Facts

Population:
Metropolitan area: 8,643,437
City Center population: 7,420,166

Visitors:
33 million annually

Elevation:
131 Feet

Area:
New York City ( Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Richmond) 301 square miles
Area of Manhattan: 22.7 square miles

Languages:
English, but in many areas of the City languages other than English predominate

Time Zone:
Eastern Time (GMT -4 hours) Daylight saving time is observed from April-October.

Average Temperatures:

Telephone Area Code:
Manhattan: 212 Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, & Staten Island: 718

Emergency:
Ambulance/Fire/Police 911

Tips and Taxes:
Tips 15%, sales tax 7%

National Holidays:
Jan 1 New Year's Day
3rd Monday in January Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Feb 22 Presidents' Day
March or April Good Friday
March or April Easter
May 30 Memorial Day
July 4 Independence Day
1st Monday in September. Labor Day
Oct 12 Columbus Day
Nov 11 Veterans Day
November 25 Thanksgiving Day
Dec 25 Christmas Day

How to get around:

Driving:
The best advice is don't drive in New York City. Traffic is often gridlocked.

Taxis:
New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission 212/676-1000More info
Flat fare from JFK International to any point in Manhattan is approximately $30 plus tolls & tip

Ferry:
Staten Island Ferry. (Free) Travels Manhattan and Staten Island. Each way takes 25 minutes.

Airports:
Three Airports service New York City:
John F. Kennedy Int'l (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA), Newark Int'l. (EWR)

Subway:
The easiest way to get around Manhattan is by subway. Subways and City buses run 24 hours a day. Trains 1,2,3,9, A and C go up and down Manhattan's west side. The 1, 9 and C are locals and stop at all stations. The 2,3 and A trains are express and stop only at major stations. Trains 4,5, and 6 head up and down the east side. The 6 is local; the 4 and 5 are express.
Trains F,N and R travel between the east and west sides of Midtown and Downtown. The E train follows almost the same route, but terminates at the World Trade Center.
Subway is accessed with a Metro card. Purchase these at subway stations and at many hotels and shops. The fare includes free transfers to city buses within 2 hours. Weekly passes are more economical.
The one day Fun Pass is sold at hotels and shops and in machines at certain subway stations.

The Bus:
Buses are slower than subways, but are helpful for traveling cross town. Cross town buses operate between the East and West sides on Houston, 14th, 23rd, 42nd, 57th, 66th, 72nd, 86th and 96th streets.
Buses head north up 1st, 3rd, Madison, 6th and 8th Avenues.
Buses head south down Broadway and 2nd, Lexington, 5th, 7th, and 9th Avenues.

Railway:
Pennsylvania Station is located between 31st and 33rd Streets on 7th Avenue. (212) 630-6400. Amtrak, Long Island Railroad, and New Jersey Transit trains stop at Penn Station. Connect there with the subway or taxis.
Grand Central Terminal (212) 532-4900 on the East side. Commuter trains from Connecticut and suburban New York City arrive and depart there.

Intercity Bus:
Port Authority Bus Terminal is located on 8th Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets. Local buses from New Jersey and intercity buses from the United States and Canada serve the terminal which is also on several bus lines. (212) 564-8484