Living
Transportation
There are five main methods of transportation within New York City: taxi, bus, train, subway and the good old sidewalk (or pavement, if you’re not American). Because New York is home to people from all walks of life and financial situations, no one method of transportation is used above the other – you will find it just as difficult to find a taxi during rush hour as you will to find a seat on the subway. The high use of public transportation goes for commuters coming into the city as well. Commuter trains leave midtown rail stations, Grand Central and Penn, for destinations within the tri-state area (Long Island, Westchester, Connecticut and New Jersey) at least every hour and even more frequently during rush hour.
Subway
The subway is a quick, cheap and easy way to get to and from most any spot in the five boroughs. A one-way fare between any two locations, no matter what the distance, is $2. Subway fares are no longer given in token form – instead, you can buy a metro card at the machines located outside the subway turnstiles or from the booth operator. The metro card machines take both cash and credit cards.
You may find that purchasing a metro card that gives you unlimited rides is a worthwhile investment. Unlimited cards are available for one day, one week or one month and range from $7 to $76. Additionally, you can simply add money onto any existing metro card. That money on your card will not expire and works like a subway debit card. By purchasing a card for $10 or more, a 20% bonus is added to your card for free; thus a $10 card would become $12 and a $20 card, $24.
Subway
The subway is a quick, cheap and easy way to get to and from most any spot in the five boroughs. A one-way fare between any two locations, no matter what the distance, is $2. Subway fares are no longer given in token form – instead, you can buy a metro card at the machines located outside the subway turnstiles or from the booth operator. The metro card machines take both cash and credit cards.
You may find that purchasing a metro card that gives you unlimited rides is a worthwhile investment. Unlimited cards are available for one day, one week or one month and range from $7 to $76. Additionally, you can simply add money onto any existing metro card. That money on your card will not expire and works like a subway debit card. By purchasing a card for $10 or more, a 20% bonus is added to your card for free; thus a $10 card would become $12 and a $20 card, $24.
