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Getting around New York City is a breeze, thanks to 3,700 buses, 714
miles of subways, 12,000 taxis and limousines, and countless feeder roads.
There are also ferries, helicopters, bicycles, and frequent Amtrak and
commuter rail service. And don’t forget your feet! NYC is a walking
city – flat and much of it on a grid.
On foot
One of New York City’s great assets is its walkability. Manhattan
is mostly a grid system of uptown/downtown streets intersecting with crosstown
streets so it’s hard to get lost here. Most of the city is flat,
perfect for strolling.
Any given day it seems like the whole world is walking up Fifth Avenue and all around Central Park. Kids climbing on Atlas at Rockefeller Center, hansom cabs, pedicabs, street performers, colorful sidewalk art, sunbathers, strollers, lovers, families picnicking. The contrasts abound in New York City.
If your image of New York City is zillions of cars, buses, and trucks surging through the streets, angling for advantage, you should know that's only one slice of the Manhattan experience. Once your feet are on the ground, and you join the human throng on the sidewalk, you'll find that New York City provides you with a sort of cozy, intimate personal world that you can amble through with ease.
Walking in New York City is easy if you just go with the flow. And every few steps brings you another shopfront to ogle, street scene smile at, fashion statement to ponder, so that the blocks add up, one after another, until you've arrived at your destination and wonder at how quickly you got there.
It's a city of small neighborhoods, and each one has its own special character (and characters!). The best thing about Manhattan is that one district turns into the next, one after the other. So you can shop in Soho, eat lunch in Little Italy, and explore Chinatown, all in one day.
Make sure to wear comfortable footwear, of course!
More about walking in New York City
By bus
NYC’s 3,700 buses operate throughout the five boroughs on more
than 200 routes. You are usually within a few blocks of a bus stop.
By subway
Subways are a fast, easy, and inexpensive way to get around the city.
Trains run 24 hours a day, with waiting time between trains normally just
a few minutes, depending on the time of day. The 714-mile New York City
subway system has 468 stations serving 24 routes - more than any other
system in the world. It operates 24 hours a day, is safe, and is used
daily by more than 3.5 million people.
By Taxi
New York City taxis (also called “cabs”; short for “taxicab”)
are yellow and may be hailed on the street or found at taxi stands at
major hotels and transportation hubs. On the street, stick out your arm
to signal a taxi. A taxi is available when its white rooftop number light
is lit. A taxi driver seeking passengers turns on the middle section (numbered
part) only of the roof light. The rooftop light also has the words “Off
Duty”; when these are lit, the taxi will not pick up passengers.
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