Thomas

They don't answer the phone. Where exactly is the bus station? Is parking allowed for picking up arriving passengers? Is there temporary storage for luggage while sightseeing? Does greyhound have a route map acrosss the USA where cities can be easily selected to stopovers?

nytraveler

Greyhound goes in/out of the Port Authority terminal (8th Ave & 40-42nd St) - which you know is primarily commuter buses - over 7,000 per day.

There is very limited parking - I don;t know how early in the day it fills up.

For security reasons there are no luggage storage facilities. (There are no public luggage storage faciilties anywhere in NYC - except at train stations for ticketed Amtrak passengers.)

If you go to the greyhound web site you can get info on their routes - http://www.greyhound.com/locations/routemap.shtml.

Not sure what plans these girls have - but buses can be surprisingly expensive - and suggest they plan their trip in detail - including looking at bargain air fares - if they plan on going any distance.

Just be aware than many of their stations are distinctly in the "wrong end" of town - not places young girls would want to arrive after dark.

Gekko

The Port Authority bus terminal and the area around it is one of the dumpier areas of Manhattan. It's a HUGE facility, often full of unsavory characters. How about a train?

Daniel_Williams

I've come into Port Authority a few times and think the previous advice a bit misleading; it's quite busy and not the prettiest intersection but I don't find it to be in an especially "dumpy" area of Manhattan. Quite close to Times Square and only about 8 minutes walk from the main train station, Penn Station; any "unsavory character" at Port Authority could easily walk to Penn Station. I've never felt particularly worried at either. The rest of the advice was good, but I'd say if you need to use Port Authority, I certainly would not hesitate for "fears of safety".

robhart

Re Port Authority and safety,I think it all depends on time of day. Late at night, Port Authority just has a different kind of crowd than you'd find at Penn Station. Not to generalize -- bad things have the potential to happen everywhere -- but if it's females alone late, then Port Authority isn't the most wonderful place to be. But, if it's your standard rush hour or midday, it's fine.

(Just had to put my two cents in ... once saw a guy who had been pushed down the stairs in Port Authority and it took the cops forever to come. I don't want to raise unnecessary alarm, I'm just saying caution is warranted in New York in general. And that I like Penn Station better

HowardR

The previous poster's comment, "...caution is warranted in New York in general," is a little misleading. First of all, caution is warranted in general in an big city. Further, according to all the statistics I read, New York is a lot safer that most cities!
Of course, you should be cautious. And, yes, the Port Authority terminal is certainly not the most pristine, safe environment in New York. But, you really don't need an armed guard to make in through the building.
Just be careful.....and avoid using the facility in wee small hours of the morning!

nytraveler

Port Authority is not particularly pleasant - but it's certainly safe during reasonable hours. I wouldn;t want to be there alone at 3 am - nor would I want to be in Penn Sta - or most other bus/train stations then either.

A bigger concern is if these young girls are planing on traveling cross country via bus - some of the stations are exceedlingly seedy at all times - and definitely not neighborhoods to be wandering around in.

They need to understand that bus travel in the US is not comparable to what it is in europe.