NYC Interview/tourism questions

[chessknt]

Ok, so I got an interview in NYC, which I have never been to before, and am massively confused by the topography. The school is in Brooklyn (SUNY DS), and I have scheduled my trip there to give me the better part of 2 days to go and do stuff. How do I get around in this humongous city? I want to see the Empire state building, Times square, central park, etc, but these places look so far away and I can only imagine how much taxis will cost.... Is there some resource that helps noobs like me figure out how to get from point A to B using public transportation?

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[thejarb]

Depending on where your staying, the subway is probably your best bet and will give you the best feel for NYC. I don't know if there is any resource to figure out trips. I know google maps has subway stations listed on their maps so that will definitely help. Enjoy your visit to NY!

 

[chessknt]

I dont know where I am staying either. Somewhere close to the SUNY DS medical center. Movies always made NYC look like one continuous island/city, but in reality it seems a lot more divided into sections/islands.

 

[mdmdt]

You're welcome:

http://www.hopstop.com/?city=newyork



PS: Subways are totally the way to go. It can be confusing at first but they're really the arteries of the city, and a fantastic way to see all kinds of interesting people. Plus they're way cheaper than taxis.

 

[p30doc]

Ok, so I got an interview in NYC, which I have never been to before, and am massively confused by the topography. The school is in Brooklyn (SUNY DS), and I have scheduled my trip there to give me the better part of 2 days to go and do stuff. How do I get around in this humongous city? I want to see the Empire state building, Times square, central park, etc, but these places look so far away and I can only imagine how much taxis will cost.... Is there some resource that helps noobs like me figure out how to get from point A to B using public transportation?

Hopstop is good like another poster provided. Get a good map of lower manhattan which includes the subway lines on it. empire, times square and central park are within about 30 blocks of each other, which if you are feeling spry is all walkable or just use the subway system it will take u practically anywhere you need to go to see touristy stuff. To get to downstate you might want to take a taxi.

this is the offical transit website, good for overview maps of the systems and schedules. hopstop is good for point to point directions.
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/

 

[LizzyM]

New York City consists of 5 boroughs. From north to south and moving from west to east: the Bronx, located on the "mainland", Manhattan and Staten Island (on the islands of the same names), & Queens and Brooklyn(both located on the western end of Long Island). At over 300 square miles it is a lot of territory.

You can see the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park on the far southern tip of Manhattan. From there head north to Herald Square. (check out hopstop.com for directions) You can see the Empire State Building from there (it is about .3 miles east). Walk diagonally up Broadway from Herald Square (34th & Broadway) to Times Square (42nd St) this is a good walk to see "the city". From Times Square go north on 6th, 7th Ave or Broadway to 59th St. and the southern edge of Central Park. Central Park runs all the way to 110th St. Alternately, you could take the C train north from Times Square to 81st St and stop by the Museum of Natural History. (Ghostbusters, anyone?) Central Park is across the street. Head east through the Park and take a bus south on 5th Ave.

I NY

 

[chessknt]

Wow thanks for the trip plan thats awesome haha.

I am really excited to finally visit this famous place and glad it worked out schedule-wise. It jsut seems overwhelming to a suburban cali kid like me.

 

[jnh501]

I recommend taking a tour. I went to NY last year for the first time in my life and the tour bus took to or by a lot of the major tourist areas of Manhattan. I booked through my school's(UCLA) travel agency, and it came out to about $60 or $80 per person for something like 6-8 hours of touring the the island. It is really worth it since you don't have to waste time searching maps or getting lost, transportation is paid for, and if you take the tour early in your trip, it shows you where the main tourist locations are so you can go back and spend more time at the places you enjoyed. We got lucky with our tour guide; he was a retired police officer and he knew pointed out and told us stories or interesting facts about what seemed like every block during the tour.

 

[ar2388]

i would recommend not staying in a hotel near downstate....

 

[thejarb]

i would recommend not staying in a hotel near downstate....

I actually agree with this. For someone coming to NY for the first time, staying in a hotel nearby DS might not be the best bet.

 

[ar2388]

stay in the city... this was the cheapest i found doing a very (i mean very!) quick search

http://www.hotels.com/property.do?s...-1&sortBy=HCOMPICK&s=1&position=15&CIMonth=-1

 

[pinkpanther88]

The brooklyn bridge is also a pretty neat walk (into manhattan) and you can see the statue of liberty from there. When I was in NYC this summer they had the Bodies exhibit there as well so that was fun to see if you haven't seen it before.

 

[chessknt]

So, um, if I opt to stay in the Manhattan area I am looking at a 45-50 min ride to the school for an interview. What should I do in terms of my clothes? Do I wear my suit for the trip or do I bring it with me or what? I feel like such a noob.....

 

[ar2388]

alright, i live in uptown manhattan, by the columbia area and i have an interview at downstate. i will be taking the subway to downstate so i will wear my suit. 60 min commute isnt terrible considering you are going to a different borough. haha only in NYC would that commute be ok huh?
so if you stay in a hotel, leave at least 1.5 hrs early or so, just in case, and leave prepared with your suit, hair, makeup, etc etc etc.

 

[NeuroChaos]

Unless you have extra (extra!) money to spend, try not to stay at a hotel in Manhattan. I know what the above posters mean, but as long as you do not walk around drunk at 3 am, you should be fine in Brooklyn. Beside you might also benefit from the cultural neighborhoods of Brooklyn.
Downtown Brooklyn is a rather nice area and has some fine and fairly priced hotels.

 

[Adnama]

I think it is essential to stay in Brooklyn. Attending SUNY Downstate means there is uhhh, a 95%+ chance that you will live in Brooklyn. You need to see if you are okay with this. I would stay there and get to know the place. It is definitely awesome (Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Bridge, Grimaldi's Pizza, Dodgers -hehe, okay; not that anymore,etc) yet there are unsafe areas so you will need to start developing a sense for that. This time around stay in the hotel when it gets dark. Good luck!

 

[Adnama]

Ok, so I got an interview in NYC, which I have never been to before, and am massively confused by the topography. The school is in Brooklyn (SUNY DS), and I have scheduled my trip there to give me the better part of 2 days to go and do stuff. How do I get around in this humongous city? I want to see the Empire state building, Times square, central park, etc, but these places look so far away and I can only imagine how much taxis will cost.... Is there some resource that helps noobs like me figure out how to get from point A to B using public transportation?

Although, I think it would be a great experience to master the NYC subway system and experience all of its sights, smells, and inherent problems - you might want to do a hop-on-hop-off tour. This way with your limited time, you can get to the big places. When I went overseas, I did this in most major cities because it is inexpensive and it allows you to spend as much time as you want wherever you want... you get off at the place of interest and then when you are done a new bus comes to take you to the next place.
http://www.allnewyorktours.com/body.asp?tour=NYC-B0005&page=TourDetails

 

[chad5871]

Although, I think it would be a great experience to master the NYC subway system and experience all of its sights, smells, and inherent problems - you might want to do a hop-on-hop-off tour. This way with your limited time, you can get to the big places. When I went overseas, I did this in most major cities because it is inexpensive and it allows you to spend as much time as you want wherever you want... you get off at the place of interest and then when you are done a new bus comes to take you to the next place.
http://www.allnewyorktours.com/body.asp?tour=NYC-B0005&page=TourDetails

This is a good idea. In July I went to NYC with my sister-in-law's family. Her parents are a bit older and didn't want to have to deal with the subway, so we all got tickets on the Gray Line double-decker hop-on-hop-off tours. I was expecting to hate it because I can't stand typical "touristy" things, but it was actually really enjoyable and fun. Plus, I can't say enough good things about Gray Line. That is, by far, the best sight-seeing tour company in NYC. They have so many buses that you'll usually never be waiting more than 5-10 minutes.