Touring New York City and the surrounding areas
New York City is one of the most amazing cities in the world, and walking through the streets of Manhattan feels just like in a movie. The streets of Manhattan, the exciting and vibrant district of New York City (as well as the densest of the five districts) are jammed most hours of the day and there is no point in renting a car while staying there. Besides traffic jams, parking is also a real problem, as the chances of finding a parking spot on the street is close to none and the parking garages are expensive as well as fill up quickly. Therefore, the best and fastest way to get around in the city is using public transport.
The New York City Subway is the fastest and most efficient means of transport, and it operates 24 hours a day. During rush hours - between eight and nine AM and between four and five PM - the cars are very crowded, and sometimes it feels uncomfortable to travel in an empty train during the late night hours , however, in general this is a great way to get around from place to place. Buses are much slower, but you can use the ride for seeing the sights of the city. Another way to get around in New York is using a cab - the yellow cabs are one of the hallmarks of the city. Other than during rush hours it is quite simple to hall a cab on the street - when the sign on the cab’s rooftop is lit, it means that it’s available. The payment is according to what appears on the meter, as during rush hours and nighttime there is a special rate. And if you don't need to get to a remote end of the city, it’s best to just walk, get a feeling of the city and its residents, peer into shop windows and stop for coffee at a pleasant place you discovered during your walk.
After a few days in the big city, you will probably want to go rural and catch a bit of serenity and breathe fresh air. The best, and usually only, way to get to areas outside of the big city is by using a rental car. The public interurban transport isn’t developed in the US while the roads are excellent, well maintained and driving on them is easy and convenient. When ordering a rental car, remember to ask for a GPS (in most of the states in the US holding a cellphone or hand-held GPS while driving is prohibited, so it’s important to use a built-in device). While in the US driving is on the right side, like in Israel, it is important that you get used to the speed limit and distance between destinations being in miles rather than kilometers (1 mile equals 1.6 kilometers). Generally speaking, inside the city it is allowed to drive at the speed of up to 35 miles per hour, on intercity roads up to 55 miles per hour and on highways up to 70 miles per hour, however it is important to pay attention to the road signs that clearly state the speed limit for the road you are driving on.
Sometimes on intercity roads you will see a carpool lane - in such case, only cars carrying a certain number of passengers (the number is stated on the signs) are allowed to drive on such lane. Don’t try to be clever, if you get caught with a lower number of passengers, you are risking a very high fine. However the thing that most surprises drivers from Israel is the fact that in many states in the US it is sometimes allowed to take a right turn on a red light (while giving right of way to pedestrians and cars driving straight through). As you will not always know if this law applies to the place where you’re driving, it is better to not take any chances and wait for the light to turn green.
So where is it best to go to in the New York area?
You may drive out to Long Island, which is just that - a long island with beautiful beaches, sand dunes and lighthouses. Most of the residents of the big city like to take their vacations in the Hamptons area, located in the southern part of Long Island, and the affluent ones maintain vacation homes out there.
Another beautiful touring route in the New York area is the one passing through the Hudson Valley. Here is all that is needed for a pleasant trip outside of the city: An extensive river, woodlands (in the autumn the foliage colors are just beautiful) charming quaint villages and impressive mansions. One of the villages worth stopping in is Cold Spring, hosting unique boutiques, galleries and pleasant cafes.
Park Harriman is located approximately 50 kilometers north of New York, and has dozens of lakes and hundreds of kilometers of hiking trails. If you are lucky you will run into animals such as deer and otters on your way.
