quote:

Originally posted by Colleen Anne2:
Thanks Shelley,

I'm not used to taking public transport, particularly subways, so I always avoid them when I travel. I knew that this may make NY difficult for me.

The subways are a nightmare for everyone including me! Luckily, unlike in Europe, NYC subway cars are all air conditioned (unless their is a "hot car" with a problem); platforms are not and are intensely stiffling in warm and hote weather.

Plenty of walking will be possible, as well as buses and cabs to slowly see the city as you may go from point A to point B. Unfortunately, subways are the best value from points A to B and even C!.

Have you done a search on the BB on New York? There is plenty of info already passed along in recent months.

October will still be quite warm; fall colors appear later in the month, rather than at the first week. It can also have a visit from a hurricane. . .wouldn't that be a memoir! In NYC, there would be no danger as it is a fortress; the suburbs suffer the storm damage...

A good map of Manhattan will be a great asset. The midtown area is pretty easy to navigate with streets running north to south in numerical order, and the avenues running east to west likewise (except for a frew with names.)

A midtown hotel location would be ideal.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Roxy,

A bit of trivia regarding the NYC subway system- the current mayor of NYC- Michael Bloomberg commutes daily to his office via the NYC Subway.

Yes the NYC Mayor has an oficial residence- Gracie Mansion which for personal reasons Mr Bloomberg does not use.

He commutes from his residence on the East Side of Manhattan( todays paper does reveal he takes a SUV ride to an express stop station even though a local train station is closer to his home address.

I am not familiar with this tour or the optional it offers, but a very inexpensive way of seeing NY skyline and sail close to the statue of Liberty is the Staten Island ferry, right newyorkers?

Californian- You would be correct. The Staten Island Ferry is FREE. Goes past the Statue of Liberty and you can see the skyline. I in actual fact took my young nieces and nephews for a ride on the ferry for exactly that reason.

I have just asked a friend today, whether she travelled on the Staten Island Ferry when she was holidaying in NY last year.

She didn't, saying the queues were very long, so they didn't bother.

Are the queues really that long?

Numbat- Could your friend be speaking of the ferries that take people to both the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island- that queque can be extremely long- best to go first thing in the morning.

The Staten Island Ferry- more like sitting in the terminal(climate controlled) and then boarding- there are various class ferries that have capacities to carry between - 3500- 6000 passengers per trip.

I went on the Staten Island ferry in early May around 11am and even though there was quite a crowd waiting in the terminal, there was plenty of room for everyone. If you get straight back on, the return trip takes about an hour.

As for the ferry to Liberty & Ellis Islands, I arrived about 8.45 and had to wait in line about 1hr 20mins to go through security and get onto the ferry. I had a timed ticket to go into the base of Liberty and that again took over an hour in line to get through security. I found Ellis Island very absorbing so this excursion took me the whole day.

Yaya

Yaya- Did you use the self guided headsets (that are available in several languages)to tour Ellis Island? I highly recommend them.

It is definitely a good idea to allot a great portion of one's day to the Statue Of Liberty and Ellis Island excursion.

Thanks for the recommendation Lizv. I didn’t get the audio tour but I did listen to some recordings as I was going around.

Yaya

Lizv- My friend must has meant the queues being long for Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

It's good to know the Staten Island ferry queue isn't too bad, because I thought it would be an ideal way to spend a few hours on our very last day in the US. No doubt, after five weeks of travel and having just finished this East Coast tour, we won't want to be doing very much before heading off to the airport in the afternoon.

We went on an East Coast USA and Canada tour in June-July 2006 - we used Insight Tours though because we needed to leave from Toronto where my husbands family lived. We had already completed a Western Canada tour with Trafalgar, which was great also. We went to all the same places as the Trafalgar Tour, just started at Toronto instead of New York. We went to Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec down into the USA to Bar Harbor, Maine, and then to Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and New York. We had a fantastic time - anything you want to know about any of these places, please ask.

Thanks to Eric and Roxy and everyone else who has contributed NY info - much appreciated.

I should be having my free days in NY around the end of May so the weather should not be too hot (I hope).

The info on the free Satten Island ferry is very handy !!! I think I will stay off the subway and stick to walking, taxis and buses.
Just point me towards the Met, the Frick and the Guggenheim and I will be a happy little visitor.

Colleen Anne 2- It could be hot the end of May but since all venues will be air conditioned you will find relief from the outdoor temperatures and street vendors and shops along your way will sell cool refreshments.

You will be walking along 5th Avenue's Museum Mile:

Metropolitan Museum of Art(MET) - from 82nd to 86th Streets.

Guggenheim - at 88th Street


Frick - 1 East 70th Street - not far from the others at all.

Thanks Lizv,

Oh what perfect BLISS this is going to be !!

If you have anyone who likes sport don't forget Madison Square Garden (opp Macys ... almost ?) AND Yankee Stadium - easily accessed by Subway (151st Street ?). Agree with YaYa on ferries and queues.

Seriously, Yankee Stadium is worth a look - and its an interesting trip.