Whether you are living in New
York or just visiting, street smarts will definitely help you feel more at home.
Finding a Bathroom: First things first. If you have
to go to the bathroom, try a Barnes & Nobles, or a Starbuck's Coffee. Both usually have reasonably clean bathrooms, but
your mileage may vary. At Starbuck's you'll need to ask for a key, maybe even buy something.
Avoid empty subway cars, ride with many people or in
the conductor's car (usually the middle car of the train).
Never display large amounts of cash out in the open.
Don't keep your wallet in the back pocket of your pants
or in a backpack. Moving the wallet to the front pocket of your pants will reduce your chance of being pick-pocketed.
Be aware of your wallet or purse in commotions Pick
pockets often use helpers to create a disturbance nearby.
Telephone information from a payphone is free. Simply
dial 555-1212 on any pay phone and ask for the number of the business or person you are looking for. You don't need to put
in any change.
If you have never been to New York before, don't be
afraid to go out! Just keep these safety tips in mind and you should be just fine.
Be aware of who is around you.
Stay in populated areas.
How you carry yourself is crucial. Look confident in where you are
going, how you walk and what you are doing.
Clutch your purse/bag securely under your arm.
If there are two of you, place handbags between you instead of on
the outside.
Turn rings around, so the gems face your palm.
Keep necklaces tucked under your clothing.
If someone is harassing you on the street, then go into a populated
store or shop or find a police officer.
Yell "Fire" not "Help". People will come look if they think there's
a fire, but "Help" is like crying wolf.
If you are being mugged then it's better to give the mugger what
he/she wants. Your life is worth more than the cash in your pocket!
Try to walk in the middle of the sidewalk and not next to the buildings
or the street. At night, stay close to the street so that you can flag down help if the nearby stores are closed.
NYC Driving Tips
Don't drive drunk!
You shouldn't do this anywhere, but especially not in New York. With
the new laws, your car can be seized by the police. For more information on this, visit the DMV's site.
No right turn on red in NYC!
In every other city in the United States you are allowed to make
a right turn on a red light after a full stop. However, in New York City this is illegal, unless otherwise noted by a traffic
sign.
Don't lock the block!
Do not contribute to grid-lock! Enter an intersection only if you're
sure you can make it through! In some locations gridlock is not only obnoxious, but it's illegal and subject to fine. Even
more compelling -- with the proliferation of handguns and lethal weapons, who knows when a crazy driver will take a few shots
at you for blocking his/her way.
Alternate-side of the street parking regulations!
Check the red signs with the street cleaning symbol to make sure
you don't have to move your car the next day. This is NYC's attempt to give the street sweepers a chance to clean the streets.
For information and a calendar, visit the DOT's page or call the hotline at (212)/(718)225-5368.
Towing information -- how to get your car back!
Call the local police station to find out towing information whereby
they'll most likely direct you to the Department of Transportation. Most cars are kept in a warehouse on the west side of
Manhattan near the pier.
How to prevent car theft
Leave nothing valuable showing in the driver's cab. When placing
belongings into the trunk, do so before finding a parking spot. Many car burglars hide and watch people place valuables into
the trunk then strike after the driver has left. If something is valuable to you, carry it with you! Some people leave nice
signs informing robbers that there's nothing valuable inside the car.
Don't honk the horn unless absolutely necessary
Some areas (ie. Holland Tunnel entrance) forbid the sounding of the
car horn, with a fine of $100 for violators. This is usually found in areas with a large number of residences.
Don't open your window to strangers
If some one approaches your car at a stop light to either ask for
money, wash your windows or sell you something, try to ignore them. If you do, for some reason, feel inclined to give the
person money, remove it very discretely from your pocket. Then open the window a crack and slide the money through it. An
open window in a car makes you a very vulnerable target.
Watch out for people offering you taxi rides at any transportation
center such as the Port Authority, Grand Central, or Airports. Though many are honest, some are illegally evading a taxi dispatcher
or just trying to lure you to a more secluded spot for mugging.
Do not deal with people who approach you on the street with some
kind of a money making proposition, they are the ones who are most likely to try to grab your money and run.
Don't fall prey to people who ask to check if your money is counterfeit
or stolen.
When a homeless person asks you to exchange 4 quarters for a dollar,
they may be trying to get you to give them a dollar for two or three quarters.
Central Park
C
entral Park spans two and a half miles from 59th Street to 110th Street and half a mile from Fifth
Avenue to Eighth Avenue. The park is home to numerous restaurants, playgrounds, the Metropolitan Museum, the Central Park Zoo, and Wollman Rink. The internal "loop" (known officially as Park Drive) is approximately
6 miles around and is closed to traffic on weekdays from 10am-3pm and 7pm - 10pm, and from Friday night at 7pm until Monday
morning at 6am. From the day before Thanksgiving until the first business day of the new year, the drives are still closed
on weekends, but are open 24 hours a day on weekdays.
Sights in Central Park
Hans Christian Andersen 73rd Street
Mother Goose 71st Street
Rumsey Playfield and The Bandshell 70th Street
NYC Clothing Stores
Anthropologie 85 South 5th Avenue at 16th Street, (212) 627-5885
375 West Broadway
between Spring and Broome, (212) 343-7070
Brooks Brothers 1 Liberty Plaza at Church St., (212) 267-2400
346 Madison Ave at 44th
Street, (212) 682-8800
Canal Jeans Broadway btwn Spring and Broom, (212) 226-1130
Conway's 35th Street and Broadway, (212) 967-3460
201 East 42nd Street on 3rd,
(212) 922-5030
Filene's Basement 620 Sixth Avenue btwn 18th and 19th Sts, (212) 620-3100
Broadway and
79th Street, (212) 873-8000
Laura Ashley 398 Columbus Avenue on 79th Street, (212) 496-5110
The Limited 691 Madison Avenue at 62nd St, (212) 838-8787
World Trade Center,
(212) 488-9790
Moe Ginsburg 162 Fifth Avenue on 21st Street, (212) 242-3482
Old Navy 610 Sixth Avenue at 18th Street, (212) 645-0663
503 Broadway between
Spring and Broome Sts, (212) 226-0838
Paul Stuart Madison Avenue at 45th Street, (212) 682-0320
Rothman's 200 Park Avenue South On 17th Street, (212) 777-7400
509 Madison Ave @ 53rd St, 832-2416
456 W. Broadway btwn Prince and Houston, 473-0280
140 5th Ave @ 19th St, 645-4797
233 Spring St btwn 6th and Varick, 807-1492
1 East 125th St @ 5th Ave, 348-4900
2151 Broadway (btwn 75th and 76th St), 721-2947
773 Lexington Ave @ 61st St, 755-7851
485 Madison Ave @ 52nd St, 832-0812
1270 Ave of the Americas btwn 50th and 51st St, 397-3007
479 5th Ave @ 41st St, 661-1992
901 Ave of the Americas @ 33rd St, 268-7424
135 5th Ave @ 20th St, 3rd Floor, 254-0145
747 Broadway @ 8th St, 979-2944
620 5th Avenue (Rockefeller Center), 581-5022
520 Madison Ave (btwn 53rd and 54th St), 758-6419
1310 Madison Avenue @ 93rd St, 289-3923
Kiehl's, 109 Third Avenue (13th St), 677-3171
MAC, 113 Spring St btwn Greene and Mercer, 334-4641
754 West 57th Street, 753-7300 x8537
BLOOMINGDALE'S AT 59TH STREET, 1000 Third Avenue, 705-2871
CENTURY 21 AT NEW YORK, 22 Cortlandt Street, 227-9092
MACY'S AT HERALD SQUARE, 151 West 34th Street, 695-4400 x2747
ORIGINS AT SOHO, 402 West Broadway, 219-9764
ORIGINS AT BROADWAY, 2327 Broadway, 769-0970
ORIGINS AT GRAND CENTRAL STATION, Suite MC-75`, 808-4141
ORIGINS AT ROCKEFELLER CENTER, 44 West 50th Street, 698-2323
ORIGINS AT FLATIRON, 175 Fifth Avenue, 677-9100
THE ORIGINS FEEL-GOOD SPA AT CHELSEA PIERS, Chelsea Piers - Pier
60, 336-6780
4 E. 8th St (btw. University Pl. and Broadway), 254-5247
590 Broadway (btw. Houston and Prince), 226-5552
718 Broadway (@ Washington Pl), 979-5232
1675 3rd Ave (@ 93rd St), 348-7400
988 8th Ave (@ 58th St), 957-8343
466 Ave of the Americas (btw. 11th & 12th)
Century 21 22 Cortlandt Street between Broadway and Church Street, (212) 227-9092
Fortunoff 681 Fifth Avenue at 54th Street, (212) 758-6660
H&M 34th St. @ Herald Square (646-473-1165), 34th St. at 7th Ave., 51st St. and 5th Ave., 558 Bway, 125 W
125th St.
Henri Bendel 712 Fifth Avenue at 55th Street, (212) 247-1100
Macy's Herald Square at 34th Street and Broadway, (212) 695-4400
Cartier 52nd St and 5th Ave, 753-0111 and 725 5th Avenue at Trump Tower, 308-0843
The Clay Pot 162 7th Ave, Park Slope, Brooklyn, (800) 989-3579.
DVVS 263A West 19th St btwn 7th and 8th Ave, 366-4888 or 366-4115
640 Broadway & Bleeker St, 777-1002
100 West 72nd Street, 595-9640
5 East 57th Street, 317-1100
12 East 57th St and Madison, 758-7300, (800)772-7836
500 Madison Avenue at 52nd Street, 758-6098
635 Madison Avenue at 59th Street, 758-6688
200 West 34th Street and Seventh, 563-6880
