generally the subway is the fastest way to get around NYC

[smeyer418]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/10/31/2009-10-31_cliff_lee_hopped_on_subway.html

[138east]

Sid - it still can be a tough sell to out of towners. I agree with you, but......so many visitors have hardly ever ridden a public bus let alone a subway.

[smeyer418]

Sid - it still can be a tough sell to out of towners. I agree with you, but......so many visitors have hardly ever ridden a public bus let alone a subway.

I know but this guy is from Cleveland...

 

and its 5 -3 Yankees

[GTJ]

While I may be at the front of the line heading to the subway, I generally acknowledge that in most cases the subway will not be as fast as a taxi. But when taking into account the totality of travel time and other relevant factors (e.g., taxi fares, parking, tolls, environmental impact), the subway is typically competitive with, or exceeds, taxi or auto use. Since subway travel in this city is competitive, I encourage visitors to consider its use (even on trips with luggage, provided that the visitors are able to comfortably handle their luggage autonomously).

 

138east is right on point, though, with the unfamiliarity that many American visitors have with using the bus or subway since in most parts of the country public transportation is completely irrelevant to their lives. Indeed, for these Americans the bus or monorail at Walt Disney World might be their first and only experience in that regard. I suspect that this lack of familiarity is less the case with visitors who live in other large cities or who live outside the United States.

[Got2Cruise]

My problem with advising tourists to use the subways is the "problems" that the subways have on a daily basis. Regular riders can handle stuff such as "this train is no longer a local, it is changing to an express". Or my favorite ~~This train is no longer continuing due to trouble on the tracks. Switch to the IRT. Also, the subways in NY are not user friendly as they are in Boston or DC. In Boston, for example, there is a worker who stands by the turnstiles and ticket machine to help anybody who does not know how to use them and give advice. In D.C., the system is much more simplified, and it is almost impossible to get lost. My advice is to walk wherever you need to go. NY is easy to get around by walking, the grid system makes getting lost almost impossible.

[Tesla]

My problem with advising tourists to use the subways is the "problems" that the subways have on a daily basis. Regular riders can handle stuff such as "this train is no longer a local, it is changing to an express". Or my favorite ~~This train is no longer continuing due to trouble on the tracks. Switch to the IRT. Also, the subways in NY are not user friendly as they are in Boston or DC. In Boston, for example, there is a worker who stands by the turnstiles and ticket machine to help anybody who does not know how to use them and give advice. In D.C., the system is much more simplified, and it is almost impossible to get lost. My advice is to walk wherever you need to go. NY is easy to get around by walking, the grid system makes getting lost almost impossible.

 

I can imagine for a tourist how the whole subway experience can be overwhelming there's the uptown/downtown trains/ local/express etc. Sometimes certain stations are completely closed down on a particular day. If you are trying to keep a schedule and maximize your sight-seeing time because precious time can be wasted on trying to determine the subway system.

[GTJ]

On the other hand, driving can be so overwhelming as well. We have here so many acronyms that visitors are unlikely to know: "Take the B.Q.E. to the L.I.E., then the G.C.P." And if the visitor were ask, "Do you mean I-278?" the New Yorker might well say, "Huh?" Or my favorite in years past was when directions were given to "Sixth Avenue," yet there was no avenue in Manhattan so marked (at least now there are secondary street signs that say "Sixth Avenue" in addition to "Avenue of the Americas"). Then with construction going on, it can be rather trying with driving in New York City. Other cities also have driving obstacles as well, such as Montreal where most highway signs are only in French, or in Chicago where there are local and express lanes on some highways. In short, if you are going to navigate yourself--be it by driving or by using public transportation--you need to have a certain degree of geographical agility.

 

The fastest and most convenient way to travel in New York City, generally, is by taxicab. Generally decent speed, no walking to and from parking garages, no need--usually--to know the geography or the route to take. So if speediness is the goal, or if one is geographically challenged, then go by taxi. But if visitors are geographically-adept, and the absolute fastest travel time is not a necessity, then subway travel is a reasonable choice that provides good value and fair travel speeds.

 

Not everyone is alike, and not everyone has the same abilities. New York City is blessed with so many choices in getting around, and there's simply not one "best" way for everyone and for every occasion.