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

Visitors:33 million annually

Elevation:131 Feet

Area:New York City ( Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Richmond) 301 square milesArea 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:

Month

High

Low

January

37F

24F

February

38F

24F

March

45F

30F

April

57F

42F

May

68F

53F

June

77F

60F

July

82F

66F

August

80F

66F

September

79F

60F

October

69F

49F

November

51F

37F

December

41F

29F

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 Day3rd Monday in January Martin Luther King, Jr. DayFeb 22 Presidents' DayMarch or April Good FridayMarch or April EasterMay 30 Memorial DayJuly 4 Independence Day1st Monday in September. Labor DayOct 12 Columbus DayNov 11 Veterans DayNovember 25 Thanksgiving DayDec 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 infoFlat 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.