Given the opportunity to visit New York City for 10 days, I wanted to make the most of it and see as much of the city as I could, but learning to navigate a new place in a short amount of time seemed challenging. As a GSU student who lives on campus in Atlanta, I walk everywhere that I need to go, but doing so wouldn’t have been very practical, given that Brooklyn was a two-hour walk from where my class was staying. Of course, if your destination is less than a mile away, then I think walking would be the way to go.
Your best bet at getting around the city in a timely manner is its extensive public transportation system, especially the subway as there’s almost always a station within walking distance. Each trip costs $2.75, and transfers to buses and other trains are free. Be sure to stick with a single payment method throughout the week because with the MTA’s OMNY payment system, starting every Monday, after you take 12 trips ($33 in fares), the rest of your trips for the week are free!
I also want to emphasize that your smartphone’s navigation system is your best friend when you’re new in town because the city’s subway map is a bit intimidating at first glance. All you have to do is enter your destination in your navigation app of choice, and it’ll direct you to the nearest subway or bus station, tell you which lettered or numbered trains or buses you should take, and even let you know when to transfer between vehicles. It’s very convenient, and I picked up this skill pretty fast!
You also have the option to take taxis or rideshare vehicles for a more direct approach to getting from point A to B, but I personally don’t recommend them unless you’re splitting the fare with friends because it can get quite expensive. There’s also the option of renting bikes, but I haven’t tried it myself, nor do I want to put myself on the road in this city where the drivers seem somewhat aggressive.
Another fun way to travel, when applicable, is the New York ferry. My classmates and I rode one to cross the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn, and the view of the skyline from the water at night was amazing. A one-way trip on the ferry is $4.