New York with a powerchair

[goofieslonglostsis]

Wel, the title already spills the beans more or less; I want to know all you guys can tell me about doing NY with a powerchair.

I'm poundering about perhaps adding a couple of days at NY before heading down to WDW in september 2009. I'll have to transfer flights somewhere anyway, have NY on my shortlist of 'want to see one day' so I figured; why not turn the transfer into a stopover? First of all; I'm not too worried about too major accessibility problems. Heck, I live in Europe where we got things arranged greatly for work and home but public life is still trying to catch up. If I can do southern Europe with it's no cut curbs and inaccessible architecture, no big apple is going to be too big of a pain in the rear.

I'm not new to having to find out all basic things allover again for a new destination but nothings beats hearing others experiences so this is where the DIS (amongst others) come into place. I'll probably be doing NY solo. The friend that is coming along for the WDW-DCL part most likely wont want to do this part, which is ok with me. I'm used to solo travel so that does make it easier.

I'm looking for experience about more or less anything NY. Accessible transportation to and from the airports, tips about must does and sees, tips about what hotel you found to be doable with a powerchair while not breaking the bank (which is relative of course for such a city), anything and all!

I think the most 'difficult' question I have to figure out is getting to and from the airport. I tend to travel with, wel, ehm, an enormous amount of stuff. It's me in the powerchair, but then. Lug along the manual chair (for 'just in case' and usage at home airport where they are a big pain in the rear with the need to check in the powerchair hours before boarding and not getting it back untill bagageclaim) to the hotel and back to airport when leaving again. Of course one nice suitcase of clothes and stuff. Than another purely with medical stuff in it (good, because empty after trip and filled with souvies ). A basic carry on for the stuff needed during the flight. Than a second carry on with purely medication and a third with the charger and other stuff for both the chairs. A bit of a lot of stuff. Really a lot if you consider the fact that I shouldn't be carrying anything.

Anyhow, I can manage getting all of this around an airport, without any lifting or making movements I shouldn't. I've got a God given talent, I think. But that still leaves the transportation. I know it is too much aked of myself to do this same stunt when using public transportation like a bus. Which leaves me very interested in the stories of how others did this when visiting NY?

 

[silvergoldberry]

I live in Philadelphia and I'm the caregiver for my friend Jack, a stroke survivor who is confined to a power chair.

Jack was able to visit New York city for a day by train 2 years ago, but was very disappointed in the transit system. Don't expect to be able to take the public transit/subway system. I don't know about the buses, but the subways aren't accessible.

On a trip in May I realized that at least some of the NJ Transit trains are accessible.

I've done some research about accessible on demand transportation in the last few months-i.e. wheelchair taxis.

The taxi cab companies should each have some accessible vans, but there aren't many and they might take longer to get to you because they get used for able people as well. Try getting a list of taxi companies before you go and see if you can schedule one ahead of time to and from the airport.

Good luck!
Barb

 

[clori]

Hi. My husband is from Manhatten and we go regularly to visit family. We don't fly but dh would recommend calling a towncar company to get to/from the airport/hotel.

While we don't have any physical disabilities I know all the subway stops we have used (mostly touristy areas since grandpa lives in midtown) have stairs. Some have escalators but not all. I haven't seen any elevators. We have traveled with strollers so from that aspect I have just noticed people carrying strollers up/down stairs. Basically I wouldn't plan on using the subway system.

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/index.html Is the public transportation website for NYC. It says all busses are now accessible. Maybe there is more info on the website. I used to work at United Cerebral Palsy so I'm somewhat familiar with power wheelchairs. The sidewalks all seem fine and there is usually curbcuts on the corners as well as crosswalks and often traffic lights. The hardest part especially if you go during a holiday time is the intense crowds in the touristy areas mixed in with the locals.

In terms of sightseeing I don't know what you are interested in. The website http://www.newyorkpass.com/index.asp lists over 40 attractions to give you an idea. The pass can be a great deal but it depends on what you want to do but the website can be a useful start without buying a pass. If you enjoy broadway music I recommend Ellen's Stardust diner for breakfast. The staff are mostly people who want to be on broadway and they sing etc.

 

[monkey68]

I don't have any experiences with a wheelchair, but there are certain subway stops that are accessible. BUT, the elevators are not always working. And of course, there is no way to know for sure until you get there. I have seen subway workers carrying a person in a wheelchair down the stairs when the elevators have been broken, but they were in a manual chair, iwth the weight of some of hte power chairs, I'm not sure if a couple guys could lift it. The other thins with subways is that there is usually a gap from the subway car to the platform, which could be hard to maneuver on. And some of them are wide. When I was on crutches, I had a problem with some of those gaps.

Buses would be your best bet, they all have wheelchair lifts and accesible spots for the chair. Just avoid the rush hour times, it can get very crowded then. The streets are accessible, with the curbs and whatnot. Just be warned that you might have a difficult time if you go to somewhere like 42nd street, lots of people, and usually a lot of construction on the street. Although around September, it's usually not too bad.

Getting to and from te airport, honestly, I would see if you could get a van or something to pick you up. If you fly into JFK, it's in Queens. You would have a hard time getting into Manhattan, not because of the powerchair, but because it's a long distance. Very few people take mass transit from the airport to Manhattan, especially with a lot of stuff. I did it once with a carryon only, and never again. Just not worth it. I'm sure you can order an accessible van to pick you up and drop you off. It will be more expensive, but worth it.

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Thanks for the info so far, guys!

I guess I'm still needing some getting used to 'thinking out side of the box' even more. I never would've considered a town car service an option, you know all the 'they wont be accessible enough for a powerchair' blabla. Me needs to think again! I've found at least one stating their vehicles can transport any type of walking assistance, wheelchairs included. I'll be mailing them asking for more specifics, but that is at least one more option than was on my list.


Monkey68, I wouldn't even let anybody try and carry my chair. If you ask me 350 pounds of chair is a tad bit too much. Gaps don't scare me, to be honest. My wheels are of such size they should be fine. The chair is used to having to deal with that when dealing with subways. However, bussing sounds more relaxing and with that being a lot less accessible in my every day life, I tend to prefer using accessible busses.

Clori; great link thanks! I'll probably end up wanting to do a good mix of some highlights of NY, some people watching and of course some major shopping.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

Honestly, I have no idea how anyone gets to/from an airport and Manhatten in a powerchair. I use a manual wheelchair and can transfer into a regular taxi so do that. None of the bus or shuttle services I know of advertise any sort of accessible transport. If you fly in/out of JFK I was reading something today (non-wheelchair related) about being able to get into NYC by taking the AirTrain from the airport to the Jamaica train station and then take the train from there to Penn Station. Both the Jamaica station and Penn station are accessible, but I don't know about the AirTrain itself. I'm going to look into it, however, for the next time I go out to the airport so will try to remember to dig up this thread to let you know then

As far as transport once you're in the city, I use a manual wheelchair and live in NYC so can give you what I know:

- All the buses are accessible and most drivers are helpful. Definitely trying to not travel in peak times as things are just very crowded and drivers are less inclined to be helpful. Also, don't expect them to stick to schedule. It's pretty much impossible in NYC traffic. Like WDW, the buses all have tie-downs, although they're much less fanatical about using them.

- Some subway stations (especially major ones in midtown, such as Times Square) have lifts. As was mentioned before it's not completely possible to know if they're working (the MTA website does have a section that's supposed to be updated with escalator and lift status, but it's not always accurate) and they tend to be dirty and smelly (I'd really like to put signs in them reminding people that they are lifts, not toilets). Also, there's often a decent sized gap (up to 4 inches, and of varying heights) between the platform and train so I have no idea how much that would work with a powerchair.

- Curbcuts are common, but not everywhere. In fact, I've been plenty of places where there is no curb cut, despite it being a central area with many pedestrians. The heavily tourist places are generally okay for this, however. Also, sidewalks are not all even and certainly not all flat (although from what I can tell that's a bit more of a problem for those of us in manual wheelchairs).



Umm... that's about all I can think of at the moment. If you have any more specific questions, let me know and I can try to answer!

 

[Momma2dakidz]

oh man, traveling in new york city with a chair brings back many memories. Memories of me sobbing while being stuck in between 2 moving trains on an inaccessible platform with a boyfriend who was t1 para! (thinking subway that time) It was an entirely AWFULL transportation NIGHTMARE! Simply put it this way, budget for an expensive taxi or be willing to "hoof it" the entire time. Do not rely on anything other than your chair. Many good restaurants are NOT accessible and if they are the bathrooms are not accessible. I rememeber being at a specific bar, they closed the bar down that night for our party. (spinal cord injury rally) and the guys and girls that had to cath ended up cathing on the street and in one guys van because they couldnt fit even a manual chair in any bathroom. While we had a HUGE issue with accessibility, we had a great time and both of us would do it again. (just not together......lol)