New York City - Penn station to Times sq

Hi,
I am going to stay for a couple of days at Crowne Plaza Times square (1605 Broadway).
I am arriving at Penn station and will have a suitcase. I am afraid that taxi will refuse to take me there (it's only 1.5 mile ride) - if so what are my other options?
AX

Hi,
I am going to stay for a couple of days at Crowne Plaza Times square (1605 Broadway).
I am arriving at Penn station and will have a suitcase. I am afraid that taxi will refuse to take me there (it's only 1.5 mile ride) - if so what are my other options?
AX

All taxis in NYC are required by law to take anybody anywhere in the five boroughs. The problems come with drivers refusing to go to destinations in the outer boroughs. This trip will be no problem.

You realize you could walk this distance in about 10-15 minutes with a rolling bag, right?

Alternatively you could take the subway one stop from Penn Station to 42nd St. The 1/2/3 line goes to 42/Bway.

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A medallion (yellow) taxi cab must take you to any destination within the City of New York. Refusal can result in disciplinary action against the driver's hack license. And taxi rides of a mile or so are quite common in Manhattan. I would just go to the taxi queue on the Eighth Avenue side of Penn Station (near 33rd Street) and get in the cab when you are at the head of the line. (There may even be a taxi dispatcher on duty there, but I'm not certain about that.)

If, for whatever reason, you prefer to go by public transit, you can take an uptown #1 subway from Penn Station two stops to Broadway and 50th Street, but there are no elevators or escalators at 50th Street station, so you would have to lug your suitcase up stairs to street level. If you do take the subway, you will likely have to use the "service gate" near the subway booth to enter and leave the system, if you have a large suitcase.

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"Alternatively you could take the subway one stop from Penn Station to 42nd St. The 1/2/3 line goes to 42/Bway."

The Crowne Plaza "Times Square" is actually located at Broadway and 49th Street, so the #1 train to Broadway and 50th would be the best public transit option.

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The other (slower) public transit option is to take the M20 bus from Eighth Avenue and 31st Street (across from Penn Station's southwest entrance) to Eighth Avenue and 49th Street. But the M20 only runs every 15 or 20 minutes, depending on time of day.

I just want to add that you should look for the 8th Ave. exit from Penn Station, as it's an uptown street going in the direction you need. There's a taxi stand right outside.

By the way, though it's illegal for a taxi driver to refuse to take you anywhere in the city, the reality is that they frequently do. You should always get in the taxi before giving your destination, and then refuse to get out if they try and refuse to take you.

And always take your taxi receipt.

OP, it's really just about a mile and a short walk at that. Taxis won't have an issue at all taking you such a short distance. They'll easily find a fare once you're gone. If it's raining, it will take a lot longer to get a taxi so take the subway (the 1 train uptown) to 50th St if you don't want to wait outside in the rain for a taxi.

Thanks everybody,
the reason for me asking for options is that there is always a mile wide gap between what taxis "have" to do and what they do in reality.
My suitcase is on wheels - if I will take subway, will I have to negotiate many stairs?
AX

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Thanks everybody,
the reason for me asking for options is that there is always a mile wide gap between what taxis "have" to do and what they do in reality.
My suitcase is on wheels - if I will take subway, will I have to negotiate many stairs?
AX

I don't recall how many stairs it is from platform level to street level at 50th Street station, but it is certainly not one of the "deeper" stations in the system. (The 50th Street station is one of the system's first stations, opened in 1904.)

However, you should trust your friends here on the NYC forum when we tell you that taking a taxi should not be a problem. If there is a dispatcher at the Eighth Avenue taxi queue, a driver would not dare refuse the fare; if there is no dispatcher, and the first taxi refuses you, take the next one in the queue. But more importantly, keep in mind that -- in Manhattan -- short trips are the bread and butter of a taxi driver's life. The initial charge at the "drop of the flag" (a term that dates back to the days when taxi meters required more than a mere push of a button to be activated) is sufficient to make short trips lucrative, as long as the driver does not have to wait too long between trips. And dropping a fare off at a midtown hotel virtually guarantees a very short wait until the next fare.

Thanks everybody,
the reason for me asking for options is that there is always a mile wide gap between what taxis "have" to do and what they do in reality.

While it can happen occasionally (I'm thinking back to when the credit card machines were new), they tend to get called on such things in NYC, because it's very easy for a passenger to file a complaint via 311 or online (and then cabbie has to lose time off work appearing at the hearing, even if the passenger no-shows.)