We are planning to ride the subway for three days. Should we get the $4 fun pass each day that has unlimited travel or is there something else. I have a lot of experience with the DC subways and found them very easy to navigate, is NYC as easy and safe?

Subway in NYC is what I'm referring to, sorry to not be more specific in my title.

Yes it is safe but can be tricky to navigate. Get the $4 day pass or the $17 weekly pass and a subway map. Have fun!

The Streetwise map for Manhattan is a great map for understanding where the subway lines run. They also used to put out a credit card sized one for quick & discrete consulting.

Worst case, all of the major and most other stations have the full-size map of the subway prior to entering the system.

Definitely go with the unlimited daily or weekly pass for the flexibility of jumping on and off subway/buses during your stay.

Have fun!

Make sure you have a current subway map as there have been some changes to routes and lines over the past year.

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/submap.htm to see a map, but better yet, send a SASE to:

MTA - Subway Map
370 Jay Street
Brooklyn NY 11201

Once nice thing about NYC subways is you don't need the card when you EXIT, as in DC.

Having navigated both NYC and DC as a visitor, I'm sorry to report that NYC's, though safe enough, is a million times more confusing than DC's. Mostly because it's older, wasn't planned all at once, and therefore has lots of illogical twists, turns, overlaps, and gaps. I've heard that several of the lines were originally built by competing private developers, which would explain a lot.

But the price is reasonable (especially with the daily or weekly passes) and easier to understand, the stations have a lot more personality than DC's identical underground caverns, and it gets you all around the greatest city in the world!

Jen, you are right that the NYC subway system was originally run by private companies. It was eventually consolidated by the city into the Metro system. This is why you (rarely) see signs (it is in the old tilework of some stations) but might hear NYers refer to the BMT/IND (the lettered lines more or less) & the IRT (the numbered lines more or less). The BMT/IND lines actually have different gauged track and are incompatible with the gauge for the IRT lines, hence the vastly different styles of cars on each type of line.

While it does not have the simple hub & spoke system of DC Metro, it does not need to be a daunting experience for the traveler. A good map & careful attention in the stations should keep anyone on track.