Expect heightened security everywhere you go, with special emphasis on the checking of IDs and the inspection of packages and bags. If you plan to enter an office building, you may pass several levels of security and be required to register with the front desk. You will almost always need to present picture identification. Make sure you have with you a phone number for the person you are seeing, in case there is any mix-up at the desk. Everyone must be cleared before entering official government buildings.
Avoid walking through Central Park after dark. Also avoid walking by yourself—especially women—in the dark streets of the Meatpacking District late at night. For other areas, consult your hotel's front desk. If that's not an option, trust your instincts: Do not walk down any block in any part of the city that looks particularly desolate (shuttered, abandoned and dark) or otherwise sinister. When in doubt, take a cab. Crowded areas are usually fairly safe. But remember to be wary of pickpockets in such crowds.
We think New York is a fairly safe city. And at times, we agree with those who claim to feel safer walking around Manhattan—even at night—than they do driving alone on city streets in most other American cities. But crime and danger can lurk in any part of any city. So our best advice is to go about purposefully, aware of your surroundings at all times. Police seem to be on every corner in New York, even when you don't realize they're there. They know the city that never sleeps, and they want you to enjoy it.
Dos & Don'ts
Do take a street map along when exploring the city—and don't hesitate to ask for directions. Contrary to popular belief, New Yorkers are generally quite willing to help.
Don't turn right on a red light if you drive in New York City.
Do get a wallet-sized subway map (subway information booths may have them). Getting on the wrong train will not only frustrate you miserably but will also waste more time than you have.
Don't walk through Central Park at night.
Do see at least one performance at a venue such as Broadway, off-Broadway, Carnegie Hall or the Met.
Don't expect your cell phone to work in the subway. Although not legal, some institutions and restaurants use cell-phone scramblers.
Do buy a weekly or daily MetroCard (depending on the length of your stay) to save money on subway fare.
Don't forget to tip your cab drivers.
Do ride the Staten Island Ferry. It's one of the few free things in New York.
Don't be surprised to hear many different languages being spoken.
Do stop to look at the brickwork and up at the carved stonework on some of the old buildings.
Don't be surprised if you see a few celebrities out and about on the streets or in stores. New York just might be their hometown.
Don’t make too much eye contact with New Yorkers in the subway; they don’t like it.
Do try to walk everywhere. There is no better way to see the city.
Do buy the Time Out New York magazine for the most up-to-date museum and gallery shows, jazz, theater and music performances.
Don’t take a taxi in Midtown during rush hour; traffic congestion is a real nuisance in that area of Manhattan.
Do walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
