New York Transportation
 

I will be in New York City this summer for about two weeks...staying on Long Island. I was hoping to start my tour of New York City with a guided tour. Any suggestions? Thank you.

Um, exactly where are you staying on Long Island? Do you mean Long Island City - which is a very quick subway ride to Manhattan. Or do you mean Long Island = as in the suburbs - where you may be an hour or two from Manhattan - with the only way to get there expensive LIRR and then taxis from where you are staying to the train stations.

As for guided tours I reco strongly against any of the bus tours - since they are very expensive, to see anything you need to sit in heavy traffic sweltering on the open top of the bus (the only way to see anything) and see only the outside of a few major buildings. If you want a view of one area and tips on how to get arond the city I reco you contact Big Apple Greeters These are volunteers that will spend a couple of hours showing you around one area of the city andprovide a Metrocard as well as showing you how to use the subway system.

There are also a number of good walking tours based on differnt themes that you might want to consider.

For a good overview visit the Top of the Rock - around sunset is a good time - so you can see the city both during daylight and as it lights up at night. You can reserve tickets it advance and will have no wait to ascend. IMHO much better then the ESB - which has lines that are often hours long.

Thank you NYTraveller. I am staying in the suburbs of Long Island ... using a friend's home. I know how to get to New York City, however, interested in getting around once I get there. Thank you so much for your response.

I'm not one of those people who thinks that guided tours are the best intro to a city where you can get around easily and where you speak the language. Having said that, you can get one of the HoHo bus tours and just stay on for the full route for half a day to listen to the commentary (I.e., don't actually hop off). That's probably the best option for one person. But you'd get more out of a specialty walking tour on a subject that interests you like food. The guided tours of central park are great and take you to parts of the park people rarely visit. Sadly, I don't think the trolley tours of the park are offered any more. But there are good pizza walks and good walks in Chinatown and the Lower East side. There are guided walks in mst areas of the city. And of course there are highlights tours of most major museums.

For transportation within the city the best options are feet for short distances and subway for longer distances.

Unless the temp hits 100 - then find indoor activities and cab from place to place.