World Travel Guide > Guides > North America > United States of America > New York State > New York City

Local time New York City

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Places in New York City

Airports

New York John F. Kennedy International Airport

Getting around New York City

Public transport

Public transport is run by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), New York City Transit (tel: 511, in the USA only; www.mta.info).

The 24-hour subway is fast and cheap, although it is still best avoided late at night. The network serves over 400 stations. Staten Island is served by the MTA Staten Island Railway (tel: 511; www.mta.info).

To ride the subway, purchase a MetroCard, available at newsagents and station kiosks. Various types of cards are available, including pay-per-use, and 7-day unlimited travel. Kiosks accept credit/debit cards (some also accept cash); when a credit card is used, you will be asked to enter your zip code for verification. However, if your credit card account has a billing address outside of the United States, type in '99999' instead.

Bus services are extensive and run 24 hours, with stops every few blocks. Fares are paid with a MetroCard or exact change.

Taxis

Taxis are hailed on the curb. A 10-15% tip is expected, and there are various surcharges. Private car services can be called directly for fixed-rate fares. These are especially useful outside of Manhattan, where it can difficult to hail a taxi on the street.

Driving

Driving in Manhattan is not recommended to visitors. The traffic is horrendous, drivers are impatient, parking fees are exorbitant and street parking is elusive.

Car hire

Drivers must be at least 25 years old. Recommended car hire companies include include Alamo (tel: +1 888 826 6893; www.alamo.com), Avis (tel: +1 212 593 8470; www.avis.com) and Budget (tel: +1 212 333 5901; www.budget.com).

Bicycle hire

There are over 644km (400 miles) of bike lanes in New York. New York has become much more bicycle friendly in recent years, with key bike lanes up the west side of Manhattan, down Broadway and across the bridges between Manhattan and Brooklyn or Queens.

New York's bike-sharing scheme, Citibike (tel: +1 855 245 3311; http://citibikenyc.com) has thousands of bikes for quick hire around the city.

Central Park Bike Tours, 203 West 58th Street (tel: +1 212 541 8759; http://centralparkbiketours.com), offers bicycle hire.

For bike maps and other info, visit NYC Bike Maps (www.nycbikemaps.com).

A digital image at https://illuminoto.com

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Featured Hotels

The Greenwich Hotel

This hip downtown spot fills a renovated historic building in the Tribeca neighbourhood. From the eclectic lobby with its comfy chairs and imported Moroccan screens, to the luxurious bathrooms featuring Carrara marble and hand-laid Turkish tiles, you'll feel a rich combination of style and decadence.

Crosby Street Hotel

This chic downtown hotel features 86 individually designed guestrooms and suites, all with floor-to-ceiling windows, original artwork and a stylish contemporary design. Guests also enjoy the leafy garden, the private screening room and a whimsically designed bar. The hotel is beautifully located on a cobblestone street just a short stroll from the great dining and shopping in Soho and Nolita.

Ye Olde Carlton Arms Hotel

A somewhat divisive 'art' hotel that lots of people really love for its location and pricing, but which you're going to dislike if you're humourless, or are a stickler for high levels of cleanliness. The rooms are individually designed with striking, and sometimes shocking, motifs, and the casual air recalls a backpacker's hostel but with individual rooms. Bohemian, definitely.

Lowell Hotel

New York hotels don't come too much classier than this 1927 landmark building, set on a leafy street in one of the Upper East Side's most fashionable spots. Discreet and aristocratic, the liveried doormen escort you to opulent rooms crammed with period furniture and antique décor. It manages to retain an understated air, though, and is the ultimate retreat for those that can afford it.

The Paramount

There is nothing traditional about The Paramount, a post-modern showplace. For example, in the entrance, red roses are displayed vertically in vases set into the wall. The lobby bar, designed by Philippe Starck, has platinum walls and a glamorous staircase sweeping up to the mezzanine. Guests can gaze down from their tables to the music and theatre industry leaders reclining on the slightly off-kilter furniture below.

The Gershwin

Not far from the much-photographed Flatiron Building is The Evelyn, set in a historic building that has housed one hotel after the other since 1905. Recently renovated rooms feature soft cocoa colour schemes, crisp white linens and spacious bathrooms, and the location is superbly central.

Introducing New York City

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