7 Tips for navigating NYC with wheels

The Big Apple. The City That Never Sleeps. The Capital of the World. New York City has quite the reputation. While I found the reasons behind its poor reputation for handicap accessibility, I also found that the reputation of its people being rude and hurried is not entirely fair. In fact, while they may seem abrupt at times, I found most people had hearts as big as their city. Don’t worry about attitudes or responses to your disability: everyone was kind and helpful. There are loads of NYC attractions that are ADA… and loads that are not. If you’re planning to hit the city with wheels, here are some things that I learned… so you don’t have to.

1. Leave the car behind

This is terrifying to me. My van is my security blanket. It carries extra snacks, wheels, entertainment… it’s really like an extension of my diaper bag. It’s still not worth trying to drive from spot to spot in the city. Parking in NYC is expensive and sometimes hard to find. The best thing to do is to find a reasonable lot (this is anywhere other than midtown Manhattan), get in early (for the early bird rate – usually by 9AM), and leave it there for the day. Even when traveling with a wheelchair, this is the easiest way to navigate NYC. Throw some extra snacks in your bag and kiss your vehicle goodbye for the day. I used SpotAngels to compare live lot prices and find open spaces.

2. DON’T take the Subway

Yes, some stops are handicap accessible, but it takes a lot of planning and mapping to get where you need to go and you’re counting on nothing being under construction and everything being manned – neither of which is always the case. We were able to hop on a Subway with no trouble. Unfortunately, the accessible exit was only for the northbound train… which wasn’t us. A kind businessman helped us carry the wheelchair up the first flight of steps and a worried mother helped us with the next. Because of the stops we weren’t able to use, we ended up walking further than if we’d just skipped the Subway altogether. If you really insist upon using the Subway, here’s an easy to read list of accessible stops near top attractions.