Do you own a car in Manhattan? Do you need one?

BroadwayBK: Yeah, parking may be free in the city. But if you think about it from the standpoint of having to move it twice a week, you end up with a ticket if you park it too close to a fire hydrant, or your back bumper is just touching the yellow marker, it isn't so much free. I hated having to get up early every Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday at 7:30 just to move my car. I really hated it. So I sold my car and just took public transportation.

When we had a place in the Berkshires, we used to take the train up to White Plains and then rent a car from Hertz for the weekend. It was much cheaper than keeping a car.

@uptowngirl I live right around One Hanson and have rarely needed to take a cab, so wouldn't really know. Pretty much every single train line has a stop here, and I'm never out so late that I need to grab a cab (Which I guess tells you what a wild, wild party life I lead these days). Also, my two closest friends live within walking distance so the couple of times I have been out, carrying on until the wee hours, all I had to do was stumble home a few blocks.

@uptowngirl It depends on where in Brooklyn you are going - Brooklyn is huge! From Soho to where I live in Bushwick (a straight shot from the Williamsburg Bridge) it's a $10 cab ride in a yellow cab late at night. Gypsy cabs are more expensive and I always ask how much it will be before I get in... and barter with them. I know some guys that just tell gypsy cab drivers what they are going to pay.

I would almost never get into a gypsy cab - it's dangerous! I'm surprised that people do. The one exception I make is the well-known gypsy cab setup outside the Harlem train station - but other than that I do my best to stick to yellow cabs all the way! Just in case...

@uptowngirl That's not so bad - when I worked in the LES, I once went to hang out after work with a friend who lived in Washington Heights, and the cab was $50. And it was a yellow cab, which really tend to run a little bit less than gypsies.

@ajadedidealist There are many Brooklyn neighborhoods where you are never going to catch a yellow - you have no choice but to call a car, and there are plenty of reputable car services to call (Northside, etc) - but it's so much easier just to jump into the nearest gypsy. I've never had a bad experience (knock on wood), and have actually gotten some free rides. Not that I would recommend that an inexperienced cab-taker should jump into the nearest gypsy cab.

@BroadwayBK that's precisely the reason that we got into a Gypsy cab, it was late and we were having difficulty finding a yellow when a guy stopped and offered to drive us into Manhattan and we jumped at it because we wanted to get home asap.

@uptowngirl @Uraniumfish YES and YES. All airports should have trains - ones with cushioned seats - to take you straight to the airport. The one good thing about our airports, though, is that they are not way outside of the city like the ones in Europe. I'm also guessing that's why we don't already have this service.

@ajadedidealist Asian cities like Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong both have that facility and its so convenient. Considering the number of international and domestic tourists who visit NYC every year I really think an express train from JFK to say Penn Station should be a greater priority than the linking of the LIRR with Metro North.