New York City City Guide
New York City Overview
'New York, you are an Egypt! But an Egypt turned inside out. For she erected pyramids of slavery to death, and you erect pyramids of democracy with the vertical organpipes of your skyscrapers all meeting at the point of infinity of liberty.'
- Salvador Dali
The Capital of the World? Take a bite and see.
They don't come any bigger than the Big Apple - king of the hill, top of the heap, New York, New York. It's got its fair share of the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses, but it also has world-class museums, big statues, even bigger buildings, outrageous excess, and a whole lot of whooo-wheee!
New York is a densely packed mass of humanity and all this living on top of one another makes the New Yorker a special kind of person. It's hard to put a finger on what makes the place buzz so hard, but the city's hyperactive rush keeps drawing more and more people to it.
New York City Photo Gallery
Photographs of New York City
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Back view of Statue of Liberty, on Liberty Island |
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View over Hudson River, towards Empire State Building and Chrysler Building |
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Tom's Restaurant, familiar from TV Show Seinfeld |
New York City Fast Facts
Facts about New York City
| Population |
8,000,000 |
| Area |
785 km2 |
| Currency Name |
US Dollar |
| Currency Code |
USD |
| Currency Symbol |
US$ |
| Time Zone |
GMT/UTC-5 |
| Area Codes |
Manhattan 212 or 646. 718 Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. Note that you have to dial a 1 before dialling the area code followed by the local number. |
| Weights & Measures |
Imperial |
| Telephone Adaptors |
America uses the tiny RJ-11 snap-in phone jack.
|
| Mobile Network |
GSM 1900
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| TV Systems |
NTSC
|
| DVD Zones |
Zone 1: North America
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Currency in New York City
Notes in United States
American banknotes (bills) often confuse visitors: they're all the same size and the same colour. Be especially careful not to hand over too much cash, and always check your change carefully. Be careful not to accept incomplete or severely torn notes, as they can be refused; small rips are usually not a problem. Bills come in denominations of 1, 2 (rare), 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars.
Coins in United States
Coins come in 1 (penny), 5 (nickel), 10 (dime), 25 (quarter) cent and 50 cent denominations; there is also a dollar coin.
Preferred Form of Payment in New York City
If you can't use your credit card in the US then you probably can't use it anywhere. ATMs are hard to miss, well networked and offer an even cheaper option if your card is set up to use them. Otherwise travellers cheques are almost as good as cash; you'll save yourself hassle and expense if they are in US dollars.
Changing Your Money in New York City
Major credit and debit cards, including the Visa Cash Passport Card, are widely accepted. You can also access your bank account using US ATMs which are ubiquitous. Travellers cheques are easily converted to cash at any bank. You'll probably need to take your passport along to prove your identity.
Money Tips
If you camp or stay in hostels, catch buses and cook your own food, you could feasibly explore the country on around 50 USD a day. Staying in motels and eating at modest cafes will mean you'll hit the 100 USD mark, and enjoying the convenience of a rental car will push your daily budget up to 150 USD.
Using a Telephone in New York City
In New York City, Manhattan phone numbers are in the 212 or 646 area code (although cell phones and some businesses use a 917 area code) and the four outer boroughs are in the 718 zone. Note that you must dial a 1 before dialling the area code followed by the local number. No matter where you're calling within New York City, even if it's just across the street in the same area code, you must always dial the 1 plus the area code first.
All toll-free numbers are prefixed with an 800, 877 or 888 area code. Some toll-free numbers for local businesses or government offices only work within a limited region.
As part of a miraculous new citywide system, you can dial 311 for anything that's city-related - whether you have a noise complaint, want to get in touch with your local representative, or have a question about parking regulations, recycling or where to find the nearest dog run. Operators are available 24 hours and will quickly connect you to the governmental office that'll best be able to serve you.
To use a pay phone, you can pump in quarters, use a phone credit or debit card or make collect calls. There are thousands of pay telephones on the New York City streets, half of which don't work, and all with a seemingly different price scheme. Park Ave has no pay phones whatsoever, darling.
Using a Mobile Phone in New York City
New Yorkers are in love with their cell phones, either blabbing into them or simply handling them constantly, disturbing what little peace still exists and letting everyone know that they are very important. Unless you are truly in constant demand and feel the need to have conversations throughout your sightseeing day, you can get by without a cell phone in the city. There is a preponderance of pay phones available - not all of them work of course, but keep trying. Plus, mobile coverage, while it has improved, can sometimes be less-than-stellar in the city, with silent spots peppered all around town, causing folks to get cut off in mid-sentence.
Doing Business in New York City
New York is as geared towards business as you would expect from such a metropolis. John F Kennedy International Airport terminals offer fax, computer, photocopying, courier and conference facilities. Data ports are located throughout most terminals and wireless internet access is available also. Conference facilities can be found at the on-site Ramada Plaza Hotel which, like most major hotels in New York, has meeting rooms and a business centre. The Javits Center in Midtown hosts many of the conventions held in New York.
Traditional business still centres around that famed site of elation and catastrophe, Wall Street, although since 9/11 many business have relocated to midtown or across the river in New Jersey.
Media in New York City
New York's media industry is loaded with big names: the New York Times, the New Yorker and the Wall Street Journal are all world leaders. A Manhattan newsstand is a treasure-trove stocked with whatever esteemed, offensive, informed, weird, alternative or esoteric periodicals you may crave. Radio is similarly diverse, with a strong independent presence. TV runs the gamut from small-screen masterpiece to cheesy soft porn.
Periodicals in New York City
| Title |
Type |
Description |
| New Yorker |
magazine |
A treasured classic, the New Yorker 's mix of ironically offhand cartoons, in-depth social and political commentary and brilliant short comedic pieces makes it roundly suited to its audience. |
| Village Voice |
newspaper |
A free weekly with a focus on local news, arts and national and international news. The classifieds section is huge. |
| Time Out New York |
magazine |
Much the same as its London cousin, this weekly mag has the most comprehensive entertainment listings. |
| New York Observer |
newspaper |
A weekly newspaper for local politicos and society hounds, the Observer strives for quirky listings, with notices about literary readings and parties: it makes good cafe reading. |
| New York Times |
newspaper |
It's hard to have an intelligent conversation with a New Yorker unless you've taken your daily quota of the Times. The best newspaper in the country is also the city's talking point. Its worldly coverage vastly extends the scope of neighbourhood gossip. |
| Wall Street Journal |
newspaper |
The Wall Street Journal, published weekdays, is required reading for financial types. |
| New York Times |
newspaper |
Still the nation's premier newspaper, with more foreign bureaus and reporters than any other publication in the world. Its Weekend section is an invaluable guide to cultural events. |
| Los Angeles Times |
newspaper |
One of the largest daily newspapers in the US, its daily circulation is 1.15 million. The Sunday edition includes an expanded calendar section, an excellent source for finding out about cultural events. |
| Washington Post |
newspaper |
The Washington Post is one of the nation's best all-around newspapers. Its Friday 'Weekend' section is particularly useful for events listings. |
| New York Post |
newspaper |
This tabloid, which will set you back a quarter, its famous for it's Page Six celebrity gossip column, sports and sensationalistic and often funny headlines. |
Radio Stations in New York City
| Name |
Frequency |
Description |
| WNYC |
820AM |
The New York branch of the excellent National Public Radio network features in-depth reporting on breaking news. |
| WBAI |
99.5FM |
A self-proclaimed 'voice of peace and justice', this is independent radio at its most committed. |
| WBLS |
107.5 |
A soothing station featuring mainstream and light soul music. |
| WWRL |
1660 |
A talky station aimed at the city's African-American community. |
| WABC |
770AM |
Vying between conservative pundit and radio-shrink outlet. |
| WFUV |
90.7FM |
Public radio station broadcast out of Fordham University; leans toward a singer/songwriter and alternative music playlist. |
| WFAN |
660AM |
24hr sports talk; obsessive fans call in at all hours of the day and night discussing the minutiae of NYC area sports. |
Books in New York City
| Title |
Author |
Subject |
Description |
| The Encyclopedia of New York City |
Kenneth Jackson (ed) |
history/politics |
This heavyweight will test the strength of your bookshelf, but it's indispensable to New York know-it-alls. |
| AIA Guide to New York City |
The American Institute of Architects |
non-fiction |
Direct from the gurus, this is the classic text for aficionados of New York City's architecture. |
| New York: A Guide to the Metropolis |
Gerald Wolfe |
history/politics |
Reveals the city's history through walking tours of its neighbourhoods and architecture. |
| The Historical Atlas of New York City |
Eric Homberger, Alice Hudson |
history/politics |
This unsual tome comprehensively maps the city's past. |
| The Epic of New York City |
Edward Robb Ellis |
history/politics |
An anecdotal history of New York covering most major events from colonial times to the mid-20th century, especially the late-19th-century corruption of 'Boss' Tweed and his Tammany Hall gang. |
| World of Our Fathers |
Irving Howe |
history/politics |
The perfect accompaniment to a trip to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, this is a comprehensive study of the lives of New York's Eastern European Jewish immigrants in the late 19th century. |
| The Power Broker |
Robert Caro |
history/politics |
The story of the ruthless civil servant Robert Moses, whose 40 years in power changed the face of New York. |
| 722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York |
Clifton Hood |
history/politics |
Not only for locomotive buffs, the history of New York's subway system is a fabled and fabulous story. |
| WPA Guide to New York City |
Federal Writers' Project |
history/politics |
Published in 1939 as a Depression-era employment project for the city's writers, this volume offers a time-frozen look at a lost metropolis. |
| A Drinking Life |
Pete Hamill |
non-fiction |
One of New York's most famous newspaper columnists recalls his Irish American Brooklyn childhood. |
| The Andy Warhol Diaries |
Andy Warhol, Pat Hackett (ed) |
non-fiction |
A wild and bitchy account of New York clublife in the 1970s. |
| Lonesome Traveler |
Jack Kerouac |
non-fiction |
Down and out on the streets of New York - Kerouac's self-portrait is legendary. |
| Kafka Was All the Rage |
Anatole Broyard |
history/politics |
A bittersweet look at life in Greenwich Village just after WWII by the late book reviewer for the New York Times. |
| New York in the Fifties |
Dan Wakefield |
history/politics |
A renowned journalist recalls this stultifying decade. |
| Here is New York |
EB White |
history/politics |
The author of Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web treats New Yorkers to an affectionate view of life in the fast lane in 1940s New York. |
| Slaves of New York |
Tama Janowitz |
fiction |
Kooky interrelated short stories from the queen of 80s New York eccentrica. |
| Underworld |
Don de Lillo |
fiction |
De Lillo's all-the-balls-in-the-air masterwork starts at a legendary New York baseball game and goes on to interrogate the nature of America. Worth the hard work. |
| Colossus of New York |
Colson Whitehead |
travel |
A collection of personal vignettes, meditations and memories of the city from a real New Yorker, capturing a chaotic mix of hope and sadness. |
Factoids
Picassos! Cabs!
Yellow cabs, with a black and white checker strip down the side, were a common sight on New York streets for 60 years. The last checkered cab was retired in 1999, and sold at Sotheby's for 134,500.00 USD.
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Copyright © 2008 Lonely Planet Publications
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