New York Style

They say New York is the city that never sleeps. Unfortunately, even locals need to put there heads down for a few hours every so often to regenerate. Traveling to New York City for the "Non-Yorker" can be a daunting feat at first. There are just a few things that one should keep in mind before packing their bags for the Big Apple.

New York Is Expensive

The Island of Manhattan may have been purchased for a few bucks, but if you want to enjoy the city, be prepared to dish out the dinero. One frequent complaint I hear from friends and family who are not familiar with New York is the price of hotels, food and especially room service. Lots of people go to the city and check into their uptown hotel room only to be surprised that the cheapest service offered by Room Service is the $30 Breakfast which consists of a bagel, a coffee and a newspaper. Bargains are out there, but they generally are not on the room service menu.

New York Is Big

I laugh every time someone tells me they are going to avoid the cost of riding the taxi and the confusion of riding the subway and they intend to walk everywhere they want to go. About three blocks into your trek from the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art to Ground Zero you will probably be ready to drop. And even if a combination of adrenaline, coffee and straight up masochism gives you the fortitude to make that hike, don't expect to be hitting the town that night or moving first thing in the morning. Learning the subway system can provide you with cheap (and fast) access to the city.

The Route

So you want to go to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, Battery Park, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and Times Square? Sounds like an awesome trip to me, but you'll spend half of your time in transit if you follow that order. Look at a map before you set out and visit things that are nearby one another. Not only will this save on time, but also on money that might otherwise be spent on cab fare or your metro card.

Taxi Cabs

There are many methods of transportation available in New York. The most visible of these is the taxi cab. Simply raise your hand as you stand on the curb and surely one of the yellow fleet cars will stop. However, imagine this, it's a Saturday and you just closed out your last bar for the night. You raise your hand and a black sedan pulls over, offering you service. Congratulations, you just met your first Gypsy Cab. All Taxi Cabs in New York City require a Taxi Medallion in order to operate. Because of the high cost of these medallions, some people have gone into the "car service" business. That is, taxiing people who call requesting a ride. Some car service drivers try to augment their income by responding to hails, however. Some things to note:

1. Gypsy Cabs operate illegally
2. Gypsy Cabs are not equipped with fare meters
3. Only medallion taxis can be painted yellow, if its any other color, its a Gypsy Cab

For reasons of safety and saving money, a gypsy cab may not be the best route to take.

Save time, save money and save yourself when you travel to New York City. Like any place in the world, New York is filled with great people and people who aren't so great. Keep on your toes and you can look forward to a rewarding visit to the Big Apple.