Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
The Visitors Bureau
Center
New York taxi
Right
Student Card
Useful Information
Tourist
Information
NYC & Company, the
New York Convention &
Visitors Bureau, operates
a Visitor Information
Center with multilingual
counselors and free
information. d
Visitor
Information Center: 810
Seventh Avenue at 53rd
St
•
Map J3
•
www.
nycvisit.com
•
8am-
8pm daily
Entertainment
Listings
The Friday
New York
Times
arts section,
Time Out New York
, the
New Yorker,
and
New York
Magazine
are all compre-
hensive weekly sources
of current happenings in
the city, readily available
at any newsstand.
Bellboys at hotels usually
receive $1 per bag, and
bartenders $1 per drink.
Many diners find it
easiest to calculate a
tip by simply doubling
the tax (8.625 percent)
on a restaurant bill.
Ta x e s
Be sure to factor
in taxes when you cal-
culate costs in New York.
Sales tax is an extra
8.625 percent on every
purchase. Hotel taxes
add 17.845 percent to the
bill, plus an extra $2 per
night occupancy tax.
Museum/
Gallery Guides
Besides listings in the
entertainment magazines,
Museums New York
is a
quarterly publication
($4.95) available at most
newsstands, with write-
ups of current museum
and gallery exhibitions.
The
Art Now Gallery
Guide,
free in most
galleries, details current
offerings around the city.
d
Museums New York:
212 604 0877
New York
Newspapers
The
New York Times
is
read nationally and
internationally for its
extensive foreign
coverage. The city's
tabloids, the
New York
Post
and
New York Daily
News,
are known for
their attention-grabbing
headlines and a number
of pages of sports
coverage. Many young
New Yorkers read the
free weekly
Village Voice
and rival
New York Press
.
Big Apple
Greeters
Visitors might like to try
an afternoon with a Big
Apple Greeter. A volunteer
New York guide from this
not-for-profit organisation
will take small groups or
couples on a 2-4 hour
tour of any New York
neighborhood of your
choice or give you an
insider's view of the city.
d
Big Apple Greeter: 212
669 8159 • www.
bigapplegreeter.org
Opening Hours
Most stores and
sightseeing attractions
are open daily (
see p165
);
banks close on weekends,
although ATMs are always
available (
see p169
); post
offices close on Sundays
with the exception of the
General Post Office (
see
p169
). Many museums
close on Mondays and
major holidays - check
with individual venues for
their specific times.
Out-of-Town
Newspapers
Foreign and out-of-town
newspapers may be
found at branches of
Barnes & Noble book-
store, and many Sunday
papers are carried at the
Universal News Stand. If
you can't find what you
want, Hotalings News
Agency, a wholesaler,
may be able to help.
d
Universal News Stand:
234 West 42nd Street.
Map K3 • Hotalings
News Agency: 212
974 9419
Restrooms
Hotels
(see pp172-9)
and department stores
(see p64)
are the best
places for restrooms.
Most fast-food restaur-
ants, such as McDonald's,
and coffee shops such
as Starbucks, also have
restrooms and although
intended for patrons,
these are usually
available if you ask
for the key.
Tipping
A tip of at least
15 percent is usual
for meals, taxis, and
personal services such
as haircuts or massages.
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