New York City
> The 79th Street Boat Basin is a great place to stay when visiting NYC by water. They have both transient slips as well as mooring balls. There is no launch service, so you will need to have a dinghy if you are on a mooring ball. There is a restroom, shower and laundry on-site and the dock master is friendly and accommodating. With 24 hour security, there is always someone there who can help you if you need it. With the current and wave action on the Hudson, we opted for the mooring ball. These are assigned on a first come first serve basis, but you can anchor nearby while waiting for availability. Another option if you don’t need to be in the thick of Manhattan, is the Flushing Park Marina on the East River just past Hells Gate. It provides more protection from current and waves, but requires more time and planning to get around.
> The subway is by far the best way to get around the five boroughs of NYC (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Harlem, Queens, and The Bronx). A single ride is $2.25, but you can purchase a MetroPass card for $8.00 and get four rides. The card balance will actually be $9.20 when you make your initial purchase and it will draw down by $2.25 every time you use it, so a $0.20 balance will be on the card after four rides. You can then top it up again through the dispensing machines right in the subway stations as you need more. These machines are as easy to use as an ATM.
> You can get discount theater tickets on shows that day (often 40-50% off the box office price) through the TKTS booth right in Times Square, or in Downtown at Fulton St. and Seaside Dr. (Fulton Square). The Downtown location opens 2-3 hours earlier than the one in Times Square and the lineups tend to be shorter. Arrive early for best selection and shorter lines.
> The Grayline Hop On Hop Off tour buses are a great way to get the lay of the land in NYC as well as some history of the area. For more information on the various pricing packages go to www.newyorksightseeing.com. The advantage of using the Hop On Hop Off tours is that it takes you to the different districts in Manhattan so you will know where you would like to spend your time afterwards. For example, Greenwich Village, Times Square, Union Square, Soho, Lower East Side, Little Italy, Chinatown, Central Park, Brooklyn and more.