Subway: skip the MetroCard, use OMNY
New York's MetroCard is being phased out. Since 2023, OMNY (tap-to-pay) is the system. Tap your contactless card, phone, or watch at any subway entrance. You get unlimited rides after 12 trips in a calendar week. Download the OMNY app to check your balance and trip history. The old MetroCard still works everywhere, but it will not work forever.
Tipping: the rules are different here
Sit-down restaurants: 20% minimum, 25% for excellent service. Counter service (even in nice neighborhoods): no tip required, but $1–2 is appreciated. Bars: $2 per drink or 20% of the tab. Do not tip at food carts. Do not be the person who stiffs a server in a city where the minimum wage for tipped workers is $16.50/hour — still not enough.
Reservations: book everything, everywhere
New York restaurants book out weeks in advance, especially on weekends. Resy and OpenTable cover most of them. For the hardest-to-get tables (Carbone, Gramercy Tavern, Le Bernardin), book the moment your dates open — typically 30 days ahead. Walk-ins exist at good bars and cheaper restaurants. Counter service is always walk-in.
Pickpockets: Midtown and Times Square are hunting grounds
The 14th Street to 59th Street corridor on the subway, plus Times Square, Grand Central, and Penn Station, has active pickpocket operations. Keep your phone in your front pocket. Do not hold your wallet in your back pocket. If someone bumps into you and it feels coordinated — it is. Keep moving. The police presence is real but reactive.
Neighborhoods to actually stay in
Times Square and the immediate Theater District are for shows, not for sleeping. Consider: Lower East Side (nightlife, restaurants, character), West Village (quieter, walkable, expensive), Long Island City, Queens (direct subway to Manhattan, skyline views, significantly cheaper). The subway runs 24/7 — where you stay matters less than which subway line is nearby.
Walk off the meal with an audio guide
Every neighborhood has a walking route with stories. Free previews on every guide.
Planning the trip?
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