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New York City Transportation: Subway tips and advice posted by real travelers and New York City locals.
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Subway: New York Subway
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  • The subway is the quickest way to get around town. It can be a little confusing at first - there are several different lines and plenty of interchanges..... but once you get the hang of it you never need to have tired feet again!! Grab a subway map from one of the stations and plan the easiest route to your destination. Give it a try - you'll like it!!

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  • Theme: Subway/Metro
  • Website: http://mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm

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    Subway: Keep New York Moving!
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  • NYC's subway is one of the oldest and most comprehensive public transportation systems in the world. The City calculated that each day, there are 8 million people using subways, buses, and trains. At $2 per ride, plus free transfer, anywhere in NYC, this is a deal that is already hard to beat, but still, there are other ways to save your money: -Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard. With a minimum of $20, the card gives you a bonus of $4 or two extra rides ($10 card gives $2 bonus or one extra ride). Up to 4 persons can use the same card at a time. -FunPass offers unlimited rides from the first use to midnight of that day for $7. This is an excellent deal if you think you'll take at least 4 rides per day. Two rules: Only one person can use FunPass at a time. The same card cannot be used at the same station or same bus route within an 18-minute period. -Seven-day Unlimited Ride MetroCard ($24) and 30-day Unlimited Ride MetroCard ($76) have the same two rules as FunPass. This is THE absolute best deal for almost every tourist who stays in the city for more than a few days. All MetroCard give you a free transfer within two hours of the ride. If you use the card for the subway, you can ride the bus within two hours for free and vice versa. This is an excellent way to save money: if you go somewhere and back within two hours, you only have to pay for one-way fare.

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  • Theme: Subway/Metro
  • Website: http://www.mta.info/

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    Subway: Understanding the NYC subway
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  • There are SEVERAL trains in New York. However, most run of the same line. Example: the 4-5-6 train (green). The 4-5 is an EXPRESS train and the 6 is a LOCAL train. This means that the EXPRESS (4-5) stops at only CERTAIN stops...not every single one. The LOCAL trains stop at EVERY stop. If you're unused to NYC subways, take the LOCAL trains. At least you will be sure that you don't miss your stop, if the Express train does not stop at your particular stop. When you're in the station looking for which direction you should go in, you need to figure out two things. 1) what line do you need? 2) what direction? The line you need will be a number or a letter. We don't discern our subway lines by color. You don't need any NAMED direction (ie. what's the last stop on a line?) but rather, you need to know whether you're going UPTOWN or DOWNTOWN, WESTSIDE or EASTSIDE. With the MetroCard (which is what we call ANY ticket for the subway/bus) you can reuse it for a free transfer (up to 2 hours) to another train or bus as long as it's at the same area/stop (If you get off at 59th St by subway, you can transfer for a bus on 59th Street for free). Unlimited MetroCards also have the free transfer feature, but two riders can't use one unlimited MetroCard to enter the subway at the same time. Eighteen minutes must elapse before the card can be used again. If you have to stand on the train, move out of the way when the doors open at a stop so that people can get onto the train. Likewise, wait for people to get off the train before boarding. Normally, people waiting to get on a train will wait towards the sides while people getting off the train will alight in the middle of the crowd. The subway runs 24 hours, but during late hours, you could wait up to an hour. If you choose to ride the subway at night, wait for the train near the station booth and ride in the center car, where the conductor is, so you will have more company.

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  • Theme: Subway/Metro
  • Website: http://www.mta.info/

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    Subway: How to ride a subway like a NEW YORKER
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  • Too many times riding a subway I see these pathetic people that look so touristy, and lost it's sad. I'm here to help you to use a subway like a real New Yorker. Here we go: 1. If you're staying more than a day buy a weekly unlimiyed pass ($21.00). Single fare cost $2.00. You will save money buying unlimited pass. 2. When you're at the platform DO NOT stand near the edge. There's a couple incidents a year when some crazy bastard pushes a person under a train. OUTCH! 3. To find out which way the subway is going just look for the name of the last stop. 4. The're constant route changes look for flier and announcements. 5. There are FREE subway maps for you, just ask for it at the ticket counter. But don't go walking around with your map, you will look touristy. 6. Riding the subway DO NOT (LISEN UP!!!!!) look at people, smile, make contact. THere are weirdos that can attack you, harras you and more. Did you notice how New Yorkers all read or sleep while riding the subway. 7. Do not buy subway cards from strangers, they're FAKE! 8. BE careful and look after your valuables, do not let anyone brush up against you! If this happens, find a cop, or subways security at the stop. Start shouting, if you see something suspiscious! 9. When you get on a subway as a group do no have a loud conversation that will let everyone know you're a tourist, you can get followed, and mugged. 10. The subway is open 24 hours, the trains come more freaquently during the peak hours, and come every 20 minutes after 12am. Watch your back if you're riding a subway late at night. BE safe! If you follow these tips and have comon sense you will be fine.

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  • Theme: Subway/Metro
  • Website: http://www.mta.info/

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    Subway: How to Navigate the Subway Like a Native
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  • Description: 1. If you're going to take a lot of buses or subways, buy a 7-day unlimited use card from any of the subway stations. It's $21 and can be used for buses and the subway, and it expires at midnight on the 7th day. 2. Take a few minutes to orient yourself with the subway map. You can pretty quickly see which train brings you back to your hotel. I found out that subway workers are a lot nicer to you if you say, "Where can I catch the 6?" than if you say, "How can I get to 575 Broadway from here?" 3. Sometimes you'll run into a swipe mechanism that repeatedly rejects your card. This starts out as mildly embarrassing and then escalates into a seriously maddening situation. This happened to me a couple times, and finally a girl showed me the solution: you have to fold up a piece of paper and run it through the swipe mechanism, to clean it out. The paper comes out black with dirt and presto, magic-o, your metro card works the next time through.

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  • Theme: Subway/Metro
  • Website: http://www.mta.info/

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    Subway: MTA New York City Transit
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  • We used the Metro system to get to the Battery Park to get to the fairies to take us to Liberty Island. We got on the Red number 1 train and took us directly there and back. It is $2.00 one ride, one way and if you want to use it more, they have a fun pass for $7.00 unlimited for one day. The Metro machines were very easy to use too. The police were very helpful in directing you to the right train too! Travel information: Travel Information Center 1-718-330-1234 Travel information for non-English-speaking people 1-718-330-4847 Travel information for people with disabilities 1-718-596-8585 (TTY) 1-718-596-8273 Main offices 1-718-330-3000 Customer service 1-718-330-3322 (TTY) 1-718-596-8273 Bus customer relations center 1-888-692-8287 Lost and found 1-212-712-4500 Access-A-Ride information Applications and eligibility Reservations 1-877-337-2017 1-646-252-5252 (TTY) 1-646-252-5104 (TTY) 1-646-252-5287

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  • Theme: Subway/Metro
  • Website: http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/

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    Subway: Noooo, not the pit !
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  • The NYC subway used to have a really bad reputation but it's much safer than before - the system got upgraded tremendously. You can't possibly do everything on foot in NYC, your best bet is to always plan your sightseeing / shopping / dining by area and move between areas by subway. It's fast, convenient, reliable and cheap. I recommend getting an 'unlimited ride' Metrocard, see the MTA website. Pass the card through the turnstile and off you go, anywhere in the city. Most subway lines run north-south. You can get a free map at any station booth. Prior to your trip, download the .pdf of the subway network from the MTA web site and STUDY the routes. Take note of the lines / stops near the places you want to go. Downtown and Uptown are directions, not locations. In the pic on this page it says Uptown, meaning this is the platform for the train heading north. Often you'll have subway entrances on opposite sides of the street. A LOCAL train always stops at the indicated stations, an EXPRESS train is faster since it skips stations. Safety : if there's a green sphere at street level it means the sation is manned at all times. During off hours wait in the indicated spot in front of the booth so you can be seen by the staff at all times. Board the car in the center where it's busiest. Don't travel alone when it's late. Avoid contact with down-and-out types or people who ask money or other weird characters. Between 8am and 6pm the subway is busiest. Mind your belongings and stand clear of the doors. Be polite, don't take up more than one seat with bags, etc. (You can even get a fine for that.) If you took the wrong train, don't panic. Just get out at the next station and take the train back. If you're lost, go see a guard immediately or walk to the station booth and ask directions, especially if you're not sure in what neighborhood you are. In a nutshell : relax, know where you're going, and look confident. You'll end up loving this, anyway :)

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  • Theme: Subway/Metro
  • Website: http://www.mta.info/

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    Subway: The best way to get around
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  • Taking the subway in New York is quite easy... after a couple of days. The most important thing to know is if you are going uptown or downtown. Once you know that, at least you're in the right direction. Just be careful about express or local trains. I was already happy that I found the right line, but unfortunately, I was on an express train, so it didn't stop where I had to get off. :-) There are big wall maps in every subway station, so even if you've taken the wrong line, it's easy to get back on the right track afterwards. If you stay for quite some time and you're planning on taking the subway often, then it's better to take a day-pass or week-pass. These can be bought inside the subway stations.

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  • Theme: Subway/Metro
  • Website: http://www.mta.info/

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    Subway: Navigating the NY Subway System
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  • Now, I am far from being an expert in how to get around on the New York subway system. I rode the subway plenty in my day (I used to take the Flushing train to Manhattan several times a week as a teenager) but that was decades ago. Even then, I would goof on occasion, ending up in all sorts of places where it was not really safe for a skinny blonde to be walking around on her own. But New Yorkers claim their city is much safer today, thanks to its 107th mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, whose get-tough policies are said to have reduced crime by half. On visits to New York to visit my siblings, I have had opportunities to get back into a subway car and relive the steamy crush of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers frantically rushing around below ground. Only now I go armed with trusty facts and figures. The IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit company), which operated New York’s first subway line, recently celebrated its centennial. It opened on October 27, 1904, and ran from City Hall to the Bronx. Today, the subway runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With 722 miles of track and 469 stations, NYC has the most extensive public transit system in the U.S. Trains run every 2-5 minutes during rush hour, every 10-15 minutes on off-hours, and every 20 minutes from midnight to 5 a.m. There are local and express trains. The “El” is the elevated line. In the span of a century, fares rose 3,900 % – from a nickel in 1904 to $2 in 2004. Subway tokens were phased out by 2003. Now you purchase a MetroCard, which comes in various denominations. Reduced fares are available for students, seniors and disabled. This card is also good for buses. If you are like me, distrustful of vending machines, you might prefer to buy yours from a living, breathing human being - which, luckily, is still possible. Remember: Once you go through a gate or turnstile, you have to pay again to get back in. So before you get caught up in the mad dash and go where everyone else seems to be going (as I did), make sure you are headed in the right direction…

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  • Theme: Subway/Metro
  • Website: http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/metrocard/tourism/index.html

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    Subway: Subway at night
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  • Just some info to help you with late night entrance closures. If the lights at the entrance are red, the gateway is closed. If they are green you can enter from there. This should help you when getting around at night.

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