Getting around New York: how to use the transportation in New York City

Navigate the city that never sleeps like a pro, from taking the subway to hailing an iconic yellow cab.
By Casey Makovich

Spend more time exploring New York and less time planning with our guide to traveling around this beloved concrete jungle. Plus, to make your trip a breeze, we've included tips on getting into and away from the city.

Heading to the Big Apple? We put together a quick guide with information for getting around New York, including getting to and from the airport. With a long list of public transportation and bright yellow taxis wherever you turn, navigating around the City That Never Sleeps is easier than you think.

Whether you're staying within mainland Manhattan or traveling to the burrows and beyond, there are tons of subways, buses, taxis, trains, and ride-sharing services that can get you where you need to go. 

💰 >>  See how you can save up to 50% on New York attractions 

🗓️ >>  Check out our example New York itineraries 

 

Times Square metro station

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New York public transport

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is New York City’s public transportation system which consists of subways, buses, and ferries with most lines operating 24 hours a day.

Ⓜ️ The subway system has 24 lines, identified by either letters (A, B, C, etc.) or numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.). These routes serve Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. They connect the upper and lower halves of Manhattan, with stops covering almost anywhere you need to go.

🚌The MTA bus system has 253 local routes and 71 express bus routes in NYC’s five boroughs. Bus stops are located at street corners and have a tall, round sign with a bus emblem and route number. Most stops also include a “Guide-A-Ride”, a sign displaying the route map and bus schedule.

🚆If you are looking to get even further than the boroughs, the MTA also offers daily trains that run between NYC and Long Island, Westchester, the Hudson Valley, and even Connecticut. The MTA website has more information about the NYC transit system and schedules.

Head to any public transit station, look for an MTA Ticket Booth or machine, and select the pass that works best for you. You can purchase MTA cards for single rides, unlimited rides, or you can figure out how much you think you'll be using the MTA and load on an exact amount of cash to your card.

💡 Tip: Make sure to keep your MTA card for the duration of your trip, as you'll be able to re-load them if needed free of charge!

Hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tours

A Big Bus 1-Day Downtown & Uptown Hop-on Hop-off Tour is one of the best ways to start your trip! Get to know the city’s layout and top attractions so you can plan your itinerary and make the most of your time.

You’ll have the flexibility to hop-on or off at any of the stops along the route so you can explore an area by foot or visit popular attractions. The best part? It combines the need to get around with a fun and informative guided tour past New York's most famous landmarks.

🎟️ Getting on: Admission is available on the Go City® All-Inclusive Pass. 

Walking and biking

Walking and biking are great ways to get around, see the sights, and learn about New York and American history. You’ll find that many attractions are near one another.

Consider renting a bike for a day as a fun and memorable way to get around the city. Explore Brooklyn and its famous bridge, bike around to all the sights in Central Park, or check out the many miles of New York’s waterfront paths. You'll find that Manhattan is a very pedestrian-friendly city, and there's a wide range of tours available with your Go City®  All Inclusive or Explorer pass.

Taxis 🚕

New York City’s famous yellow taxis are widely available throughout the city, and relatively easy to hail.

Avoid rush hour as traffic can be bad and make your ride pricey. In addition to yellow taxis, many popular ridesharing services are also available in New York and are easy to use; simply download an app on your phone.

❗ Some taxis only accept cash —  be sure to account for any tolls that you may pass through when estimating your fare.

Getting to New York City

✈️ By plane

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), located in Queens, is about 15 miles from midtown Manhattan - about a 1-hour taxi ride.

You can use public transportation to avoid the hefty cab prices. Take the JFK's AirTrain, their public transit line to connect with New York City’s subways, buses, and rails.

Public transportation is the most affordable way to get to downtown, and may be the fastest with traffic.

Newark-Liberty International Airport (EWR), located in New Jersey, Newark might be your best option if Manhattan is your destination. It's 16 miles from midtown, but the cab ride is shorter than the ride from JFK.

There are toll fares to get to Manhattan, so the price of a taxi is comparable to one from JFK.

LaGuardia Airport (LGA), also in Queens but only 8 miles from Manhattan, is the closest airport to Manhattan. The airport is accessible via public transportation and a cab ride to midtown will take about 20-40 minutes.

🚆By train

Amtrak runs frequent service to NYC's Penn Station from most major cities in Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, such as Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. From Penn Station, located on Seventh Avenue between 31st and 33rd streets, you'll easily be able to grab a taxi or hop on public transportation.

🚌 By bus

Taking a bus to and from NYC can often be the most inexpensive way to get to Manhattan. Some popular bus company names are Megabus, FlixBusUSA, and Greyhound and most bus companies will drop passengers off at major landmarks.

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New York City Historical Sites

Teeming with history and alive with culture, New York is a rich city for the curious-minded. Whether you’re a history buff or decidedly not, New York attractons will excite, enrich, and expand your mind with their living history lessons. With summer vacation underway, now is the time to take your family to the Big Apple, where you’ll all get a taste of America’s most influential city. Because NYC is on the cutting edge in so many arenas (technology, art, education, finance, and fashion to name a few), it’s fascinating to see how this city developed throughout the last century. So sneak a little learning time into your family’s vacation this summer with some of these historic New York attractions: Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Ferry Ticket “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...” These are the words with which “Lady Liberty” welcomed millions of immigrants into the United States through Ellis Island for over 50 years. Today, the Statue of Liberty stands tall in representation of the American ideals of freedom and equality. As half of the current population can trace its roots back to ancestors who arrived in America by ship from abroad, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island remain pertinent parts of New York City culture. With the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Ferry (re-opened on July 4th!), you can visit both of the most historic sites in New York, and enjoy a ferry ride from Battery Park. Empire State Building One of the most historic and beloved New York attractions, the Empire State building stands at an impressive 102 stories, or 1,250 feet, tall. For 40 years after its consturction in 1931, the Empire State Building remained the tallest building in the world—contributing to its status as a global icon. Although no longer the tallest building in the world (or the United States), the Empire State Building is still treasured as an American cultural icon and well known for its distinct Art Deco architecture. Today, you can zoom to the top of the building via high-speed elevator and look out on all of Manhattan from the 360-degree open air observation deck on the 86th floor. Downtown Tour by City Sights Combining history with hip current culture and entertainment, the Hop On/Hop Off Downtown Tour by City Sights is the best way to explore the city and learn about its incredible past. From the double decker bus (which is cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and fully water proof in the rain), you’ll feel like you’re part of the action without getting bogged down in the crowds. Best of all, you can hop on or off at any of several points along the way, so that you can further explore the sites that most interest you. Some of the New York attractions you’ll pass include the Empire State Building, Little Italy, Chinatown, the Site of the World Trade Center, Time Square, the Theater District, Wall Street, the Lower East Side, Museums of Lower Manhattan, the United Nations, and much more. Explore and Save With Smart Destinations’ you can choose from two ways to explore the City at your convenience while saving money with New York attraction pacakage discounts. Use the New York Explorer Pass to pick from 56 attractions as you go and save up to 45% off of gate prices or try Go Select New York to build your own itinerary before you go and enjoy maximum savings on only your favorite attractions!
Go City Expert
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2013 World Science Festival in New York City

Everyone knows New York is one of the best places in the world for art, culture and entertainment, but did you know that NYC is big in the science scene, too? There are plenty of science-oriented New York City attractions available this spring, including the 2013 World Science Festival. Hosted in New York each year by the Science Festival Foundation, this year’s festival is from May 29 to June 2, 2013, and will be held in locations across the city. The Science Festival Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing the wonder and significance of scientific discovery with the general public. This series of events is perfect for any visitor or local interested in learning more about our world. Sessions span a variety of topics, formats, and styles, including everything from conventional lectures and multi-media presentations to pie-making, film-viewing, and a science themed StorySLAM. Here’s a selection of just a few of the many sessions available during the 2013 World Science Festival. Big Picture Questions One of the great things about modern science is just how much exciting and groundbreaking work is being done in labs, universities, and research facilities around the world. These sessions feature cutting-edge topics and big questions that humans have always asked about themselves and the universe. Spooky Action: The Drama of Quantum Mechanics Speakers: Brian Greene, Maia Guest, Carl Howell, Michael Roush Wednesday, May 29, 2013 / 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM Also available on Thursday during the same time slot in the same theater. The New Victory Theater This popular session is all about the mysteries of quantum mechanics, from Einstein’s day to our own. Learn how quantum theories radically changed the ways scientists understood the fabric of the universe. Perfect for the aspiring astrophysicist or Michael Crichton fan. Image courtesy of the Science Festival Foundation Architects of the Mind: A Blueprint for the Human Brain Speakers: Bill Weir, R. Douglas Fields, Kristen Harris, Murray Shanahan, Gregory Wheeler Friday, May 31, 2013 / 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College You’ve probably heard the metaphor of the body as a machine – well, your brain may be the computer that runs it! Speakers at this session debate past and present theories about the functioning of the human brain, trying to figure out what makes our brains more than “an elaborate organic computer.” Of course all this raises the provoking question: if our brains are computers, then will the advanced computing systems in our future count as sentient? Infinity Speakers: Keith Devlin, Raphael Bousso, Philip Clayton, Steven Strogatz, W Hugh Woodin Friday, May 31, 2013 / 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM NYW Skirball Center for the Performing Arts It doesn’t get any more “big picture” than this. From math to art to philosophy, the concept of infinity has been a huge part of human culture for centuries. In this session, modern scientists and philosophers will debate the possibility of infinity as something that actually exists in our tangible world. The source of some of the most profound and most controversial ideas in human history, the idea of infinity is a truly fascinating topic. Science and Food Some of my favorite sessions this year combine the human love of food with the science that produces it. Learn all about the science behind some of your favorite snacks and beverages, alongside a history of the ways in which advances in modern technology have changed both our diet and our relationship with food as a culture. Cheers to Science! A Drinkable Feast of Beer, Biotechnology, and Archaeology Speakers: Sam Calagione, Patrick E. McGovern Thursday, May 30, 2013 / 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM The Bell House The art of brewing beer dates back to 9000 BC, making it quite possibly the oldest use of biotechnology in human history. Beer was also influential in shaping the human diet, agricultural industry, and scientific progress. Explore ancient ales, and even try a few samples! When else can you say you’ve tried a 3,500-year-old Nordic Grog recipe? (Grog tastes a lot better than it sounds.) Image courtesy of the Science Festival Foundation The Taste of Science Speakers: Dave Arnold, Maxime Bilet, Owen Clark, Wylie Dufresne, Rachel Dutton, Stuart Firestein, Kent Kirshenbaum, Michael Laiskonis, Harold McGee, Amy Rowat, César Vega Thursday, May 30, 2013 / 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Astor Center This session is being billed as “part science lab, part cocktail dinatoire.” Hosted by chefs and culinary scientists, this event is a multi-course tasting experience that reflects the endless possibilities of science in the kitchen. Did you know that a lot of scientific discoveries have been made by experimenting chefs? The Science of Food: From Geek to Chic Maxime Bilet, Anne E. McBride, Harold McGee Friday, May 31, 2013 / 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM The Institute of Culinary Education If “The Taste of Science” looks interesting to you, you’ll probably love this one, too. This session features two groundbreaking books by Harold McGee and Maxine Bilet as the heart of a conversation about the relationship between science and cooking. Think of it as a great retrospective on the culture and technology of food science. Family-Friendly Sessions Because the World Science Festival offers such a diverse selection of events and talks, there are a few that aren’t designed with kids in mind (see above: “Cheers to Science!”). Fortunately, Festival planners are putting on a bunch of great events that kids and families will enjoy. The Dance of the Planets: An Evening Under the Stars Saturday, June 1, 2013 / 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park This is the event for kids who love to stargaze (the ones with glow-in-the-dark stickers on the ceiling, too). This outdoor party beneath the Brooklyn Bridge will be a great opportunity to explore the wonders of the night sky alongside leading astronomers. There will be live music and plenty of telescopes to go around (although you’re encouraged to bring your own if you have one). Amateurs and professionals all welcome! [Tip: If your kids love stargazing here, visit the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History for more astronomical fun.] Cool Jobs Speakers: Baba Brinkman, Katherine Isbister, Michelle Khine, Amanda Kinchla, Edwin Olson Sunday, June 2, 2013 / 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts As part of the Science Festival Foundation’s dedication to spreading an interest in science, this session is all about the cool jobs across the science fields available today. If your kids are really into robots, show them the possibilities of a future in engineering design! Other highlighted jobs include everything from ecology to biomedical engineering. The perfect opportunity to inspire a life-long love of science. Of course, this is just a small sliver of what’s going to be on tap at the World Science Festival this year. Visit the Festival website for more information on the schedule; some exhibits and sessions have yet to be announced. And don’t be discouraged if something you really want to see has been sold out – there are a limited number of tickets available only at the door. If your visit to the World Science Festival piques your curiosity, consider a visit to some of the other science-themed New York City attractions, like the American Museum of Natural History (home to one of the best collections of dinosaur bones in the world, plus the famous Hayden Planetarium) and the Intrepid Museum (actually on an aircraft carrier!) and Space Shuttle Pavilion.
Katie Sagal
Top of the Rock vs Edge
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Top of the Rock vs Edge - Compare Observation Decks

Do you know what's better than one observation deck overlooking Manhattan? Two observation decks overlooking Manhattan. That's right, we're talking about Top of the Rock and Edge. Double trouble. The gruesome twosome. Now imagine, if you will, that these two static buildings suddenly came to life. No, please don't click away. So they're alive, right? And they have to, like, fight and stuff. Who would win? Well, let's explore their strengths and weaknesses as Top of the Rock faces off Vs. Edge. Let's get ready to rumble! Top of the Rock Vs. Edge: A brief history You'll find Top of the Rock at the top of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. If that combination of words sparks recognition in that withered brain of yours, it's likely due to the hit sitcom 30 Rock, which takes place within its walls. The Plaza is nearly 100 years old, being built back in 1933, so it's certainly the older of the two. It's also been home to some of America's biggest companies, including General Electric, Comcast, and NBC - 30 Rock's network, funnily enough. Edge, on the other hand, is the baby of the two. It's a newly-established observation deck at the newly-renovated Hudson Yards, which has evolved from a shipping district to a cool, gentrified neighborhood. It's named as such due to its proximity to the Hudson River. But other than that, there's not much more history to cover. Top of the Rock Vs. Edge: The view As you'll find both, there are bound to be landmarks you'll see from both Top of the Rock and Edge. So, let's explore each in more detail, so you'll know what to point your camera at! From the Top of the Rock observation deck, you'll get clear views of the Empire State Building, the whole of Central Park, the Statue of Liberty (on a clear day, but don't count on it), Times Square (more likely a night due to all the LED light), and the Chrysler Building. So, plenty to see! From Edge, you'll also see the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and maybe Lady Liberty on a good day. But what else will your eyes gaze upon? Well, you'll see the One World Trade Center, The Vessel (an interactive art installation in Hudson Yards, and the Hudson River. What can you do at Top of the Rock? Yes, there is the observation deck, but we'll get to that. Patience is a virtue, after all. Why are we making you wait? Well, because there's more to 30 Rock than just the observation deck. Start at the bottom, where you'll find multiple exhibits dedicated to the building, the area, and New York in general. You'll see video footage of the Rockefeller Center's historic 10-year construction during the Great Depression in the 1930s. You'll even learn more about the life and times of the building's namesake, John D Rockefeller. Drink all that in, and then it's time for the ascent. The ride up itself lasts but a minute, shooting you up into the sky like some kind of advanced catapult - though a lot more comfortable. Then, you'll exit the elevator and be hit by the view. Get your camera or phone out and get snapping. Snap like there's no tomorrow. Snap like your life depended on it. After that, you're done! Feel free to head back down and explore Manhattan! What can you do at Edge? No messing around here. Head straight in, and take the elevator up to the 100th floor. Then, step out onto the open-air viewing platform and see for yourself. When you're up there, you can drink the view. Ah. Just sip it so it lasts longer. Delicious view. In the middle of the observation deck, you'll find a glass floor. Why is that there? Well, it's for daredevils like you to walk on top of, so you can see the ground hundreds of feet beneath you! Then, when you're done, head back down and take a mosey around Hudson Yards. It's not just newly built flats but an entire ecosystem of shops, restaurants, bars, and parks to explore. How to get to Top of the Rock There are several ways to get to Top of the Rock. These are them! If you're going on the subway, the B, D, F, and M lines stop at the 47-50th Streets-Rockefeller Center station, just a short walk from Top of the Rock. Alternatively, take the 1, E, or C subway lines to the 50th Street station. If the bus is the best boy, you're in luck; several routes head into the area, including the M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7, M27, M50, and M104. If you're driving, there are several parking garages in the area. However, traffic downtown can be utterly brutal. So maybe leave the car at home. You could always get a taxi if you want it to be someone else's problem! Then, when you're there, purchase a ticket or show your pass to beat the queue and get in straight away. How to get to Edge If you plan on taking the subway, the closest subway station to Hudson Yards is the 34th Street-Hudson Yards station (funnily enough), that's served by the 7 train. From the subway station, you can walk to Hudson Yards in a few minutes. If you're taking a bus, several routes serve the Hudson Yards area, including the M12, M34, and M34A. If driving's your poison, you'll find several parking garages in the area. But parking in Manhattan can burn through cash quicker than a bad habit, and driving around there isn't much better. Then, when you're there, purchase a ticket or show your pass to beat the queue and get in straight away. Save on New York Activities and Attractions And now you know everything anyone ever need know about Top of the Rock faces off Vs. Edge. Rather than pick just one, go to both to make the most of the differing views and experiences! Does booking both sound expensive? It needn't be. With Go City's All-Inclusive Pass and Explorer Pass, you can head to both, as well as tons more of New York's best bits, for one low price!
Dom Bewley

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