The Big Apple, Gotham, Manhattan. It's a city like no other. I have a great love of New York City. Its history, its art, its culture, its goods and bads. Its smells. All of it. Hence, I am glad to return each year, for the Drop Dead Festival especially. My family is from neighboring New Jersey where I grew up, and most of my partying was done in New York City. So, allow me to impart some of my favorite facts and places about the city to you, the visitor and fellow festival attendee.

New York is comprised of five boroughs, revolving around Manhattan, where the Drop Dead Festival takes place, and most people associate with the classic New York ideal and perception. Its an island surrounded by the Hudson, East, and Harlem Rivers. To the east, north and south lay the other boroughs of New York County, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island. To the west is the state of New Jersey. New York is the most densely populated place in the United States, with only 33 square miles holding over 1.5 million inhabitants.

There's also plenty of information on the Drop Dead Festival website but the following is my own guide to New York City with more of a personal touch and a few of my own details.

Airports
Newark International Airport Homepage
John F. Kennedy International Airport Homepage
Laguardia Airport Homepage

New York City is accessible by three international airports. The closest is La Guardia, but JFK, on the other side of Brooklyn and Queens is more popular. It offers a shuttle bus to the closest subway, the A-Train. Although it takes longer (60-75 mins), its much cheaper ($5.00 for the shuttle, then the cost of a subway fare) than the taxi service to and from the city which can run $40-$70 and take just as long in traffic. Newark Airport (EWR) is accessible to New York via the PATH train system from Newark Penn Station, linking New Jersey and New York, or the #107 bus to Port Authority (NY). Be careful not to mix up the New York City Subway (Metro Transit Authority - MTA) with the limited PATH system.

Transportation in New York is limited to a few options. Renting a car or driving is a bad idea, and simply impractical. Traffic is insane, parking impossible or outrageously expensive. Driving habits of New Yorkers are famous for their recklessness. I wouldn't want to be caught driving through New York City streets sharing the road with them. Stick to subways, cabs, and walking.

Public Transportation
Metro Transit Authority (MTA) Homepage
MTA Subway map (PDF)

For one thing, the public transportation is superb. Though it can be crowded, sometimes dirty, maybe a bit scary once you start heading to the outer reaches of the city, it takes you where you need to go, relatively cheaply. Certainly less expensive than London's trains. I never rode New York busses. The subways take care of almost any route you could want, except traveling to Brooklyn which doesn't apply for the festival. Currently there is a heightened state of alert on New York's subways, so security is likely to be heavy. Smoking isn't allowed on the trains or in the stations at all. Plain clothes police officers and transit officials monitor the stations and issue tickets around $50 to offenders. To ride the subway you have to pass through the turnstiles with a valid card, purchased through the automats or kiosks inside the stations at the entrance. You must purchase a MetroCard in order to use the Subway. Cash is not accepted at the turnstiles. You have to buy the card from the booth or the vending machines. You can put anywhere from $4 to $80 on one at once. At current, a one way ride is $2, though a '1-Day Fun Pass' costs $7, and is valid on busses and subways until 3am the following day. You can buy this pass only at the MetroCard Vending Machines and local shops, not at the station Kiosk. The '7-Day Unlimited Pass' is $24 and good for 7 days on all busses and subways. You'll probably be subjected to street musicians and beggars taking refuge in the stations, usually harmless, but not traveling alone late at night is common sense in any city in the world.

Cabs

If you prefer the streets, cabs are readily available. All you need to do is gesticulate wildly at one of the passing bright yellow sedans, station wagons or mini-vans, and you've go their attention. As long as the topside 'taxi' indicator isn't lit, showing they already have a fare inside, they technically should pull over to pick you up.Also, its always a good idea to know the address and cross streets of your destination, and ask for how much it will cost in advance. Some cabbies will 'take you for a ride' if you seem like a tourist. New York City cab rides beat any Disneyland ride. Last year our cabby even put the Indiana Jones roller coaster to shame, rocketing through dark tunnels, jerking around corners, past parks and monuments through midtown. In a pinch they are a great way to get from place to place, but it gets expensive if you rely on them completely. Also, traffic in NY can reach mammoth proportions at times. A cab from JFK airport will run you about $40, even $70 if you are paying full price.

Even without cabs and subways, it might only take an hour at most to walk east to west on the island, which is only 2.3 miles wide at its widest. Most destinations are only a short hike away. Navigating through the often confusing, very UN-gridlike layout of the streets can be confusing however. Anyways, for those on a budget (ok, all of us) walking should always be an option to investigate. Plus, its a great way to experience the true grit of the city and learn your way around. The streets themselves hold unique sights, centuries old landmarks, hidden gardens and nooks. What little space Manhattan has to offer is often used in very creative ways. Crossing the street on a red light is technically illegal but on most smaller streets people cross anyways when there's no traffic. Even when there is, its pretty amazing how close some people get to passing cars... there's this strange, zen state of consciousness and awareness that allows New York pedestrians to pass through New York automobile traffic with the grace of a ninja. Its a strange sight to behold and a stranger feeling to experience. Even so, people often stand off the curb and in the street waiting for their chance to cross. In Los Angeles you can get shot for this (like they need a reason?)! The Avenues (1st Ave, 5th Ave, etc) run primarily north/south, and the Streets (27th Street, 23rd Street, East 12th Street etc) east/west, though like I mentioned, the street plan doesn't always form a grid and they are crisscrossed and preceded by named streets (Park Ave, Lexington Ave, Madison Ave, Hudson St, etc)

Hotels

The semi-official hotel of the Drop Dead Festival is the Gershwin Hotel. If you mention the festival, a 10% discount applies. Last year, as well as this year I'm sure, many attendees, even the bands, were put up at the Pioneer Soho Hotel, which was very affordable. However by this point hotels should have already been procured, so if you're still looking for accommodations, good luck.

Gershwinn Hotel