I am attending an exciting wedding in Manhattan in early December with 3 friends and we can't wait. However, one of them has broken her ankle and may need a wheelchair to get around. Is this possible in NY? Will cab drivers balk? We plan to visit Central Park, Bloomingdales, Chinatown, the Museum of Art etc. Any suggestions would be welcomed

Everytime I go to NYC I think that it must be the WORST town in the USA for someone who is physically challenged!
Sorry I can ofer no help... just my observation

I take a stroller around NYC all the time, so I know some of the tricks. The hills in Central Park will make a wheelchair a challenge, but the Museum is one of the most wheelchair-friendly places around. The wheelchair entrance is just south of the main staircase and currently under a construction shed, but it's still open. The hallways are wide and there are plenty of elevators and ramps.

Bloomingdale's also shouldn't be a problem - it has wheelchair entrances and many elevators (you just have to ask where they are).

Most sidewalks have curb cuts at the corners, but many of them have big holes and gaps to navigate around.

Cabbies are required to keep their trunks empty, so there will be space for a wheelchair, but the backseat of a cab will be uncomfortable for someone who has a leg in a cast. Cabbies balk at everything and anything, if the mood strikes, so there's no way to know if they are passing you by because of the chair or because it rained yesterday. NYC buses are all equiped with wheelchair lifts and are generally easier to deal with than cabs - don't even try the subway, however.

Where is the wedding? And have a great time.

Re: Cabbies possibly passing you by because of the chair -- how about one of you stand back a little on the sidewalk with your friend in the wheelchair, while another one of you hails the cab at the curb? This is similar to what we did when we took my baby to NYC (in stroller). The cabbies seemed to pass us by when they saw us standing ehre with the stroller, so we started taking a step back while another member of our party flagged the cab. Most of the time the cabbie didn't notice that there were more than one of us and stopped at the curb and we all jumped in as quickly as possible to avoid making him (even more) irritated. Dirty trick I guess, but it worked.

You really shouldn't have a problem taking the bus just about anywhere you want to go in Manhattan. All the buses have wheelchair access and the driver will help with getting the chair on and off the bus.

Thank you for the useful info. The wedding is in Greenwich Village, the reception at the Harvard Club. Sounds exciting to a grandmother from Ohio, I must say!

Feistychix,
I went to NYC a couple years ago with my mother, who is in her 80s. She was in a wheelchair (broken leg, if I remember correctly) in the fall and we thought she might still be wheelchair-bound in Deccember. She wasn't, but we had to minimize the walking. The Met Museum of art, for example, offers wheelchairs free of charge, so we took a taxi up there and used one of their wheelchairs. For Central Park, try the carriage rides. We went to some Broadway shows - I always called in advance, explained the situation and asked for seats on the aisle at a level without a lot of stairs to climb. Everyone was very accomodating.
Chinatown and Bloomingdale's might be trickier, lots of traffic flow to watch out for. But for the most part, between the pre-planning and the general friendliness and helpfulness of folks in the city, we had a great time!

I'd imagine with a broken ankle, crutches would be better for some activities and the wheelchair for others. There is only `1 place I know for renting a wheelchair if you choose not to bring one. That's Falk on 72 st & 2nd ave. (259 East 72nd Street)

While taxis are supposed to pick you up, many will pass you by. Follow bamakelly's advice.

I've never travelled in NYC, but am wondering if you (or a hotel/restaurant/business, etc) couldn't call for a taxi to come for you?

No - you can;t call taxis in NYC - they are hailed on the stret only. If you want to call you have to use a car service - and while they match taxi fares going to the airports they tend to be more expensive for short trips inside the city.

You really need to use a cab (just hail in the street while the wheelchair person stays on the sidewalk until you open the door - or take the bus.

Last time we were in the city several of the buses we took stopped to pick up passengers in a wheelchair. I was impressed how quickly the drivers efficiently got a passenger & chair onto the bus and safely locked into place. Don't be afraid to use the buses as another means of transportation.

We go to NYC around the holidays every year, and always with a wheelchair. We have never had a problem getting a cab, the wheelchairs definitely fit in the trunk. Like a pp said, all the corners have curb cuts. The only obstacles were the subway stations, some restaurant doorways, and getting around the mobs of people (tourists) that block the curb cuts. Have a great time!

NYC local here, use a scooter to get around so I've learned most of the ins and outs.

You'll be able to get around in a wheelchair just fine in NY. Not everything is 100% accessible, but you're just here for a few days, so just come with a positive attitude and avoid the things that aren't accessible to you...there's enough to do in NYC that you won't miss much!

Buses are all accessible. The drivers, for the most part, are the friendliest MTA employees you will meet. You can go on www.mta.info and download a bus map. I suggest studying the bus routes a bit so that you at least know which avenues to go to if you wanna go uptown or downtown in a particular area. I'd avoid the subways. They are becoming less and less accessible as the MTA closes down station agent booths and replaces turnstiles with these big metallic venus fly trap type things. You need a special MetroCard to access some of the accessible gates, and I use the subways so little that I've lived here 17 years and still have no idea where to get one! Even if the map says a station is accessible there's a chance that the elevator will be broken. Plus at most stations there's a gap between the platform and the train, which means you have to pop a wheelie for your friend to get her in and out. This can be more difficult at rush hour when the trains are crowded.

Cabs are doable. Someone else had a good suggestion about having one person hail the cab so they don't think they're picking up the person in the chair. I do the same thing when traveling with my manual chair. 99% of cabbies are not very friendly. About 90% do not speak very good English. Don't be offended by them and give them directions in cross streets. Try not to look like a tourist and ignore their grumbling if they dislike your choice of location -- they have to take you any place of your choosing within the 5 boroughs.

Central Park, Bloomingdales, and the museum (I think you mean the Met?) are all pretty easy with a chair as are almost all of the major attractions. Chinatown can be a hit and miss, some sidewalks and curbs leave a lot to be desired and the crowds make it difficult for anyone to get around. A bunch of stores have steps, but most are level. If you're in Chinatown, walk up through Little Italy to Soho and the Village...definitely worth a visit. Lots of places in Soho have a big step but there are enough places that don't that make it worthwhile. The Village has lots of cool little stores and cafes that aren't terribly expensive. The area around NYU is more or less accessible. Also, teach yourself how to pop a wheelie with the wheelchair before you go. With assistance you can hoist your friend's chair up one step.