NYC Crosstown Cab Wednesday before Thanksgiving
 

For Wednesday (before Thanksgiving) matinee, we are taking the train to Grand Central with elderly father who walks with a cane. We must take a cab to the theatre district, as he cannot manage subway. NY'ers: How difficult is it going to be to catch a cab from Grand Central around 1pm and how much time do we need to allow to get us to the theater? Thanks.

Sorry, I can't help with cab info. Sometimes it helps to go to the nearest hotel and get help from the doorman.

But you might want to look into the bus routes. Buses have a dedicated right-of-way lane and thus move more smoothly thru traffic than cabs. And NYC buses have a handicap platform at the front door, it accommodates a wheelchair but will be lowered for anybody that requests it, they don't have to deal with the steps, they ride up on the platform like a little elevator; it doesn't even really hold things up, it's very quick. So this is a possibility you might want to be prepared for if geting a cab turns out to be too difficult.

There is a cab stand right in front of Grand Central on 42nd Street. You may have to wait in line, but you should be okay for a 2 p.m. performance.
You might think about taking a train that gets in a little earlier to play it safe.

A taxi should not be difficult to find. The trip shouldn't take too long - 15 minutes or less in normal 1 pm traffic. The worst traffic will be in the block where the theater is located. A #104 bus is an option but it will be slower than a cab.

Thanks. The bus is probably out of the question, given the bad hip, but I was afraid if there is a mid-day thanksgiving exodus from city, a cab would take forever. I'm guessing Wednesday night will be dead in the city but not wednesday afternoon. 15 minutes is great.

While I'm at it, do you know anything about Angus McIndoe for dinner after the performance. Its right next to the St. James theatre. My father is not likely to be able to walk even around the theater district to get to a restaurant. Other comments on this board indicate is a good choice.

That taxi line-up in front of Grand Central Station can take a while. I'd allow lots of time. We waited more than 20 minutes one day in October - it was between 1:30-2:00 PM, on a weekday. You might be lucky, but it would probably be good to allow lots of time just in case.

If it should be raining on Wednesday give yourself lots of time since a cab would be difficult to find.

Thanks for your help.

The crosstown Shuttle may be easier. Look for the subway sign that is the grey 'S' in a circle. It is the non stop express subway from GCT to Times Square.

Forgot to add, the reason I did mention subway is because there are elevators in GCT and the Times Square Station that would make it easier.

I know you said he couldn't but figured this might help you.

Since you say your father has difficulty walking, I'd forget about the bus or subway. Once he got to 42nd Street at Times Square either way, he'd have to walk 3-4 blocks to the theater, which is on 45th Street!
I still say the best (and only) solution is a cab!

I think some of these answers are too hopeful. On the Wednesday before thanksgiving at 1pm the crosstown traffic can be truly horrific. And it can take time to get a cab at Grand Central. I think you'll need a train that arrives no later than noon to be sure to have time to find a cab (can take upwards of 30 minutes) and fight crosstown (can easily take 30 minutes).

Just to follow up on this after the fact, we managed perfectly -- there was NO waiting line for cabs outside Grand Central on Wednesday afternoon -- found 2 cabs without any trouble; and there was NO crosstown traffic -- we got to the theater district in less than 15 minutes. There must not have been anyone working downtown on Wednesday. (And post-theater dinner at Angus McIndoe was GREAT -- we even had a close-sighting of John Lithgow at the table next to us, reading a script!)

The real shocker, though, was the trip downtown again on Friday (yesterday) from White Plains, this time to Soho. The Metro North train was empty, and then the Subway also was empty -- no line to get farecard, and no one on the #6 train from Grand Central to Soho, and no one on the return trip, at what should have been rush hour, either on the Subway or on the train back to White Plains (This time, lunch at Zoe was good -- but no celebrity sightings). What a pleasure getting into the city and navigating around there, both days.

We did find the crowds, however. Today, everyone who drove north to NY/NJ for Thanksgiving evidently decided to try to beat the Sunday rush, and drive back today. A very bad drive back to Maryland today.