New York City

New York City Travel Guide

Without a doubt, the best way to explore New York is on foot. No matter what neighborhood you're headed to, you'll get a better sense of it by wandering around; you can check out the architecture, pop into cool-looking shops and cafés, and observe the walk-and-talk of the locals. Our easy grid pattern makes it hard to get lost for more than a few blocks -- and if you do, you'll find New Yorkers are surprisingly helpful with directions.

The days when New York's subways were dangerous are long gone. Now, the city's network of underground trains is the most efficient way to get around. (City buses are equally cheap, but can take forever to navigate through traffic, especially crosstown.) The subway is by no means flawless: good luck understanding loudspeaker announcements on all but the newest trains; the floors are sticky; stations are sweltering in the summer; and platforms are grimy year-round. In other words, it's quite obvious that the subway is over 100 years old. Still, $2 gets you to almost any neighborhood in Manhattan or the outer boroughs, and lines that service the most popular destinations are generally clean, with maps and signs that clearly state where you're going. It gets crowded during rush hours, when you'll likely find that all the subway car seats are taken -- and have to join your fellow riders in the particular New York sport of "strap-hanging."

If you've got a long way to go and would rather be comfortable than thrifty, hail one of the ubiquitous yellow cabs that troll New York's streets around the clock. A December 2006 hike in taxi fares means that a 20-minute ride can now set you back more than $10. But you'll get to look at the scenery as you go and talk to the driver (who might be from as far away as Bangladesh or Ukraine). Avoid trying to hail a cab between 4 and 4:30 PM, unless you want to do a lot of futile street-side arm waving; it's when the drivers change shifts.

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