Walking, New York City

New Yorkers love to walk. My step counter shows over 12000 steps on an average day working in the city, so when you're visiting you definitely do more than I do.

New Yorkers make pace when they walk, so make sure you're leaving space to let them pass. There is no way to rent a complete sidewalk for you and your party, so give them room.

Coming from Chicago where 8 blocks=mile, I initially misjudged the distance between my destinations. Approximately 20 north-south blocks=mile (eg 20th to 40th Street) and 10 east-west blocks=mile.

Once you get above Greenwich Village, Manhattan is laid out in a grid (like Chicago), with numbered streets running east-west and numbered avenues running north-south. The avenues are a little trickier than streets, Lexington, Park and Madison are tossed in between 3rd and 5th Avenue and some develop names around Central Park.

I found the attached website that tries to explain the numbering system, the top part of it seems much too complicated for the average visitor, if you are looking for an address, get the cross street and you should be fine.

You see more of the city just by walking. Take good shoes, and be fit! It is about 5 miles from Ground Zero to Central Park. You will, however, pass through a number of areas, and see many different neighbourhoods close up and personal.

It felt very safe - these days probably normal big city precautions apply - don't stay out too late when the streets empty a bit, watch your belongings, and don't get rolling drunk.

New York is a big city and there will be many times when you need to take to public transport to get from one place to the next, whether subway, bus or taxi. But please do try to explore as much as you can on foot. There are many aspects to this wonderful city that just can’t be appreciated any other way! The deep canyons created by the towering skyscrapers of Midtown; the quaint cobbled streets in parts of Greenwich Village and the other historic districts; the smells from the cafes and various food vendors; the displays in shop windows, both big department stores and neighbourhood corner shops; the amusing signs and colourful neons; and perhaps most of all the people. I confess I loved eavesdropping on other people’s conversations as we walked – snippets like “of course you have a dog, this is New York” brought the city to life for me.

Working out your route is relatively easy, thanks to the helpful grid pattern of the streets in most of Manhattan (see my General tip). But don’t expect to get from A to B too quickly. Depending on the time of day there will be many other people walking the same streets (it might be helpful for them as well as you if you try to avoid the rush-hour as much as possible) and there are also numerous distractions to slow your progress – but then, that’s the point! There really is no better way to experience the buzz that is New York.

New York is a city to walk.

Yes, we tried the subway, cabs, the train and the bus, but we loved walking the most.

You see so much more when walking and get a much better idea of the neighbourhood and community this way.

This is a city with swarms of people, so we tried to make sure we pounded the pavements (sidewalk!) when it was not rush hour.

You also do not get the full effect of how tall the buildings are without walking... you just wish by in transport.

I'm a big fan of exploring by foot, but NYC is a large city and not as walkable friendly as many other cities. There are just way too many people out and about and too much ground to cover. But if you take the time and have a well thought out plan you can discover lovely parts of the city on foot. Some of my favorite are LES, Chinatown, Village, Chelsea, NOLITA, Midtown, UWS, UES just to name a few. There are so many quaint little shops, bars, restaurants you'll miss if you use public transport.

NOTE: Noooooooo....don't do it!! Ladies, please don't wear those "tacky" little flip-flops, cross-trainers (especially white), and those horrid flats to walk around a fashionable city like New York City (or any other city, especially Paris), no matter how tempted you are!! It's just not trendy or stylish!!! (Okay, the jeweled-toned flats are cute).

So grab your most sylish comfy shoes and get out there and explore!!

Getting around New York is easy. I think it's quite interesting and great to just take a walk around the city.New york is a very easy place to stay. Street names are very systematic and within 3 hours you can easily find your way.Just remember to grab a map and remember which street you start your walk.

Walking is the best way to get around the city, so long as you know where you are going. Maps are always helpful, but try to get a small one. You will not only burn those unwanted calories but you will get to sightsee as well!

Although the NY Yellow cabs are easy to track down and cheap to dash around the city we really enjoyed walking. The first few days of our holiday was speant mainly on foot exploring NY , giving us a real feel of the place. The main advantages are that you can stop and pop into any shop or cafe and take time out. We covered so much ground on foot and you find out things ans see things that may pass you by if you were in a cab. All i will say is take some blister plasters! Plus you can walk off those excess pounds you ate at breakfast!

It doesn't cost you a thing and you get to see so much! For me, it's the best way to get the feel of a city. It can be very tiring but it's also very rewarding. You never know what you come across, which nice people you bump into, what nice restaurants you stumble upon and what unusual sites you might encounter.

The best way by far to see new york city is by walking. While walking the atmosphere can be soaked up and you get the whole wow factor when looking at the big buildings lol.

Manhatten is easy to get about with crossings at the end of each block and therefore crossing is easy. Although care needs to be taken when crossing due to the fact cars can turn left on red lights as long as its clear.

As for the safety aspect eg muggings I found it extremely safe and never encountered any problems but like any big city care needs to be taken as complacency in your surroundings may lead to becoming a target.

Walking has to be my favorite way to get around this city. You can see the simple little changes as you move through neighborhoods. Find places you weren't looking for but are glad you found. Even a closer or better alternative to whereever you were going.

And for people watching being on the streets is the place to be.

Just be courtious. Stay to the right if you're meandering or walking and gawking. Tourists are great and help the city. But please remember we are late for work in have places to go.

The best means of transportation and most versatile has got to be the your own two feet. If you're up to it, a good pair of comfortable shoes with lots of support and some gusto will allow you to cover a lot of the city. If you can keep pace with the New Yorkers around you, you could easily cover several miles in one day. Not only will you avoid traffic congestion, but you can also take impromptu detours into stores and art galleries that you might've missed while being boxed up in some enclosed vehicle. New Yorkers love to walk. Not only will you be able to see a lot more and discover a lot more in terms of galleries, shopping and eating, but it is free! You will also be able to walk away all those calories you just consumed at the Carnegie Deli or Katz Diner.

Tip: Leave the 100% cotton socks at home. A synthetic blend will wick away sweat better and you will have a better chance at avoiding blisters.

The Borough of Brooklyn, which is home to a population of 2,300,000 people, is the most populous of the five boroughs. Brooklyn was founded by the Dutch, who originally named the borough Breukelen, or broken land, in 1636. Some of the neighborhoods and historic landmarks in Brooklyn include Bay Ridge, which is populated largely by Italians and Irish. Sunset Park is largely Latin American and Chinese. Bedford-Stuyvesant is home to the largest African-American community in New York, and Williamsburg has the largest population Hasidic Jews. The Greenpoint neighborhood, the furthest north, is home to large Polish, German, Ukranian, and Russian populations.

While Brooklyn is home to some of the most diverse neighborhoods in New York City, it also contains some of the most treasured historic sites. Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, is still an active Army base. It was here that Confederate Generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee served as young officers in the 1830's. The Lief Erikson Parkway, near 67 Street, is named for the Viking navigator who is believed to have reached North America 500 years before Columbus.

When you're in New York City you should spend as much time as possible walking around...and make sure you look up too, there are some amazing buildings in the city and always something new to see on every street...