Anyone Live in NYC?

[gr8tpanther]

Going on a bus trip to NYC in October, and would like some general information. This is a day trip, I have never been to NY, but have always wanted to go, so now... I am going! I have a few questions that maybe someone can answer for me...

We are being dropped off in Time Square and will have 7 hours to do as we please. 2 points of interest that I want to see are Central Park and Ground Zero. What is the best, safest and cheapest way to get around in the City? And what am I looking at for spending that day?

 

[Disney Daniel]

My grandfather and I made a similar trip to NYC in October 2003. We took the train in from Boston and had about seven hours in the city. We first took a cab to ground zero, and looked around the area for a bit. We then headed to the Empire State Building and spent about 2-3 hours there. (Much of this time was spent in line, but as this does not seem to be on your list it shouldn't be a problem). We then ate lunch at the Empire State Building and proceeded on to Times Square. We then spent about two hours in that area, and walked around for a while. We also took a look around Madison Square Garden's main entrance, mainly because it was right above Penn. Station.

We found that the seven hours was adequate time to see what we wanted to see, however it would have been nice to have had a bit more time to see the sights.

Before we left I had asked several people their thoughts on NYC for a day. Many suggested we use the subway, but we decided to simply go with cabs in the end.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[nuts4sn00py]

If you can navigate the subways, they are safe, inexpensive & fast. While I live in NY, I don't really travel to the city. As far as how much you can spend...you can spend as little as you want or as much as you want. It depends on what you are looking to do & how you want to do it. I believe you can get an all day Metrocard for $7, but I don't swear on that! Than you can get on & off the subway througout the day. Otherwise the bus or subway cost $2 for each trip. If you take the subway to a bus within about 2 hours time you can transfer (you only pay $2, instead of $2 for bus & another $2 for subway). A cab ride can be expensive depending on when & where you are travelling from & to, & can sometimes be a slower way of getting somewhere, it all depends on traffic. I hope that helps. It's a big city, but for the most part we are friendly, so if you get here & aren't sure how to get around, just ask, most of us are only too happy to help! Kathy

 

[Tantorini]

well.. given what you want to see.. this is what I'd suggest

Pay $50 for the on/off bus tour of the city... it will take you to both Central Park and Ground Zero.. and everywhere in between.. operated by GreyLine.. there is a pick up in Times Square as well ... if you stay on the bus non-stop it's a 2hr ride.. with on/off .. it's up to you!

If you'd rather not take the tour.. then I'd suggest you walk a few blocks from Times Square to Park Ave.. walk up Park to Central Park.. (20min walk maybe) then take a carriage around Central Park ($40 plus tip) .. then get a cab to Ground Zero (approx. $25 giver or take depending on traffic)..

have fun

 

[charlie,nj]

check out:

www.nyctourist.com

 

[Kallison]

If you are not familiar with the subway or bus system I would splurge on a cab. Or walk as far as you can. We walk, walk, walk in the city, that is when you see the best stuff! Almost always see some celebrity (walks fast, wearing baseball cap, head down, sunglasses, will try to avoid you on the sidewalk)

 

[adamak]

I live in NYC, but I rarely go to Time Square.

Subway is by far the cheapest and safest way to see the city. I never feel unsafe, even taking it at 3am in the morning. Buy a one day pass if you're going to take 2 or more trips on the subway.

From Time Square, you can take N / R train (towards Queens) to 57St/ 7th ave station, or 59th ST / 5th Ave station. You're right at the border of Central Park. You can then walk around the park going north.
BTW, one trick of orienting yourself in the park is to look at the lamp posts. In the bottom, it'll say something like "7902". THe 1st 2 letters show the cross street. In this case it's 79th street.

To get to Ground Zero, you can take pretty much anything that stops in downtown NYC. The most straight forward way is to take the E train from 59th / Columbus Circle (That's the new Time Warner Center) all the way down to the last stop, still called "World Trade Center".

I would not recommend getting a cab. Too expensive. Bus tour will take you to most touristy places, but they're not as cheap as subways. And you miss the real fun.

Here is the subway map -
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/submap.htm

Have fun!