New York travel & transit

You probably don't need me to tell you how to get to and around New York. (You know, practice, practice, practice?) I am by no means an expert in this! But just in case it's your first time in New York, here are a few basics.

Getting there: flying

With several major airports, New York is easy to get to via plane. JFK is one of the most trafficked airports in the country, while LaGuardia in Brooklyn is getting busier. We found cheap tickets flying into Newark (which was good because we were staying with relatives in New Jersey). When you're looking for tickets, search the area rather than one specific airport to find good deals.

Getting there: busses, boats, trains, etc.

New York is a major transit port. They have major hubs for almost every type of transportation. Even if you cannot fly, New York is probably the easiest place to get to in all of the US.

New York transit

New York has one of the most extensive public transportation systems in the United States, with many subway lines and busses throughout the city. A rental car is not necessary for a trip to New York--many New Yorkers don't even have a driver license.

When we finally gathered the courage to take the subway

Transit from New Jersey was a different system, so we had to pay for both of those. We realized if we'd sprung for a 7-day pass for New York subways, we would have saved money on our subway fares. I spent $55 on fares and Sarah likely spent about the same and at the time, a 7-day pass was $33.

If you come from a place without strong transit, BE BRAVE. It is 100% worth it to use the transit. We walked 35 miles in 4 days on our trip, and that was with (eventually) using the subway.

Google transit can be good at finding routes, although it will not always know whether the train is running or on time. In 2019, not all subway stations had WiFi, so it was key to determine our route before going underground.

Pay close attention to which direction the train is going. You will not get where you want to go if you get on headed the wrong direction. It's not a big deal; get off at the next stop, cross the platform (safely!) and wait for the train going back the other way. 

We didn't mean to go to Brooklyn

If you're seeing anything a significant distance (say 5 blocks or more) away, use public transit.

Staten Island ferry

The Staten Island ferry could be considered an attraction in its own right. 

Taking pictures with a big difference in lighting is a challenge.

Thank you, stranger, for taking this photo

A free ferry from the southern end of Manhattan to the borough of Staten Island, the ferry offers excellent views of the city skyline and the Statue of Liberty, as well as a nice, breezy break, which is especially good on a hot summer day. We didn't have any stops planned in Staten Island, so we turned right around and came back.