A Subway question!

Hi Everyone!

I%26#39;m trying to plan out my days in NY. I want to know how much travel time on the subway to allow for between certain sights %26amp; was hoping someone would be able to help me out.

We have a helicopter ride booked for 9:00am which will be taking off at W.30th %26amp; 12th Avenue...I wanted to know if 40 minutes will be enough time to reach our next destination...Pier A at Battery Park for a 10:00am cruise.

I tried hopstop which is a great website, but wanted to confirm the travel times it mentions...any help would be great!

A Subway question!

Well, you are way on the west side, there is no subway very close, I would take a taxi right down to Pier A at Battery Park!

Don%26#39;t think you would make it via the subway.

Better idea - can you make your cruise a little later? What if you get stuck at the heliport, or there is a delay, who knows?

You will be stressed thinking about your next activity instead of enjoying what you are doing that moment.

Choice is yours, but think about it.

A Subway question!

Thanks for the advice...

Luckily, the cruise happens every hour %26amp; you don%26#39;t have to book in advance...if we don%26#39;t make it on time then we%26#39;ll just hop on the next one @ 11:00am and explore the financial district %26amp; Battery Park instead.

If that is the case, then I would walk along the west side, they have made the waterfront so pretty, with paths %26amp; restrooms, this may be an enjoyable walk for you if you are not in a hurry.

You will pass Chelsea Piers, The Meatpacking area, Greenwich Village, the World Finanancial Center, with great views of SOL.

What route did hopstop give you, by the way?

If you get a cab at the heliport you should make it to Battery Park with ease. It would be touch and go if you went by subway. The subway station you can use is either at 34th and 7th Avenue or 28th and 7th avenue. You would take the #1 train to the last stop, South Ferry.

Your problem here is not really the subway, but getting to it or from it.

The closest subway station to Pier A is Bowling Green, but that is on the Lexington Avenue line, and you cannot get there easily from Pier 70. The second closest is South Ferry on the #1, which you would get at 34th and Seventh. Now, 34th and Seventh is just about one mile from the North River (a.k.a. the Hudson) and Pier 70. How would you get there? Would you walk? That would be about twenty minutes right there. Would you take the bus? Again, hardly a time saver. A taxi, maybe? Well, if you are going in a cab already, why not continue downtown?

Furthermore, it is a ten minute walk from South Ferry station to Pier A -- so there you have thirty minutes of walking, without any time given for waiting for the train, or riding it!

It seems to me that taking a taxi from Pier 70 to Pier A is the only sensible way to go. Just make sure you are able to tell the taxi driver where Pier A is (West Street and Battery Place, no?)

These directions are off hopstop.com:

Start out going East on W 30th St towards 12th Ave

Turn left onto 8th Ave

Entrance near intersection of W 33rd St and 8th Ave

Take the A train from 34 Street - Penn Station station heading Downtown/Far Rockaway

Pass 14 Street

Pass W 4 Street - Washington Sq

Pass Canal Street

Pass Chambers Street

Get off at Broadway - Nassau

Transfer

Take the 4 Train from Fulton Street station heading Downtown

Pass Wall Street

Get off at Bowling Green

Exit near intersection of Beaver St and Broadway

Start out going South on Broadway towards Bowling Grn

Turn right onto Bowling Grn

Turn right onto Battery Pl

Total travel 3.45 miles 55 mins

Is this pretty accurate? I think if we%26#39;re in a rush then we%26#39;ll take a cab...it%26#39;ll be less stressful, but if making the first cruise is not a big deal then we%26#39;ll take our time...maybe take that walk along the waterfront!

Thanks

Those directions are largely correct, as far as they go. You do not have to take the A from 34th and Eighth, though -- you can take the C as well, and it is easier getting to the downtown C platform from some entrances than it is getting to the ';island'; platform used by the A.

The transfer to the 4 (OR 5; it makes no difference) at Broadway Nauseous (as transit cops call it; it is not an attractive or user-friendly station) can be somewhat complicated and confusing, and it involves several flights of stairs. If you do this, make sure you are climbing towards the platform of the DOWNTOWN 4, and not the uptown train. The exit advice is very incorrect -- you want to walk towards the front of the train and exit to the kiosk at State Street south of Battery Place; that would be very much easier than going downstairs and then coming back up to Beaver Street.

For fewer stairs and no transfer, you could walk one more block initially and take my suggestion for riding the #1 train to South Ferry instead.

It is still about 2/3 of a mile walk from the river to Eighth Avenue, and then the trudge down Battery Place . Meanwhile, Twelfth Avenue/West Street is a direct route from Pier 70 to Pier A. While I almost always recommend subways, I think in this instance you are better off taking a taxi.