How Many Blocks are Walkable

Hi, My daughter and I are coming to New York in Feb to celebrate her 16th and my 40th. We want to stay in walking distance to Times Square, Central Park, Gershwin Theatre (goin to see wicked, can%26#39;t wait) can anyone recommend a friendly 4* hotel in that area? When looking at hotels they mention things being 4 blocks or 5 blocks away, so how many blocks are walkable would you say before you need to hail a cab? As my husband wont be with us are there any areas we shouldn%26#39;t venture to at night? Also are there any good fashion designer outlet stores? Thanks

How Many Blocks are Walkable

There is no single length for a ';block'; -- a ';block'; is merely the distance along a street between intersections with another street.

Along an Avenue in the numbered portion of the street grid, crossing 20 numbered Streets makes one mile. Thus, to walk down Sixth Avenue from 34th Street to 54th Street = 20 blocks, and also = (in this case) 1 mile.

Along a numbered Street, the Avenues are more widely and less evenly spaced. Let us suppose I was walking along 53rd Street from Sith Avenue to Park Avenue. I would cross Fifth Avenue 9so that%26#39;s one block) and Madison (so that%26#39;s two) and I would come to Park (so that%26#39;s three blocks) However, the one block from Sixth to Fifth is almost the same distance as the two blocks from Fifth to Park! What is more, the one block from Sixth to Fifth is longer than three of those short blocks you found when walking along the avenue -- so that one long block can be the equivalent of anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 ';short'; blocks!

Suffiencently confused? ;o)

A better question to ask, then, is to say ';we think 100 feet is too far to walk'; or ';we would never think of taking a cab for less than one mile';, and then asking ';what is within one mile (or 100 feet, or whatever...) of our starting point?';

You also mention cabs as the only alternative. I hope that does not mean you are going to be so misguided as to avoid taking the SUBWAY everywhere?

How Many Blocks are Walkable

If it makes you feel any better, you%26#39;re not the first one to ask this question:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k550785-鈥?/a> What_is_a_block-

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k699395-鈥?/a> How_long_is_a_block_in_Manhatten-

Thanks for the replies on Blocks. After reading your replies I got my map out and everything seems a bit clearer now. Yes I do plan to use the subway as i%26#39;m sure it%26#39;s as easy to use as the london underground and Paris metro, but sometimes will just want to look at the sites and soak up the atmosphere whilst getting from A to B.

In another thread someone recently recommended the NY Hilton for its location (6th Ave in the low 50s). I agree. it%26#39;s not the newest Hilton in town, but it is very well located for many of the things you want to do -- the Gershwin Theatre, Central Park, Times Square. It%26#39;s also well located for shopping in the major stores like Saks, Bergdorf%26#39;s and even Bloomingdale%26#39;s. And it%26#39;s handy for subways and buses to those areas that aren%26#39;t that close to you. Plus, it%26#39;s in an area where you shouldn%26#39;t have much trouble getting a taxi if yyou want one. There are other hotels in that area you could look into -- the Blakely, the Warwick, the Michelangelo.

I don%26#39;t know how much you wakl but NYC is a VERY walkable city and if you are tourist probably the best way to get around. As you get to see more restaurants and different venues.

Use the following website to determine the walkable distance between locations - mapmyrun.com and put in your starting address and simply trace it to the destination.

1 mile is equal to 15-20 minutes depending on your pace and number of stops.

I visit New York each Christmas with my adult son. I am 60, he is 32. We walk an average of 80 blocks a day from around 76th across and down the park to midtown or lower then back up the Upper West Side and across the park again before dinner. We walk again to dinner and a show. Sometimes take a cab back to the hotel if it is late and we need to walk through the park after about 11 PM.

I agree - it depends how much you like walking, and how comfortable your shoes are. When I was in New York, it was in June, and although it was sweltering hot outside, I wanted to walk and explore, and see as much as I could see. I was staying at the Beacon Hotel at 75th and Broadway, and on my very first day in New York, I walked all the way down to 23rd and Broadway (however I stopped at Carmine%26#39;s for lunch in TS along the way) before telling myself I was tired and needed to hop on the subway.

So it just depends how much you enjoy walking. Make sure you have some comfy shoes, and if you%26#39;re out walking around, chances are, you%26#39;ll be so involved in looking at the sights, people, buildings, etc. you won%26#39;t even realize how far you%26#39;ve walked until you%26#39;ve reached your destination :)

I was in NY May last year and on our first day decided to walk from 50th St down to the bottom of Manhatten we also (by accident ) walked down the west side when we should have gone down the east so had to walk back around the parks to the south st seaport. It took forever but was fine. The one good thing about NY opposed to Sydney (where I am from) is that Sydney has ';interesting topography'; and very hilly whereas NY is flat as a pancake, so walking anywhere there seems easy to me. 4 or 5 blocks is absolutely nothing...... also very safe as long as you don%26#39;t do anything stupid and use common sense.

It%26#39;s true . . . Manhattan is very walkable and the walking is both interesting and fun. Every block will offer something special. It might be a cute place to eat, a special store, a landmark, street performers, a celebrity sighting . . . something! The 20 blocks to a mile measure is a good guide for walking down the avenues. Don%26#39;t think of walking from point A to point B. You will almost certainly stop along the way, whether you plan to or not . . . that%26#39;s just Manhattan.

You might want to adjust your hotel neighborhood a few blocks up the East Side if it%26#39;s just you and your daughter. My girls do a similar trip a couple of times a year and have found the Regency Hotel at Park and 61st to be an outstanding choice. It%26#39;s basically where celebrities stay while in town so there must be a reason!

You%26#39;re going to end up doing quite a bit of shopping I%26#39;m sure so being a little closer to the stores might be better. Times Square is fun but we find it more of a ';nice place to visit but I wouldn%26#39;t wnat to stay there'; neighborhood.

The Regency neighborhood, while still convenient to Times Square for shows etc is safer, offers much better dining options, is closer to Central Park, Bloomingdales, the 5th Ave stores, FAO Schwartz, etc etc etc

vb