Looking for tips on how to get around? Look no further!
First things first, did you know that you can use Google Maps without having any coverage or wifi (in places like Midtown where the service gets sketchy)?
Subway
The obvious one, run by MTA, and what the majority of New Yorkers use every day. The card you get is a flimsy piece of thin plastic and is quite important to keep a hold of. If you pay for the card via a card, you can recover the cost if you do lose the card, so I would recommend doing that.
All of the options can be found here, but the essentials are that you either pay-per-ride or pay for unlimited trips inside 7 or 30 days. This link will give you the maths on when it works out better for each.
Pro tip: EasyPay MetroCard. Instead of having to refill your card manually and wait in long queues, sign up for one of these and it automatically renews itself. You can also cancel it if you lose it and get your money back at a pro-rata rate (this applies for a 30-day card if you paid for it with a card, too).
Weekends and late nights are a pain in the butt because the tracks all get messed up and even the locals don't know what's going on. Google Maps and Apple Maps will do some of the work for you, but the better app is “Transit” which will give you up-to-date track information AND has a tick box for “Minimize Walking”.
There's also a website supplied by MTA called The Weekender which provides information of upcoming outages.
Bus
You'll find buses all over New York, and on the whole, they're incredibly handy to use to get around places that the subway doesn't quite cover or works better to cross town.
You use the same ticket that you use for the Subway (MTA) and dip/insert it as you get on (you do already need to have purchased one – find out where here). Use either the Transit app or Google/Apple Maps and you'll find your way fast (thanks, Tarley, J).
Use either the Transit app or Google/Apple Maps to discover the routes they take!
Uber & (so many) more
So the one you've heard of before coming here is Uber. They're everywhere here, and you won't have a problem finding one. What you might not know is that there are so so many more:
- Lyft – Younger sister of Uber but the big up and comer, probably #2.
- Via – Ride sharing with regular ride deals
One thing that does really work in New York especially is ride sharing. There are so many people traveling around that you should always check out the share options in the apps above for a ridiculously good rate.
Taxis
You can flag one down off the street, or order one by using the app, Curb. In fact, even if you're sitting in one, you can use Curb to pay instead of paying with cash or card.
Two things to note: Curb includes a surcharge for using the app, and secondly, you do have to tip taxi drivers between 15 and 20% per ride. While you'd think they're the cheaper option, in most cases they won't be.
CitiBike
You'll see blue CitiBikes all over the city in stations. These are fantastic if it's a warm day and you want to ride to your next appointment.
You pick it up from one spot, and drop it off wherever you're going. You can either pay per day, per ride, or if you're here for the long haul it's definitely worth an Annual Membership.
Discounts are available for those who have an IDNYC, CitiBank account, or referral from me.
Walk
This city is so much fun. Walk it!
