I plan to ride the M1 from the USW to Battery Park to catch the ferry to Ellis Island. I would like to know where to get a Metro Card, where to catch the bus (we are staying 79th + Amsterdam) and about how long it will take to get from point A to point B. I tried to find information on line - and I'm sure it's out there - but have not yet. Thank you in advance for your help.

Is there a reason that you're not taking the subway? That's a very long bus ride.

Here is the MTA website where you can get schedule info.

http://mta.info/nyct/service/subsch.htm

I don't know how long it will take, but I can assure you it will take a loooooong time. Better off taking the subway. At 79th street, take the 1,9 all the way down to South Ferry and you will be right near Castle Clinton where you buy tickets for the ferry.

In addition, the M1 won't pick you up on the UWS - it runs along Fifth/Madison Ave on the Eastside of Manhattan.
There is a whole website for the MTA, have you looked at it? It provides maps, schedules, and a whole host of information to help you navigate.

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/

If this is in the middle of the day it will take forever (7am-7pm). Take the #1 subway at 79th & bway all the way to south ferry. Underground is much faster.

You can get metro cards at any subway station at the manned booth (if there is one) or the machines (that usually take cash or credit cards). You can use exact change (coins only) on the bus.

This probably sounds goofy, but I just don't like being underground. Usually when my husband and I come to NYC, we do a ton of walking and supplement with cabs. This trip we will have my parents and niece and nephew in tow - my parents cannot walk as far as we can and six are too many for a cab - hence the look into taking the bus.

I don't think there is any 1 bus that goes that entire distance. Between waiting for the buses, changing at least once, and all the stops (usually about every 3 blocks), it can take well over an hour to do this trip. The subway, would take about 15-20 minutes.

There are some people (like my mother), who won't take the subway. If you prefer the bus, it looks like you can take the M104 (B'Way and 79th) and switch to the M6 (42nd and 6th Ave). If anyone has a better route, please jump in as I'm basing this entirely on the map.

As an FYI, a cab for this distance will cost between $20-25. Up to four people can fit into a cab. It's obviously more expensive than the bus, so you can choose which you'd rather take.

This really could take a couple of hours each way. You should look into taking an express bus or two cabs. There are express buses to the Wall Street area from Grand Central or from Yorkville (Upper East Side). You could take the M79 crosstown bus to catch the X90 or X92.

The express is $5/person each way, so a bit more pricey than the regular bus.

What time of day, and day of week? Even a taxi could be very slow if there's lots of traffic (which there usually is in the middle of the day during the week). Also if this is a weekend, there are lots of street fairs that tie-up traffic and divert buses to alternative routes. You can check dor 'scheduled' interuptions on the MTA website.

MFNYC: Sunday morning. I may have to bite the bullet and ride the subway. Sounds like it makes the most sense and I'm sure the kids would enjoy it. That or cab it. Thanks everyone for your input.

You could maybe hop in a cab with your parents and send your husband with the kids on the subway.
Good luck and have a great trip!

I doubt if the express buses I mentioned operate on Sundays as they mainly cater to Wall Street'ers.

Sunday morning the traffic should be fairly light. Buses also run less frequently on the weekends. It's not uncommon to wait 10+ minutes. If you do take the bus, following the route Lizzie suggests, double check the MTA site mentioned for any changes in service (this would apply to subways as well).

The bus will take forever on Sunday - since they run much less frequently - at least 1.5 hours. Subway or cab are really your only options. Agreee to put anyone not aloe to go underground in a cab and the rest take the subway. (And I bet the latter will beat the former to South Ferry.)

If you want to do the Ellis Island Ferry you need to be there EARLY especially on weekends, tourist traffic is heavy and the lines are long, so if you want to take the bus down, you will probably need to be out the door about 6am to get downtown around 7am to get in line for the first ferry out.

Have a great time while you are here.

Remember that on weekends till the fall, the number 1 train DOES NOT go all the way down to South Ferry!
http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/pdf_f/26_1no.pdf
http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/subsrvn1.htm
http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/lower_manh/index.html
You have to take the #2 train (which is normally an express train) as far as Chambers street and then get a shuttle bus the rest of the way. I can tell you that I happened to be in that area a couple of times over the past couple of months and never saw a shuttle bus. They probably do not run very often.
So, all of our subway advice may not be that helpful after all. Since one of the options someone mentioned is some
of you taking a cab and sending some on the train, why not call a car service like Carmel or Dial7 and ask for a price quote door to door? You can get a car big enough for all of you. These services specialize in airport trips, but they can be reserved for local trips too. Would certainly cost less than 2 cabs, and on a Sunday morning should get you from the UWS to South Ferrt in a half hour or less