How can I find NYC commuting/transportation routes? Any good websites?

Question

I've used Mapquest.com a lot to find my driving directions.
But now I will be in NYC. I don't drive there. I guess I will be using public transportation a lot. Are there good websites help find a good commuting route via public transportations such as subway, etc.? Do they calculate commuting time based on public transportation data? For example, if I find using mapquest that from point A to point B in NYC is about 8 minutes driving, how can I convert it into a commuting time that is based on walking on foot, and subway, and possibly bus, etc.?
Thanks a lot and have a great weekend!

Thanks a lot NYers for your warm help!
I wanna to be a little bit more specific: I am not physically in NYC yet and I am seeking a summer house. Thus the commuting route/time is directly related to where do I live and how do I make choices.

So I really need a website that designs a good public transportation routes and calculates the commuting time(not the driving time, since I don't drive in NYC). I am going to probably run this for 100+ potential addresses in the process of looking for a place to live.

Currently the Google maps linked in the Craigslist is great -- but it just does not provide commuting time; it displays driving time. Let's say I found a house that is 10 driving minutes away from my workplace, does that mean the average commuting time is 10 minutes via walking on foot and public transportations? Most probably not... that's why the commuting route/time is very important for me...

Thanks a ton!!!

dasa2337 -- thanks for your answer.

I am a little confused about Hopstop; did you say that their estimated times are much LONGER or SMALLER than it actually takes for a person to commute from point A to point B?

Thanks again!

Answer 1

Try the MTA New York Transit website:

Answer 2

I live in NYC and the best I've found is http://www.hopstop.com (just choose NY) The site will give you directions, time etc... by bus, subway, walking.

The only thing you're going to want to manage your expectations on are the "exact" times they give as both the subway and (especially) bus can be slower than they estimate during rush hours

Additionally, the site lists restaurants, clubs etc ...near your start and end location if you want to check them out

Answer 3

You could always find the New York State Department of Transportation website. They should have links to what you need.

Answer 4

http://mta.info/mta/updatebookmark.htm

Don't be afraid to ask any cop, or commuter, or just about anyone, they'll help you, New Yorkers are funny that way, as rotten as we are, we will ALWAYS stop and help someone NOT familiar with the CITY, as a matter of fact, a survey was done on this, and NY came in NO.#1

Answer 5

www.hopstop.com is good. However, they don't always give you the fastest route. Hopstop does calculate time but I would add about ten minutes extra to cover yourself.

Answer 6

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/trans_maps/transhome.html

Answer 7

That's the best web you can get :
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage&WT.mc_t=ACFY07SEARCH&WT.mc_n=GONATTRAV&WT.mc_r=30