Must Know Tips For New York Business Travellers

Heading to the Big Apple on business? Here's our list of hot tips to help you navigate transport, tipping, telecommunications and more.

Airports

New York is serviced by three main airports – John F. Kennedy, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia – and Australian travellers can enter by any one of them depending on domestic connections.

Airport transport

LaGuardia is the closest airport to Manhattan but is under-serviced by public transport: expect a 25-minute taxi ride to the city. From JFK, the AirTrain links to the subway for trips of an hour or so and taxis have a flat rate of $US52 plus tolls. Newark to the city can be done by train or shuttle. Taxis here don’t have a flat rate but rideshare company Via has a city-airport trip for $US50 plus tolls.

Local transport

Rush hours are at 8am and 6pm, with another crescendo at lunchtime. It’s often faster to use the subway. If you do get a car, Uber is king but an insider favourite is Via, which has unbeatable prices if you don’t mind car-sharing with strangers.

Population

+8.6 million with 1.6 million in Manhattan.

Language

English but almost every language in existence can be heard somewhere in the boroughs.

Currency

US dollar

$AU1=$US0.72 (subject to change)

Average temperatures

Spring ◖ 2°C ◖22°C

Summer ◖18°C ◖29°C

Autumn ◖ 5°C ◖25°C

Winter ◖-3°C ◖ 7°C

Best SIM card

T-Mobile has a Tourist Plan for $US30, which gives you 1000 minutes of calls and unlimited texts and data.

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FIND FLIGHTS

Best local app

Goings On, which is curated with up-to-date information on the Big Apple’s cultural offerings by editors at The New Yorker.

Average price of a cup of coffee

$US2.50 for American filter coffee; $US4 for espresso-based drinks.

Punctuality

Be on time for meetings and meals – some restaurants won’t seat you for brunch until all members of your party have arrived. If you’re stuck in traffic, send a courtesy message; people will understand.

Tipping culture

Mandatory. Keep in mind that wages are lower here. Unless otherwise stated, a restaurant tip is 18 to 20 per cent of the final bill; taxis are 15 to 20 per cent; bellboys (and bellgirls) expect a few dollars per bag; and a bartender deserves $US1 to $US2 per drink served.