My friend and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Manhattan yesterday.
We ended up AirTrain from JFK to LIRR Jamaica station, then using LIRR
to get to Penn Station in Manhattan. From there, we used the various
subway lines to get around or mostly walk to nearby destination.
It was pretty easy using the subway, AirTrain, and LIRR.
Not very impressed with punctuality of the M4 bus at Fort Tryon Park at
all. (The bus was so late that we just simply walked through the park to
get to The Cloisters. It was a great day so we thoroughly enjoyed this.)
The Cloisters was incredible as ever -- my second visit in 20 years, and
we got to see the magnificiently sculptured ivory cross and the Unicorn
Tapestries -- high points of our visit.
We rode several taxis for fun; enjoyed that as well, and got to see more
of the above-surface life than with the subway. All I can say is... taxi
drivers sure know their trade well, doing things that would have
undoubtedly resulted in crunched metal if it had been me doing it. :)
We quickly got the hang of local vs. express (and where to find these
tracks in most stations), already understood uptown/downtown, and didn't
get lost anywhere.
We did have a moment of puzzlement after arriving at Chambers St. via a
1 uptown train, wanting to get to a C uptown train and couldn't find it
anywhere, but then dawned upon us we had to exit the station and walk
around the block to get to the entrance to catch a C train.
(I'm more used to Philly's SEPTA or Washington, D.C.'s WMATA system
where you can change to all sorts of different lines by ascending or
descending stairs within the station without having to exit.)
We rode the SI ferry because it was free, a nice way to rest legs, enjoy
a breeze of fresh air, and enjoy the views of Liberty and Ellis Islands
as well as Manhattan. A great way to spend a hour (roundtrip).
I remembered reading about the ferry (Andrew J. Barbieri) as being the
one involved in that horrific 2003 crash when the pilot blacked out.
This time, I'm happy to say, the pilot in charge did indeed have a
pulse, seemed fully conscious, and masterfully sailed it both ways. :-)
Tickets for the MTA and the AirTrain in my case were a mess -- we both
purchased the one day FunPass; my ticket was apparently loaded with
$8.50 instead of an unlimited balance. Fun, indeed. (Not.)
Then at the AirTrain station, it claimed I didn't have sufficient fare
to enter the system despite having had bought a $10 ticket in the
morning and used it only once. My friend had no such issue with either
tickets. Heh. Oh well, it's just one day in the city and being out a
couple bucks isn't a big deal, and didn't have the time or interest in
pursuing it any further.
But lesson learned: next time I do this, I will promptly check the
balance using the nearby machines before doing anything else. At the
AirTrain / LIRR area at Jamaica, you can check balances before even
using the ticket once to pass through the turnstiles... so, noted.
We really enjoyed being a part of the morning rush during a work day.
Much more authentic NYC than being part of a weekend tourist rush period.
We weren't used to how close of quarters everything was, but had heeded
previous advice to do several key things ('let people exit the train
first before boarding', 'don't hog an unused seat', 'don't hold the
doors open; take the next train', 'don't stare at people', 'move towards
the center of the train') so we had no problems at all.
We waited until there were nobody behind us (to avoid holding up a
grumpy / busy crowd headed in to work) before trying a swipe of the
MetroCard. We quickly got the hang of it, and had one or two re-swipes
but didn't hold up anyone.
One subway train didn't have AC but we were too tired to move to another
car so we just took it in stride. No big deal -- it was only about a
dozen stops. We found the air conditioned cars of the LIRR heavenly. :)
(Other subway cars we rode in were AC'd as well, of course.)
And we both found things to enjoy throughout the day. Dinner at Mama
Mexico's (W. 102nd/Broadway?) was superb -- recommended by someone we
knew of Mexican descent and lived in the city. That place actually used
spices to enliven the meal, unlike most Mexican restaurants where I live
where the spices barely registers. http://www.mamamexico.com/
Weather was 55 in morning to 75 at its peak, and mostly sunny, so it was
a great day. Rain was in the forecast but not until after midnight; we
left at 11pm, so that didn't touch us. Everything worked out great.
We didn't have problems carrying large cameras except at Penn Station's
Au Bon Pain where the manager thought we were going to use them. Nah; we
were hungry and scanning the menus, not handling the cameras. No big
deal, expected that to happen at some point. Didn't get stopped anywhere
else during the day.
I'd told my friend to handle any such issues with courtesy and not show
irritation to avoid escalating any situation. Just smile, say 'I'm
sorry, I didn't know' or 'I won't use it', and take pictures somewhere
else. Plenty of places in Manhattan for taking photos, so no worries at all.
We were amazed when we saw taxis with a credit card slot and live TV via
a LCD inside! First time using the MetroCard - I still remember my first
visit when it was tokens (phased out about 5 years ago?). Ah, progress.
Anyway, thanks for all the tips that made for a smooth day and a great
trip! We'll definitely be back. |
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