NYC transit for beginners
Subways for beginners
The subways generally run on a nonstop schedule, generally around every 15 minutes or so, or around every 20-30 minutes during extremely slow hours in the early AM. So, there is no worry about “missing” your train, just grab the next one.
The lines run constantly in both directions, and as long as they are not “express” trains, they’ll stop at all the same stations either way. (So, if you take an uptown E train to go one way, take a downtown E train from the same station to get back to where you started.)
You’ll have to make sure you’re waiting on the correct side of the tracks to go in your desired direction, and that information is posted conspicuously above the tracks.
Fares
The fare is $2 to get into the system, and once you pass the turnstile, you can go from train to train anywhere for that one price, not having to pay again until you actually exit a station somewhere. So, backtracking is free should you need to.
The fare is payable with a MetroCard. MetroCards are magnetic cards which store cash for the transit system, precluding the need for tokens. You can purchase a Metrocard for any amount of money, and you just swipe it through the turnstile to subtract $2 from the card’s total and enter the system. There is no extra charge for this - the total cost is available on the card.
Special MetroCards which offer unlimited rides for various amounts of time are available, but once you use it you must wait 18 minutes before it will work again on the same subway line, so no swiping all your pals through for free.
MetroCards are available at most subway stations, as well as some newsstands and other miscellaneous shops.
Inidentally, if you wish to know more about the technical side of how the MetroCards work, check out Redbird’s excellent MetroCard article from the Spring 2005 issue of 2600.
Maps
You can ask for a free subway map from any station attendant, or find one in any number of commercial maps and guidebooks. You can also download the official map from the MTA, or any of several free maps from Wikimedia.
Taxi cabs
For some extra cash, you can simply take a taxi to get around. Frequent taxi use will get very expensive very quickly, but they can be quite satisfactory in a pinch. Here’s a decent guide for the non-savvy on how to use New York City cabs.
Further information
We’ll be adding to this page as we come up with more things, and as readers like you click that Contact Us link to ask us any questions you have that aren’t answered here.
For more info on the subways and buses, and official maps of the systems, visit the NYC Transit website.