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New York City Facts
Population:
Metropolitan area: 8,643,437
City Center population: 7,420,166
Visitors: 33 million annually
Elevation: 131 Feet
Area: New York City ( Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Richmond) 301 square miles.
Area of Manhattan: 22.7 square miles.
Languages:
English, but in many areas of the City languages other than English predominate
Time Zone: Eastern Time (GMT -4 hours) Daylight saving time is observed from April-October.
Telephone Area Code:
Manhattan: 212 Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, & Staten Island: 718
Emergency:
Ambulance/Fire/Police 911
Tips and Taxes:
Tips 15%, sales tax 7%
National Holidays:
Jan 1 New Year's Day
3rd Monday in January Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Feb 22 Presidents' Day
March or April Good Friday
March or April Easter
May 30 Memorial Day
July 4 Independence Day
1st Monday in September. Labor Day
Oct 12 Columbus Day
Nov 11 Veterans Day
November 25 Thanksgiving Day
Dec 25 Christmas Day
How to get around:
Driving: The best advice is don't drive in New York City. Traffic is often gridlocked. The public transportation system is excellent.
Taxis:
New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission: 212/676-1000.
Ferry:
Staten Island Ferry. (Free) Travels Manhattan and Staten Island. Each way takes 25 minutes.
Airports:
Three Airports service New York City:
John F. Kennedy Int'l (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA), Newark Int'l. (EWR)
Subway:
The easiest way to get around Manhattan is by subway. Subways and City buses run 24 hours a day. Trains 1,2,3,9, A and C go up and down Manhattan's west side. The 1, 9 and C are locals and stop at all stations. The 2,3 and A trains are express and stop only at major stations. Trains 4,5, and 6 head up and down the east side. The 6 is local; the 4 and 5 are express.
Trains F,N and R travel between the east and west sides of Midtown and Downtown. The E train follows almost the same route. The Subway is accessed with a Metro card. Purchase these at subway stations and at many hotels and shops. The fare includes free transfers to city buses within 2 hours. Weekly passes are more economical.
The one day Fun Pass is sold at hotels and shops and in machines at certain subway stations.
Bus:
Buses are slower than subways, but are helpful for traveling cross town. Cross town buses operate between the East and West sides on Houston, 14th, 23rd, 42nd, 57th, 66th, 72nd, 86th and 96th streets.
Buses head north up 1st, 3rd, Madison, 6th and 8th Avenues.
Buses head south down Broadway and 2nd, Lexington, 5th, 7th, and 9th Avenues.
Railway:
Pennsylvania Station is located between 31st and 33rd Streets on 7th Avenue. (212) 630-6400. Amtrak, Long Island Railroad, and New Jersey Transit trains stop at Penn Station. Connect there with the subway or taxis.
Grand Central Terminal (212) 532-4900 on the East side. Commuter trains from Connecticut and suburban New York City arrive and depart there.
Intercity Bus:
Port Authority Bus Terminal is located on 8th Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets. Local buses from New Jersey and intercity buses from the United States and Canada serve the entire city.
Cruise Terminal in Redhook, Brooklyn
In April, 2006, the 23-story luxury ocean liner Queen Mary 2 was the first to berth just around the corner from the Beard Pier at the new, $52 million Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, inaugurating the neighborhood as New York's latest cruise port. Dozens of ships, including the Queen Elizabeth 2 and four Princess Cruise ships, are regularly scheduled to dock there with others to follow. As a result, the entire area will undergo a metamorphosis over the coming months and years.
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