Travel To New York City

Ah, New York City. The home of literally everything the world has to offer, the Big Apple’s 20 million people will be pleased to meet some new visitors and are generally regarded as some of the nicest people in the world.

Traveling to New York City gives you a number of things to look forward to, being the 1940s epicenter of jazz and modern blues, there’s a huge underground music scene in NYC, full of professional and amateur jazz and blues artists. Thousands of clubs and cultural institutions ensure that regardless of the day, you can find some sort of show being played. The arts and musics scenes are some of the most well developed in the world, and you shall certainly enjoy seeing some modern artwork and some unique music specifically from New York City.

But, with 20,000,000 people across less than 1,500 kilometers squared, New York City is packed, packed full of people, both good and bad. While regarded as one of the safest cities in the United States for violent crime, this heavily packed city full of travelers and tourists is a prime target for pickpockets. Keeping your wallet and bags safe should be one of your largest priorities while you’re permanently surrounded in a huge density of people.

The main forms of transportation in New York City are the public transit system: bus, and subway, and the taxi cab system. Neither of which are heavily used forms of transportation in non-metropolitan areas, and buying a bus pass should be a requirement for your stay, albeit likely something you’re not very used to.

How To Travel New York City:

For many holidaymakers, the only travel they think about before going on holiday is the trip to the airport and the flight to New York. But few people realize that flying is only just the beginning of their journey, and that they must travel around New York after arriving there. The thought of undertaking so much travel time in just one day is exhausting to think about, never mind do, and if you’re underprepared the task of travelling around New York will be very difficult. However, it won’t take too long to research all the best transport methods and routes around Manhattan, and if you begin before you go then you may find that travelling around New York is a fun and rewarding experience.

Be Prepared:

Many city guidebooks and other travel literature will come with a small, pull-out map, which will have the bus and subway routes printed on it. If you arrive in New York without a guidebook, or if you’ve lost your map, then look out for the free tourist literature such as magazine as guides, as they will always have a map inside them. If you have an iPhone, then you can download the official and free NYC subway map app, which will show you what routes to use and which routes to avoid when planning a day out in Manhattan.

Know Where You’re Staying:

This may sound obvious, but noting the name, address and phone number of the hotel or hostel will be very beneficial to you if you ever get lost. This is so you can hail a cab, or find out which subway to take in order to get back to your accommodation. It’s also good to know which area of New York you are staying in, such as Midtown, the Financial District, Soho or Uptown, as this will help you get to the right street. For example, you may be staying in Washington Street in the Financial District, but there is another Washington Street in Upper Manhattan, so make sure you know in order to avoid any costly journeys.

Learn the Rules of Travel:

As with any form of transport, you’ll find that there are rules to using your chosen transportation service on holiday in New York. The classic rules are clearly signposted, such as no smoking, eating, drinking, or spitting while on the subway, the bus or while sitting in a taxi cab. When using the subway, always remember to stand behind the yellow line marked on the subway platform so you won’t risk injury caused by standing to close to the edge of the platform when the train arrives. If a beggar approaches you on the subway, be aware that it is actually illegal to give any money to them on the subway, and that you could face a hefty fine or worse for getting caught giving any money to them, so don’t risk getting caught. Make sure you don’t take up too many seats with bags or other belongings on the subway or the bus, as this is disrespectful to other passengers when the bus or train is full.