On foot
IF you want to explore a small area of New York nothing beats walking. If you’re in Manhattan, the logical grid system with avenues and streets will make it easy for you to find your way to virtually any destination. Along the avenues, there are 20 blocks per mile and the average person can walk roughly one block per minute. You can also start of each day with a jog like a lot of New Yorkers do? In the parts of New York commonly frequented by tourists, all streets have wide and smoothly paved sidewalks and there is of course also the famous Central Park.
Taking the bus or subway
If you want to use the iconic New York subway system you need to purchase a MetroCard. It is still possible to pay cash on the bus, but only if you have the exact amount of change in coins so getting a MetroCard is recommended for the bus traveller as well. Metrocards can be boght at veding machines at the stations and is issued by the NY Transit Authority. The metrocard can also be bought in a lot of grocery stores and news stands as well as online. Current price and other info can be found on the MetroCard website.
By taxi
The taxis in new york are world famous and most peope who visit the city try the iconic yellow taxis atleast once. A properly licensed yellow cab will have a special license plate, a light with a taxi number on the roof, stickers on the windshield showing various licenses, a metal seal on the hood (the so called medallion), a divider in the car, and a meter for billing.
Another alternative is the livery cab, also known as black car or car service, which is called by phone rather than flagged down in the street. In these taxis it is customary to pay a flat fee instead of using a meter so always negotiate the price in advance. If it saus “Livery” or “TLC” at the bottom of the license plate you know it is an official black taxi.
Rental with a driver
An alternative to simply hailing a cab off the street is to retain the services of a transport company offering something a little bit more fanciful, such as a modern stretch hummer or classy Lincoln Continental. This can be a lot cheaper than you might expect and using a car service for a few hours doe not need to cost much.
Rental car to drive yourself
For those who prefer to do the driving themselves, New York has a multitude of car rental agencies to choose among and many have fitted their cars with GPS devices that make it easy for you to find your way even if you’ve never been to New York before. Renting a car is especially tempting if you wish to explore the state of New York and not just the city, i.e. taking a weekend off at some nice little B&B in the countryside. You should remember that driving in the city can be hectic and stressing. Previous driving experience from high-paced multimillion cities is recommended.
