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veronicaspeak
veronicaspeak

Do you own a car in Manhattan? Do you need one?

Can someone give me some advice on driving in Manhattan? I just got a transfer from work, and i live by my car every day, but some of my friends laughed at me for saying i was thinking of buying a car. Most people use the subway to get to work from what I hear, but i'm a bit scarred taking the subway late at night as i am female.

So 2 questions I guess:

1) Is the subway safe at night for a woman?
2) Should I bother getting a car or is the subway more than enough to get around.

veronicaspeak
Question asked via StreetAdvisor The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
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nyboy666
nyboy666 2yrs+
I don't own a car. Subway is fine. With petrol at record highs and Manhattan traffic getting worse each day you simply dont need one.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@veronicaspeak Its very easy to survive without a car in NYC. The subway is more than enough to get around at least in Manhattan but at night I usually take a cab to get home.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Veronicaspeak: I do not own a car and haven't owned one for years. I take the subway or the bus when I travel. I even take the subway at night and find it safe.
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
The subway is safe and owning a car in Manhattan is only possible if you're quite wealthy and can afford private parking all the time.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish so true... every Christmas my husband expresses his desire to buy a Porsche or Mercedes but then better sense prevails and we don't buy anything.:)
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
You can park in the street for free in Manhattan. Wouldn't make life any easier or anything, but you can do it. I have a car but I don't usually leave the outer boroughs with it.... And for the record, I love having it. Even the occasional long search for a parking space is totally worth it. Public transportation works just fine, however, and ends up being much cheaper than owning a car.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@BroadwayBk I think free street parking is the main reason that people have crummy cars in the city. They are always being scratched and nicked when they are parked on the street. On an average private parking garages charge $500 upwards in my neck of the woods.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
I've only gotten one ticket in a year, a mere $35. And my street cleaner comes pretty late in the morning, so it's not like I am troubled early in the morning. The whole car thing is working out okay for me.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@uptowngirl I've seen a lot of nice cars parked on the street.... There are places in BK that rent parking spaces for $100 a month.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK: Well, good for you. At least you don't have to be bothered with a pain in the neck situation.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@ BroadwayBk lucky you don't think you can park anywhere in Manhattan for $100
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
I'd love to have a car just to be able to take the occasional weekend upstate with it. Being able to get out of the city once in a while is an important strategy to living here.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@uptowngirl I like to keep my parking free, though :)

@Uraniumfish It is nice to be able to do that...
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK Do you actually make use of your car to get out of the city much?
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish that's the main reason we use the services of zip car and Hertz connect so much its really important to get away once in a while.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish Yeah, I'd say I get a decent use out of it for weekend trips. Going to the Hamptons in a few weeks, and I've gone on lots of road trips down the eastern seaboard. For some reason my day trip ideas always turn into big to-dos. It is really nice to get away from the concrete landscape.
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK Sigh, I just can't bite the bullet and have a car in this city. Even with the weekend freedom in affords, the idea that a car is a luxury in the city is still so ingrained.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
If I have to get out and travel, I will use Zipcar. I will not own a car in NYC. Too expensive to keep one.
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
Now that I live in Brooklyn having a car seems more realistic. In Manhattan the idea seemed madness.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
Just about all of my friends who grew up in Brooklyn have a car, or date someone who does. The only reason I wouldn't want one in Manhattan is because of the crazy cabs everywhere... There are parts of Brooklyn where the parking is just as horrible as in the city.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish how much do cabs to Manhattan and from Manhattan to Brooklyn cost? I remember paying $35 from One Hanson to my place one night and thought it was madness.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
I hate cabs. They speed to much. But in some situations they are needed.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@BroadwayBk The cab I took from One Hanson was a gypsy cab but I believe $35 is the normal taxi fare from there to the Upper East Side
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK - fair enough - I've actually called a cab out in Queens before, but never done a gypsy cab other than outside the Harlem Station, where it seems to be a bit of a thing. And wow - $50 for a cab ride! I've never seen that except for airport fares...
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@everyone speaking of airport rides don't you think its time that NYC got its own express train to and from at least JFK airport? Most cities around the world have this convenience and its a real boon but them I guess NYC has two main airports and domestic commuters would want a similar facility from La Guardia as well.
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@uptowngirl I agree! And there's gotta be a better, easier, cheaper way to get to Newark too. Why is getting there such a pain?
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish I flew out to England from Newark last year and used the Super shuttle to get me there. It took me an hour to get to Newark but in true Super shuttle style I was fetched nearly 3 hours ahead of my flight what a waste of time!
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
SO TRUE @BroadwayBK. Every time I come to NYC I'm appalled at the public transport service to the airport - not to mention the inflated cab fares - to both Newark and JFK. Vienna has a 15 minute point to point express consumer train THAT LETS YOU CHECK IN/CHECK YOUR LUGGAGE AT THE TRAIN TERMINAL! (for Austrian Air/other major airlines). and you can do it hours before your flight - giving you time for a pleasant city wander!
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
I've shelled out so much money on cabs coming back from Newark because I had heavy bags and could not imagine taking the shuttle to grand central and then having to lug those monstrous things out in order to then take the subway!
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish what is the cab fare from Newark to Brooklyn? I usually fly in and out into JFK and pay around $60 with tip and toll.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
The one time I took a cab from Newark to the LES it was about $60... I remember traffic was horrendous in that stupid tunnel. Lately my friends have been hitching rides from me to get to Newark. I actually don't mind the drive, as long as it's late at night and sans traffic. Without fail I get lost in Jersey on my way home.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK I have to say though Newark is a better airport to use that JFK, last summer I was flying out to London and was carrying two laptops with me in my hand carry. The TSA agents at Newark were actually quite helpful and polite as they helped me put all my stuff through security and then helped me collect everything as well. That never happens at JFK for the terminal 4 is always crowded and busy and quite nightmarish to fly out of. Funnily enough I have never flown out of La Guardia so can't comment on its facilities.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Uptowngirl: There is an airtrain to JFK, but you can only get it at Jamaica. The city was planning on extending it to the city, but ran out of money.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Uraniunfish: Getting to Newark is easy. Just take the NJ Transit to Newark and take the airtrain. I did that one time and found it easy to travel.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@hhusted I have ridden the air train many times .. what I am referring to is an express train which connects the airport to the city. Cities like London, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong all have them, they are dedicated trains that connect the airport to the city center and they have adequate luggage storage compartments and downtown check-in facilities. I realize that downtown check in may not be possible in Manhattan but an express and inexpensive conduit to the area's airports would definitely be a boon.
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@hhusted It's not easy if you've got really heavy bags that you can barely manage on your own.

@uptowngirl From Newark it ends up being around $75, with the baggage fees and whatnot...
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Uptowngirl: Oh, I see. In that case, I agree with you. I wish they did have connections to airports right in the city. It seems if other big cities do it, why wouldn't NYC do it. They seem to want to better everyone else.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@uptowngirl It's usually cheaper to fly out of Newark as well - that's the main reason my friends always end up flying out of it..
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK I wasn't aware of that! Last year I was flying over the holiday weekend -4th of July and tickets to Europe were quoting around $2000 in coach but somehow through a travel agent I managed to get on to a BA flight which departed from Newark and came into JFK and that weird ticket was priced at $1000. However for some odd reason BA decided to upgrade me on both legs of the journey! sweet
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
I agree with Newark is a lot easier to get to and cheaper to reach.
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