New York City is a world-renowned cultural mecca and travel destination. It s known for its bright lights, food, bustling streets and ceaseless activity. While many of the city's establishments and buildings are quite old and predate the boom of accessibility, New York is a modern city and has hundreds of options for the wheelchair-bound visitor looking to have a blast.
First Things First
In order to enjoy the city, it's necessary to plan ahead how you will get where need to go and back. New York City buses all are equipped with ramps, and many subway stations are wheelchair accessible. However, not all are. If you're using public transportation, you'll want to check the specifics of your route to ensure accessibility at each point in your travel.
Wheelchair-accessible taxis can be requested by dialing 311, or you can hire a private driver (see Resources).
Wining and Dining
New York has more restaurants, bars and food establishments than you could visit in a lifetime. You can most definitely find a place to accommodate your needs and tastes. The best way to find a restaurant that you know will be wheelchair accessible is to call ahead or check reviews from other disabled customers. Eleven Madison Park and Five Points are exceptionally hospitable to disabled patrons, according to reviews on Chowhound.com. If you have a specific restaurant in mind, call ahead and ask if it is wheelchair accessible.
In many parts of New York City, restaurants deliver. If a place you're interested in trying isn't accessible, you can order in and have a movie night, or wheel your meal to Central Park.
Art & Culture
Most of the major museums and performing art centers in the city are wheelchair accessible. The Metropolitan Opera, The Modern Museum of Art, The Guggenheim, the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are all wheelchair accessible and amazing places to spend an afternoon or evening.
Theater
New York's very own performance mecca---the theater district---hosts dozens of exciting live shows. Most theaters have options for wheelchair users, and many offer discounted tickets to wheelchair users. A few of the well-known establishments that offer guaranteed wheelchair-accessibility are Shubert Theaters, Nederlander Theaters and Jujamcyn Theaters.
Local Landmarks
Visiting New York City in a wheelchair doesn't have to mean excluding all the iconic landmarks. Wheelchair patrons move to the front of the line to get to the top of the Empire State Building. Central Park has miles of wheelchair-accessible trails and scenic areas, including the famed Strawberry Fields. Yankee Stadium has 522 wheelchair seats. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, as well, are accessible to disabled patrons. Even the Staten Island Ferry, which is free and offers a great view of the Statue of Liberty and the south end of Manhattan, is completely wheelchair accessible.
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