New York City
Getting To The City
By Plane
- Arrival at Laguardia Airport – Take the M60 city bus from Laguardia straight to the gates of Columbia. Or cab it for $25.
- Arrival at JFK Airport – Take the Airtrain to the A subway, take the A subway to Manhattan and transfer at 59th Street to the #1 subway (Uptown). Take the #1 subway to 116th Street. Or cab it for $50.
By Train
- Arrival at Penn Station – Take the #1 subway (Uptown) to 116th Street.
- Arrival at Grand Central – Take the S subway to Times Square-42nd and then take the #1 subway (Uptown) to 116th Street.
By Intercity Bus
- Arrival at Port Authority – Take the #1 train (Uptown) to 116th Street.
By Automobile
- See www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/visiting/directions.php for complete driving directions to campus.
Getting Around The City
- Subway/Bus – The subway is the best way to get around New York, and Columbia’s closest stop is right outside the main gates at 116th Street. The price is $2 for a single ride, but you can also buy unlimited day, week, or month passes if you need to use it a lot. A complete map of the subway system can be found at www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm and a Manhattan bus map can be downloaded at www.mta.info/nyct/maps/manbus.pdf
- Cabs – Less expensive than other cities, but still pricier than subways (and not always faster).
Exploring the City (For FREE!)
- Passport to NY Program – Your Columbia ID can get you in free to a number of New York museums. See ???
- Urban NY – Twice a year Columbia offers a lottery where students can win free tickets to New York attractions, such as Broadway shows, sporting events, or musical performances. The fall semester lottery is reserved for first-year students, but the spring lottery is open to all undergraduates.
- SEAS NY – Twice a year SEAS runs its own lottery for free tickets to similar New York attractions. Since it’s only open to SEAS students, your odds of getting tickets are really good.
Exploring the City (ONLINE!)
- Time Out
Check out the ultimate resource that details what’s going in New York this week (restaurant openings, new exhibits, DJs, nightclub events, etc.) http://www.timeoutny.com/newyork/ - Village Voice
Read New York’s infamous independent (and often controversial) weekly newspaper with great film and concert reviews. http://www.villagevoice.com - Zagat Guide to Restaurants
Eat your way from the East Village to Morningside Heights! http://www.zagat.com - Gothamist
A now-famous blog, started by 2 Columbia alumni, featuring interviews, stories and features that prove it only happens in New York. http://gothamist.com/ - CUarts.com
A website featuring freebies and cheap stuff related to the arts, neighborhood happenings, festivals and arts-related internships open to Columbia students. http://www.cuarts.com/freemuseums/ - New York City Culture Guide and Calendar
From the Alliance for the Arts, this enormous database of cultural organizations allows searching by name, location, type of event, and includes a "kids cultural calendar." http://www.allianceforarts.org/index.htm - New York City Reference
Sponsored by Panix, this site includes a grab bag of assorted links to New York area sites, often with annotations or comments. This comprehensive listing includes everything from "advertising" to "waste management." Our link connects you with their "cool" sites. http://www.panix.com/%7Eclay/nyc/cool.cgi - The New York City Insider
In a magazine format, this site offers articles and features, including practical tips on living in New York and photographs of New York scenes and various landmarks. http://www.theinsider.com/nyc/index.html - Citysearch New York City
Arts, attractions, hotels, movies, music, restaurants, shopping and sports. http://newyork.citysearch.com/ - Gawker
Celebrity, entertainment, and culture gossip, New York City style. http://www.gawker.com
