New York City: Getting Around


New York City has a wonderful public transportation system. Unlike other cities,
the subway system runs all night and is not divided into zones- a $2.00 ticket could
take you up the street or to any of the other boroughs. A cheap way to ride the
subway is with a day or week Metrocard. A day pass will cost you $7 or $24 for a
week pass, and gets you unlimited subway and local bus use (but not express buses).


The best place to buy your Metrocard is from the computerized kiosks located in
most stations. These kiosks allow you to pay with debit or credit card as well as
cash. You can also buy Metrocards, get subway maps and directions from station
attendants, but some are friendlier than others.










In Manhattan, the subways generally go in an uptown or downtown direction so it is
important to know where you are in relation to where you are going. Also when you
are exiting the subway there will be signs indicating where the exit will put you. If
one exit says 72nd Street and another says 71st Street you can assume that if you
exit at the 71st Street exit you will be facing downtown, and if you exit from the
72nd Street exit you will be facing uptown. This is the general rule, but it can be
easy to get turned around so you might want to check if the numbers are getting
larger or smaller as you walk. Also some exits will be labeled with northeast corner
or southeast corner, if you exit at the northeast corner you should be headed
uptown, and exiting at the southeast corner would be heading downtown.

You can also use your Metrocard on Manhattan buses and although they are not
always the quickest way around, they can give you a great view of the city. Catch
the M1,2,3 or 4 bus at 106th Street and 5th Avenue on the Upper Eastside and
travel downtown along Central Park. Along 5th Avenue you will get great views of
the park and some of the nicest apartment buildings in the city.
                                                                                                --Amanda Chase

What's your favorite cheap way to get around New York City? Tell us here.

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