Welcome to New York City! Getting around is really easy, especially in Manhattan which is largely based on a grid system.  Streets run east to west and street numbers increase as you go north. Avenues run north and south, and avenue numbers increase as you go west.

Skip ahead if you are look for suggestions for sightseeing, Broadway shows, or our favorite restaurants.

If you are looking for hotel accommodations, visit our "When & Where" page.

The Subway

The subway is the cheapest and most convenient way to get around (other than walking). The subway map as well as any train delays or route changes can be found at mta.info. They also have an app you can download called The Weekender (iOS and Android) for subway information.  You can buy a refillable subway card at any station for $1 and rides are $2.75 each.  You can easily share a refillable card with multiple people. If you buy a single ride card it's $3/ride but that's not cost effective if you're riding the subway more than once.  If you buy a weekly unlimited card ($32) you can ride as many times as you like during that period.  However, you have to wait 15 minutes between swipes, so it's not a good option to share with others. Children under 3' 8" tall ride for free. They just duck under the turnstile. 

Cabs and Car Services

Yellow cabs are everywhere in Manhattan and you can hail them from the street.  When you get into a cab they are required by law to take you to any destination in NYC (including the outer boroughs and Newark) via the route you choose and cannot refuse you service once you're in the cab and have told them your destination.  To learn more about your rights as a passenger click here.  

Sometimes you'll see green cabs too but they only pick up passengers in the outer boroughs (Brooklyn, Queens, etc). There are also black cars which are livery car services (sometimes called gypsy cabs) that can be scheduled in advance for pick up.  However, you cannot hail a black car on the street and please avoid livery drivers asking to take you to Manhattan from any of the airports. For those who prefer ride apps Lyft, Uber, Arro, Via and Curb are all operating in NYC.  

Those of you flying in have a few options:

John F. Kennedy (JFK)

• TAXI - always the easiest, usually the fastest (but not during rush hour) but the most expensive at $52 flat rate plus tolls, taxes, and tip

• SHUTTLE - available outside baggage claim, and will drop you off at Grand Central Terminal, from which you can take the subway or taxi to your final destination, usually about $20, but can take over an hour to get into the city

• SUBWAY - the cheapest, and occasionally the fastest (during rush hour) - take the AirTrain to Howard Beach Station, buy a MetroCard for at least $9 ($1 for the card, $5 for taking the AirTrain, and $2.75 for the Subway), to get into the A train station, from there you can take the A train all the way into Manhattan, transfer to the uptown 4/5 at Fulton Street to get to Union Square (The W Hotel) or transfer to the Manhattan bound R/W at Jay Street/Metrotech to get to 28th St (Hilton Garden Inn)

LaGuardia (LGA)

• TAXI - Michelle's recommendation, taking the Midtown Tunnel, quick and easy, $40-$50 all in

• SHUTTLE - available outside baggage claim, and will drop you off at Grand Central Terminal, from which you can take the subway or taxi to your final destination, usually about $20, but can take over an hour to get into the city

Newark (EWR)

• TAXI - always the easiest, usually the fastest (but not during rush hour) but the most expensive at $60-$70 flat rate plus tolls, taxes, and tip

• SUBWAY - if you are a boss, take the AirTrain which connects to NJ Transit and take a NJ Transit train to New York Penn Station ($13). Walk over to Herald Square and take the N/R/Q/W downtown to 28th Street for Hilton Garden Inn or Union Square for the W Hotel ($2.75 + $1).

Here are some places in New York that are worth checking out

BROADWAY INFO

To get an idea of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows playing you can visit Broadway.com or Time Out New York.  Many Broadway shows give any unsold tickets the day of to the TKTS booth in Time Square where you can buy them at a discount. They open at 10:00am for matinees and 3:00pm for evening shows. This is a fun way to do something last minute, but not great if you absolutely want to see a specific show.  If you want to see a really popular show like Hamilton you just need to buy tickets far in advance by visiting their website. 

TodayTix is also an app that sells discounted Broadway tickets which you can do a few days in advance. 

For the dance fans: NYC Ballet's season typically ends in June but American Ballet Theatre performs at the Metropolitan Opera House every summer from May-early July.  You can also see what dance company is performing at The Joyce Theater which features more than just ballet.

Here is a sample of some of our favorite restaurants, mostly in and around our neighborhood

East Village :

• Veniero's (Italian Pastries)
• El Diablito (Taqueria)
• Luzzo's (Pizza)
• Thailand Cafe
• Mee's Noodle Shop (American Chinese)
• The Joint (Philly Cheesesteaks)
• Paul's (Burgers)
• Chikalicious Dessert Club
• Sundaes and Cones
• MUD (Coffee and Brunch)
• Cacio e Pepe (Italian)
• Dos Toros (Taqueria)
• Tompkins Square Bagels
• Ippudo (Ramen)
• Mi Garba (Wine Bar)
• Veselka (Pierogis)

Above 14th Street:

• Blue Smoke (American BBQ)
• Big Daddy's (Diner)
• Friend of a Farmer (Farm-to-Table American)
• BCD Tofu House (Koreatown - Soon Dooboo)
• Hyo Dong Gak (Koreatown - Ja Jang Myun)
• Jongro (Koreatown - Korean BBQ)
• miss Korea (Koreatown - Korean BBQ)

Other:

• Taim (The BEST Falafel in the city)