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Main Touristic Routes in Manhattan.
Four great bridges also connect with Brooklyn. They afford fine views and are worth a visit. But the underground is much better if you need to save time. Ferries still ply between the city and its neighbors, but they are seldom used for passenger traffic, except in the case of Staten Island and one or two other instances not likely to be used by the tourist.
A popular and much more comfortable way to see the city is by means of one of the numerous sightseeing buses. This has grown to be quite a business.
There are several companies with starting points at convenient places, and the points of interest they have selected are the result of close acquaintance with the city. The cost is from one to two dollars.
Your hotel clerk can tell you the nearest one to take or consult the list at the back of this book. They have intelligent lecturers, who describe the different points as they go along, which adds much to the interest of the trip.
There are two routes generally selected—one through the lower part of the city below 23rd Street, and the other north, or uptown. That through the lower part of the city gives a comprehensive view from Madison Square down Fifth Avenue and Broadway to Bowling Green, from which point a fine view is had of the Bay, the Statue of Liberty, the Aquarium, and the Battery. The financial district, Stock Exchange, the Bowery, Chinatown, the Italian and Hebrew quarters and Brooklyn Bridge are seen on the way. The lecturer will call out the different buildings as the car rolls along, giving a brief history of each, which adds much to the interest of the trip.
There is also a trip around Manhattan Island by the sight-seeing yachts Observation and Tourist, which is of extreme interest and well worth making. The boats start from Battery Park Pier at 10.30 A. M. and 2.30 P. M. daily, from May 1st to November 1st. They sail up the East River, around the island, through the Harlem Ship Canal, down the Hudson, past the Palisades, Fort Washington, Grant's Tomb and Riverside Park, revealing an unexpected number of interesting features of the shipping and commerce of New York as well as the gigantic Atlantic liners.
Another trip starts from the above-mentioned pier at 1.15 P. M. daily, going down the Bay to Staten Island, past the Quarantine Station, Forts Hamilton, Wads-worth and Lafayette, through the Narrows to the Lower Bay, past Sandy Hook Lightship and Fort Hancock. The yacht rounds the Sandy Hook Lightship (25 miles from Battery Pier), presenting an unequalled view of the entrance to New York Harbor. On the way back to the city a good view is given of famous Coney Island, Brighton and Manhattan beaches. As in the case of the motor buses, here again the lecturer adds greatly to the interest of the trip by his intelligent descriptions.
The very latest and up-to-the-minute method of Seeing New York is undoubtedly by the Airplane route. For a genuine thrill, this is highly recommended to the tourist in New York. Elsewhere in these pages we have shown a photograph of this Limousine Airboat and call attention to its luxurious appointments. Do not miss this very novel experience. It does not fly in Winter. Fifty mile flight, hourly service, weather permitting. Comfort and safety considered first.
Yet there is no necessity for reckless extravagance simply because you happen to be in New York. There are lots of other people here, too, and they live in it all the time, and manage to get along quite comfortable on moderate incomes. Taxis, while comfortable, are not absolutely necessary. The subway will take you within a few blocks of anywhere. There is no city in the world where transportation is so good, and between ten and four the cars are not uncomfortably crowded. With a little care the rush hours between 7.30 and 9.30 A. M. and 4.30 to 7 in the evening—can be avoided.
Another very delightful and inexpensive way of seeing the city is from the top of a Fifth Avenue Bus. This line traverses our most noted thoroughfare through its busiest and most interesting length. The fare is ten cents, and is about the best ten cents' worth you will get during your stay. The routes very in direction from Millionaires' Row, east of Central Park, to Grant's Tomb, on Riverside Drive and the upper part of the city, which is worth seeing. It is a comfortable ride and not a dull moment in it. Seeing New York from a bus top is equally as popular as seeing London in the same way
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