New York City On My Mind - 3

Outer Boroughs

Many of the attractions in the outer boroughs are worth the price of a subway ticket. You’d be mistaken to think the Bronx is a concrete jungle; there’s more parkland here than any of the other boroughs, including the sprawling 250-acre New York Botanical Garden. Don’t miss the Bronx Zoo and the new Yankee Stadium when baseball season resumes in the spring.

Queens is also getting a new baseball stadium for its Mets team, though the name Shea is being dropped in favor or Citi Field (provided Citibank weathers the current economic storm). Worth a visit is the undervalued Queens Museum of Art (admission by suggested donation) to check out the incredible Panorama of the City of New York exhibit, the world’s largest architectural scale model. 

Brooklyn is idyllic for a stroll along the Brooklyn Promenade to soak in the Manhattan skyline. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, a one-mile long suspension bridge, and you’ll see Lady Liberty in the distance. Take the subway (Red 2, 3 lines) to Prospect Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Clavert Vaux, the team behind Manhattan’s iconic Central Park. To the east is the Brooklyn Museum, which has an excellent Egyptian collection, and be sure to visit the gorgeous, 53-acre Brooklyn Botanic Gardens ($8 adults/children free; free on Saturdays 10 a.m. to noon), next door, proof positive that a tree really does grown in Brooklyn.

Getting There From the Airport

New York is served by three major airports: LaGuardia (LGA), John F. Kennedy International (JFK) and Newark Liberty International (EWR). Traveling to Manhattan by taxi from the airports is easiest—and most affordable—especially if you’ll be traveling as a family. One fare covers all passengers. The metered fare from LaGuardia is $16 to $26, plus bridge and tunnel tolls (an additional $3) and tip. The fare from JFK is a flat $45, plus tunnel tolls and tip. The fare from Newark is $30 to $38, excluding tolls ($10) and tip.

• The Brooklyn Museum is the second-largest museum in New York City.
• Howard Brier

Other options include AirLink New York—a door-to-door shared van service from the three airports to Manhattan hotels with rates that range from $16 to $20 per person (www.airlinknyc.com). And AirTrain, a light-rail system, is an inexpensive way to travel to and from JFK ($5) but it’s not the most convenient; you’ll need to make a transfer at Jamaica Station or Howard Beach (www.airtrainjfk.com). AirTrain also serves Newark; fare is $14; you’ll need to switch trains to Amtrak or NJ Transit for service into Penn Station (www.airtrainnewark.com).

Getting Around Town

New York is an ideal walking town, so be sure to pack comfortable walking shoes or sneakers. And don’t let the congested city streets intimidate you; it’s actually very easy to get where you’re going in Manhattan. The streets are laid out in a grid fashion and, if you get lost, New Yorkers are generally eager to help. True, they may keep walking as they talk but they’ll get you where you’re going in the simplest, most direct route, usually with a smile—or at least a grin.

Of course, the "city that never sleeps" subway and bus system runs 24/7, 365 days, making it a quick and reliable service (www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct). Note: If it’s late at night, opt for a cab, instead. Minimum cab fare is $2.50, plus 40 cents for each one-fifth of a mile when the cab’s speed exceeds six mph. Less than six mph, it’s 40 cents every minute; a $1 surcharge is added to rides between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Mon.-Fri. and a 50 cent surcharge for rides between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. all week. The subway/bus fare is $2, no matter if you go one stop or to the end of the line. Note: You can use change for the buses, but you’ll need a MetroCard for the subway; you can purchase one at a subway station, hotel or newsstand.

• The sailors’ and soldiers’ Memorial Arch stands in Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn.
• Go Card USA

New York Water Taxi is also a great way to zip around Manhattan. The bright yellow water catamaran taxis cruise the East and Hudson rivers, making stops along the way (www.nywatertaxi.com). You can buy a one-day “Hop-On/Hop-Off” pass for $20 adult/$15 children, or take a special tour, like the Live Music Cruise ($20) or the Fall Foliage Cruise ($35).

Budget Tips

Yes, some of the museum admission fees in New York are quite steep. But many of them have a “pay what you wish” policy all the time (yet they suggest an admission price), like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Further, many of the museums have reduced admission or donation policies in effect during designated times, such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) which is free on Fridays 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

To get more bang for your buck, consider purchasing a New York CityPass, which gets you into six attractions for the price of one. The cost: $65 adults, $49 kids. You can purchase a booklet at www.citypass.com or at the first of these six attractions when you visit (CityPass is sold at each attraction).

To snag same-day Broadway and Off-Broadway tickets (discounted 25 to 50 percent), go to the TKTS booth, run by the Theatre Development Fund. There are three locations: Midtown at Duffy Square (47th St. and Broadway)—the remodeled booth reopens Oct. 16, at the South Street Seaport and in downtown Brooklyn at 1 MetroTech Center. The Seaport spot usually sports shorter lines, plus you can purchase Sunday matinee tickets there on Saturday—a service not available at Duffy Square—since it’s closed on Sundays.