annhig

thanks for the tip, VT.

gardendiva

Thank you for sharing. I have to add a few places to my list for my next visit. On my last trip I purchased the 7 day pass. I was there for 5 days and it more than paid for itself. I stayed in Long Island City so I had a minimum of 2 trips per day. I mostly used the subway. I think I will consider the bus more next time.

TDudette

Expect bus traffic would be daunting during rush hour, gardendiva, but it is fun to see above ground. How long was the subway trip from LIC?

annhig

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Gardendiva I did the same thing and what with the convenience of having the pass and the reasonable cost I agree that it's well worth getting. Perhaps because they were going where I wanted to go I used the buses quite a lot and they were very easy, plus you can see more of course. I found the subway more daunting, TBH.

gardendiva

Annhig, I am not as good with stairs as I used to be and certainly not as quick as other passengers. I also saw a few things that I wished I had not seen. The bus may be a better option and I would see more. I am learning to slow down when I travel and see more that just the major attractions.

TDudette

I'd have to say it was easier with a 2nd person on the subway. DH and I "lived" near Columbus Circle and went to Coney Island from there via subway. We needed the compass to guide us in the correct direction upon ascending to the outdoors!

Stairs don't work well with bad knees and breathing woes so bus is now my necessity but a choice as well. Being alone, I like being able to ask the bus driver about the ultimate destination as well.

annhig

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gardendiva [love the screen-name BTW] I studied and worked in London for about 20 years so I'm very familiar with the underground but I also found the NY subway daunting. Having used the system in DC the week before helped a bit though but I don't think that there's anything that can really prepare you for the NY subway. I also found it quite confusing and had to ask a few people to make sure i was going in the right direction; they were remarkably friendly and helpful. And there was the bonus one day of a band playing in our carriage - my friends I was going to visit told me that they are regulars and they were very good. but generally I tried to avoid it and use the buses because of the heat and crowds underground.

Also I was happy to see things that were easy to get to from the Upper West Side where I was staying - I went to the Gracie Mansion [booked in advance from the UK], the Frick, the Neue Gallerie, and the New York Historical Society, as well as the Met, all on the bus. I also explored the High Line and surrounding area, Greenwich Village and went all the way down to Battery park on the Subway though I decided against getting the boat out to the SoL as it was rather rough. So I did use the subway a bit I admit I chickened out when I came out of the theatre and saw the madness that was Times Square at night and got a cab back to my hotel.

Hope I'll be bolder next time!

annhig

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My biggest problem was finding my way out of Penn Station, TD. It was a nightmare. I had latched onto a local in the train [I did that a lot with varying levels of success] but she seemed to have no more idea than I did, and eventually we had to be guided out of the place by a porter. One advantage of solo travel is definitely that you get to talk to people more than if you're a couple.

Vttraveler

The Penn Station area is certainly a horrible confusing mess. I read an article around Thanksgiving that said it is the second most used transit hub in the world (after one of the Tokyo stations). This is probably way more than you want to know but confirms how dysfunctional the station is.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazi...=pocket-newtab

TDudette

Now I can't remember if you use the last station name as the direction indicator.

The bus I took dropped off near Bronx River entry. The map shows other entries near the children's area.

I visited the zoo in the Bronx.
Here's from CBS site online: "New York City has five zoos in all — or one per borough — along with one extraordinary aquarium. With the exception of the Staten Island Zoo, the wildlife centers listed below are managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, which supports and promotes conservation efforts around the world. A WCS membership gets you into its zoos and aquarium for free—a great investment if you plan on being a frequent guest. Read on for the info you’ll need to plan your visit and details about the wildlife you’ll see. By Jessica Allen."

annhig

Glad I didn't read that before I arrived, TD, the bit about the broken sewage pipes especially. And I'd forgotten [how could that have happened? ] that it was Penn station that I had to go back to to get the train to Newark Airport to fly to Chicago at the end of my stay in NYC. I do remember getting terribly confused about platforms and thinking that by the time I had found the train it would have left. Signage was appalling. I'd happily never go there again!

TDudette

Sorry, Vt, I didn't read the link. Seeing annhig's post, I'm glad! I just followed the crowd when getting off the train and that worked fine but I agree about lack of good signage.

I think D.C. Metro doesn't always clearly show the trains' directions.

annhig

sorry, VT. It was you who posted the link to the info re the history of Penn Station, not TD. Apologies.

TD - I found the DC metro much easier to navigate than the NY subway and much cleaner and nicer too. And not so hot. The Subway was awful and it wasn't THAT hot in NYC when I was there.