GTJ

Yes, indeed. Where I remain a bit uncertain is whether a flat fare remains in effect from certain taxi stands on York Avenue, in Yorkville, to Pearl Street and the World Financial Center in lower Manhattan, on weekdays between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. This was established as a $6.00 per-person flat fare, for what was essentially a fixed-route yellow taxi service, replacing the former x90 express bus route. Another flat fare applied from Port Authority Bus Terminal to 59th Street and Sixth Avenue, weekdays between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., for $3.00 per person as a flat fare. I do not know the current status of these flat fare exceptions. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/group-ride-taxi-stands-manhattan-big-flops-city-tlc-czar-david-yassky-article-1.188801 So there are certain exceptions (with myriad rules for the application of those exceptions), though the number of exceptions has been limited. But what I think was being asked is whether taxi fares, generally, are fixed or variable, and in New York City the general rule is that taxi fares are variable with very few exceptions.

No, it is not a flat rate (except for the singular exception of service to and from JFK airport). The fare varies primarily with distance. No, it is not credit card only. You determine if, and how much, to tip. There are no distinguishable yellow taxi companies. While some taxis are part of a fleet, one yellow taxi is indistinguishable from another. The green taxis are marked with a company name, it is largely meaningless. You simply hail a taxi, or board whichever taxi is next at a stand. All of this has remained the same since before COVID-19.

New York is a large city, and having a good sense of direction is a plus. A guided tour can alleviate anxieties if one is less able to navigate, and there are many tours available, be it by vehicle or on foot. Stairs are much less of an issue these days compared to past years. Midtown Manhattan is relatively straight-forward to navigate: it is generally a grid with avenues traverse the island lengthwise, most being numbered starting at the East River, and streets going across the island, numbered starting in lower Manhattan. It is when you are lower Manhattan that you may especially challenged because of the seemingly random layout of the named, not numbered, colonial streets. Best to bring a map with you. The subway map uses a wheelchair symbol to indicate all the stations that are accessible (meaning, ramps and elevators not requiring the use of stairs to navigate), most transit buses are low floor with no stairs (and all bus drivers will deploy the wheelchair lift or ramp, even if one does not use a wheelchair, so as to avoid any stair climbing), and most buildings have accessible entrances that do not require the use of stairs (again, look for the wheelchair symbol for access). If by "traffic" you mean "motor vehicle traffic," then yes, New York streets can be crowded and slow for slow, frustrating for those who are impatient, but not intolerably so. Usually the best way to see New York is on foot, and while pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk can also be crowded, walking best allows you to control the pace and extent of seeing the city.

You have hit many of the tourist circuit sights with your plan. A few notes and observations of mine. The Carlo's bakery location you have listed is one of several branch locations, this one being within the Port Authority Bus Terminal. The main location is in Hoboken, New Jersey, but you might not want to devote time, when it is will be so limited, to venture there. I can't say anything bad about Carlo's--I have a sweet tooth and would not turn down anything there--but keep in mind that its popularity arises primarily from the television exposure it has received, more so than the quality of baked goods at this location. From Times Square you would be walking UPtown, not DOWNtown, on Broadway to Carnegie Hall. I am not familiar with Lenny's (or more accurately, Lenwich), which is, apparently, a chain with several locations in Manhattan. The sandwiches look fine, and there's an area in which to sit and eat, so it should work out fine for getting a quick lunch. Heed the other warnings about pedicabs. Their drivers have a reputation for cheating tourists. You're probably seeking to visit Rockefeller Center (not "Square"). No ice rink this time of year, but the below grade shopping concourse will be open for business. Similarly, you're probably seeking to visit Grand Central Terminal, the railroad facility (Grand Central Station is the nearby post office). I am not entirely clear if your plan is to travel from 42nd Street down Fifth Avenue by taxi, to go past the Empire State Building at 34th Street, and the Flatiron Building at 23rd Street, simply to view them from the taxi, or if you're planning to walk to them and go by taxi from 23rd Street back up to 40th Street. It is difficult finding good and not overly expensive places to eat in the area surrounding Times Square. When we're pressed for having to eat in this area--usually because we're returning to New York City through Port Authority, we usually end up at John's of Times Square, 260 West 44th Street, for decent pizza. The quintessential bagel in Manhattan comes from H&H, a location of which exists in the Moynihan Train Hall at Pennsylvania Station. Other good bagels may be had at Black Seed Bagel (really, a hybrid of New York and Montréal style bagels), a location of which exists in Rockefeller Center. After leaving your baggage in Brooklyn, and returning to lower Manhattan, the best route would ordinarily involve using the ferry that is immediately adjacent to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. The ferry is a quick, inexpensive, and scenic route to Pier 11 in lower Manhattan. However, you indicate that buses and subway trains are not particularly comfortable (they both use hard, rather than padded, seats). Alas, the ferries have hard seating similar to that used on buses and subway trains, so you would likely feel as uncomfortable on a ferry seat as on a bus or subway train. For similar reasons you might not want to use Liberty Cruise. My understanding is that their vessels, too, have the hard seating that you would likely find not to be comfy. Instead, you might get a better experience with the New York Signature Lunch Cruise, offered by City Cruises at Chelsea Piers, as its vessels will likely be more comfortable. Their 12 noon to 2:00 p.m. cruise would conclude in time for you to return to Brooklyn by 4:30 p.m. If you're seeking pizza in lower Manhattan, Lombardi's, on Spring Street is probably the best choice there. Better, however, is to go into Brooklyn and eat at Juliana's, on the foot of Fulton Street near the ferry landing.

Yes, Norwegian Cruise Line generally uses the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, which consists of Piers 88 and 90 (at West 48th Street and West 50th Street, respectively). Times Square is a place in which many tourists stay, and possibly the center of tourism in midtown Manhattan. It is a good location for being close to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, and on embarkation day you may be able to walk there from your hotel if your baggage is manageable. That said, many New Yorkers dislike Times Square because it is crowded with tourists, and the many businesses and hucksters who prey upon those tourists. Some families dislike the presence of aggressive cartoon characters and topless women in Times Square who pose for photographs in exchange for tips. If you have particular affinity for the Marriott Corporation then you will find many locations in New York City, all of which will provide the services that you expect. However, New York City has more hotel rooms than any other city, of all types and locations, so if location or type of hotel is more important than the corporate ownership, you can pretty much find any type of accommodation you want in New York. Consider what is most important: proximity to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal (so as to minimize your walk on embarkation day), being in a particular neighborhood or close to particular sights, or cost. If the answer is Times Square, then focus there. But there are many neighborhoods in New York City, and you're more attracted to any of those other areas, then focus on those other locations. There is no shortage of places in which to stay.

New York City is different from many other cities because few people have cars of their own. So while rental car companies in other cities are largely focused on airports, in New York City rental car companies in New York City have substantial business renting cars to car-less residents for weekend get-aways. Manhattan has the highest proportion of car-less people, most of whom find it convenient being able to walk, or use local transportation, to a Manhattan rental location. Sunday afternoon is a relatively time, with many people returning from their weekend jaunts. I would not expect there to be much difficulty if finding a convenient location to return your rental in Manhattan on a Sunday. Especially if you have never been to New York City, driving here is generally not a good idea. It is, deservedly so, viewed as an intimidating place to drive. Not only are there more visual distractions than in any other place--and particular attention should be given to driving slowly so as to avoid colliding with any of the omnipresent pedestrians--but the regulatory signs can be especially overwhelming (having training as a lawyer can help in understanding parking regulation signs). Plan on receiving traffic and/or parking tickets for infractions thereof. Beware as well of high toll charges. For example, the Port Authority collects $17.00 by mail, or $12.75 by E-ZPass, for entering New York City, and your rental car company may collect additional fees for use of its transponder. For all these reason serious consideration should be given to avoiding car travel to New York City. There is good passenger railroad and bus service from many parts of Pennsylvania to New York City, and thought should be given to using one of these services.

The part that I find most troubling with third party reservation sites is that they're located remotely, and have neither the focus nor the specific knowledge of what is actually going on. They're relying on communications between their representatives--who likely have never been on the actual tour being booked through them--and the actual tour operator. On the other hand, the tour operator (and especially with a small tour operator) knows his or her business very well. He or she knows exactly what is going on, and can take care of any issues directly without getting lost in communications or with people not knowing the specific business. The tour operators may not have as much business savvy as the large third party providers, and their websites may be more crude, less optimized, etc., but they know their own business better than anyone else, and can make whatever adjustments might be necessary. For me, that closeness to the ground is what is most important.

There's at least two companies in Whittier that will rent kayaks, but neither promotes the rental of other types of boats (e.g., rowboat, canoe): Alaska Sea Kayakers and Sound Paddler. Both provide some instruction on kayaks, though it might be intimidating going on your own without experience. Additionally, both rent kayaks based on days, not hours, so a rental for just an hour or two would likely not be practicable. Alaska Sea Kayakers offers a 3-hour guided kayak tour twice daily, with a two-person minimum, for $95. Sound Paddler offers a 3-hour guided kayak tour on demand, the price varying based on number of participants (1 person $180, 2 people $115). Nothing shorter than three hours. Sound Paddler also advertises stand-up paddling (1 hour $25, 2 hours $40, optionally with lessons). Might either actually have any rowboats or canoes? It would not hurt to ask.

Actually, Amtrak does not operate any buses. The railroad does sell tickets for some bus lines, which in this case (from Seattle to Vancouver) is for the bus line Cantrail Coach Lines Ltd., a bus company based in Vancouver. This bus company brings passengers to the Pacific Central railroad station, which is located about one and one-half mile from the Fairmont hotel Vancouver. If baggage is manageable then walking could be best: it is about 30 minutes on foot. You can use the SkyTrain service from the Main Street-Science World station (walk through the park across the street from the station to get there) to the Burrard station (two blocks from your hotel). Taxi is also available. Had you instead chosen to travel by Quick Coach Lines Ltd., then you would have had a slightly shorter distance to your hotel. This company regularly makes two stops in Vancouver, one at the Holiday Inn, on Helmcken Street at the corner of Howe Street, and another at Waterfront station, on Cordova Street at Granville Street. The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is half-way between these two stops, about one-half mile distant from either (10 minutes walking).

You do seem to have an attraction to renting a motor vehicle, but if your interests are limited to the typical tourist stops (i.e., those places enumerated above), then there is likely little need or benefit for doing so. The logistics for flying north to Fairbanks, only to then turn around and drive yourself south to Denali, would add some complications. Nonetheless, to do so, you could travel from Whittier to the Anchorage airport by motorcoach. Alaska Cruise Transportation motorcoaches depart Whittier at 8:45 a.m. on all cruise vessel days, and an additional departure at 11:45 a.m. on Princess Cruises (not Holland America Line) days, arriving at the airport at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. only. Park Connection motorcoaches depart Whittier at 9:45 a.m. on all cruise vessel days, arriving at the airport at 12:00 noon. Additionally, the cruise lines themselves arrange for their own (usually more expensive) motorcoach transfers to the airport. From the Anchorage airport you could use an early afternoon flight north to Fairbanks, rent a motor vehicle, and drive yourself back south to Denali. Buy tickets for Alaska Cruise Transportation directly from the motorcoach company. Buy tickets for Park Connection service from Alaska Tour & Travel, the broker that arranges for this bus service. Buy tickets for the cruise line-arranged service from your cruise line. Note that there is a fair amount of transportation that connects Whittier, Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, and Fairbanks, such that you can allocate your time among these locations, and end up in Fairbanks on a timely basis. Below is a map that illustrates the various passenger railroad services that connect these points. In addition, there are motorcoach services that connect Whittier with Anchorage (Alaska Cruise Transportation, Park Connection); and Anchorage with Talkeetna and Denali (Park Connection). Given what you have expressed about a desire to spend two nights at Denali, my suggestion is to skip the flight and the rental vehicle, but travel directly from Whittier to Denali by either railroad or motorcoach, and after a two night stay at the park, continue onward to Fairbanks by railroad. From Whittier to Denali, you can travel upon the Denali Express train. This service is provided with Ultra Dome railcars owned by HAP Alaska exclusively for passengers of Holland America Line and Princess Cruises (the train itself is operated by the Alaska Railroad). The train departs from Whittier on cruise vessel days at 8:15 a.m., and arrives at Denali National Park at 5:45 p.m. (all times are approximate). While the train is marketed in connection with the ground tours offered by the cruise line brands, it appears that none of their packaged tours meets your needs. Nonetheless, you could enquire from the cruise lines about train-only tickets if you're otherwise willing to make the other arrangements (i.e., lodging at the park, onward travel to Fairbanks) on your own. Otherwise, you could travel from Whittier to Denali by motorcoach. Because there is an intermediate stop between Whittier and Denali in downtown Anchorage, it is best to buy a through ticket using the Park Connection service, so that the logistics of baggage handling are completed by a single company (as opposed to using two different bus services and connecting in Anchorage). The motorcoach departs from Whittier on cruise vessel days at 9:45 a.m., and arrives in downtown Anchorage at 11:30 a.m. You will have a few hours in downtown Anchorage, to get lunch and see sights, before departing on a connecting motorcoach at 3:00 p.m. Arrival at Denali National Park is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Buy tickets for this Park Connection service from Alaska Tour & Travel, the broker that arranges for this bus service. Finally, from Denali to Fairbanks you would travel upon the Denali Star train. This service is provided traditional railroad cars and Ultra Dome railrars--used for Adventure (coach) class and GoldStar (first class) service, respectively--owned and operated by the Alaska Railroad as a regular passenger train available to all persons. The train departs from Denali daily at 4:00 p.m., and arrives in Fairbanks at 8:00 p.m. Buy tickets for this Denali Star service from the Alaska Railroad. Alaska Railroad Map and Service 3.pdf

There are three passenger terminals serving New York: the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, and Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey. From Pennsylvania Station in midtown Manhattan, it is one mile to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, it is six and one-half miles to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Bayonne is not readily accessible on foot from Manhattan (one could walk from Pennsylvania Station in Newark, but it is about ten miles and awful walking conditions). If you're sailing from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, then no substantial concerns with walking. It is the other two passenger terminals that would be of concern. Are you certain as to the passenger terminal from which you will be sailing?

There are many policing agencies in New York City, among which is the TLC. The mere act of a passenger calling, or getting the NYPD involved, can sometimes inspire taxi drivers to do the right thing. As well, a passenger refusing to leave a taxi means that the taxi driver is not earning any income. Letting taxi getting away with unlawful actions is the worst outcome, for it only encourages that driver to continue, and for other taxi drivers, to act unlawfully. ,

Once you're in a taxi, it will take about 20 minutes to get to the upper falls, slightly less time to the lower falls. In comparison, the bus requires about 35 minutes, plus its access time (getting to bus stop and awaiting bus arrival). So by using a taxi or TNC vehicle you will likely save 15 minutes each way, or one-half total (plus, perhaps, any shorter access time for taxi/TNC vs. bus). If the taxi driver does not speak English, and if you do not speak French, then just indicate your destination as "Chute-Montmorency," going, and "Port de Québec, Quai [dock no. 21, 22, or 30]," on the way back (best to have this written down in advance so that you need not attempt pronouncing it).

From Pennsylvania Station in midtown Manhattan, then a long walk . . . about 6-1/2 miles. From Washington, D.C., better to change trains at Newark and arrive at World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, from which the walk would be only 4 miles. And if arriving at the railroad station in downtown Brooklyn, then only 3 miles. All doable if one is fit, not carrying excessive baggage, and having an hour or two for the walk. But nothing is as convenient, doable, and pleasurable than the 1-mile walk between Pennsylvania Station and the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

I had found the same thing, but made no comment because I couldn't figure it out. I was not certain if this company is located locally or not. Nor was I certain if this company provides transportation itself, or if it is a base station. I could not tell if the company was licensed in any respect (to do business within any state, to engage in interstate commerce, to be a carrier, to be a base, etc.). It might not matter for many people, to engage companies for relatively low value, low risk, services without knowing these things, though if things go wrong (e.g., no-show, collision) then it might have been worthwhile knowing. Here, I was unable to provide any assurances or insights here.

I wonder if there are any duly-adopted regulations on point, or if this is an instance of individual port staff making up things on their own.

If I were similarly situated then I would likely do the same or similar plan. So long as baggage is manageable, nothing beats walking to the pier.

Pioneer Street, the location of the pedestrian entrance, is in between two bus stops on Van Brunt Street. The stop before Pioneer Street is Verona Street, and the stop after is King Street, so one can alight at either stop and walk forward or back to Pioneer Street (King Street might be marginally closer to Pioneer Street than Verona Street, but not significantly so). Given that the bus stops were established prior to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal's opening, it might be worthwhile for the city's Department of Transportation to consider realigning the Van Brunt Street stops so that there is a bus stop right at Pioneer Street. The discussion of the streets caused me to review again at the history of the area. Early on this area of Brooklyn was not well-settled and comprised of tidal flats. But there was envisioned a plan to develop this area into a maritime shipping center that would avoid the undue congestion then present at South Street in Manhattan, a busy public street bisected the area where cargo was being handled. It was, in fact, the laying out of the Atlantic Basin--where the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is now located--that was the primary cause of Red Hook being filled and developed. The basin was opened in 1841, and was much larger than it is today (much was filled in during the 1950s and 1960s). The southern boundary has remained intact since then. Pioneer was originally William Street, but the street was given its present name in 1903, recognizing the Pioneer Iron Works that was located thereon. This street, west of Conover Street, was known as Clinton Wharf, a name that remains on Google maps and GPS systems but is otherwise seems to not be marked with actual street signs (probably because it is located entirely within the area now owned by the Port Authority) . . . anyone know of any such signs? The east side of Atlantic Basin had originally extended as far east as Conover Street, and what Google maps now refers to as an extension of Bowne Street. Originally this was known as Commercial Whart, going from Pioneer Street (William Street) north nearly as far as Summit Street (now ending at Imlay Street, Summit Street used to continue one block further westward, going as far as Commercial Wharf, which itself was the extension of Conover Street). The Pier 11 building, and all the parking in front of it, was previously water! The north side of Atlantic Basin was originally angled, paralleling Hamilton Avenue—what is now northbound Hamilton Avenue (on the east side of the Gowanus Expressway). The northern boundary of the basis was India Wharf, which was effectively what would be the extension of what is now southbound Hamilton Avenue (on the west side of the Gowanus Expressway), extending from Commercial Wharf—the extension of Conover Street—to Pier 10, the north pier of Atlantic Basin. Much of where containers are now stored at the Red Hook Container Terminals was previously water. It might also be noted that Pier 12 itself, which is the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, to about twice its original width. Railroad enthusiasts likely know as well that the New York Dock Company Railway operated here, isolated from other railroads, with tracks on the three wharves (Clinton, Commercial, and India). There were also tracks throughout what is now the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal parking lot and as far south as Wolcott Street, as well as encircling Bowne Street, Commerce Street, and the property just east of Imlay Street. The railroad also operated carfloat service. In 1983 the railroad operations passed on to the New York Cross Harbor Railroad, which then continued until abandonment in 1992. It was then in 2006 that the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal was opened on the site formerly used by the railroad. So much of Atlantic Basin has been destroyed, both the filling-in of a good part of the basin, and the replacement of the railroad yard with the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Yet, if one knows where to look, and can imagine, there is much to be explored here. The pedestrian entrance gate, at the intersection of Pioneer Street and Conover Street, was originally the southeast corner of Atlantic Basin, where Clinton Wharf and Commercial Wharf had also intersected. One might stand there ard imagine. To research further, there's a good map from 1855 at the Center for Brooklyn History in the Brooklyn Public Library (click here), and many more maps and histories at Red Hook Water Stories (click here).

I don't understand the question. Lyft is a "ride service," in that it provides a service of transporting passengers as requested. In deciding whether to use a "ride service" or public transportation, the critical factor is whether someone can manage their own baggage, not the fact that the person is a senior (there are many seniors who are very fit, as there are many young people who are not fit at all).

Almost . . . they are sister corporations. Flix North America Inc. is the parent corporation that owns both Greyhound Lines, Inc., and FlixBus, Inc. (Flix North America Inc. is, itself, an American subsidiary of Flix SE, a German corporation). Greyhound Lines, Inc., is an actual carrier (i.e., a bus company), while FlixBus, Inc., is putatively a broker (i.e., a travel agency that arranges for bus transportation, but does not, itself, operate any buses). Thus, whenever someone buys a bus ticket from FlixBus, Inc., they're actually purchasing transportation that will be provided by an independent bus company (the name of which may be identified by FlixBus, Inc., on its website and on the ticket, and by the operating bus company on the side of its bus). If FlixBus, Inc., were a carrier itself, then there would have to be a pooling agreement approved by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board because they are both commonly-owned.

My thought was that there are a number of relatively minor fare policy changes that could be fixed with that additional dime (e.g., elimination of the single transfer limitation). At this fare level, a dime is fairly meaningless, and yet it could fix fare policy problem not heretofore addressed "because of cost."

We are similarly situated. We reside in Flushing, Queens, and we would never think of staying overnight in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or near Bayonne. The no. 7 subway train operates regularly, and we rely on it routinely to reliably get to appointments in Manhattan. It is less than an hour to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, a bit longer for Brooklyn or Bayonne. It is not a firm rule that one should travel to, and stay overnight, at the port prior to embarking on a cruise. Rather, the rule is to manage risks. Consider the travel distance, the reliability of local transportation, and even the duration and cost of the cruise voyage itself. There will always be some risk, and so one should evaluate and manage those risks individually, rather than keeping to a firm and arbitrary rule.

Actually, not a subsidiary but a division, of Greyhound Lines. As well, the service on the east coast being operated as a joint venture with Peter Pan Bus Lines pursuant to a pooling agreement approved by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, but the actual operator remained Greyhound Lines.

Yes, possibly "most." There's a few stories of reckless bicyclists who have caused serious injury or death, though those are the exceptions rather than the rule. Reckless motorists--including bus drivers--are a greater risk. The one-day unlimited MetroCard had been a great option for visitors, and it is too bad it has been discontinued. Generally MaBSTOA drivers are responsible (though again, many exceptions). I have never used Citibike, though I understand their utility for some people . . . but bicycling in Manhattan can be challenging to some people. In my opinion the best way to see NYC, generally, is on foot. Use the subway between neighborhoods, but otherwise walking is best.

What neighbourhoods in Québec (other than Vieux-Québec and tourist sites) did you visit? Rue Charest? Ste-Foy? Elsewhere?