New York City consists of 5 boroughs: Manhattan in the middle with other boroughs and New Jersey surrounding it: Bronx above, Queens and Brooklyn to the East, and Staten Island below.
Most of Manhattan follows the grid street system: avenues run north-south (uptown-downtown) with 1st Ave all the way East, and 12th Ave all the way West. 5th Ave divides Manhattan into East and West sides so an address on East 47th street is to the East of 5th Ave. Some unnumbered avenues include Madison, Park, and Lexington on the East side between 3rd and 5th avenues and Avenue of Americas (6th Ave), Central Park West (8th Ave facing west side of Central Park), and Columbus Avenue (9th Ave north of 59th St) Broadway runs diagonally across Manhattan. Streets run east-west (cross-town) and are numbered consecutively, increasing as you go uptown (north) from Houston St. Below 14th St the streets are named so it is best to know the cross-section.
Best way to get around is subway - trains run all day, all night and unless it's really late they run frequently (but do not expect a regular reliable schedule). One-way trip anywhere within subway and bus system is $2, and it might be worth to get a unlimited ride day pass ($7) or a week pass ($24) if you plan on using it a lot (valid for bus rides too.) Subways are safe and convenient, but can get crowded and are quite loud. On weekends some trains don't run or skip stops, so look for information signs on platforms and listen for announcements when on the train.
Instead of taking a hop on/hop off touristy bus you can take one of NYC buses to explore neighborhoods through the window:
Another alternative is taking a cab: hail one of the official yellow ones on any corner. By law they are required to take you where you tell them too, so don't take no for an answer! Pay what's on a meter plus some gratuity except when going to airports (mostly set price.)
Also, view our food recommendations.
Staying in New York is popular, so make sure to book your stay well ahead of time. Below is our list of recommendations.
|
Jazz on the Town Hostel • East Village 307 E. 14th St. New York, NY 10003 212 228 2780 » www.jazzhostels.com |
Jazz on the City Hostel • Upper West Side 201 W. 95th St. New York, NY 10025 212 678 0323 » www.jazzhostels.com |
|
Gershwin Hotel Hostel • Midtown East 7 E. 27th St. New York, NY 10016 212 545 8000 » www.gershwinhotel.com |
Chelsea Int. Hostel Hostel • Chelsea 251 W. 20th St. New York, NY 10011 212 647 0010 » www.chelseahostel.com |
|
Central Park Hostel Hostel • Upper West Side 19 W. 103rd St. New York, NY 10025 212 678 0491 » www.centralparkhostel.com |
Big Apple Hostel Hostel • Midtown West 119 W. 45th St. New York, NY 10036 212 302 2603 » www.bigapplehostel.com |
|
Larchmont Hotel Hotel • Greenwich Village 27 W. 11th St. New York, NY 10011 212 989 9333 » www.larchmonthotel.com |
Chelsea Center Hostel Hostel • Chelsea 313 W. 29th St. New York, NY 10001 212 643 0214 » www.chelseacenterhostel.com |
|
American Dream Hostel Hostel • Midtown East 168 E. 24th St. New York, NY 10010 212 260 9779 » www.americandreamhostel.com |
Uptown Hostel Hostel • Harlem 239 Lenox Ave. New York, NY 10027 212 666 0559 » www.uptownhostel.com |
|
Jazz on Lenox Hostel • Harlem 104 W. 128 St. New York, NY 10027 212 222 5773 » www.jazzhostels.com |
Times Square Beds & Rooms Hostel • Times Square 356 W. 40th St. New York, NY 10018 212 494 0028 » www.timessquareroommates.com |
|
Candy Hostel Hostel • Upper West Side 316 W. 95th St. New York, NY 10025 212 866 1420 » www.nychostels.com |
Continental Hostel Hostel • Upper West Side 330 W. 95th St. New York, NY 10025 212 866 1420 » www.nychostels.com |
|
Hostelling International NY Hostel • Upper West Side 891 Amsterdam Ave. New York, NY 10025 212 932 2300 » www.hinewyork.org |
Manhattan Inn Hostel Hostel • Midtown West 303 W. 30th St. New York, NY 10011 212 629 4064 » www.manhattaninnhostel.com |
|
West Side Inn Hostel • Upper West Side 237 W. 107th St. New York, NY 10025 212 866 0061 » www.hostelsclub.com |
Columbus Studios Hostel • Upper West Side 106 W. 83rd St. New York, NY 10024 870 701 4444 » www.hostelsclub.com |
|
Chelsea Spot Hostel Hostel • Chelsea 341 W. 30th St. New York, NY 10001 212 239 9030 » www.spothostels.com |
Sun Bright Hotel Hotel • Chinatown 140 Hester St. New York, NY 10013 212 226 7070 » www.hostelworld.com |
|
Virginia's Guest House Hostel • Upper East Side 128 E. 112th St. New York, NY 10029 212 289 2082 » www.hostelsclub.com |
Times Square Hostel Hostel • Times Square 311 W. 48th St. New York, NY 10036 » www.hostelsclub.com |
|
Dexter House Hostel Hostel • Midtown West 345 W. 86th St. New York, NY 10024 212 873 9600 » www.hotelninja.com |
Swiss 1291 Hostel B&B • Midtown West 337 W. 55th St. New York, NY 10019 212 397 9686 » www.1291.com |
|
Broadway Hotel & Hostel Hotel/Hostel • Upper West Side 230 W. 101st St. New York, NY 10025 212 865 7710 » www.broadwayhotelnyc.com |
Harlem YMCA Hostel • Harlem 180 W. 135th St. New York, NY 10030 212 281 4100 » www.ymcanyc.org |
|
Vanderbilt YMCA Hostel • Upper East Side 224 E. 47th St. New York, NY 10017 212 912 2500 » www.ymcanyc.org |
West Side YMCA Hostel • Upper West Side 5 W. 25rd St. New York, NY 10023 212 875 4100 » www.ymcanyc.org |
|
The Wanderers Inn West Hostel • Upper West Side 257 W. 113th St. New York, NY 10026 212 222 5602 » www.wanderersinn.com/west |
The Wanderers Inn East Hostel • Upper East Side 179 E. 94th St. New York, NY 10028 212 289 8083 » www.wanderersinn.com/east |
|
Chelsea Star Hotel Hotel • Midtown West 300-302 W. 30th St. New York, NY 10001 212 465 8664 » www.starhotelny.com |
International Student Center Hostel • Midtown West 38 W. 88th St. New York, NY 10024 212 787 7706 » www.nystudentcenter.org |
|
West End Studios Hostel • Upper West Side 850 West End Ave. New York, NY 10025 212 662 6000 » www.hostelsclub.com |
Highbridge House Hostel • Upper West Side 556 W. 173rd St. New York, NY 10032 212 928 0393 » www.highbridgehouse.com |
|
Malibu Studios Hostel Hostel • Upper West Side 2688 Broadway New York, NY 212 222 2954 |
Jazz on the Park Hostel • Upper West Side 36 W. 106th St. New York, NY 10025 212 932 1600 » www.jazzhostels.com |
|
Abingdon Guesthouse Hotel • Greenwich Village 21 8th Avenue New York, NY 10014 212 243 5384 » www.abingdonguesthouse.com |
World Hotel Inc. Hotel • Lower East Side 101 Bowery St. New York, NY 10009 212 226 5522 » www.hostelsclub.com |
|
Sohotel Hotel • SoHo 341 Broome St. New York, NY 212 226 1482 » www.hostelsclub.com |
Times Square Dream Hostel Hostel • Upper West Side 572 9th Ave. New York, NY 212 247 2000 » www.hostelclub.com |
The Tank
The Tank is a non-profit organization, bringing compelling cultural productions to New York City for over four years. With an eye for the offbeat and left-of-center, The Tank, located in Tribeca, has provided New York with rare glimpses into new and unusual movements in art, such as the Bent Festival, an annual event focusing on the subversive practice of circuit-bending. A forerunner to the Blip Festival, the Bent Festival has enjoyed attendance in the thousands, and has been the subject of two feature-length documentaries.
The Tank's adventurous programming has been covered by CNN, the BBC, ABC World News Now, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, The Village Voice, and many others.
» MORE INFO
8bitpeoples
8bitpeoples, based in New York City, is a collective of musicians and artists dedicated to exploring the audiovisual style of low-bit video games and home computers. Championing this aesthetic, 8bitpeoples has become an internationally recognized hub of well-respected creative activity, and has become a driving force in advancing the growing, international chip music scene.
8bitpeoples and its individual members have been featured in Wired, The New York Times, MSNBC.com, Rolling Stone, The Wire, MTV.com, BBC Click, The Los Angeles Times, GameSpot, Nintendo Power, XLR8R, frieze, FuseTV, NPR's The Next Big Thing, de:bug, Austin Museum of Digital Art, and recently appeared in the documentary "8 Bit", which premiered last October at New York's Museum of Modern Art.
» MORE INFO