Considering a trip to NYC, I'd like to save $ , travel quickly, and stay safe the whole time. Your suggestions?

Use the subway instead of taxis. You can get a subway map at almost all of the stations during the daytime from one of the people working behind the window. The map is very useful because it gives you subway and a map of the city. Probably you can see it on the web also, but good to have a real map in hand of the whole thing. I’ll look for the website.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is excellent if you like art, and it is a suggested price, you can offer any amount to enter. I suggest $5 minimum, simply because it is an amazing museum, and it does take money to maintain it. The terrace overlooking the park should be very nice this time of year.

Also, I think the American Museum of Natural history is a suggested price, but the Planetarium and any other movies are likely to be fixed prices.

Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) might have a free evening during the week? Not sure, check their website.

Walking through central park is free.

Also, I really like the ferry and going to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Grand Central is historic and free to just walk through, and there is a small annex to the transportation museum there, if it is still there, explaining the history of the subway, very interesting. It is free or very inexpensive. They mostly sell souvenours there.

Your friends should have suggestions for the guests re; lodginsgs and parking. Often they get blocks of rooms at a discount. They can also advise you on where and when to travel and with whom.

Walking through Central Park is fine while the sun is up and if there are other people around. I wouldn’t wander off the beaten path in the park or any of the other city parks.

Where are you driving from?

Here is the subway map.

The black dots are stations where you cannot transfer, the white dots you can transfer. See what number or letter train stops at the station you are at or going to to find your way. It isn’t that hard really. But, you need to stare at it a little bit, like any map, to get familiar with it. People will help you underground. Once you know where you want to go you can always post a question here and we can help you with what train to take.

True about staying out of the park at night, but you can feel very safe during the day. Stay on beaten paths while in NY, walk with confidence, no dilly dally. NYC is one of our safer cities, so no need to be worried, but do what would be prudent in any large city. Keep your purse, shoulder bag near you, best in front of you. It should be able to be zipped closed or a large flap so no one can easily reach in. Have some cash on you, some places still don’t take credit cards in the city.

Take a bus or train, and use local transportation: city buses, subways and taxi cabs. If you’re already in the Eastern Massachusetts area, or can get there, there are many competitive and reasonably priced bus routes if you’re on a budget, and Amtrak is always an option if you have the money and / or prefer the ride.

Ok where are you traveling from??? If from the northern area like MA, RI, ME CT or NH might I suggest driving to New Haven’s train station and pay to park there for however you are staying in NY then go to the train station and you can either take a direct train or the commuter rail which the commuter rail is cheaper. Since alot of people live in CT and work in NYC they go in quite often. Heres the site to the MTA with everything and you can even order tickets there.

Don’t drive. It costs about $5 billion dollars per nanosecond to park in Manhattan. Best to take Amtrak and then get around by bus, subway, or cab.

There is a great site, hopstop.com that I use all the time to get around New York, whether bus or subway or even on foot.

YES; don’t go alone.

@perspicacious Why?

If you’ve never been to a large city before (Boston is small in comparison), then avoid driving in Manhattan at all costs. If the taxis darting in and out of lanes and the mobs of people jumping out into the street at any moment don’t cause you to have a nervous breakdown, then the prices at the parking garages will. Stick to the subways if you can. It’s cheap and can get you pretty much anywhere in Manhattan and to most parts of the outer boroughs.

As JLeslie pointed out, there are lots of great museums if that’s your thing. MOMA is free on Fridays after 4 which is a great deal since it’s normally $25. The Met and Museum of Natural History are pay what you wish. I always joke you can tell who the tourists are cos they’re the ones that pay the “suggested donation.” Of course pay that if you can, but don’t feel bad just giving a buck or two if that’s all you can afford. You won’t get any dirty looks or anything. If you’re into Broadway shows, go to the Times Square ticket window for discounted tix. They’ll have a lot of shows except the super-popular ones like Wicked, Spider-Man, etc. You have to get those tix far in advance or through a scalper. And if you’re into anything else, just do a google search and NY will probably have something for you.

And last but not least, don’t buy a Yankees cap. Only schmucks wear those.

Go Mets!

@JLeslie Even though the crime in NYC is not what it once was, a female out and about alone is not a great idea there at night. That is all I meant in my answer. I have been up there a number of times, but never went out alone in the evenings.