NY Cruise terminal (Manhattan) to Central Park

[Homeagain]

We are on the Zuiderdam, cruising from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale with a stop in New York.  What is the best way to get to Central Park from the Manhattan Cruise Port?  Is it possible to walk (it looks to be about 1 mile which is totally fine for walking but not sure about getting out of the terminal) or would we be better taking a cab or public transportation?  We want to get on the City Sightseeing HOHO and figured the spot near Central Park is the closest. Alternatively, there is a stop at 55th & 8th or 46th & 8th. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[mskaufman]

Recommend taxi to get to Central Park.  Is there a HOHO stop near the Intrepid?  If so, that is walking distance.

[Homeagain]

Thanks mskaufman,

There is not a stop near the Intrepid.  We were told the closest would be either 42nd & 8th, 46th & 8th or 55 & 8th depending where the ship docks.  We have never been into the NY cruise terminal so we do not know exactly where we dock and how close it would be to any of these stops.

[markeb]

The piers are along 12th Avenue on the west side. 8th Avenue is four blocks east. For reference, the Intrepid is at 46th Street. To catch the HOHO you're considering, it should be four blocks across the street and away from the pier, and possibly left or right once you get to 8th Avenue. No need to hike to the park if your goal is to catch a HOHO along 8th Avenue.

[navybankerteacher]

It would be about two miles to 59th Street and Central Park West - the closest point to the cruise terminal - probably  an hour walk because of all the stop lights / streets to cross - and not really attractive part of the city. I would suggest a taxi both ways.

[Homeagain]

Thanks to all who responded.  It looks like we can just walk up to 8th and find the closest stop from there.  If it's not a nice day, we will take a taxi.

Any other suggestions?

[Nitemare]

We do that walk (terminal to 8th) all the time.  Each block east gets progressively more populated and interesting.

[markeb]

9 hours ago, Homeagain said:

Thanks to all who responded.  It looks like we can just walk up to 8th and find the closest stop from there.  If it's not a nice day, we will take a taxi.

Any other suggestions?

 

Which HOHO loop are you looking at? The stops along 8th Avenue (and the stops at Central Park) are on the Uptown Loop. The HOHO's typically have an overlap point, usually around Times Square, although these appear to intersect at Radio City/Rockefeller Center. The Uptown Loop will generally have less traffic, and more of the sites are "drive bys". It's probably more predictable for time. The Downtown Loop will go through Midtown to Lower Manhattan. Much more traffic, more places you might want to get off and see, and therefore a much longer trip. In fact, I believe they say 2 1/2 hours plus, and that probably doesn't include getting off much if at all. I'm not sure how long you're in port, but keep that in mind for your timing. If you did both loops and simply rode the bus, you're looking at 4 1/2 to 5 hours.

 

And, it'll likely take you longer to find a cab and get to 8th Avenue than it will take to walk, regardless of weather...

[Homeagain]

Thanks markeb,

We will likely do the Downtown loop first and see how much time we have left to do the Uptown loop.  We are in port 8 am - 5 pm so hopefully we can catch both.  We are just looking to drive by most sights since we do not have much extra time to do any of the attractions.  

I think walking up 55th to 8th will be the best bet (it appears the terminal is at 54th & 12th), we just weren't sure if there were suitable walking paths from the cruise terminal and couldn't find that information on the Manhattan Cruise Terminal website.

Hopefully it's a nice day and if not we will have our umbrellas!

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, Homeagain said:

I think walking up 55th to 8th will be the best bet (it appears the terminal is at 54th & 12th), we just weren't sure if there were suitable walking paths from the cruise terminal and couldn't find that information on the Manhattan Cruise Terminal website.

Hopefully it's a nice day and if not we will have our umbrellas!

 

You’ll be in the middle of Manhattan; it’s all sidewalks. 😄

 

Just be aware that the distances from one numbered avenue to the next are relatively long (and are shorter between numbered streets).  Also, depending on the pier at which you are docked, you might exit the cruise terminal on 48th Street at 12th Avenue, which would make the bus stop at 46th St. (at 8th Ave.) closer than the one on 55th.

 

I hope you have good weather for your day in NY! 

[Noxequifans]

New York traffic can be heavy at times ..... particularly in Manhattan. Be careful when crossing streets, bicycle lanes and of turning vehicles. I know this sounds elemental but I believe it is worth mentioning. 

[Homeagain]

Thanks Turtles06 and Noxequifans,

Thanks for the tips.  It is always good to be reminded of safety - especially in a city as busy as New York.

We are not sure which pier - so great to have all options open for which street to traverse.

Thanks again!

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

You’ll be in the middle of Manhattan; it’s all sidewalks. 😄

 

Just be aware that the distances from one numbered avenue to the next are relatively long (and are shorter between numbered streets). ...

...

East-West blocks (like 10th to 9th Avenues) are 1,000 feet long, while North-South (like 48th to 49th Streets) are 250 feet long.

[Homeagain]

Thanks navybankerteacher - It's great to know the real distance between the avenues and streets.

[njhorseman]

4 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

East-West blocks (like 10th to 9th Avenues) are 1,000 feet long, while North-South (like 48th to 49th Streets) are 250 feet long.

Less than 1,000 feet per this article. The average distance between avenues is 750 feet with a maximum distance of 920 feet: https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/17/nyregion/thecity/17fyi.html

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Less than 1,000 feet per this article. The average distance between avenues is 750 feet with a maximum distance of 920 feet: https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/17/nyregion/thecity/17fyi.html

An “average” is a pretty meaningless figure.  If you have two people six feet tall and two people five feet tall, the average height is five feet six inches - but none of those present are that height.

 

Also that 920 feet figure is misleading - while it is the length of the block, it ignores the width of the avenues which separate the blocks. From the west side of 12th Avenue to the west side of 11th Avenue it is 1000 feet; and so forth. So, if you are trying to figure how far you have to walk to get across town, you should not ignore the width of the avenues you have to cross.  On the east side of Manhattan the intervals  are 500 feet —  so averaging them with the west side avenues you do get that 750 feet figure — yet there are no 750 feet east-west blocks in Manhattan.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

An “average” is a pretty meaningless figure.  If you have two people six feet tall and two people five feet tall, the average height is five feet six inches - but none of those present are that height.

 

Also that 920 feet figure is misleading - while it is the length of the block, it ignores the width of the avenues which separate the blocks. From the west side of 12th Avenue to the west side of 11th Avenue it is 1000 feet; and so forth. So, if you are trying to figure how far you have to walk to get across town, you should not ignore the width of the avenues you have to cross.  On the east side of Manhattan the intervals  are 500 feet —  so averaging them with the west side avenues you do get that 750 feet figure — yet there are no 750 feet east-west blocks in Manhattan.

I accept that the average fully across town doesn't give an accurate figure for a walk on the West Side.

 

 But tell me...how does what you're saying explain why according to Google Maps it's 0.7 miles from 12th Ave  to 8th Ave . (The walk the OP will be taking) That's 3,696 feet or an average of 924 feet per block over that stretch...which includes the distance to cross the avenues. Sounds like 920 feet hits it right on the button...not at all misleading as you claim. 

Edited September 24, 2019 by njhorseman

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

I accept that the average fully across town doesn't give an accurate figure for a walk on the West Side.

 

 But tell me...how does what you're saying explain why according to Google Maps it's 0.7 miles from 12th Ave  to 8th Ave . (The walk the OP will be taking) That's 3,696 feet or an average of 924 feet per block over that stretch...which includes the distance to cross the avenues. Sounds like 920 feet hits it right on the button...not at all misleading as you claim. 

All right, you swear by Google Maps.

But does Google Maps say it is PRECISELY .7 miles?

 If they round it to the nearest 1/10 of a mile (not inconceivable) they could be really talking about anything from .66 miles to .74 miles — a difference of .08 miles - or 422 feet or a difference of more than 100 feet per block. If they were closer - say anywhere between .68 miles and .72 miles , that difference is still more than 50 feet per block.

My practical experience with Google Msps has not convinced me to swear by their precise accuracy.

 

Your math seems OK, but......

[lenquixote66]

On 9/22/2019 at 10:49 PM, navybankerteacher said:

It would be about two miles to 59th Street and Central Park West - the closest point to the cruise terminal - probably  an hour walk because of all the stop lights / streets to cross - and not really attractive part of the city. I would suggest a taxi both ways.

Can you define “not really attractive part of the city”

[navybankerteacher]

37 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Can you define “not really attractive part of the city”

The first two long blocks, to 10th Avenue are really dreary - CBS studio (an industrial - not “show biz” building), auto dealers, and light industrial, etc. Then, the next two, to 8th Avenue : largely residential and some office buildings -those 4 long blocks , totaling about 3/4 of a mile do not really have anything people come to New York to see.  When compared with parts of New York deemed “attractive” - such as Fifth or Park Avenues, Rockefeller Center, Central Park,Times Square, China Town, the Financial District, etc. —— there is very little to see or experience.

[lenquixote66]

2 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

The first two long blocks, to 10th Avenue are really dreary - CBS studio (an industrial - not “show biz” building), auto dealers, and light industrial, etc. Then, the next two, to 8th Avenue : largely residential and some office buildings -those 4 long blocks , totaling about 3/4 of a mile do not really have anything people come to New York to see.  When compared with parts of New York deemed “attractive” - such as Fifth or Park Avenues, Rockefeller Center, Central Park,Times Square, China Town, the Financial District, etc. —— there is very little to see or experience.

While 57 St from 10th to 8th cannot compare to the other areas there are some wonderful restaurants and bars in which one can find many show business people any night of the week.

[Turtles06]

5 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

The first two long blocks, to 10th Avenue are really dreary - CBS studio (an industrial - not “show biz” building), auto dealers, and light industrial, etc. Then, the next two, to 8th Avenue : largely residential and some office buildings -those 4 long blocks , totaling about 3/4 of a mile do not really have anything people come to New York to see.  When compared with parts of New York deemed “attractive” - such as Fifth or Park Avenues, Rockefeller Center, Central Park,Times Square, China Town, the Financial District, etc. —— there is very little to see or experience.

 

I agree with you.