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.
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