NYC in May!

Shoes, for one thing. In April, I brought Danskos (they fit my feet well and are comfortable for me, or were back in 2003. The sneakers were good running shoes that work with my feet. But - I walked the hell out of New York and my feetsies are very sensitive to slapping on concrete (high arches). My feet were fine for a week, but fashionistas would no doubt frown.

I don't know if NYC business women still wear comfy shoes for walking and carry the heels for in the office.

Taxis are abundant, and shareable re cost with pals (or used to be) - better ask. Buses, subway - you still need to be foot-comfortable in my humble opinion.
Hmmm, maybe athletic sandals? Perhaps flats or low heels for night excursions?

Let's see what New Yorkers say - and Mame and ehBeth and Lola and Dlowan and Diane if she sees this.

Watch out for the bed bugs. No joke. I stayed in a very nice hotel and got bed bug bites anyway. I have some bed bug wisdom to share if you decide to go and stay in a hotel. It's an epidemic in NYC.

I know not to put suitcases on the bed, but that's about it. What else should I do?

Yes, I will need good walking shoes, but I always need them. Better buy them now and break them in, I guess. Due to foot problems, I gave up heels a few years ago. And my sister, the RN, refuses to wear heels. So I told her we would just throw our silk scarves around our necks, hold our heads up high, and waddle along in our flats as if we didn't know better. (Glad there's two of us...much easier to be unfashionable in pairs!)

We will see how much walking I can stand to do. And then there are taxis.

Wear whatcha want. Yes, comfortable shoes. Probably not sandals in May. Maybe no white jeans either. Not sure.

I wear sneakers most of the time.

Sorry I can't offer advice about bed bugs. It's a major issue here. But not in my house.

Taxis are available almost anywhere in Manhattan. And they're expensive.

I keep hearing taxis are expensive. But there will be two of us to split the cost, and it is a vacation after all. So we'll just have to prepare.

Just guessing, what would you expect it to cost from, say, Times Square to the Met? (If I knew that I could reasonably guess several other trips.)

I
When you arrive, strip the bed and check the mattress. It's the only way to be sure you won't be bitten. Check between the folds of the edges of the mattress. You'll find them at the head of the bed part of the mattress, if they are there. You can see them. They are the size and shape of apple seeds. Also check for red or black (like ink) spots. If you find these symptoms, demand an different room and make the management check the next room's mattress while you watch.

Other than that, when you get home, put all your clothes in the dryer for two cycles and check your suitcase throughly. The bites don't show up right away. It can take up to 12 days for them to show up on your skin. I didn't see the bites until day 9 after the first night I slept in the hotel bed. I continued to see new bites for three more days until day 12. After than, nothing new. So apparently, I am lucky and didn't bring the little creeps home. But I'm still vigilant. Yuck. I have one bite on my face, above my eye brow. And the bites take forever to go away completely. All the bites are still visable and it's been a month. Nasty little pests.

That's awful, Lola! Do the bites hurt? Or itch?

A lot depends on the traffic and the time of day. However, I would guess that the fare from Times Square to the Met (I assume you mean the Metropolitan Museum and not the Metropolitan Opera) including tip might be fifteen dollars. Maybe more.

Times Square is west. The museum is east. There's an old Noo Yawk joke that has a ring of truth to it.

Tourist in a car stops to ask a native Noo Yawker, "What's the best way to get across town?" The native responds, "Be born there."

I could go on. I won't.

Oh, DO!!! I want to hear local humor!
So...are you West or East? (Don't hit me. I'm a furriner.)

There are no furriners in Noo Yawk. Tourists. Yes. They used to be easily spottable. Not so much anymore. The last time I got into a cab and the driver didn't have a "furrin" accent, I almost fainted. Turns out he was from the Bronx. Small world.

I'm east. About ten blocks from the Metropolitan (in NY, the Met is the opera; the Metropolitan is the museum) and about three from the Guggenheim, which I view as Frank Lloyd Wright's way of saying "screw you, New York." If you go there, bring an airsick bag.

One final New Yorkism.

As I told Mame. A Noo Yawk minute is the amount of time between the traffic light turning green and a NY taxi driver honking his horn.

We were there in May first time. I'd go with layers.....we found the weather changeable and it was good to be able to be cool for walking but able to put something warmer on as needed. I'd bring something that you can tie round your waist or shoulders or put in a backpack. I'd bring a fold up brolly.

Jeans worked well for me.

Shoes is right! NYC is a fabulous place to walk and walk and walk! Have really well worn in and supportive shoes...them pavements is hard. I had a backpack that fitted shoes in them, so I would change into decent shoes if I felt it appropriate after I had walked somewhere.

I had to use taxis a lot last time, when I was too sore to walk, as I had a prolapsed disk and a cracked rib. For me, taxis worked as I couldn't do stairs for the subway and I don't get buses, really.

Have tops that look ok and you can dress them up with scarves and jewellery when needed.

I actually did get kind of mugged in the subway first time, but it's unusual. It was the fault of my friend who didn't notice the fracas at the front of the token line, where a drunk homeless fella was becoming increasingly aggressive and threatening. As I got to the top of the queue she suddenly asked me to buy her ticket for her and I had to get my wallet out...drama ensued. But you won't be that dumb!

The Cloisters is a must for me. I loved both villages and lower Manhattan generally. Wandering around all the little art galleries is great. I don't know your interests so I can't be really helpful....but walking around and hanging out and watching the street life was a favourite activity for us. The neighbourhoods are so different!

I stayed at the northern end of Central Park last time and loved walking through the park to get places.

I would have loved to walk the highline, but injuries prevented.

Eva, for $30 you can buy a Metro pass for unlimited travel to all the boroughs and neighbourhoods for 7 days. Way cheaper than taxis and more convenient (faster travel!). Also includes buses. Very easy to negotiate your way around.

As for walking, I didn't have any problems whatsoever, but I was not the Ever-Ready Bunny - I didn't race around to see everything (impossible in a week, anyway). I strolled.

Re: clothing, I think Deb is spot on re: layers. I tend to be hot all the time, but am going to layer up in case of wind or rain. I was there in November and I think it only rained once for a couple of hours and I didn't need my jacket. Just check the weather forecast a week before departure.

I will have my iPad Mini with me to communicate. Can you pm me your phone number so we can get in touch?

I definitely want to see the Cloisters this time - I love all things medieval - seems like a bit of a trek to get there, though. Will have to google that again. JoeNation had some good advice for me and I think I printed it off - will have to check.

We'll all definitely have to get together for a meal or two! Joe, tsarstephan, Thomas, Boida, and anyone else who wants to get together.

Subway takes you straight to cloisters....you get a lift up to the glorious park around it.

I only had problems walking because I was already injured....walking in NYC is fabulous!

This is all fabulous information! Keep it coming!

For those who don't know, I have scoliosis which has caused at least two collapsed discs in my lower back so far. So there is definitely a limit to how much walking I can do. It would be smarter for me to take taxis sometimes rather than arrive someplace like an art museum, which requires even more walking, too exhausted to enjoy. Does that explain my comments?

Diane and I took the subway to the Cloisters - but I remember too that what Joe Nation suggested seemed smart - I just forget what he said.

Another thought is that a group of you could meet at one 'central' spot and share taxi fare (assuming a taxi can take four for one charge, as they did in San Francisco).

I enjoyed the subway - usually do wherever they are.

Yes it does, Eva, and I agree with you on saving walking energy for museum energy..
and I think the Cloisters is worth it, even if it's two sharing a taxi.

Eva, The Cloisters is way, way uptown. Far. A very long cab ride. Also there's the issue of your getting back. Not sure that cabs are readily available up there. I can't remember where I saw four in a cab. Not a good idea.

The problem with the subways is the stairs. Lots and lots of stairs. However, I believe that there's an elevator in the station by the Cloisters. However, there probably won't be one in the station when you're coming back from the Cloisters.

Joe is much more familiar with the neighborhood and knows about the comings and goings much better than I do.

Plus I haven't been on the subway in a long time. Can't do the stairs.

BTW, the Cloisters is west.

Another thing to know. New Yorkers are very slow to accept name changes. Sixth Avenue was renamed Avenue of the Americas decades ago. Find me a New Yorker who calls it that. Somewhere there must be one. I used to work on Sixth Avenue and would often encounter tourists who had walked from Fifth to Seventh and back again. Where's Sixth? The city now has two street signs.

The 59th Street Bridge was recently renamed the Ed Koch Bridge. I think. I'll be dead long before anybody calls it that.

Two more things just popped into my head. Broadway starts out west and eventually goes east. It's not parallel to the other streets. So depending on where you are, Broadway is either east or west.

Last, the north-south streets are short. Easy. The crosstown (east-west) streets are l-o-n-g. I mean L-O-N-G. For a walking-challenged person, this is important to know.

I'm rambling. Sorry.

You're right (natch), I don't remember seeing 4 in a cab in NYC. We did it in San Francisco though. It was a passing thought, nemmind.

On elevators, I bet there is one at all the stations, even if tucked somewhat away - well, I'll bet a nickel - but of course I'm not sure. Maybe Joe knows for sure.

I also bet there is discussion online re cabs and the Cloisters. Some may wait there for customers in a queue.