Travel Advice

GENERAL TRAVEL TIPS

• It might be cheaper to fly into the Baltimore-Washington Airport and then take Amtrak to NYC (Penn Station) than flying directly to NYC. Southwest Airlines offers roundtrip rates of $100-$150 from Birmingham to BWI and Amtrak offers roundtrip rates of $120-140 from BWI to NYC.
  
  
• Use one day - maybe a weekend day - to get a feel of the city.
  
  
• If possible, go with a friend to NYC. Make sure he/she is serious about job searching. You can motivate each other and do cool things at night together.
  
  
• Go alone if nothing else. You will be so busy job hunting that you won't feel lonely.
  
  
• Wear sunglasses while on the street to avoid the people handing out brochures. It works! Don't feel bad about ignoring people; New Yorkers are accustomed to it.
  
  
• Use Chapstick and skin moisturizer to cut down on wind chap. It can be very windy between tall buildings near the coast.
  
  
• You can buy the Wall Street Journal at newsstands around the city. Be sure to keep up-to-date for interviews.
  
  
• Use your University of Alabama ACTion card, ISIC (available at B.B. Comer Capstone International Office), or Student Advantage Card for discounts at museums, hotels, trains, planes, etc. Just ask for student discounts everywhere you go.
  
  
• Remember that people will make up stuff very quickly instead of saying, "I don't know". This applies to asking for directions or pretty much anything.
  
  
• For NYC Transit Travel Information, call
  (718) 330-1234 (6 a.m. to 9 p.m.) or visit the
  MTA web site.
  
  
• Here are some good tips for visiting New York.
  
  

SHOPPING

• Many of the exclusive shops along Fifth and Madison avenues are closed on Sunday.
  
  
• Personal checks are rarely accepted at stores. Basically, cash and major credit cards are the ONLY ways to pay.
  
  
• Sales tax in New York is 8.25%.
  
  

RESTAURANTS

• Reservations are a must for dinner on weekends, Saturday nights in particular.
  
  
• Reservations are required on any night at first-class restaurants.
  
  
• Some restaurants accept reservations only with a credit card number.
  
  
• Many of the more popular restaurants require a reconfirmation on the day of the reservation in order to limit no-shows.
  
  

HOTELS

• Make reservations for lodging well in advance; the average annual occupancy rate is 80-100 percent, depending on the season.
  
  
• Acceptable lower-priced lodging can be found near the Theater District or several blocks from the expensive Fifth Avenue Madison-Park-Lexington area.
  
  
• Most hotels offer a bargain weekend package at close to 50 percent savings.
  
  
• The tax on hotel rooms is 13.25%.
  
  

MORE TRAVEL ADVICE

Paperless Guide to NYC
Bargains in NYC

More NYC travel sites can be on the Links Page