Going between the Summer Conference and other New York City sites
Below, I (Ralph Kopperman) give my favorite way to get between various major New York area terminals and City College; they also work well for nearby Columbia University, my alma mater, at whose dormitories many of us will be staying. They reflect my taste: they are inexpensive, for people who are not carrying too much luggage to walk more than a few feet with it, and only those who regard the NY Subway as colorful. For others, taxis are easily available at major New York terminals. I have heard that taxi fares to the Conference area, should be about $35 from LaGuardia or Kennedy airports, about $50 from Newark airport, and much less from the Manhattan rail and bus terminals.
Click HERE to link to the Metropolitan Transit Authority's website, for more information and alternatives on local travel to and from major terminals. There you can click on "Tourist information", and then "Transportation Centers" to get travel methods from your air or train terminal (including Newark airport) to the NYC subway system. From there, follow our directions to the conference or dorms.
For subway maps on internet:
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/submap.htm
Both CCNY and the Columbia dormitories are on the Broadway-7th Avenue subway line; take the 1 or 9 local train north toward upper Manhattan and the Bronx. (Note: at times during your visit to New York, you may find yourself taking the 1 or 9 south; you will then be at a different exit, and must cross Broadway before following the directions below.
From Subway to Conference
Get off at the 137th Street Station. When you go up the stairs, you are at the south end of a small triangular park. Walk to the north (138th Street) corner which is away from Broadway. Make a right and walk one long block to Amsterdam Avenue. City College is on the other side of Amsterdam Avenue; in particular, the North Academic Center is across the street to your right. Continue straight, and then walk around the building, keeping it on your right. Make a right after the outside staircase, and walk into the main entrance of the North Academic Complex. Make an immediate left. Down the stairs to the left is NAC 0/201. A bit down the hall, on the left are NAC 1/201, 1/202, and 1/203. Almost all the talks are in these rooms. The guards can direct you to NAC 1/510-1/511 where the remaining talks will be given, and the email service will be. If approached by a guard at the entrance, say that you're here to attend the Summer Conference on Topology and its Applications. You may be asked to get a temporary CCNY pass (for which you need identification).
Click HERE to connect to a site with official CCNY information. Especially helpful is the campus map (click on "campus tour"), which unfortunately is displayed with South up. If you click on "getting here", you will see other directions to the campus.
From Subway to Columbia dormitories
Get off at the 116th Street Station. You are on the campus, within two blocks of the dorms. Walk into the campus and make a right after the first building. Click HERE for a site that gives more information about the main dorm we plan to use: Carman. This dorm is at the south end of the Columbia campus: from the northbound 116th street subway, walk onto the campus; as soon as possible after the end of the first building, make a right. Carman is then the relatively new, especially tall building as far as you can go on campus, and slightly to the right of straight ahead.
Public Transportation from major NYC area terminals.
Below are directions from the major Airports, Railroad Stations and Bus Terminals to the Broadway-7th Avenue subway line. Above, we explained how to get from that line to the Conference and Dorms.
Kennedy Airport
Take the Airport's free shuttle to the Subway (and Parking lots). There, take the "A" train to 59th Street (Manhattan), and transfer there to the Broadway line, 1 or 9 train north. Time: about 90 minutes; cost, about $1.50.
LaGuardia Airport
Take the Q33 bus to Roosevelt Av. or 74th Street. Take the 7 train to its Manhattan terminal, Times Square. There transfer to the Broadway line, 1 or 9 train north. Time: about 90 minutes; cost, $1.50-$3.00.
Newark Airport
Take the Olympia Airport shuttle to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Follow directions below from there. Time: about 75 minutes; cost, $12.50.
Pennsylvania Station or the Port Authority Bus Terminal
The Broadway-7th Avenue subway line is in the station; follow signs. Time: about 30 minutes; cost, $1.50.
Grand Central Station
Take either the 42 Street Shuttle or the 7 train (both accessible from inside the station) to Times Square; there follow the signs to the 1 or 9 local uptown. There transfer to the Broadway line, 1 or 9 train north. Time: about 40 minutes; cost, $1.50.
George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal
The Broadway-7th Avenue subway line is in the station; follow signs. In this case, take the 1 or 9 train SOUTH and cross Broadway before following the directions to CCNY and Columbia given above. Time: about 20 minutes; cost, $1.50.
Driving to City College or Columbia via I-95
I don't recommend bringing a car into New York City. Traffic jams during rush hours (about the starting and ending times of the conference each day) make this a time-consuming experience, and thievery and traffic ticket-giving by portions of our population are sufficiently routine to make you regret your decision. You may find it much better to park in an area remote enough from Manhattan to allow safe parking, and then take other modes of transportation into the City. This having been said: If you are driving on I-95 South, just after the Bronx (just after the intersection with I-87) the road splits; take the right half, to "last exit in NYC", and follow signs to the West Side Highway South (9A). If you are driving on I-95 North, toward the end of the George Washington Bridge, look for and follow signs to the West Side Highway South (9A). In both cases, take its 125 Street exit. To get to CCNY, make the first legal left at 132 Street. At Broadway, make a left, and then the next right at 133 Street. This street ends in the CCNY parking lot. You need to arrange parking through me in advance. After parking, walk back to the entrance, and then make a right turn on foot, to go north on Convent Avenue. Cross that street and 135th Street, and pass a much smaller parking lot on the left. When the sidewalk widens into stairs on the left, go left into the main entrance of the North Academic Complex. Now follow directions from subway to conference. To get to Columbia Dorms, drive straight to Broadway, then make a right turn. A left at 114th Street puts Carman Hall on your left. Be sure that you know what to do with your vehicle after; it isn't likely that there will be parking on the streets near Carman.
Click HERE for a description of Columbia housing and registration. To register, scroll down and click on "Housing Request Form"; then follow its directions. Carman Hall, where we will stay, is described below that form. At the moment, Columbia University guarantees availability of rooms only until April 1. They cost $75 for single or double, taxes and breakfast included. This housing is relatively inexpensive and convenient (20-minute walk) to the Conference.
The following sites have information on many hotels by neighborhood, if you would like to stay elsewhere. (They also much more information about New York City.) The West Side of Manhattan, between 50th and 110th Streets, has good access to the Conference and many places of interest to visitors to New York; expect to pay at least twice the dormitory rate for a double; four times that rate for a single.
It would be an understatement to say that New York City is well worth seeing. Here are some links that may help you see and do some of the things you would like in our City. The Conference will not have talks on Friday afternoon or evening. Watch this site for further information.