An elderly friend will be in Manhattan later this month and wants to visit an acquaintance. Can someone advise about how much a taxi would cost from 45th and Madison to 111th Street, Upper West Side? She'd be traveling on a Thursday evening.

http://www.nyccabfare.com/mobile/index.php

Maybe around 25 dollars not including a tip. Is she staying in a hotel that has drivers and cars? It might be just as much to get someone right there.

Thank you! Great website--plugged in info and site said abt $14 plus nite surcharge. Passed along info.

Beware of those cab fare estimator sites. They aren't very accurate, in my experience. The slow traffic charge has greatly inflated cab fares in Manhattan, so it can literally cost an extra $2 just to go around the block if you get unlucky with lights. But at that distance the fare should be under $20 with tip anyway. This is significantly cheaper than a car service from a hotel.

So true. I don't take many cabs in New York, but during the record cold the first of February this year, we came out of a restaurant late at night and grabbed a taxi back to our place. I was shocked that the 20 blocks or so was only $6 -- no traffic out -- and the best $6 I ever spent. The next day we decided we might as well take a taxi going about the same distance and we got stuck in traffic. It was around $25.

You don;t say what you mean by evening. If you're talking 6 pm she can easily get stuck in traffic and the meter will be ticking. If you talking about 9 pm it will be much faster - and cheaper.

I think $25 is on the high side unless you're in very heavy traffic. More in the $18 to $20 range including tip.

True about traffic. She wanted to go at 5:30 but I told her rush hour wd be a bad time to find a cab. She'll ask at the hotel abt a better time. Both ladies are nearly 80, so don't think she'll want to go too late.