This is a Saturday night scene on the corner of 7th Street and Lafayette in the East Village. Notice the yellow taxi parked at the bottom left of the photo and another on the adjacent street before the traffic light junction. According to the Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC), there are over 13,000 yellow taxicabs in New York City. The cost of a taxi ride starts at $2.50 upon entry and $0.40 for every 1/5 of a mile of travel or 60 seconds of sitting in traffic congestions. A quick ride uptown from lower Manhattan can easily cost $12 to $20 (before tips) depending on the time of the day and traffic on the street.I, myself, rarely use the taxi service because I have an unlimited use subway pass ($81/month) and the subway trains run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The few times I've taken a taxicab are when I was heading to the airport or to any place that is not near a subway station.
A frequent question I get from out-of-towners is, "Won't it be faster to take the taxi?" and the answer is almost always NO. Because of the density of automobile traffic in NYC, it is usually faster to get around the city via the subway.
So have to taken a subway recently? What do you think of it?
19 comments:
I've never been on a 'subway' in my life. *shock horror* haha, can't half tell I'm a country gal can you?
I ride the subway all the time. I guess Tokyo is about the same as New York traffic-wise. Too many cars on the road. The subway is fast, cheap (considering the distance) and reliable. I'd never buy a car in Tokyo. The trains are faster.
You are lucky to have a tube in your city!
When I lived in Atlanta, I used to take the subway to Georgia State downtown all the time. . .loved it. I've also taken it in Paris, Boston and Chicago. . . .have never tried it in NYC, though. We tend to walk a lot in NYC. Once walked from Grand Central to Ground Zero and 1/2-way back. That wasn't the farthest, though. . .
Re: the potluck. . . .I brought pasta salad and a dessert I didn't make (or eat since it contained sugar). We also brought beer brats. We ate and ran, though, since I wanted to shoot fireworks for today's blog.
Was wondering since the subway is a faster and cheaper option, why are there still so many cabs around? Could it be some people still do not like public transport?
I think travelling by subway is the best way to know the city. I have taken the subway, called LRT here, last week. It has been some time since my last ride. And I actually enjoyed it :)
Murphy-Jay, taxis offer door-to-door service plus you won't have to share the ride with hundreds of other people. It is definitely a more comfortable mode of transportation.
Are you kidding? Birmingham has no rapid transit system. Our brainy mayor is trying to put more TROLLEYS on the street. How's that for backwards?? I did however ride the Metro all over Paris thanks to my daughter's expertise. I thought they were clean, fast, and ever so interesting. I liked the musicians playing and people watching.
One time is Australia and it wasn't on purpose. It was a train that tuned into a subway.
I think I would enjoy it if I felt safe and knew how to figure out the when, what and where. Don't have them here in Az.
Happy (belated) Independence Day to you Ming! The last subway I took was in NYC - the one in Perth is LAME!! :o)
i only ride taxis late at night when i need to go home. i'd rather splurge on a cab home rather than wait 40 mins for a subway with crazy and dangerous ppl.
Hi, Ming. I applaude your "subway" habits, but I'm disappointed by this visit to you. There's not a cafe or restaurant in sight for a whole week of shots. Are you well?
Warm Greetings from 'roony.
We always take the subway or bus in NYC; we get that 7 day metro pass for $21 and we're off. We have taken a taxi late at night, but they're very expensive and they take too long in traffic if you have a theater ticket or reservation somewhere.
We don't have subways in LA. We have the metro rail system which I use rarely. We're still automobile based here, even with gas at $4.65 over the 4th.
Doris
There are a lot of taxi cabs in the city -- the official yellow cabs and the gypsy cabs, which I use all the time.
Paz
I appreciate the subway when I'm in Manhattan when I'm in a hurry, but I love a taxi ride when I'm in no rush. Who doesn't like to be driven around sightseeing in one of the greatest cities in the world?
Don't mind the subway/metro if it's convenient.
Taxis in New York are cheap - compared with England where I never take a cab any more.
In NY I often take the bus but the subway for longer trips.
The subway is unrivaled and even more so I imagine in real bit cities like yours. I've got an unlimited pass as well at roughly $90/month.
Our subway closes for a few hours every night. Does every line and every station have connections all night long in NYC? At what kind of frequency?
i take the buses and 'trains' as they are called here quite a lot.
if i am not in a rush, i will take the buses as there's more chances of finding a seat.
if i am in a rush, the train's the way to go. it always brings you there on time :-)
taxis are getting more and more expensive here. so we are taking less and less of it. they were even thinking of having fuel surcharge on top of the 1001 different surcharges they are having now.
I take the subway everyday and it IS the most efficient (and least expensive) way to get around the city.... and the outer boroughs.
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