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Stupid Travel Arguments (And Why We Should Stop Having Them)

 

The bus out of Antigua, Guatemala arbitrarily leaves one hour early.

A seemingly friendly Cape Town driver picks you up, smiles at your

destination, and then drops you off half an hour later, 20km from the

highway.

You wait 3 hours in downtown Jo�burg while your Combi becomes fuller,

filled, and then bursting with other passengers before leaving.

The Cairns-to-Brisbane Greyhound has 40 seats, but there are 55

ticket-holding passengers.

If you have traveled far from home for any length of time, you have

inevitably faced The Travel Crisis.

It is my opinion, fellow traveler, that The Travel Crisis is when one�s true traveling character is revealed. One in ten voyagers, in the face of a missed mountain milk truck or broken down ferry, will peacefully recline against a pack, pull out the journal, and sigh, “Sometimes it is better to travel than to arrive….”

The other nine will wish they had a car.

And here, once again, is the beauty of New York City. You will never, even briefly, wish you had a car. In NYC, cars do not mean the freedom of the open road. They mean the agony of traffic jams, the insanity of city drivers, and the improbability of good parking.

The key, then, to mobility in the city is mastering the public

transportation system. This consists of a network of subways and buses that can get you anywhere in Manhattan, as well as most places in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. They may not be as architecturally impressive as London�s tube, as charming as Melbourne�s trams, or as clean as D.C.�s metro, but New York�s mass transit is fairly reliable, generally efficient and decidedly lacking in the livestock that characterizes public transport in some regions of the world.

Routes and Schedules

To get acquainted with bus and subway routes, pick up maps at a subway stop token booth. If at all possible, refrain from unfolding these giant tourist flags en route – you might as well have a Nikon around your neck.

If you need to refresh your memory along the way, maps are posted in many subway stations and in each subway car. There are occasionally changes in service because of repairs, so look out for white

posters around the station and listen to announcements made by the conductor (if you can understand them). Conductors and token booth clerks can also give you directions, but you are probably better off choosing another passenger.

In theory, subways run 24 hours a day. In reality, you won�t wait more than five minutes for a rush hour train, but at 3am on a Saturday

morning, the better part of an hour can pass before your train does.

Buses are more predictable, although not necessarily more frequent, because they run on a schedule – more or less – that is posted at each stop. Some bus lines do not run late at night, so check before you wait. Beware of busing during rush hour…city traffic can make a bus ride much longer than a subway ride of the same distance.

Costs

As a general rule, a bus or subway ride of any distance will cost

$1.50. You have several options for paying this fare, some of which may save you money.

If you�ll only be riding a few times, buy tokens at a booth. These let you transfer for free between subways that stop in the same place, and between different buses if you ask for a transfer. Buses also accept exact change, so you don�t need to buy a token in advance.

If you are taking several rides, you probably want a Metrocard. This can be purchased at any token booth, and at some stores around the city. You can put money on it, which is just like carrying tokens, or buy an unlimited card. A one day unlimited is $4 (the “fun pass”), a 7 day is $17, and a 30 day is $63. These allow you to ride any buses or subways as often as you like. If you are traveling with someone you will each need your own, since a single Metrocard can only be swiped once every 18 minutes.

Safety

If public buses and subways suit your budget but sound risky,

rest assured: most New Yorkers – from businesspeople to school children – use them every day. Of course there are occasional problems, most often pickpocketing, but common sense will take you a long way. Keep your wallet/money/etc in your front or inside pockets, hold your bookbag in front of you, and look like you know where you�re going.

Also keep in mind that there are a number of policemen – both in uniform and undercover – throughout the subway system. (On a side note, this means you should think twice before committing offenses such as hopping the turnstile, smoking, or drinking alcohol on buses or subways… more than one unsuspecting New Yorker has been handed a $60 ticket by a plain-clothes officer for one of these indulgences.)

During the day it is perfectly safe to take public transport wherever it goes. Some routes become less safe late at night, especially if you are traveling alone or are unsure of your route, so you may want to splurge…

Taxis

Feeling hedonistic? Late for your flight? Exorbitantly rich? Grab

yourself a yellow cab. Fares are much higher than public transport, but sometimes the circumstances merit a taxi ride. In order to avoid being seriously overcharged, know the location of where you are going – both the address and the nearest cross street – when you get in. Most taxi drivers are honest but the occasional driver will take you on a very long route if you don�t seem to know better. Most passengers sit in the back seat, but that doesn�t mean you can�t have a very interesting conversation with the driver. Standard tip is about 15%.

Renting a Car

Weren�t you listening? You will never wish you had a car in New York City.

May your journeys be Travel Crisis free.

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