Getting Into NY Archives
Chinatown Bus
It used to be that you had to venture below the grime-caked pylons of the Manhattan Bridge, to a scene more reminiscent of Luoyang than of the Lower East Side, in order to catch a cheap bus ride between New York and Washington, DC. Even now at the intersection of East Broadway and Forsyth St, ticket hawkers scream out destinations in thick Cantonese accents--“DC, DC, DC!” “Philly, Philly!”--and grab the arms of passers-by toting luggage. Loading queues often disintegrate into a Hobbesian struggle to nab untaken seats.
. . .
Most recently, a Marriott executive founded DC2NY, a service between Washington and New York that guarantees customers seats if booked online and charges only slightly more than the Chinatown buses (a $40 round-trip versus $35). It also offers free bottles of water and Wi-Fi internet access. The “luxury” bus carrier has more than doubled its operation since its inaugural trip this summer. Watch as its older rivals start copying its perks.
"The Chinatown express: Innovation brings emulation," The Economist, October 27, 2007
More
- "How to Get Into, Around, and Out Of Washington, DC" - from TheCapitol.Net
- DC2NY - "The Ultimate Bus Travel Experience" [Yelp]
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
New Penn Station Approved
New York has approved the design for the new Penn Station, to be located in the Main Post Office on Eighth Avenue, which is across the street from its current location. NY Daily News has a story.
James Lileks describes the current Penn Station pretty well:
Aside from rush hour, it was empty, and had a sad battered quality that made you feel like a rude sack of meat slumped over a ration of intoxicants. ... The reality is a waiting room with insufficient signage, a great hall that isn’t, and a Hudson News thronged with balding guys, ties askew, furtively paging through battered porn mags.
Parking in NYC
Looking for parking garages in NYC? We've used Icon Parking's web site and found some good deals, like $60 for a week.
Also check out Erik Feder's book, "The Feder Guide to Where to Park Your Car in Manhattan (and Where Not to Park It!), Downtown Edition, paperback
Also see Driving in New York from ny.com
