Having lived here for four years, I will share my best tips on how to get around NYC whether you are new to the city or are visiting temporarily.
We will go in-depth on how to get around New York City in these 8 ways:
- Walk
- Citibike
- Subway
- Uber or Lyft
- Taxi
- Curb
- Bus
- Ferry
1. Walk
New York City is a very friendly city to walk in. You can walk from 90th street all the way down to 50th street without getting bored. The endless sidewalks with shops and restaurants seem to continue forever. Plus, the best way to get to know a city is through walking!
2. Citibike
Biking is another great way to get around the city. You can rent a Citibike in 45-minute increments for $3.50 or pay $15/month (or $179 annual fee upfront) for unlimited 45-months rides. I used to have an unlimited annual pass and enjoyed using it to commute to work. A fun thing to do includes renting a bike and riding it around Central Park. Do note that some streets are more bike-friendly than others.
3. Subway
Riding the subway is my most common mode of transportation. With $2.75 per one-way ride regardless of the distance traveler, it’s certainly one of the cheapest ways to get around NYC.You can also get the 7-day unlimited MTA card ($33) or a 30-day unlimited card ($127) Alternatively, through the OMNY system, you can simply tap your credit card or scan Apple Pay with your Apple Watch or phone at the turnstile.
Note: Subway stations may have multiple entrances with one entrance leading to the uptown train platform and another entrance leading to the downtown train platform. If you end up on the wrong side, you can easily cross to the other side in some stations. In other stations, you have to walk back out of the station, scan again, and get back onto the right side.
Sometimes a subway train may be delayed or simply not running. I use the New York Subway app to check the service status so I don’t go through all the trouble to enter a subway station only to find out the subway line I’m riding is out of service.
4. Uber or Lyft
While these ride-share apps are readily available to use across the country, I’ve found that pickup times for Uber and Lyft in NYC are much less than when I used these services outside the city. When I visited San Diego recently, I realized how much I took for short wait times for granted (my average wait time for a Lyft or Uber in San Diego was about 15-30 minutes). On another note, Uber and Lyft drivers are much less chatty than those in other cities. For most of my rides, we never have a conversation so don’t feel awkward with the silence! It’s quite normal.
On an ideal weather conditions, my usual wait times are 2-5 minutes for locations in Manhattan. I will always have both apps open and check which price is cheaper. During higher traffic times or unideal weather conditions, however, surge pricing occurs on these Rideshare apps. Thankfully, there are plenty of other options to get around NYC and avoid paying for surge prices.
5. Taxi cab
I appreciate being able to flag down a taxi cab and there are plenty around. When I found myself outside with “Hurricane” Henri causing a downpour and flooding the streets, my savior was a yellow taxi cab. During unideal weather conditions, Rideshare apps are much less reliable as I waited for ages and never got matched to a driver. Thankfully, when I stepped into the flooding streets with a poncho on, I was able to flag down a taxicab within minutes.
6. Curb
This is a Taxi app that allows you to schedule taxi cabs ahead of time or for pickup now. I’ll often check this app and compare it against the prices of Uber and Lyft. You can also flag down a Taxi and pair your Curb account with the number provided in the Taxi to pay.
7. Bus
Another fantastic public transportation option is the bus which costs $2.75/one-way ride. You can also get the 7-day unlimited MTA card ($33) or a 30-day unlimited card ($127) that you can also use for the subway. On most buses, there’s an option to pay through the OMNY system. You can simply tap your credit card or scan Apple Pay with your Apple Watch when you board the bus.
From my personal experience, the buses can be confusing as they may run late. If I do take the bus, I use Google Maps which has live-tracking of the bus.
8. Ferry
The ferry costs $2.75/one way and operates along the East River. People use it for their commutes between Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. A fun trip is to catch the Ferry at East 34th Street in Midtown East and go to DUMBO in Brooklyn.
Bonus Tip:
I use Google Maps to check how long it takes to commute via the various options available. For example, if I wanted to go to Joe’s Shanghai from Penn station, it would take me 12 minutes by car, 20 minutes by public transportation, 56 minutes walk, 12 minutes by Rideshare, and 20 minutes by bike. I’ve found that data usage and real-time feedback are much more reliable on Google Maps than others such as Apple Maps.
I hope that you’ve found these tips on how to get around NYC helpful. I’d love to hear about your common ways of getting around in the city in the comments!
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New York City Museums with Free and Discounted Student Tickets
