Helpful things to know:
Tipping
- Hotel doorman: $1 for hailing a cab
- Porters and bellhops: $1–$2 per bag
- Maids: $1–$2 per day of your visit, or as much as $5 per day
- Waitstaff and bartenders: 15–20 percent of total bill
- Taxi drivers: 15–20 percent of total fare
- Tips for other service personnel, such as theater ushers, tour guides and coat-check staff, are always appreciated.
One more thing: if you’re having drinks at a bar, bartenders typically expect a $1 tip for every drink they serve you. Later on, when the bar gets crowded, you’ll be glad that the bartender remembers you!
Special-Service Needs
New York City is committed to ensuring accessibility for everyone with special needs, and has equipped all buses with lifts for those in wheelchairs and those who have difficulty climbing stairs. In addition, many subway stations contain elevators, ramps, visual display signs, accessible public telephones and tactile and audio features on vending machines. Subways also have automated voices indicating stops, and all buses and select subway stations are wheelchair accessible. Many street-hail taxicabs also accommodate wheelchairs. Passengers with disabilities are eligible for reduced fares on most mass-transit trips. For more information about NYC accessibility, call the City’s hotline (311 or 212-NEW-YORK) or the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (212-788 2830, TTY: 212-788 2838 or go to nyc.gov/mopd) or visit NYC & Company’s website.
TV Show Tapings
Attending the tapings of popular television shows filmed in New York City is fun and free. The wait for tickets is often long, so it’s best to write in for tickets as far in advance as possible. Still, many shows have standby options if you’re willing to wait in line. Click here for the addresses and schedules of TV shows—and your chance to say hi to people back home on national television.
Additional Fun Activities
Head on out to New York City’s ballparks! Visit the Yankees in the Bronx or take a trip to Queens to see the Mets.
New York City comprises several islands, and its waters are home to an extensive ferry system to take you uptown and downtown, as well as across the rivers between boroughs. Perhaps the best-known ferry is the Staten Island Ferry, one of the City’s transportation and sightseeing treasures. It’s primarily a commuter route between Staten Island and lower Manhattan, and it’s also a wonderful, 5.2-mile, 20-minute mini-cruise with great views of the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor and Lower Manhattan—plus it’s free. Other fun aquatic shuttles include New York Water Taxi, traveling to the New York Met’s Citi Field and other City sights; NY Waterway, which ferries fans to Yankee Stadium, in addition to harbor and sightseeing cruises; and Statue Cruises, operating direct service from Battery Park to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
While you’re in NYC, follow @nycgo on Twitter for daily events, tips and deals!
