Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Police
Dial
&
911
in an emergency; otherwise, call
&
646/610-
5000
or 718/610-5000 (NYPD headquarters) for the number of the
nearest precinct. For non-emergency matters, call
&
311.
Taxes
Sales tax
is 8.375% on meals, most goods, and some serv-
ices, but it is not charged on clothing and footwear items under
$110.
Hotel tax
is 13.25% plus $2 per room per night (including
sales tax).
Parking garage tax
is 18.375%.
The United States has no value-added tax (VAT) or other indirect
tax at the national level. Every state, county, and city may levy its
own local tax on all purchases, including hotel and restaurant checks
and airline tickets. These taxes will not appear on price tags.
Time
For the correct local time, dial
&
212/976-1616.
New York
City is on Eastern Time (GMT -5 hours).
Daylight saving time
is in effect from 1am on the second Sun-
day in March to 1am on the first Sunday in November. Daylight sav-
ing time moves the clock 1 hour ahead of standard time.
Tipping
Tips are a very important part of certain workers' income,
and gratuities are the standard way of showing appreciation for serv-
ices provided. (Tipping is not compulsory if the service is poor!) In
hotels, tip
bellhops
at least $1 per bag ($2-$3 if you have a lot of lug-
gage) and tip the
chamber staff
$1 to $2 per day (more if you've left
a disaster area to clean up). Tip the
doorman
or
concierge
only if
he or she has provided you with some specific service (for example,
calling a cab for you or obtaining difficult-to-get theater tickets). In
restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, tip
service staff
15% to 20% of the
check, tip
bartenders
10% to 15%, tip
checkroom attendants
$1
per garment, and tip
valet-parking attendants
$1 per vehicle.
As for other service personnel, tip
cab drivers
15% of the fare; tip
skycaps
at airports at least $1 per bag ($2-$3 if you have a lot of lug-
gage); and tip
hairdressers
and
barbers
15% to 20%.
Transit Information
For information on getting to and from
the airport, see “Getting There,” in chapter 1, or call
Air-Ride
at
&
800/247-7433.
For information on subways and buses, call the
MTA
at
&
718/330-1234;
go online to
www.mta.info
.
Traveler's Assistance
Travelers Aid
(www.travelersaid.org) helps
distressed travelers with all kinds of problems, including accidents,
sickness, and lost or stolen luggage. There is an office on the first
floor of Terminal 6 (JetBlue terminal) at JFK Airport (
&
718/656-
4870
), and one in Newark Airport's Terminal B (
&
973/623-5052
).
