Manhattan, NY Road Trips

Most of Manhattan is laid out in a grid. By convention, Manhattan is spoken of as if it runs north to south (it's actually northeast to southwest), with streets running east-west and avenues running north-south. This makes it relatively easy and straightforward to find your way. Except for downtown Manhattan south of Houston Street and Greenwich Village between Houston St. and 14th St. on the west side, streets are numbered and the numbering rises as you go north, starting at 1st Street just above Houston and running up to 220th Street at the northern end of the island. As a guide to distance, there are roughly 20 street blocks per mile. North of Houston St., avenues are either named or numbered, and are more widely spaced than streets, with one mile being approximately seven avenues. Park Avenue is a continuation of 4th Avenue, while Lexington Avenue (between 3rd and Park Avenues) can be thought of as a "3½ Avenue" and Madison Avenue (between Park and 5th Avenues) can be thought of as a "4½ Avenue". On the Upper West Side, Columbus Ave. is a continuation of 9th, Amsterdam Ave. is a continuation of 10th, and West End Ave. is a continuation of 11th. Above 8th St., 5th Avenue divides Manhattan into east and west; address numbering starts at 5th Avenue on each side (except where Central Park interrupts) and increases in either direction. Addresses west of 5th Avenue are written as, for example, 220 W 34th Street, while those east of 5th Avenue are written as 220 E 34th Street. For numbered streets below 8th St., Broadway divides the streets into east and west.

See the Districts articles for more listings. Manhattan is home to many of New York's premier tourist attractions. Following is a selection of the highlights and "must sees" - the remainder will be found within the articles for the various Manhattan districts and neighborhoods. With constant portrayals in every method of media known, Manhattan's landmarks are known around the world, and seemingly every visitor to the city will make an effort to glimpse these most famous of buildings and monuments. Every neighborhood of Manhattan has local landmarks, and in many cases the neighborhoods themselves are landmarks in their own right; this is just a summary of the very most monumental architecture on the island. Starting where the city began in the Financial District, you can view some of the most powerful and evocative landmarks of the city. Wall Street, the center of the financial world and the heart of Lower Manhattan, is home to the New York Stock Exchange and Federal Hall, where George Washington was inaugurated as president. Just to the north of Wall Street is the City Hall area, flanked on the east by the Brooklyn Bridge and the west by the Woolworth Building, the "Cathedral of Commerce", once the tallest building in the world. A different kind of landmark lies to the west, where the National September 11 Memorial sits at the site of the former World Trade Center towers. To the south, out in the harbor are the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, once the first impressions of many Americans-to-be.

See the Districts articles for more listings. Perhaps the most obvious thing to do in Manhattan is to walk. A lot. One of the greatest things to see in Manhattan is Manhattan. Get out and experience it! Stroll through Central Park, saunter along the tree-lined streets of Greenwich Village, take a walk along the High Line, head down 5th Avenue, and experience the scruffiness of Chinatown and the bustle of Times Square first hand. Madison Square Garden, atop Penn Station in Midtown, is the main sports venue on Manhattan, playing host to major concerts, conventions, and many sporting events, as well as the New York Rangers NHL hockey team, the New York Knicks NBA basketball team, and many St. John's Red Storm college men's basketball games. Madison Square Garden also plays host to two major college basketball tournaments, the Big East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament and the National Invitation Tournament. If tickets to Madison Square Garden are too expensive, there are plenty of places in Manhattan to watch more informal, amateur matches for free; among the more notable spots are Pier 40 on the Hudson River at the end of Houston Street, which has baseball, soccer and rugby fields, kayaking and rowing, and trapeze artists, and the many recreational facilities of Central Park. Here, you are more than welcome to watch and maybe even join in. Another place of note is the West 4th Street Courts in Greenwich Village, the site of many intense pick-up games that's legendary in street basketball. Manhattan's Broadway is famous for its many shows, especially musicals.

See the Districts articles for more listings. Almost any type of food you can imagine and any cuisine you can name is available in Manhattan. With thousands of restaurants, delis, grocery stores, and street vendors throughout the borough, you can find an excellent meal at virtually any price point. Even Manhattan, with its high rents and reputation for expensive restaurants, offers plenty of opportunities for a good, cheap meal; it's just a matter of knowing where to look. Manhattan has many great street food vendors, from the ubiquitous hot dog carts on many street corners to more specialized fare. Just be wary of food stands close to major tourist attractions; carts in Times Square and its immediate vicinity often aren't very upfront about their prices and will charge a lot more than their fellows further away. Just walking a few blocks away is often all it takes to find something more affordable. Most carts serve lunch from about 11AM to 5 or 6PM in the evening and disappear after dark, so look for a cart near you, smell what's cooking, and enjoy a hot and often tasty lunch for a few dollars (a meal costs anywhere from about $2 to $8). Mornings, from about 6AM to 10AM, the streets are dotted with coffee carts that sell coffee, croissants, bagels, and Danish pastries and are good for a cheap breakfast: small coffee and bagel for a dollar or so. From 10AM to 7PM, many vendors sell lunch and dinner choices, including hot dogs, hamburgers, gyros, and halal food like chicken kabobs.

See the Districts articles for more listings. Manhattan nightlife is some of the most vibrant in the world. Thanks to the 4AM last call and over 800 active venues in Manhattan alone, it is no wonder that many people flock to New York as the city of good times. Certain neighborhoods are better than others for certain crowds but with New York the question is never whether you can find it, it's only where. Greenwich Village is probably the best neighborhood to go if you are in town for just a brief period. It's the equivalent somewhat of a Latin Quarter, full of locals of all ages, especially students attending NYU. There are many bars and jazz clubs around Bleecker Street and MacDougal, as well as near lower Seventh and Sixth Avenues. Chelsea – This was the old club capital of Manhattan, once known for its mega clubs which can hold hundreds upon hundreds of drunken revelers. Though a bit deserted, Chelsea still has a few nooks to look in for great nightlife. There's lots of clubs, a mix of bars, and a thriving gay scene along Eighth Avenue between 20th & 30th Streets. West Chelsea (27th-29th streets, west of 10th Avenue) is loaded with clubs. If you're European and looking for a discothèque, this is where you want to be. The Meatpacking District – Trendier bars and clubs and some expensive restaurants, including the Old Homestead, NYC's oldest steakhouse. Located between Greenwich Village and Chelsea, around 14th Street and 9th Avenues. Many of the clubs are very strict at the door so be sure you either have contacted a promoter or sweet talked to the doormen.

See the Districts articles for more listings. If there is one thing that makes New York City, particularly Manhattan, one of the most expensive cities in the world, it is hotel accommodations. Sometimes, the average room rates in Manhattan exceed those of the more expensive cities in the world such as Tokyo and London. Consider yourself lucky if you can get a room at a full-service hotel at $250/night, not including taxes. While prices vary depending on the season and on the availability, approximate price ranges for Manhattan hotels are: A bed in a large dormitory in a hostel, between $15-40/night. A double room with shared bath, between $60-120/night. A double room with private bath in a budget hotel, between $100-250. A room in a mid-range hotel, from $250 and up. A room in a luxury hotel, if you need to ask ....! For budget conscious travelers many new hostels have opened. While some, like Hostelling International – New York (in a landmarked historic building renovated in the early 1990s) and the many branches of the Jazz Hostels in the Upper West Side, East Village and Times Square have built a reputation for providing good value for money, many others are SRO (Single Room Occupancy) conversions where renovated hotel rooms share space with run down rooms for low income residents. It is best to research a budget hotel carefully before reserving a room. If you have a AAA membership, consider staying at a hotel that offers a discount. The 10% discount can add up over a few days.

See the New York City page for details on how to get to New York City. There are three railway stations with access to points outside of New York City, two of which are in Midtown. The largest, 1 Pennsylvania Station (Penn Station for short), between 31st and 33rd Streets on 7th Avenue, is served by Amtrak, the Long Island Railroad, and New Jersey Transit. 2 Grand Central Terminal, at Park Avenue and 42nd Street, is an architectural delight and the hub of the Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Railroad to other points in Downstate New York and Connecticut. Metro-North trains also stop at Harlem–125th Street at Park Avenue and 125 Street, a useful stop for travelers headed for Harlem or other points in Upper Manhattan. Additionally, a subway system called PATH connects Manhattan with Hoboken, Jersey City, and Newark across the Hudson River. One line serves the World Trade Center in downtown while another crosses under the river to Greenwich Village before continuing along 6th Avenue to Midtown, making stops at Christopher, 9th, 14th, 23rd, and 33rd Streets. Manhattan being an island, access (whether by car, taxi, bus or by foot) has generally to be made by means of either a bridge or a tunnel. A pedestrian can walk into Manhattan over the Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Williamsburg Bridges from Brooklyn, the Queensboro or RFK (formerly Triboro) Bridges from Queens, all the numerous small street bridges from the Bronx, and the George Washington Bridge from New Jersey. Probably the most famous of these is the Brooklyn Bridge.

See the New York City page for specific information on getting around. The best ways to get around Manhattan are on foot, by cab, or by taking the subway or bus. Driving is strongly discouraged; most Manhattanites do not own cars and the infrastructure of the city is designed for people rather than for automobiles. When traveling by cab, it is best to ensure that you are using a licensed cab; the easiest way is to ask at the concierge at your hotel to flag down one of the ubiquitous yellow cabs or do so yourself. All licensed cabs are yellow, and no unlicensed (as a taxicab) livery services may be yellow. Cabs which are available have their lights on and do not have their "Off Duty" sign lit. Off duty taxi drivers may choose to drive you if they are going your way, but are under no obligation to pick you up, and cabs which are not lit have customers inside and cannot pick up more customers. Fare for trips within Manhattan is strictly by meter (ask the cabbie to turn the meter on if s/he makes no move to turn it on after you've said where you want to go), plus whatever tip you choose to give (note that it is customary and expected to tip at least 10% to 15% for normal service). For trips to the Outer Boroughs, if toll bridges or tunnels are taken, you are responsible for the tolls in addition to the fare on the meter plus the tip. Do not try to take cabs during shift changes (such as around 4PM on weekdays), if you are in a rush, because you'll find that they are almost all off duty.

Manhattan and New York generally have experienced a major falloff in crime since the 1990s, and there is no need to be afraid to walk most of the streets by day and until around 11 PM or midnight. That said, precautions should be taken. Keep your wits about yourself. Try your best to know or at least look like you know where you're going, particularly in areas which are deserted or otherwise feel potentially dangerous to you. Be aware of what's happening around you on the street, where the open shops are, where you may have spotted any police officers around, etc. Do not hesitate to calmly increase your pace, alter your route, or cross to the other side of the street if you sense it might be the safest course of action. Beware of pickpockets. During the holiday season, pickpockets like to target shoppers near tourist attractions such as Times Square, Grand Central Station, 42nd Street, and Macy's, and anywhere where there is a crush of crowds. In order to foil pickpockets, never put your wallet or anything of value in your back pockets, but only in your front pockets. If you use a purse, make sure it is tightly closed and hold on to it. And when you sit down, such as in a restaurant, be careful to keep your valuables in places where an opportunistic thief would be hard pressed to snatch them and run. Traffic hazards. Manhattan is in certain ways a pedestrian's paradise, but beware that traffic regulations are not always obeyed to the letter.