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Getting Around
Transportation
Subways
Buses
Taxicabs
Car
Service
Driving
New York City may strike the newcomer as an intimidating
place, with its crowded streets, its fast-moving pedestrians
and its “canyons” of skyscrapers. Once you develop
a basic understanding of the geography of the city and the
different transportation systems, however, you will quickly
become more confident about your ability to get around the
city.
Manhattan streets are laid out in a grid pattern, with avenues
running north and south (uptown and downtown) and streets
east and west (crosstown). Fifth Avenue divides Manhattan
into the east and west sides. South of 4th Street, in the
older part of the city, streets follow an irregular pattern
and have names instead of numbers. The other boroughs do
not have the same rigid layout. Queens has a unique system;
because of the large number of avenues, addresses there consist
of two sets of numbers. For example, 23-05 31st Avenue denotes
house number “5” on 31st Avenue at 23rd Street in
Queens.
Get yourself a good street map (available in bookstores)
to assist you in finding your way around New York City’s
various boroughs. A great way to sample the flavors of New
York City’s neighborhoods is to sign up for one of the
many different walking tours offered on weekends. During the
academic year, Metro International runs excellent walking
tours that are designed with international students (and their
budgets) in mind. Check out Metro’s website (www.metrointl.org)
for details of upcoming tours. For listings of other walking
tours look in Time Out New York, The Village Voice, or the
New York Press, all available at newsstands.
Transportation
New York City buses and subways are both run by the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority, or “MTA.” Their travel
information number is (718) 330-1234, and their website address
is www.mta.info.
For a free subway or bus map, ask an agent in any subway station
booth. The standard bus and subway fare is $2 per ride. To
travel on the subway, you must buy a “MetroCard,”
which is a prepaid travel card. To travel on the bus, you
can use a MetroCard or exact change (coins only). MetroCards
allow free transfer between the bus and subway. You can purchase
single ride MetroCards, but it is more convenient and economical
to purchase “pay-per-ride” or “unlimited”
MetroCards.
Purchasing a pay-per-ride MetroCard allows you to store money
on your card. Each time you ride the subway or bus, your fare
is deducted from your card. Pay-per-ride MetroCards can be
purchased for a minimum of $4 (2 rides) and a maximum of $80,
and are refillable. If you put $10 or more on a pay-per-ride
card you receive a 20% bonus, giving you extra rides (so a
$20 purchase actually covers $24 worth of rides).
If you ride the subway or bus regularly, it is probably more
economical for you to purchase an unlimited ride MetroCard,
which will allow you to take as many rides as you need within
a fixed period for a set price ($7 for a one-day “fun
pass,” $21 for a seven-day unlimited card, $70 for a
30-day unlimited card). If you use your card often enough,
you will end up paying considerably less than $2 per ride—the
more you ride, the less you pay.
Subways
While the New York subway (often called “the train”)
may be best known for its crowds and heat, it is absolutely
the fastest way to get around the city. As the subway map
shows graphically, it is a vast and sometimes confusing system,
with a 100-year history that dates back to separate lines
that were independently built and privately managed. However,
the network is extensive (running from the farthest reaches
of Queens to the northernmost Bronx), offers incredibly good
value for money, and is relatively safe, even at night.
The subway runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because
of this continuous operation, service changes and disruptions
sometimes occur to allow for repairs and construction, especially
at night and on weekends. Be sure to look for service change
information on signs posted in the stations and on the bulletin
boards near the main station booth, or check the MTA website
(www.mta.info).
Buses
Buses in New York are not the fastest way to travel, but they
can be a great way to see the city, and, like the subway,
they run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Separate bus maps
are available for each borough. Every bus has a number indicating
its route and a letter indicating the borough (M for Manhattan,
Q for Queens, B for Brooklyn, Bx for the Bronx and S for Staten
Island). It is helpful to know that if you are riding a bus
at night you can be let off at any point along your route
(as a safety precaution) not just at designated bus stops.
For traveling between boroughs, particularly to and from Staten
Island, express buses can be a good option. Express buses
cost $4 per ride and are marked with an “X” before
the route number.
Taxicabs
With its bright yellow exterior featured in countless films,
TV shows and photos of the city, a New York taxi will look
familiar to almost every visitor to the city. Within Manhattan,
taxis, or “cabs,” are generally plentiful and relatively
easy to hail at any curbside, except during rush hour (5–6
p.m.). All yellow cabs have meters that indicate the fare.
The current fare is an initial $2.50 plus $0.40 per fifth
of a mile or $0.20 per minute while stopped in traffic. There
is an extra $1 charge 4–8 p.m. weekdays (excluding holidays),
and an extra $0.50 nighttime charge from 8 p.m.–6 a.m.
Bridge or tunnel tolls are extra. Don’t forget to tip!
(See “Tipping”)
Taxi drivers are obligated to take you anywhere in the five
boroughs or to Newark airport, and are prohibited from charging
you more than the metered fee. To complain about a car or
driver or to trace lost property, call the Taxi and Limousine
Commission at 311, or go online to www.nyc.gov/html/tlc.
Car Service
Outside of Manhattan, yellow cabs are not generally available
on the street. Different “car service” companies
offer cars and drivers who will pick you up and drive you
to your destination for a fee. You can find a car service
company in your area by looking in the “yellow pages”
telephone directory under “car service.” Call the
car service company and tell the “dispatcher” where
you are and where you would like to go. Always ask what the
price of your trip will be, as there are no meters in car
service vehicles, and different companies may charge different
prices. Occasionally, you will have a long wait, so call in
advance if you need to depart at a specific time.
Driving
Driving a car in New York can be both costly and frustrating,
which is why very few New York City residents choose to keep
a car in the city. Parking garages are very expensive, and
finding a parking space on the street is a chore; you risk
having your car vandalized, and “alternate side of the
street” cleaning schedules require that you pay close
attention to days and hours when parking is forbidden in a
particular location. Car insurance is also very expensive,
and heavy or grid-locked traffic is yet another deterrent.
If you do plan to drive, you will need a valid driver’s
license. Rules for the validity of your home-country driver’s
license vary by state, so check with the local Department
of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC).
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New York State (NY)
For international students in New York State, driver’s
licenses from all other countries are valid, and are
preferably accompanied by an International Driving Permit
(only obtainable in your home country). The New York
Department of Motor Vehicles will actually discourage
you as an international student, from trying to obtain
a New York State driver’s license, unless you intend
to permanently settle in the U.S. They require that
you present a Social Security card (check the DMV website
for acceptable forms of identification) and surrender
your home country license when you apply for a New York
State license.
The New York Department of Motor
Vehicles
www.nydmv.state.ny.us
(212) 645-5550 or (718) 966-6155 (from area codes 212,
347, 646, 718, 917)
Available Mon., Tues., Wed. and Fri. 8 a.m.–4:30
p.m., and Thurs. 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
(800) DIAL-DMV (800-342-5368) (from area codes 516,
631, 845, 914)
Available Mon., Tues., Wed. and Fri. 8 a.m.–4:30
p.m., and Thurs. 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
(800) CALL-DMV (800-225-5368) (from all other area
codes in New York State)
Available Mon.–Fri. 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
(518) 473-5595 (from locations outside of New York)
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New Jersey (NJ)
International visitors are allowed to use their home
country driver’s license, accompanied by an International
Driving Permit, for up to one year. However, if you
will be living in New Jersey for more than 12 months
and plan to drive, you are required to apply for a New
Jersey license within 60 days of moving there. You don’t
have to surrender your home country license when obtaining
a New Jersey license. Which tests (written, vision,
road) you will be required to take in order to obtain
a New Jersey license depends on whether your country
is a member of the United Nations Convention on Road
Traffic (call the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
for a list of participating countries and required documents).
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
www.njmvc.gov
(888) 486-3339 (from New Jersey) or (609) 292-6500 (from
outside of New Jersey)
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Connecticut (CT)
International visitors are permitted to use their home
country driver’s license, accompanied by an International
Driver Permit, for up to one year. Most full-time students
on a student visa can use their home-country driver’s
license with an International Driver Permit for the
duration of their stay. Only students from Canada, France
and Germany are required to apply for a Connecticut
driver’s license if they want to drive a car, and
they have to do so within 30 days of moving there. If
you apply for a Connecticut license, you don’t
have to surrender your home country license.
Connecticut Department of Motor
Vehicles
www.ct.gov/dmv
(860) 263-5700 (within Hartford area or outside of Connecticut)
(800) 842-8222 (elsewhere in Connecticut)
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Car insurance is something else to bear in mind when buying,
renting or borrowing a car in New York. It is essential to
check that you are properly covered in case of accident or
theft.
Renting cars is expensive in the city, and is generally impossible
if you are younger than 25. If you are traveling out of the
city with a group of friends, it may work out economically
to rent a car and split the cost. Try checking out car rental
agencies in New Jersey or around the three main airports to
find rates that are more affordable than those in the city.
You can search for good bargains online, or check the “yellow
pages” telephone directory for car rental companies in
your area.
Sometimes it is cheaper to rent a car via a travel agency
in your home country, especially if you’re from Europe.
When you pick up your car in the U.S., you will have to show
a driver’s license from the country in which you booked
the car. If you’re planning a long trip, consider traveling
to another state by bus, train or airplane, and renting a
car in a smaller town where rates may be much less expensive
(reservations can be made from New York if you rent from a
national company).
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