I will be in New York City for one week and will be staying with friends in Forest Hills. I want to rent a car. Enterprise is about $300.00 plus taxes for a week. Would It cost me the same to commute into the city by train and if necessary by taxi? How much is a taxi ride from Forest Hills into midtown Manhattan? My husband and I are at odds trying to figure out the best way to travel with a 9 yr. old in tow. HELP PLEASE

Absolutely DO NOT rent a car. Don't even consider it. Unless you're going to be making daily trips OUTSIDE NYC, a car will only be more trouble than it's worth.

The traffic is nightmarish and parking is scarce. A parking garage in Manhattan will run you $25-75 per day. A taxi from Forest Hills to midtown is at least $35, more if you get stuck in traffic.

Forest Hills is extremely convenient to the subway and gets to Manhattan in about 20 minutes. You will save yourself alot of time, money and headaches just taking the subway. Buy 3 unlimited weekly metrocards for a total cost of $51 ($17 apiece) and spend your money on something that you will enjoy much more.

The subway is cheap, fast, safe and contrary to what you may have heard, not too difficult to navigate once you get oriented. I cannot stress to you enough what a bad idea it is to rent a car. If your child were small, then you might have a problem with navigating the stairs down to the stations with a stroller but with a 9 yr. old you will be fine and he/she will probably get a kick out of the trains.

I don't know the logistics of Forest Hills particularly, but anything involving Manhattan, I recommend not bringing a car. Train and taxi will almost assuredly be cheaper. Even eith 9-year-old in tow. Don't forget parking is not cheap in NYC and hard to find at times.

Have a great time in the Big Apple! DAN

My advice is to bag the car idea and take the subway into Manhattan. Manhattan is crowded, cross town traffic will kill you, and parking is expensive. I have to think that your 9 year old will get a kick out of riding the subway. If you are planning on traveling out to Long Island, then I would rent a car for that day. Have fun.

Another alternative is to take the Long Island Rail Road from Forest Hills into Penn Station (34th and 7th). This puts you right in midtown.

I wouldn't rent a car if it was going to be used to drive into the city from Forest Hills. The subway would be faster and the cost is $1.50 a person. You may be in a part of Forest Hills where a bus would be needed to get to the subway but the cost is the same = free transfer from bus to subway and vice versa. Cab fare would not cost the $35 mentioned in another note. That person might be been referring to a car service. Cab fare is based on distance traveled. It is $2 as soon as you enter the cab and $1.50 a mile and 20 cents a minute in slowed traffic. Go to Mapquest and check route from the address in Forest Hills to, for example, 1515 Broadway (45th St. and Broadway). They will show the mileage and you can figure approximate cost using the info above.
If you do decide on a car (and you shouldn't) parking for a day, in the city, is going to run anywhere from $15 to $20. And there is one other problem with having a car. Parking in Forest Hills will not be a picnic.

I don't wish to be argumentative but the cab fare really is that expensive. From Radio City area to Queens Blvd. and 71st was $35 including the tip. I swear.

Annie:
Please do not rent a car! the $300 will be better off spent eating great food!
Forest Hills has got the E and F line running right on Queens Blvd. E is the 8th Avenue line and F is 6th Avenue. Both stop wherever you want to go.
Log onto www.mta.nyc.ny.us. You can get all the information you need plus subway and bus maps.
Have a great time! Welcome to NYC!

ALEXIS: I don't doubt that you paid $35 but if you were in a metered yellow cab the cab driver, literally, took you for a ride. If the cab driver went over a toll bridge or through the Midtown tunnel the extra cost would have been $3.50 and unless you were stuck in traffic for close to an hour the fare should have been less than $20 based on the distance from RAdio City to your destination. The yellow cab fare, Manhattan to JFk airport is around $35. JFk to Manhattan is a fixed rate - $30.

Very simple answer: Take the subway or train. Do not drive, do not take cabs or limos (unless, of course, you are wealthy and money is no problem at all!).

I guess I'll have to listen to all of you since your responses are so emphatically against a car.I just like the convienence of having my own transportation at my beckon call...however, I must be practical and avoid the bickering in finding a parking space. Thanks for your help. Now I need to make a daily flexible plan so my 9 yr. old will also enjoy the BIG APPLE

I don't know where you're from, Annie, but having a car in NYC while visiting would be anything but a convenience. We're emphatic for a reason, so please take our word for it!

Annie, you won't be "bickering for a parking space" in Manhattan; it's not even really about competeing with other drivers. Street parking will be virtually impossible to find in areas near any attractions you'll want to visit; what there is is metered or subject to strict (and confusing) restrictions regarding when you can park where. You'll be searching for a space in a midtown garage, many of which fill up early in the AM, and paying probably a minimum of $50 for a days' parking. What's more, Manhattan is *much* easier to negotiate on foot or public transit than by car if you don't know it, because it's all one-way streets.

Also, know that you really will have transportation at your disposal within Manhattan. There are bus lines on all the avenues and the subway is a fast way to get around. With unlimited-use Metrocards, you can hop on and off at will. Many people who post trip reports here about first visits to NYC say they have no problem getting around by subway and bus with young children in tow; I'd be willing to be you a Metrocard or two that your child will enjoy NYC a lot more via public transit than stuck in midtown traffic.

BTW, most people living in Forest Hills and working in Manhattan take the subway in rather than sdrive. Ask your friends in Forest Hill; I'd be shocked if they didn't agree with all the posters here.

You should also think about the safety of you and your child while driving. Manhattan has many streets where there are huge potholes. Additionally there is always some construction going on which forces you to merge lanes. If that's not bad enough you will have to fight with aggressive yellow cabs constantly cutting you off. If you are not used to defensive driving, you could wind up in a mess. Forget about the car, you will have so much peace of mind using public transportation.

annie:
The thought of trying to find parking in Forest Hills makes me cringe.
I grew up in Queens. There is alternate side of the street parking, people who own more than one car, the commuters who come to use the subway, etc. Forget about trying to find a space close to your friend's home! I wasn't even thinking of Manhattan when I mentioned no car. I did not own a car until I moved to the 'burbs and I was over 25! LOL
Your 9 year old should be easy to please. Ask him what he would enjoy, you might be surprised at the answers you get!
Anyway, have a great time!

I'm ashamed to admit that I was a New Yorker many moons ago and grew up in Greenwich Village, but I've lived in South Florida much to long. I think my brain has atrophied. Thanks for reminding me, what I once was able to navigate will certainly be an impossiblility now. My 9 yr. old is a granddaughter going on 19 as every other well adjusted child is today. Just to make you all laugh, her teacher is from Brooklyn and when I asked her what she'd like to see in NYC, she said BROOKLYN. We all had a good laugh even though I know there are several worthwhile sights. I know what I want to do, I just have to arrange my days in order to see it all. Any suggestions for her 9th birthday party in the city? Nothing expensive just lots of fun!

DO NOT rent a car in NYC!!!!!!!

Actually Brooklyn Botanical Garden is a wonderful place to take kids to

Phillip your a wimp. The potholes are not any bigger in NYC than in any other Eastern city. And oh no!! merge lanes!!! oh No. anything but merge lanes. I really enjoyed following you on I-95 in Boca last week doing 50 in the fast lane. Wouldn't want to change lanes would we.

In answer to your question Annie, most posters are correct and avoid the rental car. Take mass transit in, and if you are going to be after dark or during p.m. rush hour, a cab or car service would make better sense for returning. As a naive 20year old from San Diegoin the early 80's, my first experience in the subway was one of obvious confusion. Some helpful teens pointed out correctly that I was headed in not the best direction. After they assured me they had no intention of releaving me of my wallet, they walked me to the correct platform and told me to be cool. All in all most NYers want our visitors to enjoy our great city...we just get defensive about our potholes

Don't forget the use of car services also. Allen Street Car Service (I think that's their name), will have a towncar and driver take you to any of the five boroughs for $35 - not sure how many hours. If I remember correctly , it's three? Good luck & stay away from the edge of the platform on the subway and totally stay away from the subway, itself, after dark!