New York City (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [304]
TIP Diners Club offers primary CDW coverage on all rentals reserved and paid for with the card. This means that Diners Club’s company—not your own car insurance—pays in case of an accident. It doesn’t mean that your car-insurance company won’t raise your rates once it discovers you had an accident.
You may also be offered supplemental liability coverage. The car-rental company is required to carry a minimal level of liability coverage insuring all renters, but it’s rarely enough to cover claims in a really serious accident if you’re at fault. Your own auto-insurance policy will protect you if you own a car; if you don’t, you have to decide whether you are willing to take the risk.
U.S. rental companies sell CDWs and LDWs for about $20 to $40 a day; supplemental liability is usually more than $10 a day. The car-rental company may offer you all sorts of other policies, but they’re rarely worth the cost. Personal accident insurance, which is basic hospitalization coverage, is an especially egregious rip-off if you already have health insurance.
TIP You can decline the insurance from the rental company and purchase it through a third-party provider such as Travel Guard (www.travelguard.com)—$9 per day for $35,000 of coverage. That’s sometimes just under half the price of the CDW offered by some car-rental companies.
LIMOUSINE TRAVEL
You can rent a chauffeur-driven car from one of many limousine services. Companies usually charge by the hour or a flat fee for sightseeing excursions.
Limousine Services Carey Limousines (800/336–4646 | www.carey.com). Concord Limousine, Inc. (718/965–6100 | www.concordlimo.com). London Towncars (212/988–9700 or 800/221–4009 | www.londontowncars.com).
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
When it comes to getting around New York, you have your pick of transportation in almost every neighborhood. The subway and bus networks are extensive, especially in Manhattan, although getting across town can take some extra maneuvering. If you’re not pressed for time, take a public bus; they generally are slower than subways, but you can also see the city as you travel. Yellow cabsare abundant, except during the evening rush hour, when many drivers’ shifts change. Like a taxi ride, the subway is a true New York City experience; it’s also often the quickest way to get around. But New York is really a walking town, and depending on the time of day and your destination, hoofing it could be the easiest and most enjoyable option.
During weekday rush hours (from 7:30 am to 9:30 am and 5 pm to 7 pm) avoid the jammed Midtown area, both in the subways and on the streets—travel time on buses and taxis can easily double.
Subway and bus fares are $2.50 for a single ride ticket, although reduced fares are available for senior citizens and people with disabilities during nonrush hours.
Note that if using a MetroCard, a plastic card with a magnetic strip the cost per ride is reduced. As you swipe the card through a subway turnstile or insert it in a bus’s card reader, the cost of the fare is automatically deducted. With the MetroCard, you can transfer free from bus to subway, subway to bus, or bus to bus. You must start with the MetroCard and use it again within two hours to complete your trip.
MetroCards are sold at all subway stations and at some stores—look for an “Authorized Sales Agent” sign. The MTA sells two kinds of MetroCards: unlimited-ride and pay-per-ride. Seven-day unlimited-ride MetroCards ($29) allow bus and subway travel for a week. If you will ride more than 13 times, this is the card to get.
Unlike unlimited-ride cards, pay-per-ride MetroCards can be shared between riders. (Unlimited-ride MetroCards can be used only once at the same station or bus route in an 18-minute period.)
You can buy or add money to an existing MetroCard at a MetroCard vending machine, available at most subway station