Sup,

Here’s a short guide to help you navigate NYC without getting lost. Well, you’ll probably get lost but this will prevent you from getting lost forever. 

This will help you while you’re here: 

• Download google maps (I’ve found it more accurate than apple maps)
• Download NYC subway (free)
• Uber (just in case)

Walking: Using Your Feet

If you are walking around the city keep this in mind… Street numbers run north and south

There’s a difference between streets and avenues here in The Big Apple. 

Are the numbers going up? That’s north.
Are the numbers going down? That’s south.

Avenues, on the other hand, run east and west.

East and west can be tricky because you’ll get names and if you’re in the Financial District (Fidi as the cool cats call it) or  Tribeca, they have tricky streets that run in all sorts of weird directions. 

The west side has the higher numbers (like 9th ave) and as you move east the numbers go down.

Pull up google maps and then just follow the names of the street if there aren’t numbers and you don’t know what direction to go.

Taxi

Easy but you could hit a lot of traffic depending on the time and day and the area you are traveling.

When you get in the taxi make sure to give the driver the cross streets of the location you want to go, not the address.

If you give them the address instead of the cross roads three things will happen:

1. They will hate you
2. They probably won’t know where to go
3. Even if they do know where they are going they will drive around and run up the meter.

Put the address of the place you want to go into the google maps app you downloaded and get the cross streets before.

Subways

The easiest and fastest way to get around in New York City, depending where you want to go but the subways can be a little confusing if you’re not from NYC.

Train lines are colored and then labeled (Green has 4,5,6.)

What’s the difference?

Some are local and some are express.

If you pull up NYC subway app you can view all of them.

Take a look at the 4,5,6 lines you can see the 6 train is the local one and the 4,5 are express.

For example: if you are going uptown the 4,5,6 stop are 14th street and then the 6 stops 23,28,32 then 42, but the 4 and 5 go straight from 14th to 42nd.

Basically, any place you are going to can put the address into google maps and it will tell you what subway to go on, just make sure you get on the right one (in the right direction too!)

Now take a look at the map and see how some of the trains connect at certain stops?

That means you can get off at the station and switch to a different line that takes a better route to your destination.

**More on directions. Make sure you are going the right way, because the trains run two ways. If you uptown is north, downtown is south, and then the other boroughs are labeled either Manhattan or one of the other boroughs. Make sure you pick the right direction.

Have your map pulled up when you get on and take a look at the next stop or two you pass and make sure it matches up with the direction you want to go.

If you get on the wrong way no sweat, you can typically get off on the next stop and go to the other side of the platform. If you’re in the city you can usually do this underground but in Brooklyn and Queens you will probably have to get off the platform and pay another swipe.**

A friendly tip: if the subway car is completely empty, don’t go in that one. It probably smells really bad and has some sketchy stuff going on.

Other Guides That May Help You

• http://www.nycgo.com/
• http://www.fodors.com/

Cool Places You Probably Want To See If Your Doing Tourist Things

• The 911 Memorial
• Statue of Liberty/Staten Island Ferry
• Chelsea Market
• High Line Walking Trail
• Stone Street

Staying In Shape

There are a number of different options here and as fitness pros, I’m sure you’re going to get your pump on. Am I right?

Here are a few options for you to check out:

• New York Sports Club: locations all over
• Blink Fitness: can probably get a free day pass to try it out
• Mid City Gym: dungeon style old school bodybuilding gym
• Various Crossfit’s: if you want to drop a few WOD’s while you’re in the big apple

Fish Taco Bonus

Aka The Entire Reason I Really Wrote This

These are my top 4 fish tacos here in New York City.

1. *Calexico: Upper east side and Brooklyn locations. The food truck doesn’t have them.*
2. Seamore’s: Soho. Super chill atmosphere and lots of fresh fish and great food.
3. Tacombi: Soho. Cool Mexican vibe with small tacos but they’re good.
4. La Esquina: small but they have a sweet ass speakeasy if you can get in.

^^^ if you go to any of these places be sure to tell them Joey sent you. They’ll look at you funny, have no idea who you’re talking about and that will be the end of it… but I’ll feel special inside.

Enjoy your trip to the best city in the world. 

If you need anything else shoot me an email [email protected] or message me on The Book Of The Face.

– Joey

PS. If you’re getting fish tacos make sure to get me one to thank me for not letting you fall into the deep hells of New York City.

PPS. If you really want to pretend like you’re a real New Yorker, ‘hit em with the cobra’ when you’re doing your touristy activities. No one expects tourists to do weird stuff like this –>