Time to see Ground Zero

[debbiematt]

We'll be arriving in New York around 11, Wed, Oct 18, hopefully we will be on the ship by 1 maybe 2 at the latest. Does anyone know if we would have time to see Ground Zero before our ship leaves at 8p.m.? I have no ideal how long it would take to get there with traffic, etc., I'm not even sure what port or pier the Sea Princess will be sailing out of on the way to Canada & New England. We would love to see it.

Thanks, Debbie

[wwinfl91]

If you are sailing from the Manhatten docks, the distance is probably walkable if you really like to walk. I have no idea what a taxi would cost but it would probably be under $20. If you are there early enough to catch one of the hop on hop off buses they go right by the sight but when we were there in 2004 they didn't have a stop pickup point right by the port.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[smeyer418]

We'll be arriving in New York around 11, Wed, Oct 18, hopefully we will be on the ship by 1 maybe 2 at the latest. Does anyone know if we would have time to see Ground Zero before our ship leaves at 8p.m.? I have no ideal how long it would take to get there with traffic, etc., I'm not even sure what port or pier the Sea Princess will be sailing out of on the way to Canada & New England. We would love to see it.

Thanks, Debbie

 

No matter which port you are leaving from you will have plenty of time. By Taxi you are 15 minutes from Ground zero from either Brooklyn or manhattan. From Manhattan pier its easy to take the subway to the WTC site. (walk over to eight avenue and 50th street and take the E train to the WTC stop...you are there).From Brooklyn take a cab. The subway is way too complicated and should be only about $15.00 each way...through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel)....I wouldn't drive to the area as it is very congested there is extremely limited on street parking. If you have to drive turn into Battery Bark City and Park at the Garage(for about $20.00) or Park at the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel Garage...

 

I also wouldn't use the drop off drop on bus---if its the Grey line it will be over $20.00 per person and for one place its just too much...if its the City one it doesn't run that often and I bet you will be better off with a cab.

 

While you can walk it its 3 to 4 miles..again assuming its from Manhattan. from Brooklyn you would have to walk accross the Brooklyn Bridge(nice walk) but it willbe at least 5-6 miles..because you can't walk through the BBT.

[willysgrandma]

By Taxi you are 15 minutes from Ground zero from either Brooklyn or manhattan.

 

Good luck finding a cab that will take you to the Brooklyn terminal. Many cabbies don't know where it is and are refusing to take passnegers. I've heard from two people that have gone through 6 - 10 cabs before they found one that will take them. You are better off walking, although if you are leaving from the Brooklyn terminal, it isn't the nicest area to be walking from the bridge to.

 

Ground Zero is a 15 minute walk fro the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge.

[smeyer418]

Hint from a native NY get into the cab before you tell them where you are going. I used to get the same response when I was taking a cab home to Brooklyn(I live in Boerum hill. If they don't know where it is tell them its just behind the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in Brooklyn and to take the Hamilton avenue exit after that it is well signed. I drove a cab too and could be awful dumb when I didn't want to to go somewhere....

[Embracedbylife]

Someone mentioned that if you are leaving from the manhattan terminal you could likely walk to ground zero...this is way too far from ground zero to walk!! Also if you are leaving from the brooklyn terminal, you can't walk from there either..you have to take a tunnel into manhattan. So, you'll have to drop your luggage maybe at the pier and then cab it to ground zero and back again. Most cabies know where the manhattan pier is...just tell them it's on the west side highway past circle line tours and you'll be fine. If you are going to the brooklyn pier tell them it's near the brooklyn battery tunnel on the brooklyn side. The signs are near the tunnel like the other poster described. Bring a map and point to where you want to go and they'll take you no problem!

[longislandfamily]

Good luck finding a cab that will take you to the Brooklyn terminal. Many cabbies don't know where it is and are refusing to take passnegers. I've heard from two people that have gone through 6 - 10 cabs before they found one that will take them. You are better off walking, although if you are leaving from the Brooklyn terminal, it isn't the nicest area to be walking from the bridge to.

 

Ground Zero is a 15 minute walk fro the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge.

 

As the next post says, get in the cab first. By law, a NYC cab is not allowed to refuse a destination. They don't want to go to Brooklyn because they won't find a fare back to the city.

[Shannon12]

Hint from a native NY get into the cab before you tell them where you are going. I used to get the same response when I was taking a cab home to Brooklyn(I live in Boerum hill. If they don't know where it is tell them its just behind the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in Brooklyn and to take the Hamilton avenue exit after that it is well signed. I drove a cab too and could be awful dumb when I didn't want to to go somewhere....

 

I had a driver once who refused to take me to Brooklyn. It was the 2nd one in a row and I was pissed! I made a complaint to the TLC and went to a hearing. The driver never showed. I believe he had his medallion suspended.

[debbiematt]

Thanks everyone for your help. Not quite sure what we will do yet but I have several good ideals thanks to you, if there is a way and we have plenty of time we will make it there, I would hate not to go and pay my respects. Debbie

[woodofpine]

Info online indicates that Sea Princess is leaving the west side Manhatten Piers 10/18, see below,

 

http://www.wirednewyork.com/piers/nypst/

 

As a former New Yorker, if I were you, I'd take the subway ($2), rather than have a cab slog through late afternoon traffic. It is too far to walk. The subway is really pretty direct - but a cab would be easy too.

 

Walk east toward Times Square and get the E or C blue line adjacent the Port Authority bus terminal at 42nd St. and 9th Ave or at the less conjested 50th St. entry. Head downtown and get off at Chambers St. WTC (World Trade Center), I'd then walk the Wall St. neighborhood, maybe go east to the east river and check out the South St. Seaport historic block (maybe Faunce Tavern) then head back doing the route in reverse.

 

You have sufficient time between say 3 - 6 PM (at least for WTC and the immediate environs). Check out the tube map below.

 

http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~ramesh/Maps/NewYorkSubwayMap.gif

 

New Yorkers are a helpful bunch, just ask for directions.

 

Enjoy the city and your cruise.

[WCAB]

Hint from a native NY get into the cab before you tell them where you are going. I used to get the same response when I was taking a cab home to Brooklyn(I live in Boerum hill. If they don't know where it is tell them its just behind the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in Brooklyn and to take the Hamilton avenue exit after that it is well signed. I drove a cab too and could be awful dumb when I didn't want to to go somewhere....

 

If I was a cab driver I would spring for a GPS, they are wonderful.

[MaryPoppinz]

I haven't been in Brooklyn any longer than it takes to get to Manhattan or back to LGA. So, I have abonehead questions:

 

Should we just ask the hotel doorman to get us a cab to the Brooklyn pier? Surely, the cab driver won't say no to the doorman.

[smeyer418]

I haven't been in Brooklyn any longer than it takes to get to Manhattan or back to LGA. So, I have abonehead questions:

 

Should we just ask the hotel doorman to get us a cab to the Brooklyn pier? Surely, the cab driver won't say no to the doorman.

 

Yes but there was at least one report that a doorman couldn't get one. I personally don't belive it.

 

Oh BTW I was wrong about how many feet the smith and 9th street station is off the ground its 91 feet not 50....

[TheHappyWanderer]

The car services do not usually refuse to go to Brooklyn, I think. I just made a reservation on-line with Carmel, and it was just easy.

[Budget Queen]

Info online indicates that Sea Princess is leaving the west side Manhatten Piers 10/18, see below,

 

http://www.wirednewyork.com/piers/nypst/

 

As a former New Yorker, if I were you, I'd take the subway ($2), rather than have a cab slog through late afternoon traffic. It is too far to walk. The subway is really pretty direct - but a cab would be easy too.

 

Walk east toward Times Square and get the E or C blue line adjacent the Port Authority bus terminal at 42nd St. and 9th Ave or at the less conjested 50th St. entry. Head downtown and get off at Chambers St. WTC (World Trade Center), I'd then walk the Wall St. neighborhood, maybe go east to the east river and check out the South St. Seaport historic block (maybe Faunce Tavern) then head back doing the route in reverse.

 

You have sufficient time between say 3 - 6 PM (at least for WTC and the immediate environs). Check out the tube map below.

 

http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~ramesh/Maps/NewYorkSubwayMap.gif

 

New Yorkers are a helpful bunch, just ask for directions.

 

Enjoy the city and your cruise.

 

 

The piers most used are 88 and 90. To find the street of piers, subtract 50. IF you are going to consider taking the subway, no need to go to 50th if your ship is on 48th. The subway entrance is on that street too. IF you have mobility limitations, it is a hike for some, slightly up hill. You also can take the 42 bus that picks up at the Circle line. Coin is needed as they do not take bills. Get off on 7th and take the 20 bus, if you want a little sightseeing of NYC and have plenty of TIME.

 

If you take the subway to the WTC site, consider walking down Broadway to the Battery, and seeing the Koeign recovered sculpter. http://www.percyadlon.com/films/koenigs_sphere.html

 

then just take the 1 train back at South Ferry to 50th St. and 4+ long blocks back to the ship- slightly downhill. :)

 

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/index.html

[smeyer418]

The piers most used are 88 and 90. To find the street of piers, subtract 50. IF you are going to consider taking the subway, no need to go to 50th if your ship is on 48th.

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/index.html

 

except your formula puts it at 40th street...do you mean subtract 40?

[willysgrandma]

I had a driver once who refused to take me to Brooklyn. It was the 2nd one in a row and I was pissed! I made a complaint to the TLC and went to a hearing.

That is absolutely correct. Here isa where you can actually file a complaint, you need the medallion number and drivers name :

 

http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/passenger/file_complaint.shtml

 

The key is to get in the car and when the driver says he won't go there, tell him you will report him to the TLC if he refuses.

 

Make sure you have the directions to the Brooklyn pier - it's in Imlay and Bowne Street off Hamilton Ave. It is right near the Brooklyn Bridge, it isn't hard for them to find.

 

The Brooklyn Borough President has been notifed of the problem and has reported it to the TLC, but the way to get these cabbies to knock it off is for passengers to let them know it is illegal to refuse them.

 

But many visitors don't know that - so be empowered if you have a cabbie that refuses to take you.

 

And it is ridiculous for them to think they won't have a fare coming back - there are lines of cabs at the pier to take disembarking passengers out, so that protest is ridiculous.

[woodofpine]

The time frame you describe (most of the afternoon 10/18) gives ample time to do a focused tourist bite of the Big Apple.

 

NYC municipal transportation is generally speaking quite safe and easy, simply keeping some basic orientation rules in mind. Uptown (north) and downtown (south) relative to Manhatten and when walking mid-town and uptown the city is a grid of numbered streets (42nd, 43rd, etc. run east-west) crossed by numbered avenues (5th, 6th, etc. run north-south). This grid system is easily picked up if you just think graph paper.

 

Street blocks (42nd to 43rd) are short, avenue blocks (5th to 6th say) are much longer-wider (about the equivalent of four street blocks);a couple of the numbered avenues have alternative names (6th is also 'Avenue of the Americas', 4th is also 'Park Avenue') and the locals threw in a couple of added named avenues to boot (Madison and Lexington on the east side). Broadway basically cuts diagonally N-S across all of them from the upper west side to the lower east side.

 

The subways almost exclusively run N-S uptown/downtown. Lower Manhatten narrows and has a hodge podge of named streets (Wall, Varick)

that are confusing. BUT - the narrowing of the island to a tip consolidates a whole bunch of north - south subway lines with lots of stations into a really pretty small area at which WTC is basically the center, AND each subway stop has large metro maps so it isn't really very difficult. Also despite the emotive rep of New Yorkers you'll find that they pride themselves collectively in offering up directions and take pride individually in being able to offer the most succint easily understood "How to"s in directing visitors (most Manhatten-ites started as visitors).

 

With the time you have, you can easily hit the WTC neighborhood. An alternative trek would be to walk through the Times Square area to central park south and see the park then return to the piers. Also very 'doable' in time but a bigger loop would be down to WTC for an hour then subway up to Rockefeller Center (around 50-52nd St. at 5th - 6th Ave) via the Broadway sub line (RR etc) or the Lexington Avenue green line; visit the AMAZING new viewing platform 'Top of the Rock' for 30-60 minutes. Its really easier and better positioned than the top of the Empire State Building. Maybe make a reservation at 'Top of the Rock' for say 5 P.M. Then return to the piers walking west through mid-town/Time Square.

 

http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/

 

Enjoy your visit.

[MaryPoppinz]

The key is to get in the car and when the driver says he won't go there, tell him you will report him to the TLC if he refuses.

 

I see your point, and in a perfect world, I would do that. On the other hand, I'm not crazy about the idea of being in the car with someone I have just had to confront and threaten...and then I have to expect him to take me to a location with which I'm unfamiliar, and do it in a way that doesn't take advantage of my vulnerability.

 

I hope I can rely on the doorman to 'make it so.'

[debbiematt]

Thanks everyone for your replies especially from woodofpine & BudgetQueen for a few more places to see. The dock and pier infomation was great. I'm sure we'll be able to make it there with your directions & my husband leading the way.:) Debbie