New York City Apps

A jack of all trades, NYC Way has a little bit of everything for you. On first run it asks if you're a resident, tourist, or commuter and it customizes the order of its icons into the most relevant for your use. Tapping on a category brings up a local list based on your location. Listings are filled with tons of options like: maps, directions, saving to lists, nearby parking, saving to Evernote, links to Yelp, reviews from Citysearch, and tips from Foursquare. You can mark items as favorites and add shortcuts for faster access. It even tells you the colors and reasons for the current lighting pattern of the Empire State Building. If you're heading into New York City for any reason, NYC Way is definitely one you want to have on your iPhone.

New York City Essential Guide is a great option for getting around “the city that never sleeps.” This app, while a little expensive, can support offline maps, self-guided walking tours, estimated taxi fares, free things to do, and 75 places to go and eat. Overall, it's a great app to have for anyone in NYC.

This city guide is a rather popular app for those exploring the Big Apple. Along with having features such as offline map support and a travel guide like other apps listed here, New York City Guide offers some unique functionality. Some of these features include customizing your trip itinerary and an augmented reality feature that shows details of stores, such as opening hours. While a great app, New York City Guide is the pricier option of this AppList. However, if you are traveling to New York, then this app may be very much worth it to you.

This audio tour provides comprehensive information on one of New York’s most popular spots, Fifth Avenue. For someone who has never been there before, this app will provide you with all of the details of the history and present happenings of this famous avenue. For what it does, this app seems pretty stable and is a good buy for tourists coming to the big city.

The subway can be an intimidating ride for anyone. When do you transfer? Will the S get you to Times Square? Everything you could ever need to get around by bus or train can be found within HopStop. Its directions feature geolocates you and will give you multiple routes to your destination. You're given times to each stop along the way along with the cost of the ride. Live delays and comments are also integrated. This app is a genuine expert for getting around and should be front-and-center on your iPhone when coming to Manhattan.

Since 9/11, Ground Zero has been a popular tourist site for people from all around the world. Explore 9/11 gives you the history and events of that terrible day on a seven stop walking tour. With photos and videos to accompany the timeline, this app is a must-download for those who wish to learn more about 9/11.

Central Park is a popular and relaxing spot for residents and tourists alike. With this app, you can now experience this famous park and all of its past and present glory. Some of the features include: GPS maps, event listings, photos, information, and even notification that alert you when you approach a landmark of Central Park. The bottom line is, if you are visiting the greatest park in NYC, you will want to have this app.

Riding in style is a lot of fun in the city and Uber makes you feel like a rock star. This black car service takes your current location and lets you e-hail a livery cab that comes straight to your location. The trip and tip are billed directly to your Uber account, making it seamless. Uber gives you the choice of hybrid, Town Car, or SUV and the prices of each type of car are on a sliding scale. Uber is a genuine convenience when visiting New York City, especially in areas where yellow cabs are not flooding the streets.

Seeing a Broadway show is on most must-do lists for people visiting New York City. A fantastic way to get cheap seats is through the three TKTS booths set up in Manhattan. Each day they sell tickets for same-day shows at 30-50% off and their app will let you know what you can expect. The app opens to all shows on sale for the day and shows the discount you'll receive if you score the deal. You can tap on each play to get a full description, links to the show's website, and links to buy full-price tickets if you are so inclined. TKTS booth locations and directions are a tap away and you can also search for any show if it's not listed within the app. While you cannot currently buy through the app, you'll be fully prepared when the booth opens the morning you go.

Parking in Manhattan is a double-edged sword. There are hundreds of places to park, but they greatly vary in price and availability. Let ParkMe come to the rescue because this app is amazing at helping you find parking. On first launch, the app asks what type of vehicle you have and if you prefer to park close, park far to save money, or somewhere in between. Once set, you simply tap the giant ParkMe button in the middle and the app will point you to the best place to park. Found street parking? Great! ParkMe can mark where you left your car and also has a timer built in so you can be reminded to feed a meter or move your car if parked in a time-restricted zone. Directions are available when finding your chosen lot and to walk back to your car.

If you're visiting the city on business, accessible Wi-Fi can really come in handy. This clever app lets you find that Internet access, but also combines it with the best places to also have a great cup of coffee. Each place has a professional listing detailing more about the coffee shop and then buttons for: directions, their website, and the business's phone number. With 18 places available all across Manhattan, this little app can definitely come in handy when you want to work, but not necessarily at a Starbucks.