Getting Around NY Archives
NYC Considering Regulating Pedicabs
Anyone who associates bicycle cabs solely with the streets of, say, Hong Kong or New Delhi would have gotten a shock if he had dropped by New York City Hall on the last day of February. It was standing room only as the City Council’s Committee on Consumer Affairs held what promises to be the first of several hearings on regulations for pedicabs. Many of those attending were my fellow pedicab owners and drivers who have made the bicycle rickshaws a staple of the Midtown streetscape.
"Regulating Rickshaws," by Gregg Zukowski, Gotham Gazette, March 6, 2006
Bicycle taxis are weaving through the clogged streets of midtown Manhattan in a movement growing so rapidly that the city is proposing regulations before it spins out of control.Known as pedicabs, these vehicles look like giant tricycles with a passenger carriage in the back. Some tourists and New Yorkers see them as an affordable, pollution-free way to see the city and sail through gridlock.
The City Council is examining whether this burgeoning fad, grown from a centuries-old form of transportation, needs safety and insurance standards and rate regulations.
"Bicycle Taxis Thrive on Streets of New York; City Considers Crackdown," by Sara Kugler, Associated Press, Environmental News Network, March 8, 2006
More
- rickshaw forum
- "The bicycle harassment in NYC never ends," bikeblog, February 14, 2006
- "Pedicabs Face Midtown Ban," by Michael Bielawski, NYC indymedia, February 10, 2006
- "N.Y. Might Lay Down the Law on Bike Taxis," by Walter Hamilton, The Los Angelese Times, February 27, 2006
- "Suit settlement sends pedicabs to the curb," by John Marzulli, Daily News, March 30, 2005
- NYC Pedicab Owners Association
- Pedicab Companies
- Cycle Planet, 917-750-2776
- Manhattan Rickshaw Company, 212-604-4729
- Mr. Rickshaw LLC, 917-345-4553 or 917-687-6376
- New York Bike Tours, 917-696-9202
- Revolution Rickshaws, 917-658-9467
Transit Strike coverage
NewYorkology has lots of good coverage of the transit strike, and related links, including traffic cams
Michelin Guide (Red and Green) New York, Zagat NYC, NYT
New York City Walk - web site
New York City Walk is a record of a walk of every street in Manhattan. Caleb Smith began walking in April, 2002, and finished December 19, 2004, covering more than 700 miles.
And we agree with Mr. Smith: "The biggest celebrity in New York City is New York itself."
Some of our favorite pages
- Manhattan Bridges
- The old Fulton Fish Market (here's forgotten NY's article on the old Fulton Fish Market)
- The Gates (the second photograph is beautiful)
Horseback Riding in NYC
Taxi, subway, foot, bus ... and horseback ... yes, you can ride horses in NYC ... although we've not tried it, experienced riders say it's a lot of fun ...
Links
- NYPD's Mounted Unit
- Horseback Ridng in NYC - from the NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation
- "Urban Cowboy: NYC Horseback Riding: On Horseback in the Big Town," by Elzy Kolb, GORP (article cached on Google)
"I found that the horses in city stables live up to New York's high-energy vibe. In the Bronx and Queens, my horses were enthusiastic and ready to run for most of an hour's ride; I got occasional canters out of my stately Manhattan and Staten Island steeds; and my Brooklyn mount gave me a hard, fast trot."
- Kensington Stables - Brooklyn
- New York City Horses - photos of drinking troughs and stables from New York City Walk
HopStop
HopStop - enter your beginning and destination addresses, and it will calculate how to make the trip by bus, subway or a bus/subway combination.
AGINY Recommended
forgotten NY - web site - highly recommended
If you love New York, then you must visit, and bookmark, forgotten NY. Run by Kevin Walsh, forgotten NY includes text and photographs of all parts of the City, new and old ... he also conducts walking tours ... upcoming tours are announced on the home page ...
Some of our favorite pages include
- Journey Through the Past (a subway tour on IRT Low Voltage cars)
- Jamican Red (original red brick pavement in Jamica)
- A Walk on 53rd Street (from the Hudson to the East River)
- Who Are those Guys and Gals and Dogs (The Statues of Central Park)
- Where Brooklyn Began - Fulton Street at the waterfront
An incredibly rich site, forgotten NY will keep you occupied for hours ... I bet most of you don't make it to this sentence ...
For more about Kevin Walsh, see the gothamist interview. Thank you, Kevin Walsh, for a wonderful web site.
AGINY Highly Recommended and Top 10
MTA MetroCard - AGINY Good Value
The MetroCard has many great features ... such as: a free transfer between a bus and subway or vice versa within a 2 hour period ... ride costs 20% less when you buy a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard worth $10, $20 or more ... $7 for the one day fun pass, $24 for seven days and $76 for 30 days ... if you're reading this as an archived article, check the MTA site for current pricing
AGINY Good Value
NYPD nnounces random searches on subway and buses
In New York City, officials announced Thursday afternoon that the NYPD is instituting random searches of subway passengers carrying bags or backpacks, and similar searches may be conducted aboard city buses.
New York City Dept. of Parks - web site
The New York City Dept. of Parks and Recreation has a web site that is very useful for finding out about many free events that take place throughout NYC.
You can start on the Things to Do page, but our favorite is the upcoming Concerts, Performances, and Films page.
Want to learn how to play petanque? ("A close relative of bocce and a distant cousin of horseshoes.")
How about a two-hour boat ride along the Hudson featuring an on-board lecture by Joyce Gold about the history of the waterfront neighborhoods .. with dinner .. for $20?
Or maybe you'd prefer to "sample regional cuisine from neighborhood restaurants, picnic on the grass as the sun sets over the city, enjoy performances by local musicians and dancers and, as the sky darkens, see exceptional international films on a large format screen - all set against the spectacular backdrop of the Manhattan skyline."?
These are only 3 among hundreds and hundreds of events listed.
AGINY Recommended.
Getting to and from La Guardia airport
Very easy to get from La Guardia airport (LGA) to anywhere in NYC ... The Port Authority has a very convenient page on their web site ... also see the handy page at CitiDex that includes driving directions and parking info, and all the ground transportation options such as city bus, taxi, train, and shuttle ...
To get to mid-town Manhattan (1) take the M60 bus, which stops at all terminals (get a $2 MetroCard and get a free transfer to the subway) ... (2) take a shuttle (between $8 and $22)... (3) if you have plenty of money to spend ($35 - $45, including tolls), hop into a taxi ...
With the M60 bus, you can travel to and from La Guardia from the West Side (stops in front of Columbia University at the last stop). The M60 runs between 106th St and Broadway in Manhattan and La Guardia Airport from approximately 5 am to 1 am, seven days a week - schedule here in pdf. The M60 serves all airport terminals. Connections can be made with all north-south Manhattan subway lines ... This is a grand-view ride across the Triborough Bridge to 125th Street and Lexington Avenue (i.e., Harlem) and free-transfer to the IRT #4 or #5 subway downtown to Grand Central ... about half hour for the trip ...
The MetroCard has many great features ... such as: a free transfer between a bus and subway or vice versa within a 2 hour period ... ride costs 20% less when you buy a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard worth $10, $20 or more ... $7 for the one day fun pass, $21 for seven days and $70 for 30 days ...
Subway interactive map | schedules | HopStop
AGINY good value
Excellent shopping web site - Recommended
LittleViews on Shopping is an excellent web site with shopping tips and secrets that even experienced New Yorkers will find worthwhile. And many of her quick tips warm our frugal heart.
Do you know where you can get fancy umbrellas? Wholesale jewlery? Where to locate lists of sales in the City? You will after you visit this "little" gem, hosted by Karen Little.
Recommended.
Hudson River bike path
Hudson River Park and Bike Path ... Another very great locale for enjoying New York in the hot, humid dog days of summer ... very cool breeze from the Hudson River, great place to day-dream, read a book, walk, meditate and smile at the whole world ... you can't swim in the Hudson but you can kayak on the Hudson ...
I have been going there for the past 5 years ... on my bicycle, riding along the Hudson River ... north and south ... to the Staten Island ferry or north to the Cloisters and the George Washington Bridge ... I met my girlfriend on the Hudson River bike path at 122nd Street ... she was on her roller-blades and I was riding my bicycle back from a Jazzmobile concert in Harlem ...
nycsubway.org - web site - Highly Recommended
nycsubway.org is a website devoted to the subway sytem in New York City. It is run by David Pirmann, who started the site in 1995. The site does not contain operating information about the subway, but it is filled with information about the development and history of the NYC subway.
My favorite sections are Subway Art, Abandoned Stations (the old City Hall station is beautiful!), Subway Signals, A Day in the Life..., and Upcoming Events.
If you are interested in the history of the NYC subway system or how it works, or you want to see photographs of stations, trains, or subway yards, you must see this site, which is truly a labor of love. Thank you Mr. Pirmann.
If you like nycsubway.org, leave a tip for the webmaster.
nycsubway.org is Highly Recommended
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How to walk in New York
Two great guides for how to walk in NYC.
- Andrew Womack's "How to Walk in New York.
- Also see Amy Langfield's "NewYorkology Basics: Walking"
