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Age restrictions to Holidays | Insurance to Students
Tax & tipping to Work permits

TAX & TIPPING

In restaurants, it is customary to tip at least 15 percent, and since NYC tax is 8.625 percent, a quick method for calculating the tip is to double the tax. In many restaurants, when you are with a group of six or more, the tip will be included in the bill. For tipping on taxi fares, see Taxis.

TELEPHONES

New York, like most of the world's busy cities, is overrun with telephones, cellular phones, pagers and faxes. (Check with your carrier to be sure that service will be available here.) This increasing dependence on a dial tone accounts for the city's abundance of area codes. As a rule, you must dial 1 + the area code before a number, even if the place you are calling is in the same area code. The area codes for Manhattan are 212 and 646; Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx are 718 and 347; 917 is reserved mostly for cellular phones and pagers. The Long Island area codes are 516 and 631; codes for New Jersey are 201, 551, 848, 862, 609, 732, 856, 908 and 973. Numbers preceded by 800, 877 and 888 are free of charge when dialed from anywhere in the United States. When numbers are listed as letters (e.g., 800-AIR-RIDE) for easy recall, dial the corresponding numbers on the telephone keypad.

Remember, if you carry a cellular phone, make sure you turn it off on trains and buses, and at restaurants, plays, movies, concerts and museums. New Yorkers are quick to show their annoyance at an ill-timed ring. Some establishments even post signs designating "cellular-free zones."

General information

The yellow pages and the white pages directories contain a wealth of useful information in the front, including theater-seating diagrams and maps; the blue pages in the center of the white pages directory list all government numbers and addresses. Hotels will have copies; otherwise, try libraries or Verizon (the local phone company) payment centers.

Collect calls & credit-card calls
Collect calls are also known as reverse-charge calls. Dial 0 followed by the area code and number, or dial AT&T's 800-CALL-ATT, MCI's 800-COLLECT or Sprint's 800-ONE-DIME.

Directory assistance
Dial 411 or 1 + area code + 555-1212. Doing so may be free, depending on the pay phone you use; carrier fees may apply. Long-distance directory assistance may also incur long-distance charges. For a directory of toll-free numbers, dial 800-555-1212.

Emergency
Dial 911. All calls are free (including those from pay and cell phones).

International calls
Dial 011 + country code (Australia 61; New Zealand 64; U.K. 44), then the number.

Operator assistance
Dial 0.

Pagers & cell phones

InTouch USA
800-872-7626. Mon–Fri 8am–5:30pm. AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.
InTouch, the city's largest cellular-phone rental company, leases equipment by the day, week or month.

Public pay phones & phone cards

Public pay phones are easy to find. Some of them even work (non-Verizon phones tend to be poorly maintained). Phones take any combination of silver coins: Local calls usually cost 25¢ for three minutes; a few pay phones require 50¢ but allow unlimited time on the call. If you're not used to American phones, then notes that the ringing tone is long; the "engaged" tone, or busy signal, is short and higher pitched.

If you want to call long-distance or make an international call from a pay phone, you need to go through one of the long-distance companies. Most pay phones in New York automatically use AT&T, but phones in and around transportation hubs usually contract other long-distance carriers, whose charges can be outrageous. Look in the phone book under Telephone Companies. MCI and Sprint are respected brand names (see above Collect calls & credit-card calls).

Make the call either by dialing 0 for an operator or by dialing direct which is cheaper. To find out how much a call will cost, dial the number and a computerized voice will tell you how much money to deposit. You can pay for calls with your credit card.

The best way to make long-distance calls is with a phone card, available from any post office branch or from chain stores like Duane Reade or Rite Aide (see Pharmacies). Delis and kiosks sell phone cards, including the New York Exclusive, which has favorable international rates. Dialing instructions are on the card.

Telephone answering service

Messages Plus Inc.
1317 Third Ave between 75th and 76th Sts (212-879-4144). Subway: 6 to 77th St. 24hrs daily. AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.
Messages Plus provides an answering service with specialized (medical, bilingual, etc.) receptionists, if required, and plenty of ways to deliver your messages. It also offers telemarketing, voice mail and interactive website services.

TICKETS

It's always show time somewhere in New York. And depending on what you're after—music, sports, theater—scoring tickets can be a real hassle. Smaller venues often have their own box office that sells tickets. Large arenas like Madison Square Garden have ticket agencies—and many devoted spectators. You may have to try more than one tactic to get into a popular show.

Box-office tickets

Fandango
800-326-3264; www.fandango.com. 24hrs daily. Surcharge $1.50 per ticket. AmEx, Disc, MC, V.
Fandango is one of the newer services to offer advance credit-card purchase of movie tickets online or over the phone. Tickets can be picked up at an automated kiosk in the theater lobby (not available in all theaters).

Moviefone
212-777-FILM; www.moviefone.com. 24hrs daily. Surcharge $1.50 ($1 if purchased online) per ticket. AmEx, Disc, MC, V.
Purchase advance movie tickets by credit card over the phone or online; pick them up at an automated kiosk in the theater lobby. Service is not available for every theater.

Telecharge
212-239-6200; www.telecharge.com. 24hrs daily. Average $6 surcharge per ticket. AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.
Broadway and Off Broadway shows are on offer here.

Ticket Central
416 W 42nd St between Ninth and Tenth Aves (212-279-4200; www.ticketcentral.org). Subway: N, Q, R, W, 42nd St S, 1, 2, 3, 7 to 42nd St–Times Sq. Box office and phone orders noon–8pm. Surcharge varies depending on ticket price. AmEx, MC, V.
Off and Off-Off Broadway tickets are available at the office or by phone.

Ticketmaster
212-307-4100; www.ticketmaster.com. $3–$10 surcharge per ticket. AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.
This reliable service sells tickets to rock concerts, Broadway shows, sports events and more. You can buy tickets by phone, online or at outlets throughout the city—Tower Records, HMV, J&R Music World and Filene's Basement, to name a few.

TKTS
Duffy Square, 47th St at Broadway (212-221-0013; www.tdf.org). Subway: N, Q, R, W, 42nd St S, 1, 2, 3, 7 to 42nd St–Times Sq. Mon–Sat 3–8pm; Sun 11am–7pm. Matinee tickets Wed, Sat 10am–2pm; Sun 11am–2pm. Surcharge $3 per ticket. Cash only.
TKTS has become a New York tradition. Broadway and Off Broadway tickets are sold at discounts of 25, 35 and 50 percent for same-day performances; tickets to other highbrow events are also offered. The line can be long, but it's often worth the wait.
Other location 199 Water St; the booth is at the corner of Front and John Sts.

Scalpers & standby tickets

When a show sells out, there's always the risky scalper option, though the risk that you might end up with a forged ticket does exist. Before you part with any cash, make sure the ticket has the correct details, and be warned: the police have been cracking down on such trade.

Some venues also offer standby tickets right before show time, while others give reduced rates for tickets purchased on the same day as the performance.

Ticket brokers

Ticket brokers function like scalpers but are legal because they operate from out of state. They can almost guarantee tickets, however costly, for sold-out events and tend to deal only in better seats. For brokers, look under Ticket Sales in the yellow pages. Listed below are three of the more established outfits.

Apex Tours
800-248-9849; www.tixx.com. Mon–Fri 9am–5pm. AmEx, Disc, MC, V.

Prestige Entertainment
800-243-8849; www.prestigeentertainment.com. Mon–Fri 8am– 6pm; Sat 8am–noon. AmEx, MC, V.

TicketCity
800-765-3688; www.ticketcity.com. Mon–Fri 8am–8pm; Sat 9am–6pm; Sun 11am–4pm. AmEx, Disc, MC, V.

TIME & DATE

New York is on Eastern Standard Time, which extends from the Atlantic coast to the eastern shore of Lake Michigan and south to the Gulf of Mexico. This is five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time. Clocks are set forward one hour in early April for Daylight Savings Time and back one hour at the end of October. Going from east to west, Eastern Time is one hour ahead of Central Time, two hours ahead of Mountain Time and three hours ahead of Pacific Time. In the U.S., the date is written as month, day and year; so 2/8/05 is February 8,2005.

TOURIST INFORMATION

Hotels are usually full of maps, brochures and free tourist magazines that include paid listings (so the recommendations cannot be viewed as objective). Many local magazines, including Time Out New York, offer opinionated, yet reliable, info.

NYC & Company
810 Seventh Ave between 52nd and 53rd Sts (800-NYC-VISIT; www.nycvisit.com). Subway: B, D, E to Seventh Ave. Mon–Fri 8:30am–6pm; Sat, Sun 9am–5pm.
The city's official visitor and information center gives out leaflets, coupons, free maps and advice.
Other location 33–34 Carnaby St, London, UK, W1V 1CA (0-207-437-8300).

Times Square Visitors Center
1560 Broadway between 46th and 47th Sts (212-869-1890). Subway: N, Q, R, W, 42nd St S, 1, 2, 3, 7 to 42nd St–Times Sq. 8am–8pm daily.
This center offers discount coupons for Broadway tickets, Internet access, MetroCards, and other useful goods and services.

TRANSLATION & LANGUAGE SERVICES

All Language Services
77 W 55th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-986-1688; fax 212-265-1662). Subway: 42nd St S, 4, 5, 6, 7 to 42nd St–Grand Central. 24hrs daily. AmEx, MC, V.
ALS will type or translate documents in any of 59 languages and provide interpreters.

VISAS

Some 27 countries participate in the Visa Waiver Program. Citizens of Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom do not need a visa for stays shorter than 90 days (business or pleasure), as long as they have a machine-readable passport that is valid for the full 90-day period and a return ticket (the exemption includes children). An open standby ticket is acceptable. Anyone without a machine-readable passport will need a visa. If you are in any doubt as to whether your passport is machine-readable, check with the passport issuing authority of your country.

Canadians and Mexicans don't need visas but must have legal proof of residency. All other travelers must apply for visas. You can obtain information and application forms from your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. In general, submit your application at least three weeks before you plan to travel. To apply for a visa on shorter notice, contact your travel agent.

For information on student visas, click here.

U.S. Embassy Visa Information
In the U.S., 202-663-1225; in the U.K., 09055-444-546, 60p per minute; www.travel.state.gov/visa/index.html.

Passport alert: Do you need a visa?

In October 2004, passport regulations for visitors entering the U.S. on the Visa Waiver Program changed. Now all visitors must carry machine-readable passports, or MRPs. If you are traveling with an old passport, then you must get a visa, which can easily take two to three months and costs $100. Another program, called U.S. Visit, was put into effect in 2004, requiring all foreign visitors to be photographed and fingerprinted. Regulations are expected to change again on October 26, 2006 when passports will have to contain microchips with biometric data, such as fingerprints. (Many countries, the U.K. included, don't yet have the technology to produce such information.) If you travel without the correct passport, and you don't have a visa, you risk refusal when you try to enter the country. The best advice is to renew your passport, even if it's not about to expire. Well in advance of your trip, call the nearest U.S. Embassy or visit www.travel.state.gov/visa. Children need their own passports, and business travelers who have been going without visas had better apply now.

WARDROBE SERVICES

See also Laundry.

Clothing rental

Zeller Tuxedos
1010 Third Ave at 60th St (212-355-0707). Subway: N, R, W to Lexington Ave–59th St; 4, 5, 6 to 59th St. Mon–Fri 9am–6:30pm; Sat 10am–5:30pm; Sun 11am–4:30pm. AmEx, Disc, MC, V.
Calvin Klein and other tuxes are available. Check the phone book for other locations.

Clothing repair

Ramon's Tailor Shop
306 Mott St between Bleecker and Houston Sts (212-226-0747). Subway: F, V to Broadway–Lafayette St; 6 to Bleecker St. Mon–Fri 7:30am–8pm; Sat 8am–7:30pm; Sun 11am–4pm. By appointment only. Cash only.
Ramon's can alter or repair "anything that can be worn on the body." There's also an emergency service, and pickup and delivery is free in much of Manhattan.

Jewelry & watch repair

Zig Zag Jewelers
1336A Third Ave between 76th and 77th Sts (212-794-3559). Subway: 6 to 77th St. Mon–Fri 11am–7pm; Sat 10am–6:30pm. AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.
These experts don't do costume jewelry, but they'll restring and reclasp your broken Bulgaris and Harry Winstons. Watch repairs are trustworthy, and estimates are free.
Other location 963 Madison Ave between 75th and 76th Sts (212-472-6373).

Shoe repair

Andrade Shoe Repair
103 University Pl between 12th and 13th Sts (212-529-3541). Subway: L, N, Q, R, W, 4, 5, 6 to 14th St–Union Sq. Mon–Fri 7:30am–7pm; Sat 9am–6:30pm. Cash only.
Andrade is a basic but reliable shoe-repair chain around town. Check the phone book for other locations.

WEATHER

New York is fairly predictable: Winters are windy and frigid (with a sun that sits low in the southern sky, so you might want to plan your walks northward, from downtown to uptown, to avoid the glare); summers are hot and humid, with occasional brief showers. Spring is typically blustery and changeable, and fall is generally dry, cool and gorgeous. Just remember that no matter what it's like outside, there's always something to do indoors.

WORK PERMITS

For more information on working during the summer, get in touch with the Council on International Educational Exchange (see Students), Work Exchanges Department, 205 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017, USA.

Age restrictions to Holidays | Insurance to Students
Tax & tipping to Work permits