit.com .
Trailways. | 800/225–6815 | www.trailways.com .

Car Travel

If you plan to drive into Manhattan, try to avoid the morning and evening rush hours and lunch hour. Tune in to traffic reports online or on the radio (e.g., WCBS 880 or 1010 WINS on the AM radio dial) before you set off, and don’t be surprised if a bridge is partially closed or entirely blocked with traffic.

Driving within Manhattan can be a nightmare of gridlocked streets, obnoxious drivers, and seemingly suicidal jaywalkers and bicyclists. Narrow and one-way streets are common, particularly downtown, and can make driving even more difficult. The most congested streets of the city generally lie between 14th and 59th Streets and 3rd and 8th Avenues. In addition, portions of Broadway near Times Square (from 42nd to 47th Street) and Herald Square (33rd to 35th) are closed to motorized traffic. This can create gridlock and confusion in nearby streets.

Gasoline

Gas stations are few and far between in Manhattan. If you can, fill up at stations outside Manhattan, where prices are generally cheaper. In Manhattan, you can refuel at stations along 10th and 11th Avenue south of West 57th Street, and along East Houston Street. Some gas stations in New York require you to pump your own gas; others provide attendants.

Parking

Free parking is difficult to find in Midtown, and on weekday evenings and weekends in other neighborhoods. If you find a spot on the street, check parking signs carefully, and scour the curb for a faded yellow line indicating a no-parking zone, the bane of every driver’s existence. Violators may be towed away or ticketed literally within minutes. If you do drive, use your car sparingly in Manhattan. If you can’t find public parking, pull into a guarded parking garage; note that hourly rates (which can be $40 or more for just two hours) decrease somewhat if a car is left for a significant amount of time. TIP BestParking ( nyc.bestparking.com ) helps you find the cheapest parking-lot options for your visit; search by neighborhood, address, or attraction.

Rules of the Road

On city streets the speed limit is 25 mph, unless otherwise posted. No right turns on red are allowed within city limits, unless otherwise posted. Be alert for one-way streets and “no left turn” intersections.

The law requires that front-seat passengers wear seat belts at all times. Children under 16 must wear seat belts in both the front and back seats. Always strap children under age four into approved child-safety seats. It is illegal to use a handheld cell phone while driving in New York State. Police have the right to seize the car of anyone arrested for DWI (driving while intoxicated) in New York City.

Car Rentals

When you reserve a car, ask about cancellation penalties, taxes, drop-off charges (if you’re planning to pick up the car in one destination and leave it in another), and surcharges (for being under or over a certain age, additional drivers, or driving across state or country borders or beyond a specific distance from your point of rental). All these things can add substantially to your costs. Request car seats and extras such as GPS when you book.

Rates are sometimes—but not always—better if you book in advance or reserve through a rental agency’s website. There are other reasons to book ahead, though: for popular destinations (like NYC), during busy times of the year, or to ensure that you get certain types of cars (vans, SUVs, exotic sports cars).

TIP Make sure that a confirmed reservation guarantees you a car. Agencies sometimes overbook, particularly for busy weekends and holiday periods.

Rates in New York City average $70–$120 a day and $300–$500 a week (plus tax) for an economy car with air-conditioning, automatic transmission, and unlimited mileage. Rental costs are lower outside New York City, specifically in such places like Hoboken, New Jersey, and Yonkers, New York. If you already have a membership with short-term car-rental service like Zipcar, consider using them for your car needs in the city.

Car-Rental Insurance

If you own a car and carry comprehensive car insurance for both collision and liability, your personal auto insurance probably covers a rental, but read your policy’s fine print to be sure. If you don’t have auto insurance, you should probably buy the collision- or loss-damage waiver (CDW or LDW) from the rental company. This eliminates your liability for damage to the car. Some credit cards offer CDW coverage, but it’s usually supplemental to your own insurance and may not cover special vehicles (SUVs, minivans, luxury models, and the like). If your coverage is secondary, you may still be liable for loss-of-use costs from the car-rental company (again, read the fine print). If you’re planning on using credit-card insurance, use that card for all transactions, from reserving to paying the final bill.

You may also be offered supplemental liability coverage. The car-rental company is required to carry a minimal level of liability coverage insuring all renters, but it may not be enough to cover claims in a really serious accident if you’re at fault. Your own auto-insurance policy should also protect you if you own a car; if you don’t, you have to decide whether you are willing to take the risk.

U.S. rental companies sell CDWs and LDWs for about $9 a day; supplemental liability is usually more than $10 a day. The car-rental company may offer you all sorts of other policies, but they’re rarely worth the cost. Personal accident insurance, which is basic hospitalization coverage, is an especially egregious rip-off if you already have health insurance.

TIP You can decline insurance from the rental company and purchase it through a third-party provider such as AIG’s Travel Guard ( www.travelguard.com )—$9 per day for $35,000 of coverage.

Public Transportation

When it comes to getting around New York, you have your pick of transportation in almost any neighborhood you’re likely to visit. The subway and bus networks are extensive, especially in Manhattan, although getting across town can take some extra maneuvering. If you’re not pressed for time, consider taking a public bus; they generally are slower than subways, but you can also see the city as you travel. Yellow cabs are abundant, except during the evening rush hour, when many drivers’ shifts change, and in bad weather, when they get snapped up quickly. If it’s late at night or you’re outside Manhattan, using a ride-sharing service such as Lyft or Uber may be a good idea. Like a taxi ride, the subway is a true New York City experience; it’s also often the quickest way to get around. However, New York (especially Manhattan) is really a walking town, and depending on the time of day, the weather, and your destination, hoofing it could be the easiest and most enjoyable option.

During the height of weekday rush hours (especially from 7:30 am to 9:30 am and 5 pm to 7 pm) avoid Midtown if you can—subways and streets are jammed, and travel time on buses and taxis can easily double.

Subway and bus fares are $2.75 per ride. Reduced fares are available for senior citizens and people with disabilities during non–rush hours.

You pay for mass transit with a MetroCard, a plastic card with a magnetic strip. There is a $1 fee for any new MetroCard purchase but there is an 11% bonus added to the card if you put $5.50 or more on the card. (There is a $5.50 minimum card purchase at station booths; this minimum does not apply at vending machines.) A Single Ride Ticket (sold only at MetroCard vending machines) is $3. To help calculate the exact number of rides you need without having a balance left over, note that putting $9.91 on an existing MetroCard will get you $11 value, equal to 4 rides (add $1 for any new MetroCard purchase). As you swipe the card through a subway turnstile or insert it in a bus’s card reader, the cost of the fare is automatically deducted. With the MetroCard, you can transfer free from bus to subway, subway to bus, or bus to bus, within a two-hour period.

MetroCards are sold at all subway stations and some stores—look for an “Authorized Sales Agent” sign. The MTA sells two kinds of MetroCards: unlimited-ride and pay-per-ride. Seven-day unlimited-ride MetroCards ($31) allow bus and subway travel for a week. If you expect to ride more than 11 times in one week, this is the card to get.

Unlike unlimited-ride cards, pay-per-ride MetroCards can be shared between riders. (Unlimited-ride MetroCards can be used only once at the same station or bus route in an 18-minute period.)

You can buy or add money to an existing MetroCard at a MetroCard vending machine, available at most subway station entrances (usually near the station booth). The machines accept major credit cards and ATM or debit cards. Many also accept cash, but note that the maximum amount of change they return is $6, which is doled out in dollar coins.

Subway Travel

The subway system operates on more than 840 miles of track 24 hours a day and serves nearly all the places you’re likely to visit. It’s cheaper than a cab, and during the workweek it’s often faster than either taxis or buses. The trains are well lighted and air-conditioned. Still, the New York subway is hardly problem-free. Many trains are crowded, the older ones are noisy, the air-conditioning can break, and platforms can be dingy and damp. Homeless people sometimes take refuge from the elements by riding the trains, and panhandlers and buskers head there for a captive audience. Although trains usually run frequently, especially during rush hours, you never know when some incident somewhere on the line may stall traffic. In addition, subway construction sometimes causes delays or limitation of service, especially on weekends and after 10 pm on weekdays.

You can transfer between subway lines an unlimited number of times at any of the numerous stations where lines intersect. If you use a MetroCard () to pay your fare, you can also transfer to intersecting MTA bus routes for free. Such transfers generally have a time limit of two hours.

Most subway entrances are at street corners and marked by lampposts with an illuminated Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) logo or globe-shape green or red lights—green means the station is open 24 hours and red means the station closes at night (though the colors don’t always correspond to reality). Subway lines are designated by numbers and letters, such as the 3 line or the A line. Some lines run “express” and skip stops, and others are “local” and make all stops. Each station entrance has a sign indicating the lines that run through the station. Some entrances are also marked “uptown only” or “downtown only.” Before entering subway stations, read the signs carefully. One of the most frequent mistakes visitors make is taking the train in the wrong direction. Maps of the full subway system are posted in every train car and usually on the subway platform (though these are sometimes out of date). You can usually pick up free maps at station booths.

For the most up-to-date information on subway lines, call the MTA’s Travel Information line or visit its website. The MTA TripPlanner and Citymapper apps and websites are a good source for figuring out the best line to take to reach your destination, as is Google Maps. Alternatively, ask a station agent.

Pay your subway fare at the turnstile, using a MetroCard bought from a vending machine or booth attendant.

Schedule and Route Information
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Travel Information Line. | 511 | www.mta.info .

Subway Information
Citymapper. | www.citymapper.com .
MTA Trip Planner. | 511 | tripplanner.mta.info .

Taxi Travel

Yellow cabs are almost everywhere in Manhattan, cruising the streets looking for fares. They are usually easy to hail on the street or from a cabstand in front of major hotels, though finding one at rush hour or in the rain can take some time (and assertiveness). Even if you’re stuck in a downpour or at the airport, do not accept a ride from a “gypsy cab.” If a cab is not yellow and does not have a numbered aqua-color aluminum medallion bolted to the hood, you could be putting yourself (or at least your wallet) in danger by getting into the car.

You can see whether a taxi is available by checking its rooftop light. If the numbers are lit, the cab is available, and the driver is ready to take passengers—he or she is required to take passengers to any location in New York City as well as Newark Airport and two adjoining counties, although only NYC and Newark locations are metered. Once the meter is engaged (off-meter rates are prohibited; even JFK and out-of-town flat fares must be recorded by the meter for the passenger’s protection), the fare is $2.50 just for entering the vehicle, which includes the first ⅓ mile, and 50¢ for each unit thereafter. A unit is defined as either ⅓ mile when the cab’s cruising at 6 mph or faster or as 60 seconds when the cab is either not moving or moving at less than 6 mph. New York State adds 50¢ to each cab ride. There’s also a 50¢ night surcharge added between 8 pm and 6 am, and a much-maligned $1 peak-hour surcharge is tacked on between 4 pm and 8 pm. Lastly, there is also a 30¢ “improvement surcharge” for all rides. All taxi drivers are required to accept credit cards as payment. On rare occasions, some who prefer cash claim their machines are broken when that isn’t actually the case. If a driver waits until the end of the ride to mention a broken machine and you want to pay by credit card, you may wish to ask the driver to turn off the meter and drive you to an ATM to see if this extra hassle is worth it.

One taxi can hold a maximum of four passengers (an additional passenger under the age of seven is allowed if the child sits on someone’s lap). You must pay any bridge or tunnel tolls incurred during your trip. In order to keep things moving quickly, all taxi drivers are required to use an E-ZPass in their cabs to automatically pay tolls, and they must pass the discounted toll rate along to the passenger; the total toll amount is added to the final fare. Taxi drivers expect a 10% to 20% tip, which should be rewarded for safe driving and good service.

To avoid unhappy taxi experiences, try to know where you want to go and how to get there before you hail a cab. TIP Know the cross streets of your destination (for instance, “5th Avenue and 42nd Street”) before you enter a cab; a quick call to your destination will give you cross-street information, as will a glance at a map. Also, speak simply and clearly to make sure the driver has heard you correctly—few are native English-speakers, so it never hurts to make sure you’ve been understood. If headed for a far-flung location in Brooklyn or Queens, it can be helpful to pull up the location using Google Maps or a similar app, especially if the driver doesn’t have GPS of his own. When you leave the cab, remember to take your receipt. It includes the cab’s medallion number, which can help you track the cabbie down in the event that you’ve left your possessions in the cab or if you want to report an unpleasant ride (or even to compliment your driver for a great experience). Any charges, such as those for bridges, are itemized on the receipt; you can double-check to make sure you were charged correctly.

Yellow taxis can be difficult to find in parts of Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. To help with this issue, in 2013 the city of New York created a brand-new class of taxi service: apple-green Boro Taxis, which act like yellow taxis: they charge the same metered rates, accept credit cards, and must take you to any location within the city of New York. The difference is that green taxis are only allowed to pick up fares in non-Manhattan boroughs and in Manhattan locations above 96th Street.

If you’re outside Manhattan and can’t find a yellow or green taxi, you may have no choice but to call a car service. Locals and staff at restaurants and other public places can often recommend a reliable company. Always confirm the fee beforehand; a 10%–20% tip is customary.

Another increasingly popular option is booking a car through one of the car service apps like Uber, Lyft, Gett, or SheRides, which match passengers with potential car-service drivers. After booking a car through one of their respective apps, you can trace its journey to you via GPS, and you get a notification once it has arrived. These services are sometimes cheaper than a taxi (especially if the service allows for a carpool option that allows passengers to share rides at a discounted fare) but sometimes more, especially if “surge pricing” is in effect (when it’s raining or at other high-demand times). The apps do let you get an estimate on rates before you book, but Gett is the only one that offers fixed “surge-free” rates regardless of demand, weather, or traffic. Payment and tipping (if applicable) is also done via the apps.

Train Travel

Metro-North Railroad trains take passengers from Grand Central Terminal to points north of New York City, both in New York State and Connecticut. Amtrak trains arrive at Penn Station. For trains from New York City to Long Island and New Jersey, take the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit, respectively; both operate from Penn Station. The PATH trains to New Jersey offer service to Newark, Jersey City, Harrison, and Hoboken; the main PATH stations are located at 33rd Street or the World Trade Center.

Train Stations
Grand Central Terminal. | 89 E. 42nd St., at Park Ave. , Midtown East | www.grandcentralterminal.com .
Penn Station. | From 31st to 33rd St., between 7th and 8th Aves. , Midtown West | 511 .

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