The First Observer Arrives in New York City (with Pictures)

If you havenit yet made the trek to New York City for this summeris MACWORLD Expo, weid like to offer a bit of advice on how to get into and out of the city. For those beyond the local area, the obvious choice is to get a plane to either LaGuardia or JFK or Newark. Once you get into the New York City area, you can catch a subway, cab or shuttle. Go to the Ground Transportation desk and theyill help you out. By no means accept a ride from just anyone, since they may not be licensed or insured.

For those in the local area, you may entertain the thought of driving in the city, but your humble author definitely doesnit recommend it. Once you see how people drive around here, and notice the amazing lack of parking, youill understand why. Best to take advantage of the train and subway service offered by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The Adventure Begins

If you do take the train in, youill end up in Grand Central Terminal. Although it used to be somewhat of a dump, and especially scary at night, a recent renovation has really spruced it up. Plus, thanks to the efforts of the Mayor, "Rudy" Giuliani, the bums and panhandlers that used to assault you all seem to have disappeared. Definitely a contrast to the Expo in San Francisco! Where theyive gone to, nobody is quite sure. You can step out of GCT on to 42nd street, which used to have several "adult establishments" that have since been replaced with respectable types of businesses.

The Chaos that is Grand Central Terminal

If the weather is nice and you donit mind the walk, you can get from GCT to the Javits Center in about 30 minutes. Just stay on 42nd Street and make sure the Avenue numbers are increasing as you walk along. You may be tempted to play chicken with oncoming traffic at the crosswalks, just like the natives, but best to leave this to the pros. Youill know you are on the right path as go you through Times Square, which you canit miss thanks to all of the lit signs. Some suspect that they take as much power as is needed to power a small town.

Another option is to take a cab. There are several cab stops around GCT. Get in line and youill eventually have a cab. Yes, the drivers are required to speak English, so just say Javits center and youill be on your way. A ride in a New York City cab is an adventure in itself. Youill be amazed that you donit go slamming into everyone. Personally, I think it would make a great Disney ride.

Do You Really Want to Drive in This Mess?

We hope that this little tutorial has helped you get a better feel of how to get into New York City, and how to make your way to the Javits Center so that you can start experiencing MACWORLD NYC 2000!