Yellow Taxis

After a long exhausting but smooth flight we (Myself, hubby, 20 year old daughter, 17 year old daughter) arrived at JFK. We lined up in freezing cold 0 degree Celsius temperatures where the very efficient taxi attendant organised a large SUV Yellow cab that carried 4 of us (2 adults and 2 teens) easily with 4 large suitcases and 3 carry-ons. As it was late on Saturday afternoon the traffic wasn’t too bad.  


We had a lovely view of Manhattan driving from lower Manhattan up to midtown to our hotel Staybridge Suites Times Square on 40th Midtown West. Total cost including 1 toll and tips rounded up to 70US. The taxi driver seemed happy with that. We looked into other forms of transport including Uber, but as this was a fixed fee and had heard horror stories of being caught in traffic and huge Uber bills, this was certainly the most economical option for a family of 4. This was the only time we caught a taxi for our entire month stay.  

 MTA Madness

"The MTA subway system was convenient, budget friendly and so much fun. " 

A relatively safe way to zip around Manhattan. Peak hour on the roads was avoided. Peak hour in the subway was amazing. Transporting us here and there in a flash. It was suggested we buy 1 card for 4 of us as we wouldn’t get our money out of $120 worth of unlimited cards as we were walking so much. So how do you do this. A bit of a pain, however what you do is use the cared to go through the turn style then hand it back to the next person and so on. We ended up buying 2 cards as it was a bit embarrassing holding people up. We certainly got our moneys worth out of them, and topping up at the machines was a breeze.


Once you understand the idea of Uptown and Downtown, it all makes sense. So basically if you are going towards Central Park you're always going Uptown. Towards Lower Manhattan-Downtown. I know this sounds kind of basic, but once we were told by a local, it was as easy as pie. There are a few trains that go across Manhattan too. The uptown and downtown entries and exits are of course on the opposite side of the road. Always marked with dark green iron railings and mosaic circles with the lines it is associated with. It can be confusing which entry to go down but with google as your friend, it is hard to fail. 


FYI...The Port Authority 42nd Street subway is huge and very confusing. Follow the signs and your street exit. Make a point of remember which is your exit with some sort of landmark People watching Some of the subways are really beautiful with tiled mosaics, while others are dirty an dodgy. 

Watching the many different people, from all walks of life was so satisfying. Lots of very interesting characters entertained us.

Uber 

Police Cars