Would I be crazy to try and drive in NYC?

[absyntheNsugar]

Californian here - driven the LA Freeways but never back east. Going there for business - wondering should I rent a car or use taxis?

[foo_bar]

1. take a cab

it's not so much the driving as the parking. Garages are $30-60 for 2 hours in manhattan, tickets are $100 if you're lucky.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

5. I know some garages on the West Side that are cheaper

but you have to get in there before 9 AM. I do that when I have business sometimes and have to go to NJ in the same day.

[Rick Myers]

10. Right!!!

You CAN drive, but PARKING is the BIG problem!!!

Cabs and the Subway... It'll keep you sane and solvent...

[Kathy in Cambridge]

2. Stick to Taxis and Subway

I drive in NYC all the time but I'm a Boston driver and very familiar with the city.

The local traffic is horrible around Manhattan...

[grytpype]

3. cab is better

[NewHampster]

4. Its no that bad at all

but parking will kill you.

Driving in the city is lots better since the Repukes clamped down on blocking intersections and such. Reps are good sometimes ;)

i'd use cabs unles you want to take a trip to NJ or the Island

[name not needed]

7. dont use cabs

the drivers are poorly trained. apparently a 2 week class makes you an excellent driver. not to mention the cabs are less than sanitary. but there is no shortage of eccentric scents.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

9. I never have issues with taxi drivers

:shrug:

the subway is less than sanitary and pretty smelly, i'll give you that...

[Shanty Oilish]

6. It's easy.

You can't fail. You can't go when you want, you can't stop when you want. It's all up to the car in front of you and the cars behind you, the pedestrians and the cars alongside you. And it's very slow.
When you go down a side street it's up to the illegal parkers and the delivery trucks.
Crazy is driving in Rome.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. Nah it's a snap....driving is easy

PARKING is a bitch!

[Shanty Oilish]

14. Yes

Never try to park. Get behind the right delivery truck and you won't have to!

ed: Seriously though, you just take a spare driver along, who'll ride around while you do business. If it's a show or an audition, something you could be at forever, park the day before. :)

[Bonobo]

11. Where do you plan to go specifically?

I say subway is very easy/convenient. Stay underground. Traffic may suck depending on where/when.

Plus, the subway is so interesting... You have to learn to love the sites, smells of NYC or you will feel freaked out the whole time.

[reprehensor]

12. Taxis.

Boston is insane too. Insane. But if you get caught near a tunnel entrance on Manhattan Island anywhere around rush hour...you are FUCKED. Pack a lunch.

[Shakespeare]

13. Definitely, definitely, definitely, DEFINTELY don't rent a car.

Cabs and subways will get you where you need to go, and without the hassle and considerable expense of parking.

The subways are great...one of my favorite things about NYC.

And my best NY cab story: everyone's heard the cliches about the insane cab drivers, but I think I actually found one. He was an immigrant, spoke very little english, and apparently never got the hang of steady acceleration. We lurched through traffic at stunning speed as he'd press the gas pedal and lay off, press and lay off...my friend got seasick. And the best part: he'd worn out his horn, which he used almost constantly. Instead of your usual blaring horn, all it could manage was a weak "whehhhh...whehhh..." I still crack up when I think about him...

[Shanty Oilish]

15. My cab story

It was 1972. The cabbie was a schizo. He insisted on taking me to the wrong airport. I argued with him all the way (politely, as one does with schizos) then fled gratefully into the wrong airport (Newark) considering myself lucky to get away from him. But no. The freak actually stalked me, found me after a while and tried to help me more. I had to get on a plane to peel him off. Wound up in freaking Norfolk, and I was expected in Washington.
I still wonder what his problem was.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

16. There was once a time when I had to drive in Manhattan

every couple of weeks. My one-phrase description of driving in Manhattan is "If you obey standard traffic laws, you'll only confuse people."

[Kathy in Cambridge]

17. Sounds like Boston-Obey the traffic rules and you'll get in an accident

there are no rules of driving up here-it's survival of the fittest (or the craziest).

[OffWithTheirHeads]

18. My sister in-law taught me how to drive in NYC

ignore everyone and hope they ignore you. It actuaqlly worked. On the other hand, I spent a week in NYC. Wanted to see the sights, etc. Took her car, got about two blocks in an hour and a half, turned around and read the novel Shogun cause I wouldn't try to drive anywhere ever again.

Take a cab!!

Frannie Lebowitz said that the great outdoors in NYC was the space between her front door and the cab. This is GOOD advice.

From a Silicone Valley Californian who has driven in Baston and survived.
W

[NightTrain]

19. Yes

I've driven in the Big Apple, and it ain't fun!

[Lostmessage]

20. Do you want to have a nervous break down

I lived in the city for a while and I went nuts. Have you ever driven in any other large cities? NY is the worse one that you can try to drive in. Your best bet is to take Amtrak and use cabs and buses to get around.

[Ramsey]

21. It's not the driving

It's the parking. I drive into New York frequently, but then I usually park my car somewhere and walk or cab it in the city. You cannot find a parking space and if you park in a garage they charge 99% of the exorbitant fee for the first half hour.

[carpetbagger]

22. Taxi and subway.

You can get around NYC easily, just as quickly, and much more cheaply with taxis and the subway. The NY freeways are no worse than LA, probably a little better, but the main differences are that parking is much tougher in NY, and most importantly, the public transportation system is much better, and is in fact the transportation of choice for middle-class and white-collar-middle-class people who live in NYC.

[KFC]

23. No worries - NYC is absolute cake

Boston is another story.

And LA drivers on the 405 have Nascar skills no pussy easterner could imagine. Bumper to bumper at 90+.

[beawr]

27. Compared to Boston

Rome, New Delhi and Tokyo are cake....

[RebelOne]

24. From what I have seen of New York traffic

on a couple of visits there, I'd say stick to taxis and the subway.

[Intelsucks]

25. Watching a cabbie maneuver his way through Manhattan is a sight

to behold. About 3 days of all that hustle bustle was all I could stand... I couldn't wait to get back to Texas. We just don't live that fast paced of a life down here.

[beawr]

26. Use Taxis and the Subways

It's fun to drive in Manhattan, especially if the car ain't yours, but if you are there on Business, you need reliable transportation and that's Cabs and the Subway.

The Subway is very safe, particularly in Manhattan and it is a great way to see how wonderful Manhattan can be with all the different people there.

[gator_in_Ontario]

28. Cabs and subways

it's part of the NY experience. Besides, you always have a designated driver.