For every New Yorker fleeing a sticky apartment for a vacation in the Hamptons, the Berkshires or at the Jersey Shore, a crowd of out-of-towners is showing up.
A million visitors are expected to descend upon the Big Apple during the last week of August, according to NYC & Co., the local convention and visitors bureau. Big draws for end-of-season trips include the Republican National Convention (Aug. 30 to Sept. 2), the U.S. Open (Aug. 30 to Sept. 12) and Fashion Week (Sept. 8 to Sept. 15).
Plenty others will come just for the heck of it. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced this month that a record 38 million people visited New York in 2003, exceeding pre-Sept. 11 levels, and the trend shows no sign of abating this year.
If your trip here happens to coincide with the convention, NYC & Co. says you're unlikely to notice any disruptions unless you're in the Madison Square Garden area. Even at the Empire State Building, a few blocks away, spokeswoman Lydia Ruth predicts it will be “business as usual.” But visitors might consider taking the No. 6 train to 33rd Street and walking west to the skyscraper rather than taking trains to Penn Station and walking east.
Where the disruptions are
If you're heading to Macy's, use the main entrance on Broadway and 34th Street; again, approaching from the east side might speed your travels.
But visitors should also note that New York police are establishing a “safety zone” from West 29th Street to West 35th Street, and from Sixth Avenue to Ninth Avenue. While authorities promise that customers will have access to businesses in the area, police are requiring anyone entering the zone to carry business or personal identification. According to the www.nyc.gov Web site, no streets will be completely closed to pedestrians except those around the perimeter of Madison Square Garden. If you have a scheduled appointment nearby, you are advised to bring a letter from the company or identification with the address. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/news/080304-rnc-faqs.shtml or www.34thstreet.org/rnc2004/ or call (212) 630-5780.
For Amtrak passengers, while the schedule of departures and arrivals will not change that week, reservations are required for nearly all trains serving the city between Aug. 28 and Sept. 2. The only trains excepted are those serving Pennsylvania on the three weekend roundtrip Keystone trains and the nine Keystone and Clocker roundtrips operating on weekdays. Amtrak monthly passes will continue to be honored.
Plan extra time for travel
Also allow for extra time using Penn Station's entrances and exits. Only two entrances to the building will be open—at Seventh Avenue and 32nd Street, and at 34th Street just west of Seventh Avenue. Eighth Avenue entrances to the station will be closed. Taxis will pick customers up at 34th Street west of Seventh.
Finally, if you're in town for fun and have no particular reason to go near Penn Station, consider crafting an itinerary that takes you far from the maelstrom.
A walk across the Brooklyn Bridge or through Central Park are among the city's most glorious activities. Neither one will cost you a dime—and you won't have to worry about showing ID.