HELP first time going to NYC ALONE?

Question

I'm 19 years old and I live in Los Angeles. I will be visiting NYC in April...for the first time. The person I'm staying with lives in Manhattan and has a super busy schedule and I'll have to get a cab from JFK to their house and basically just go on adventures by myself while I'm there. I like to be alone, but I suck when it comes to figuring out where the hell I'm going. I worry that I will get seriously lost. I wish that I was traveling with just one other person, but obviously that isn't an option. I didn't even care really when she told me I'd have to just spend my day taking the subway wherever I want to go, but when I told my mom all of this she had this terrified look on her face.

I am not the most independent person, but I am trying to be. I'm nervous about the trip but I'm also really excited, and my mom, who of course has the right to worry...has kind of freaked me out. I already bought my ticket and there is no way in hell that I'm not going, so what tips do you guys have for me? My mom flipped out when I told her that my flight arrives in NY at 10pm and that I'll be taking a taxi that late at night, but I'm not worried. I mean there's nothing I can do about it, so I'll just go with the flow. But what should I do while I'm there? I might meet up with someone but if I don't...I'll be on my own for about 85% of the 5 day trip.

Also, can anyone recommend specific things that I should probably bring?

Answer 1

You will probably spend most of your time in Manhattan (actually, probably ALL of your time, excluding the trip from the airport.)



It's hard to get lost in most of Manhattan! The streets are mostly a numbered grid. If you can count you can find your way. The only tricky part (not THAT tricky) is that there is an East and a West side. So for example, there will be a 45 EAST 33rd Street and a 45 WEST 33rd Street. Just pay attention to the addresses. Sometimes it will say East or West and sometimes it will just have an E or a W in front of the street name. And the easiest addresses are the ones that give a cross street - like when someone says an address is at 33rd and Park. That just means near the corner of 33rd Street and Park Avenue.



No, the hard part is below 14th Street. That's more complicated, because its an older part of town and was developed before the grid came into being. The grid lays over the streets closer to 14th Street, but it doesn't always make logical sense. And there is no grid at all below Houston Street.



But don't worry. Carry a map (or a smart phone) and ask for directions. Most New Yorkers love to give directions.



You'll get the hang of it. Don't worry. The best way to learn your way around a new place is to explore on your own - and even get lost a little bit!



You'll do fine!

Answer 2

For starters, Manhattan is probably the safest of the five boroughs to stay in while visiting NYC. Even if you don't take a cab everywhere, the MTA can be a great bet; especially effective on the west side. To make sure you can get around without getting lost, I recommend that you download the Google Maps app or save a link to Google Maps in your mobile browser. G Maps has the best transit directions available to get you around the city. Alternatives are HopStop and the MTA site itself. And tell your mom to not be as worried; this is not the MTA of the 80s; as long as you stay in Manhattan or even downtown Brooklyn, there will be little chance of trouble.



The only thing I can really recommend for April is that Broadway season is in the second to last month, so catching a couple of shows would be nice. However, if you're not about that indoor life, then you can buy a one-day pass for the NY Sightseeing buses that board near the Empire State Building at 34th St and 5th Ave. The two routes that the buses run on will take you to all of the "tourist" sights of Manhattan. After the tour, you can decide if you want to revisit specific locations and take the subway there.



Downtown, there's the Staten Island Ferry, which can take you on a FREE downtown boat ride to Staten Island and back, giving you a photo op for the Statue of Liberty and the Verrazano Bridge. Downtown also has Ground Zero, site of the WTC attacks, and the NYSE building at Wall St. Midtown has the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, and everyone's favorite, Times Square. If you feel like gambling, you can get a bus at Port Authority Bus Terminal to Atlantic City and visit the various casinos there. They leave from Gate 1 and tickets are about $32, but the destination casino will usually give you about half back in casino credit or CASH.



Finally, bring a camera, a smartphone, and an umbrella. The rain is real in April.



Have fun!

Answer 3

A smartphone with GPS app. Claratin if you are allergic to eastern plants, our trees are totally different, no palms and shrubs and brush and stuff. The map is on mta.info/maps, there's 400 stations, it's pretty big. Tip the cabbie 15 to 20%, everyone does it, they need it to make ends meet. Take the Long Island Railroad and Airtrain to the plane during daytime, it's cheaper.



The subway was effing dangerous in the 70s and 80s. My father got choked and mugged, his friend got mugged twice, spray-painters would break into train yards to coat them with grafitti. Though they clean them now and large parts are really safe, at least a quarter is still gangster. Wanna know which parts and/or times of the subway not to do to avoid seeing gangbangers? A few people die by getting pushed in front of trains.



And it's unfortunate that this is good advice but don't go out with blacks or suave guys, it's just too hard to tell if he's really an honest guy or a player or drug dealer, date rapist or danger to you. Like that black who tortured his gf with a screwdriver for 3 weeks until she escaped. Oh, and there was this normal-looking cop who asked an undercover agent to deliver him 100 women to rape, simmer alive in his oven and eat 5000 pounds human flesh. (he wasn't black)

Answer 4

I stay here, and Madison sq. backyard is ONE BLOCK from Penn Station that's the place you will get on the LIRR to pass out to long island. it rather is brilliantly lit and crammed with human beings, rather around 11pm, so which you would be extra desirable than high-quality. do no longer difficulty approximately it in any respect, the worst that should probably happen is you ought to take heed to a saxophone participant. possibly eat a warm canines. it rather is crowded on that block. This became your ultimate answer. Love, Snag

Answer 5

New York is actually pretty easy to get around, because it's like a grid. Get an easy-to-read map and use GPS on your phone, and you'll be able to get around anywhere. Also, contrary to popular opinion, New Yorkers are pretty friendly, so don't be afraid to ask for directions.

Don't worry about getting in at 10PM. There's a line of taxis outside, so just join the others on line and you'll get one--you won't have to hail one down.

In general, taxis are easier, but they also get expensive. The subway can get a little confusing (the subway map they post in the stations is kind of hard to figure out)...but if you know exactly where you are going, you can ask your friend which subway line you should take (or even look it up online), and you'll be fine taking it (again, ask for directions if you need to!)

The subway is not dangerous (though it's not somewhere you want to be if it's 3 in the morning and you're alone). Also, just so you know, you can now pay by credit card in cabs (and if they say their machine is broken, they're lying, so just swipe your card anyway...though it's illegal for them to do that, so they don't really do it so much anymore!)

You'll be able to fill your time REALLY easily--and NY is great because you can kind of split your activities up so that you're not racing all over town--for example, there are a bunch of museums in walking distance of each other, so you can do that for a day instead of going to one museum uptown and then running to another downtown, and then back uptown again, etc.

Here are some things to do:

--"Museum Mile"--a mile-long stretch on the Upper East Side with some of the best museums in New York: the Guggenheim and the Met. If you walk over to Madison, you get hit the Whitney too. Central Park is also right there near Museum Mile, as is the entrance to the Central Park Zoo (totally worth seeing, trust me), so that's a whole day of activities within only a mile.

--Midtown. I personally hate Times Square because of the crush of people, but you kind of need to see it if you come to New York. Times Square has a bunch of its own attractions: Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, Forever 21 (4 floors!). Also, in the nearby area, you can see Grand Central, the Plaza Hotel, Rockefeller Center (and go to the 'top of the Rock' if you want...I think the view is even better than the Empire State Building, which is also way more annoying/crowded), St. Patrick's Cathedral (a must! Right next to Saks Fifth Avenue), the Museum of Modern Art and the NY Public Library. That area also has lots of shops. Just walk up and down 5th Avenue and Madison in the 40s and 50s, and you'll hit tons of stores: Urban Outfitters, Saks Fifth Avenue, Joe Fresh, Zara, H&M, Tiffany, Bergdorf Goodman, the Apple Store, Sephora, Cartier, Prada, Barney's New York, Armani, etc. Honestly just TONS of shopping in that area.

--Columbus Circle. Again, fun shopping.

--Natural History Museum. On the Upper West Side. One of my absolute favorites

--There are lots of cheap, fun comedy shows. Caroline's on Broadway consistently has great comedians, as does the Upright Citizens Brigade (pretty famous place)

--Walk along the High Line. Info is here: http://www.thehighline.org/ and http://www.thehighline.org/about/maps

--See a Broadway show! Matinees are often cheaper, and you can go to the TKTS booth in Times Square to get cheap tickets (or you can just buy online too). Some of my favorites and/or more popular shows: The Lion King, Wicked, Jersey Bots, Chicago, Newsies, Once. Go to Broadway.com to see the shows.

--Go to the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum. Really cool.

--Go to Lincoln Center, just because it's so beautiful to see. You could possibly catch a ballet. When you're there, go to P.J. Clarke's--a very popular place for (very good) burgers.

--Wander around SoHo. It's a pretty cool place.

New York is great for just wandering. You can walk in a random area and will inevitably find a museum, shop, restaurant or cafe that catches your eye.



Some random tips:

--Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are amazing, but as far as I know, they are both still closed because of Hurricane Sandy

--Whether on the East Side or West Side, don't go too far uptown. It's usually a good rule to stay south of 100th.

--DO NOT take pedi cabs (bicycle cabs). They charge random prices--and often raise the price you've agreed upon once you get to your destination. They are awful.

Answer 6

walk the city. pretty easy as it is laid out on a grid system. streets go east to west and avenues run north to south. twenty blocks is a mile. i used to frequent greenwich village and the upper west side - 72nd - 113th on broadway. central park is always a nice walk as well.