Patrick

Let me say that I've used subways in Tokyo, Paris, Stockholm, Prague, Vienna, Munich, London, Singapore, and others, and the New York one is still the most difficult to navigate, even though I speak the language. But stick with it and master it you will!!!

len

A couple of things to remember: 1) do not go outside of manhattan, the subway lines all wind up in other boroughs if you stay on them long enough, but its dangerous and there is nothing to see there. 2) The museum of natural history is on 81st street that should be as far uptown as you go for safety purposes. The island of manhattan is really easy the street numbers increase as you go uptown from 1st to the 200's. Below first street its pretty confusing with street names and direction. The avenues increase from first to twelfth as you go west or from th east river to the hudson. Have fun a e-mail NYC metro for a map, they will send it to you for free.

Julie

Gee, and there I was feeling perfectly safe when I went to Queens to see the Picasso/Matisse exhibit at MOMA, or to Brooklyn to the Brooklyn Museum of Art and Botanical Gardens, or headed way uptown to the Cloisters. I do hope you're kidding len. There are plenty of things to see in NYC outside of Manhattan.

len

I still think for a visitor Brooklyn, Queens and the bronx are unnecessary. MOMA is in mid-town manhattan isnt it? As far as art why go all the way to brooklyn unless you have alrady visited the gugenheim, the met the MOMA and all the SOHO galleries.

Julie

MoMA's midtown location is closed through 2005 for renovation. Until that time it has been relocated to Long Island City, Queens. I've always thought one of the biggest mistakes that tourists to the city make is to spend too much time in Manhattan. The ethnic neighborhoods of the outer boroughs are one of the things that make New York what it is. It's really ashamed to miss out on that.

ziggy

I loved going to Brighton Beach and Coney Island (it was so cool to see the amusement park that everyone my age knew about but never went to when we were young. Also, a Mets game at Shea and a Yankees game at Yankee Stadium.

Also, RE subway terms - be sure you know if the train is a local or an express. You may find yourself looking at the 34th Street stop on your line as you go whizzing by, only to have to get off at the next stop and catch a local back to your desired station.

JackisBack

What about the mole people? Don't you have to wAZtch out for them? I've read in the past here on Fodors that you have to. Books say they are an underworld society of tribal bands bonded by mutual alienation of 'surface dwellers'. They live in the subway tunnels far far far far FAR underground and never see the light of day. They can sneak on a subway platform though from below so watch out for your ankles as they pull themselves up from the depths.

Patrick

I'd argue that there is no reason to go outside Manhattan and that it is dangerous to do so. We had a great time at Coney Island on Memorial Day --eating our Nathan's Hot Dogs and walking the boardwalk. And we loved going up to the Bronx for the huge park and botanical gardens. Hope to do more in the future.

Patrick

Hmmm. That post is a little misleading. As you should be able to tell, I meant I'd argue AGAINST the statement that there is no reason to go outside of Manhattan.

suzanne

Len, if it's so dangerous outside Manhattan and there's nothing to see, why are there so many #$&! double-decker tour buses passing my home in Brooklyn?

al

Manhattan is very safe these days, but certain AREAS of the outer boroughs can be trouble spots. Coney Island was once downright dangerous and it's still pretty dodgy, as are certain areas of Harlem and the Bronx. That's no reason not to visit, but it is important that you be aware that you're not in Kansas anymore.

Same with the subway: riding around town is fine, and even though where you're going outside Manhattan is safe, be aware that a few stops along the way might not be.

len

Suzanne- as a native New yorker I can not for the life of me understand why someone would spend their vacation time on a double decker bus in Brooklyn. I suppose if shopping at FAO shwartz and Sacks 5th followed by dinner at the Tavern on the Green or Four Seasons was not good enough, bargain hunting at Kings Plaza and a Flatbush ave curried goat meal would certainly satisfy the finickiest of travelers.

liza

Len, if a visitor followed your advice they'd never see:

The largest Gothic Cathedral in the world (St John the Divine located at 111th st and Amsterdam)

The amazing view of Manhattan from the promenade in Brooklyn Heights (or any other borough edge offering a view)

The Staten Island ferry - gotta be the cheapest way to get out on the water by FAR

Some fascinating "real people" neighborhoods

The Brooklyn Botanical Garden

The World's Fair site and park

A NY team baseball game

....this native NYer could go on and on but you get the point I think

wendyj

len,

do you currently live in nyc? i'm guessing not since you didn't know MOMA was in Queens. It was pretty hard to miss that news.

Honestly, there's plenty to do in Manhattan, and many people who live in Manhattan feel there's no reason to leave either. But, if you're a tourist who's seen a lot of Manhattan, I think it's an admirable and worthwhile effort to see the various neighborhoods within Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.

We've gotten dreadfully off topic, and poor travelchick probably has more than enough advice. On that note, I can only hope that she enjoys our wonderful city...no matter which part she ends up visiting.

Nordica

>>I still think for a visitor Brooklyn, Queens and the bronx are unnecessary.

I guess you're one of those guys who has 10 locks on his door and stays in the apartment all day. Are you crazy? What kind of advice is that? So much of Manhattan is meant only FOR tourists, so I think tourists would enjoy seeing how REAL New Yorkers live.

Leona

Just purchase a subway & bus map in any bookstore & a metrocard (prices increase in May but still a bargain). And your hotel concierge can assist too.

marykay_intexas

Question about the metrocard - Is it one Metrocard per person? On the multi-day use card, if it scans one person and will not scan again for about 20 minutes, as a previous poster stated, then two people who are traveling together cannot share a card, is that correct? So two people who are traveling together must each have their own card (or give the other person a 20-minute head start!)? Is that correct?

Have not been in NYC since subway tokens were discontinued. Thanks for any advice!

Mary Kay

Gekko

Yes, you are correct. Two people cannot share an unlimited ride Metro card. (But of course they can share a pay-per-ride card, which never expires.)

Purchase a $20 card, and you get 2 free rides ($24 value).

ellenem

marykay:

The "unlimited ride" MetroCards are used by one person and are available in one-day, one-week, and one-month denominations. With this card you can transfer at will from bus to subway and subway to bus and bus to bus. (There is a time delay, about 20 minutes as you state, to deter use by more than one person.) The one-day card is not a 24-hour card. It runs out at 3AM the day after you first use it. So if you first use it at 11PM, you will get only 4 hours of use. The one-day unlimited card costs $7, so on your fourth ride of the day, you will be saving money since a single fare is $2. If you will be riding less often, a regular MetroCard may be the better choice and can be shared.

You can also get a "regular" MetroCard, on which you purchase a set number of fares. Since the rate increase, for every five fares you buy, an additional fare is placed on the card. So pay $10, get 5 fares plus 1 free fare; pay $20, get 10 plus 2. The regular MetroCards have no time limit. (Maybe they are outdated after a year.) This card can be shared by up to four people. For each fare paid, you get one free transfer--subway to bus, bus to subway, or uptown/dowtown bus to crosstown bus. The card will keep track of the four transfers.

You can buy the cards from machines in subway stations using cash, credit cards, and debit cards. The token booth will also sell regular MetroCards for whatever amount you want to spend.