GETTING TO AND FROM THE AIRPORT
We wanted to keep our transportation to and from the airport as simple as possible. On a recent trip to Disneyland, we had a horrendous experience with a car service company and did not want that to occur again. When we booked our trip we were able to book a car service company at the same time at a better rate than anywhere else. We decided to go for it and use Carmel after reading the reviews from others, saying they had no problems with it.
There are ways to use the subway system, or even Uber and Lyft are possible to book for pickup to and from the airport. In fact, it is even cheaper to go with those options. For us, we wanted that part of our trip to be as stress-free as possible. I didn’t want to have to worry about someone rating me as a customer in an app. I also didn’t want to be navigating the subway system upon arrival.
Our experience with Carmel was great. When we arrived at the airport we picked up our bags, we simply had to call a number and report that we were there and ready for pickup. We gave a description of what we looked like so the driver would know who he was looking for. Tip: wear something bright. I had my bright red plaid scarf on and it was spotted easily. We then proceeded to the pickup area. Within 10 to 15 minutes the vehicle arrived and had our names in the window, and our luggage was loaded into the car for us, and we were on the road to the hotel.
Having someone drive us who knew New York and the hotel locations, made the drive very relaxing. Just be warned, New Yorkers live on their car horn. At first, you’ll find it loud and annoying, but you get accustomed to it quickly. Drivers in New York use their horn for everything and in a way, it kind of makes sense compared to the aggressive way horns are used where we live.
GET YOURSELF A METROCARD
New York has done public transportation very well. In order to use public transportation, you need a MetroCard. You can get one of these by going to most subway stations and you’ll find the machine below near the entrance. You’ll need to purchase a card, and that is an additional $1 USD on top of everything.
You then have to decide what type of MetroCard you want. Regular, which means you pay as you go, or unlimited ride, which means you have unlimited rides. Go for the unlimited option if you are in New York for 4 days or more, and select the 7-day option. We went with the unlimited ride as it made much more sense for us during the duration of our trip. This cost us $32 USD per person.
You cannot share one MetroCard between people. Why? The card only works for one swipe every 15 minutes. Which is something we learned the hard way when one of our cards wouldn’t work and let us in, and then we also thought we were at the wrong station. Changed stations only to realize we needed to go back to the one we started at, and then couldn’t get in. Thankfully the attendant let us through.
The credit card we have could not be accepted by the MetroCard machine. You have to enter a zip code to purchase a MetroCard. Entering a random one does not work. Our postal code is connected to our credit card. You can try tricks like entering all zeros or all nines. This did not work for us. Thankfully we had enough cash on us to pay for the MetroCards with cash. I would encourage you to use cash to keep this transaction simple.
Once you have your MetroCard you are ready to go. You will swipe it at the turnstiles, watch for the green light to confirm it worked and walk on through.
FIGURING OUT THE SUBWAY
Taking the subway often proved to be the fastest and most efficient method of transportation for us. Figuring out the subway almost had us lost and confused a couple of times. Thankfully there are simple things to help you.
If you can, try to avoid taking the subway during rush hour. Which seemed to be around 7 am to 10 am, and 4 pm to 7 pm Monday to Friday. We did find ourselves mixed into the rush hour crowd a couple times. It was manageable. The subway cars can be packed with little opportunity to get on and off the subway car. Move fast and you’ll be just fine. The rest of the time we had no issues at all.
One of the best things we did for this trip was getting a prepaid SIM card for international travel. It made a big difference for both my husband and me to have this. We were able to use our cellphone for navigating the city and the subway stations. Google Maps can be a huge help in knowing where to go, what train to catch, and where to get off. I honestly don’t know how we would have found our way through New York and the subway system without our phones.
Near some subway station entrances, you will see a large ball above it. This is either red or green. When green, that entrance is open and can be used. When red, the entrance is closed and you need to go in through another entrance. Some stations have multiple entrances depending on if it’s an uptown or downtown train. You need to pay attention to this. I strongly suggest always double checking that you have the right one.
The subway is full of all sorts of entertainment within the stations, especially in the evening. While we would have loved to bump into Jimmy Fallon filming one of his “Subway In Disguise” moments, that never happened. We did see all sorts of talented people performing. You just never know who will be down there singing, playing an instrument, or performing a drama piece. Take a moment and listen if something catches your attention.
BE READY TO DO A LOT OF WALKING
We knew even before arriving in New York that we would be doing a lot of walking. During our whole trip, we kept comparing it to Disneyland. Lots of walking, long lines, and plenty of waiting. On average we found ourselves walking at least 23 ooo steps a day. This is with taking the subway to places.
If the Brooklyn Bridge is on your must-see list, set your alarm clock early and get there for the blue and golden hour. When we did this, we were able to get there before the crowds of influencers and Instagrammers looking to take the perfect photo. Dare I say they missed out on the perfect photo opportunity by arriving later in the morning? As we walked off the other side of the bridge, after watching the sunrise, we saw a wave of people walking towards it. It was crazy to see how crowded it got and so quickly.
I actually can’t imagine going to New York and not walking. Walking caused us to slow down and stumble across many wonderful places. Strolling around Central Park will always be a favourite memory. Plus finding a bakery that sold rainbow bagels that were fantastic, plus there was no line!
While we had packed nice shoes for the trip, we stuck to what we were most comfortable in. For my husband, that meant he wore his winter boots. For myself, I was the most comfortable in my runners. You may want to consider packing two pairs of shoes that you can rotate between if your feet get tired to one pair.
Oh, and one final tip that’s connected to walking, being a tourist, and the subway… do not stop randomly in the middle of the sidewalk, at the top of the stairs, or in the middle of the subway platform. You are just going to make a whole lot of people very angry and get yelled at!
Hopefully, these pointers help you out on your trip to New York. May you find yourself less anxious about it all than how I was before our trip. Within 24 hours of being in New York you will find yourself feeling much more confident about navigating it.
