Getting Around Town

I'm originally from a small town outside of Cleveland, Ohio, and before coming to Fordham, I had never been to NYC.  One of the reasons I chose to attend the Rose Hill campus was because it had the typical college campus feel with lots of green space, yet it was close to Manhattan and all of the amazing opportunities that come with being one of the greatest cities in the world.  Before I arrived at school, I had never taken any form of public transportation, but three years later, I consider myself a pro at navigating the city.  Here is a breakdown of the usual ways Fordham students make their way around.

It's easy to get around and explore the city that's your home

Ram Van- The Ram Vans run between the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses, with vans leaving each campus every half hour.  Each ride can take anywhere from 30 mins to an hour depending on if you're travelling during rush hour or not.  Students taking classes away from their home campus can get free passes, but anyone else can take the Ram Van for $3.50 a ride.  You can even reserve your seat for a van in advance online.  The Ram Vans are driven by students, so if you are looking for a job on campus consider being a driver. 

Ram Van also offers transportation to and from JFK and LGA airports for breaks.  I personally love this service.  I just enter my flight information and Ram Van will schedule me for a van that takes me from Rose Hill right to my terminal and gets me there in plenty of time without any hassle, all for $20.  When I'm coming back, I again provide my flight information and am scheduled for a Super Shuttle van for Fordham students that brings me right back to campus.  This inbound service costs $30.  Of course there are many other ways of getting between campus and the airport (and I've used different ways when I'm travelling and it's not a break for school), but I much prefer the Ram Van service because I know it's very safe and convenient.   

Metro North (Harlem Line)- The Metro North station is literally right next to campus.  It is about a 20 minute ride to Grand Central.  Heading back to campus, you usually hop on a train going to North White Plains, and Fordham is between the second and forth stop the train makes (depending on if the train is local or express).  During peak-hour, a ticket is $8.75, while an off-peak ticket is $6.50.  One of the great things about Metro North is that on the weekends there is a City Ticket, which is only $4.25 and you can use it to travel to or from Grand Central.  

You can see campus from the Metro North station

Subway/Local Bus- Subway and bus fare is $2.75 per ride.  There is a D train stop about a 10 minute walk from campus and a 4 train stop just a little bit further from that.  If you don't feel like walking, you can take one of the local buses that stops outside of campus to the subway stations and transfer to the train for free.  Although it takes a little bit longer, I like to taking the subway because I can transfer between trains for free, meaning I can get to right where I want to go without having to take another form of transportation.  There are subway maps in each of the trains, but I found a handy smartphone app that lets me plug in a starting and ending station and it will tell me which train(s) I need to take.   

From 10pm-6am, Public Safety has vans waiting right outside of the D station on Fordham Road to take students back to campus.  One van doesn't leave until another one shows up, so there is always someone there waiting for students getting off the subway.      

Taxi/Uber/Lyft- Of course there are these stand-by methods of getting around the city, and prices vary depending on where you want to go.  

An iconic NYC taxi in the basement of Forever 21 in Times Square

I have used all of these methods of getting around, and I think that each has its own benefits.  When deciding what I'll use I take into account: the time of day I'm traveling, who I'm traveling with, where I want to go, and how much I feel like spending.  I also think that if you're living in New York you should embrace the "walking culture" (which is why I don't mind taking the Metro North to Grand Central and walking 20 minutes to Penn Station).  With all of these ways of getting around, it is easy to take advantage of Fordham's prime location.  Happy travelling!

Getting Around in NYC

One of the best things about Fordham is the fact that it's in New York City, where there is so much to do and see. It's also easy to get around, with easy access to public transportation and Fordham-sponsored ways to get to and from your city excursions.

From the Rose Hill campus in the Bronx:

1) By train: If you walk out the Third Avenue gate and walk about 10 steps to the right, you'll find yourself outside the Fordham Road Metro-North station. The Metro-North is great because it gets you to Grand Central, in the heart of Manhattan, in just 20 minutes! Going home for the weekend? The Metro-North goes up to Westchester and Connecticut. Penn Station is also a quick subway ride from Grand Central if you want to take the Long Island Railroad or NJ Transit. 

Tickets to Grand Central are $8.25 one-way during peak hours and $6.25 one-way during off-peak hours. If you take the Metro-North to Manhattan on a Saturday or Sunday, make sure to buy a CityTicket, which only costs $4 one-way. Keep an eye on the time, though! The Metro-North generally runs twice an hour during the week and once an hour on the weekends, and the last train from Grand Central to Fordham is at 2 a.m.

2) By subway: A short 10 minute walk up Fordham Road is the station for the B and D subway, and another 5 minutes past that is the 4 subway station. To get on the subway, you simply swipe a MetroCard. Buying a MetroCard costs $1 and then you can add money to it and refill it. Each swipe costs only $2.50. Once on the subway you can go almost anywhere in the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. In particular, Fordham students take the D train to get to Yankee Stadium, Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center, Times Square, Herald's Square, and the West Village. It also runs pretty frequently, especially during the week and during the day. If you take the subway at night, Fordham security shuttles will be there waiting to drive you back to campus.

The subway may seem overwhelming if you've never taken it before, but it's definitely worth trying as it's the easiest way to get around in New York, and it's a part of the New York City culture. 

3) By bus: Right outside the gates of the Rose Hill campus are stops for the local BX9, BX12, BX22, and BX61 MTA buses that takes riders around the Bronx and upper Manhattan. Using a MetroCard for $2.50 per ride, students often take the BX12 up to the D subway station or the BX9 over to Target to do some shopping for their dorm rooms.

4) The Ram Van: The Ram Van is Fordham's own method of transportation, driven by students, between the Rose Hill campus and the Lincoln Center campus.  It runs every half hour, with the last van leaving from Lincoln Center at midnight on Sunday-Wednesday and 4am on Thursday-Saturday.  To ride the Ram Van, you have to reserve your place online and then buy a ticket in the Ram Van office at Rose Hill or in the lobby of Lincoln Center's Lowenstein building.  A one-way ticket is $3, but if you're taking the Ram Van for class or an internship, you can get free passes.

The Ram Van also has other great services, such as an office-campus shuttle that brings students who live off campus to their apartments at night and an Airport Service that will bring students (and their luggage) to LaGuardia and JFK International Airports before a long weekend.

From the Lincoln Center campus in Manhattan:

In addition to the Ram Van, the A, B, C, D, and 1 subway trains all stop down the block at the 59th Street/Columbus Circle station, and the local M5, M7, M10, M11, M31, M57, and M104 buses all stop right near the campus.

8 Tips for Becoming a New Yorker

Since I am originally from Texas, coming to New York as a freshman was definitely a culture shock! It is certainly a learning process. So, here are a couple of tips I picked up about coming to New York:

1. Don't fear the subway. Everyone has gotten confused on the subway, so don't worry about it! The first time I rode on the subway by myself, I got on the downtown train instead of the uptown and ended up in Brooklyn and very late to lunch with my sister. It happens to everyone, and you learn from those experiences. They also make really great stories later on.

2. You're allowed to be a tourist. If your dream is to go to the top of the Empire State Building, then go to the top of the Empire State Building! People line up to do those things because they're awesome, so do them!

3. However, don't forget you live in one of the most culturally diverse places in the world! Go eat some weird kind of cuisine, or walk through a neighborhood to which you've never been. Get out of your comfort zone! Isn't that why you moved to New York in the first place?

4. Take a day and explore the city by yourself. The best way to figure out what you like to do in the city is to go find it on your own. Don't get me wrong, being with your friends and family is a lot of fun too, but having some "me time" in the city can be really awesome. 

5. You don't have to spend a lot of money to have fun in the city. There are countless websites and books about doing New York the cheap way. There is always a park having some kind of free movie night, or a $1 open-mic night somewhere that's always exciting. Some of the best food in the city comes from a food truck, anyway. Having fun doesn't require breaking the bank.

6. Learn how to balance the excitement of the city with your own personal needs. When you get here, you're going to feel like you need to do all of these exciting things because you live in New York City now. Take advantage of it, but don't let yourself get burnt out by it. We're very lucky that we have our beautiful campus to escape to, so utilize that!

7. Starbucks isn't the only place to get a decent cup of coffee. I promise! It's overpriced, and you could do better at a coffee cart. Nothing will make you feel more like a New Yorker than when the man at the coffee cart knows your order.

8. Go see a show! I'm not just saying this because I'm a theatre kid (which I am), but because no matter who you are, seeing a show, either on Broadway, off-Broadway, or just an impromptu show in the subway, is always a good time!

As a Fordham student, we're incredibly fortunate to have all that New York City has to offer right at our fingertips...so have fun!