Travel Tip #6 - Use Public Transportation in Big Cities

     If you travel in NYC, or most other big cities, you will probably discover that using a car has more disadvantages than advantages. First of all, the traffic is horrendous: aggressive taxis, pedestrians who don't pay attention to lights, and other tourists who suddenly dart across three lanes of traffic to make a turn. Second, even with GPS, you yourself are unfamiliar with the streets, so your chances of getting in an accident increase significantly. Third, once you finally arrive at your destination, finding parking will either take the good part of an hour, cost $20+, or both. From my experience, public transportation is much better.
     Not only is public transportation more convenient, it is cheaper too. If you fly into the city, it will save you from having to rent a car. Even if you drive into the city, just keep your car parked at the hotel. Unless you use taxis, the money you save on gas and additional parking costs should cover all the expenses you accrue.

     So which form of public transportation should you use? If you have money to burn, go ahead and use taxis. Since you can find taxis anywhere in NYC, and most major cities, they are usually the fastest and most convenient form of public transportation (unless there is a major traffic jam, which is fairly common). If your travel budget is like mine, however, your options are the bus, trolley cars, or subway. Trolley cars are fun, but they are only in selected cities. So, unless you get claustrophobic underground, I recommend using the subway. In my experience, it is safer, faster, and more convenient than buses since you aren't at the mercy of the traffic or traffic lights.
     When we went to New York in 2010, we flew into NYC and took a taxi from the airport to our hotel to drop off our luggage. For the next three days we went everywhere on foot or using the subway. The metro (subway) system has subway stops near all the places we wanted to visit. The only long walk we had was to and from our hotel. All we needed was a subway map, directions from our hotel to the closest subway stop, and the maps of attractions in our New York Pass Guide. After that, it was easy to plot our routes from one attraction to the next. Since I had used the subway a lot in Madrid, I was the designated navigator. I realize that for someone who's never used the metro, it might appear intimidating. The map might seem confusing at first, with all the different colored lines; but once you figure out how the map works, it's a piece of cake. Even when we had a question, the locals were very helpful - both in NYC and Boston. In any case, it was a lot less stressful than driving. Having experienced both, there is no comparison.

Good luck choosing which form of transportation to use; then sit back and enjoy your trip!