After twenty years of living in Oklahoma I thought I was ready to take a leap of faith and move to the east coast by myself. I’d seen just about every movie that took place in New York City and visited over ten times in my life, so with that and my own ambition I knew I was ready and that nothing could stand in my way. Unfortunately for me, however, life here is nothing at all like the movies and that caused a few bumps in my path. Now I’m here to tell everyone everything I wish I had known before coming here, so maybe you can avoid some simple mistakes when life pulls you away from Oklahoma.
The most important thing to learn when coming to New York is the transportation and traffic systems. It is simply not practical to own a car here. Not only is learning to drive here stressful and dangerous, it often takes longer than other means, and since high rise apartment buildings don’t have parking lots, it costs upwards of $800 a month just to keep your car, plus the cost of garages when you do drive it somewhere. Taxis, subways, and walking are the three easiest and most used ways to get from point A to point B. All of their pros and cons, and each is best used in different situations.
Taxis are great for people that know the address of where they are going, but are not comfortable navigating the city themselves. Make sure you know the address and cross streets, though!! I know you would think a cab driver would know where the great big Macy’s store should be, but most drivers are immigrants that don’t care to learn the location of things, just give them a street address and they can take you there. Taxi’s are the most expensive form of travel though, so if you are only going a short distance, or feel brave enough to tackle the subway system those are always cheaper, and depending on the time of day, can be much faster, as well. Taxis are also good for late night trips when the streets start to attract the wrong crowd. I know we’ve all seen one too many episodes of Law and Order to really want to take the subway at 3 am.
Subways are a cheap and fast, though not often sanitary, way to get to almost every part of New York City. In each station they have maps showing the stops, routes, and which trains go to which stations. They also have hand held maps in every newsstand showing the same thing. If you know the schedule for the day before you leave in the morning, try going to hopstop.com. It is a basic mapquest for the subways and saves time later. An all day pass is $8 and can be used for up to 24 hours, or you can get single rides, week long, month long, etc. depending how much time you plan to be in the city. The trains usually come every five to ten minutes, and, especially on the express train, get you to your destination quickly. Again, if it is after midnight I really suggest splurging for a cab because there are some funny characters in New York, and just like your mother always said, nothing good happens after midnight anyways.
Walking is the cheapest, easiest, and usually the most pleasant way to get anywhere. Unless it’s raining, I prefer walking because no matter how many times you travel up and down the same New York street, you will always see something different. The same maps that show the subways are great because they also break down all the blocks and usually show large landmarks, as well. Investing in one of these will help you travel, however you choose to do so. Walking can also be a big time saver because you don’t have to wait in traffic or wait for the next train to come. In NYC, walking six or eight blocks is like walking across the street, and a mile is not considered unreasonable, especially if the weather is nice.
However you decide to navigate New York, give yourself AT LEAST fifteen extra minutes to get anywhere because in New York things are constantly popping up, whether it be a bad wreck on fifth avenue, a train breakdown at rush hour, or getting turned around and walking four blocks in the wrong direction before consulting the map. If you have the time, I really recommend getting lost in the City for a day then trying to find your way back home using all three methods of transportation, because you will see so many great things on the most random streets.
