Planes, Trains and Automobiles in NYC. (Taxis)
My first experience with mass transit in NYC was back in a scarier day (1996). Although it depends on what that means…42nd street was seedy, Harlem was never to be visited and trains shouldn’t be ridden at night. Taxi’s were more trustworthy.
When flying into Laguardia, I have to take a train east to Connecticut. Honestly, I was scared to death because I was informed to take a taxi from LGA to Harlem 125th street and catch the train there. Because I was not present when Gulliani cleaned up the big apple and Harlem started its “gentrification”, so I thought I was going to a place where my unexperienced self could be hurt and taken advantage of. Not so anymore, and honestly, although Laguardia doesn’t have a train from the airport, it’s still more direct than going from JFK.
So, in my experience, I actually found that if you take a Taxi (which those guys disappear at night in Harlem, so only do Harlem travel during the day), it’s cheaper and many times you don’t have to pay the toll fare of $5. Usually it should only cost about $25-$30 total (excluding tip). Not as easy to barter with these guys, but more trustworthy than a towncar with no fare feeder. I ALWAYS ask about the fare. Most of the people doing this don’t speak English, and I find towncar drivers sometimes don’t know where they are going. You HAVE to barter with the towncar guys. They usually try to charge anywhere between $45 or so and then charge you the toll on top of it, making it a price that you could actually purchase another meal, and that doesn’t even include tip. I also find they are a bit more lazy, and sometimes don’t even get out to help with luggage. I even got in an argument with a guy and he ended up dropping me back off where I started because of our fare argument. We ended up actually agreeing to a price after that, because 1) nobody else was around, and 2) he went down in price but made it sound like he had always spoken the same price. Yeah, right.
If you take a taxi, you can use a credit card. I try using the card for the fare and giving the guys a tip (have never had a female driver!) as I know they don’t make much money. The towncars? They give you a blank receipt. Which I guess some view as an opportunity to include additional tip or money they didn’t claim with an actual receipt. I prefer receipts. I also prefer a car with some reliable electronics, I guess. The town car is only ONLY if I have no other choice.
(Note: ALWAYS bring enough cash for the taxi fare. Do NOT rely on your credit card. Bring antibacterial hand cleanser).
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