“I would like to extend a warm welcome to all incoming freshmen and incoming transfers to Pace University. I hope that your summer was pleasant and I wish you the best of luck this upcoming semester.” -Dylan Brown, Chronicle Sports Editor

Whether you are going home or heading out with friends, it is important to know where you are, where you will be, and how to get there. There are multiple towns around campus, Pleasantville, NY, and beyond. It can be a process of mapping out all the routes and stops. I know that I was not used to Westchester after years in NYC. I had to learn the hard way but so you guys don’t have to, here are the public transportation methods and how to get to the well-known places.

Train

Pleasantville has a Metro-North Railroad station. It is a huge advantage but it is also important to know how to navigate said trains and systems. I will start with the schedule because we all have a place to be at a certain time. What is commonly known as rush hour is referred to as peak hours by the Metro North Railroad defined as any weekday train scheduled to arrive in NYC Terminals between 6 AM and 10 PM or depart NYC Terminals between 4 PM and 8 PM.  In short: Every weekday, to NYC,6 am-10 pm or leaving NYC, 4 PM-8 PM. 

Off peak is any other time not listed: late night to early morning weekdays and weekends. Prices for off-peak train rides are less expensive. As of February 25th, single tickets currently cost $11.25 In comparison to Peak times when it costs $14.75. If the station your ticket comes from is closer to Grand Central Station, it’s cheaper. A one way ticket from Harlem-125th St to Grand Central is just $6.25 vs. $13.25 to Grand Central Station from Mount Kisco, one stop north from Pleasantville.

When you’re ready to buy tickets there are three options. First is paying for a ticket on the platform. Walk up to a ticket dispenser on the platform and click your current station and which is your destination. Determine if you are purchasing a one way ticket or round trip. Tickets print out, you take them and pass them to a conductor on board.

Option two is buying a ticket once aboard, though it is consequently more expensive. An off peak ticket from Pleasantville to Grand Central station and vice versa goes from $11.25 to $17.00. When the conductor comes around and asks for a ticket, you ask to buy one.

The last method is on your phone.  The MTA has an app called TrainTime where you set your start and finish locations and buy tickets all in one place. TrainTime is a merger of three previous individual apps for looking up schedules and buying tickets, and one for the MTA’s Long Island Railroad. The combination app was officially announced less than a month ago, so glitches are expected. 

Now you’re on the train. If you are headed southbound, it is important you know where and when to get off. The big stations are considered White Plains, 125th Street, and Grand Central Station. If you are trying to get anywhere between South White Plains and The Bronx, you must get off at White Plains to catch a local train. They are often1 to 3 minutes behind the express trains and will take you to more local stops like Mount Vernon and into Fordham Road. However If a City Day is what you’re on the train for and Grand Central Station is your destination then get on the first southbound Metro North train and stay where you are the train chugs right past the smaller stops to Harlem-125th Street and then to the aforementioned G.C.S. Northbound trains run local to Southeast entering Chappaqua, Mt. Kisco, Croton Falls, etc. Once in NYC, you have those famous numbered and alphabetized trains. New York City public transportation fare is $2.75, round trip is $5.50.  Manhattan stations often have 2-6 different lines in one station, giving multiple free transfer options.

Bus

The Westchester Bee is the official bus service of Westchester County primarily serving the North Bronx and Westchester County from Yonkers to Mohegan Lake and everything in between. To start, here is the official system map.

A warning to any New Yorkers reading this: The Westchester Bee is not similar to regular MTA buses. Its scheduling is inconsistent. Buses rarely arrive on time either coming 5 minutes early or 3 minutes late. Sometimes they completely miss you because of the lack of visibility at some bus stops. Outside of campus are two bus stops but you may only think there’s one because the one across the street has no lighting, no pavement, and is a good 3 feet away from the road. For access, you will have to cross the always busy Bedford Road US-117. If buses are your niche then here are a few to remember: 

First is the 0015 bus directly in front of Entrance 3. 0015 takes you as far south as White Plains and north to Peekskill, NY. En route to White Plains, the bus stops in Pleasantville, Thornwood, Valhalla, Fairview, and near the neighboring SUNY Westchester Community College. Northbound, 0015 enters Ossining, Milwood, and Mohegan Lake. West of the campus, past the softball field, is 0014 Cortlandt Town Center. Use with caution as the bus stops are alongside the Taconic State Parkway. 0014 going north again passes through Ossining and Mohegan Lake where it terminates. Stops also serve the towns of Croton-On-Hudson, Buchanan, and Peekskill. Southbound, the 0014 line enters Hawthorne, Elmsford, and Fairview before terminating at White Plains. 

The final bus lines nearby are the 0019 and 0006 Lines. Both stop on Bedford Road in the heart of Pleasantville. The 0006 terminates in Pleasantville. Southbound, it passes through Thornwood, Valhalla, White Plains, and Westward to Worthington and Dobbs Ferry, home of Mercy College before terminating in Yonkers. The 0019 stops 4 times in Pleasantville. From west to east, it passes Ossining, Briarcliff Manor, Chappaqua, and Mount Kisco, then terminates at Katonah.

Directions to Landmarks

Sleepy Hollow: Ride the 0014 bus 22 stops to E Main St @ S Stone Ave. Transfer to 0013 Tarrytown bus and ride for 17 stops

White Plains: Metro North southbound 5 stops to White Plains, NY

Palisades Mall: Walk westward to the 0014 stop and ride southbound to Main Street @ Galleria Mall. Walk to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and wait for the Hudson Link H05.($2.75 fare) Ride for 6 stops and exit at Palisades Center Dr. and NY 59.

Mount Vernon: Metro North-South southbound to White Plains, NY. Leave the train for the second local train and ride 9 stops to Mount Vernon., NY

Yankee Stadium: Metro North southbound to Harlem-125th street. Leave the station and walk to the corner of Lexington Avenue and E 125th Street entering 456 station. Ride northbound 4 train 3 stops to 161st St-Yankee Stadium

Bronx Zoo: Metro North southbound to White Plains. Depart the initial train, and ride the local train 13 stops to Fordham. Board the BX9 West Farms bus 6 stops to Southern Blvd/E183rd St.

Central Park: 

–East side: Metro North southbound to Harlem 125th Street. Leave the station and walk to 5th Ave and 125th St. Board the M1 bus and ride 7 stops to 5th Avenue/East 109th

–West Side: Metro North to Grand Central Terminal. Leave the platform and transfer to 34th St-Hudson Yards 7 train for 5th avenue. Transfer to 145th St. B train, ride northbound 5 stops. (Museum of Natural History adjacent)

Madison Square Garden/Penn Station: Metro North to Grand Central. Leave the platform and ride  34th St- Hudson Yards 7 train to Times Square. Transfer within the station to downtown 1 train 1 stop on 34 Street Penn Station

Rucker Park: Metro North-South Bound to Harlem 125th St. Leave the STATION, enter 4 train stations at Lexington Avenue and 125th. Ride Woodlawn bound 4 train 3 stops to 161st-Yankee Stadium. Transfer to Coney Island-bound D train 1 stop to 155th St-8th avenue. Walk south on Frederick Douglass Boulevard 

Bryant Park: Metro North train to Grand Central. Leave Grand Central Station and walk westward from East 42nd to 5th Avenue.

Wollman Rink: Metro North-South Bound to Harlem-125th Street. Leave the station and walk to Lexington Avenue and East 125th Street and enter the downtown station. Ride southbound 5 train 2 stops, exiting at 59 St. Lexington Avenue. Leave the station and walk westward on East 60th Street to 5th Avenue. Turn right onto East Drive and walk the trail.

Jacob Javits Center: Metro North southbound to Grand Central. Leave the platform and find the 7 train. Ride the 7 line for 34th Street- Hudson Yards. Leave the station and walk to West 34th street and 11th Avenue

Times Square: Ride the Metro North Train southbound to Grand Central Station. Leave the platform and find the S shuttle from Grand Central to Times Square

World Trade Center: Metro North-South Bound to Grand central. Leave the platform,look for and ride the 5 train 3 stops to Fulton Street. Leave the station and walk westward on Dey Street to the intersection with Greenwich Street.

Empire State Building: Metro North-South Bound to Grand central. Leave the platform, look for and ride the southbound 6 train 1 stop to 33rd Street. Leave the station and walk westward on East 33rd street to 5th Avenue.

Pace University- New York Campus: (Pace University Shuttle also available- reserve your seat 24H in advance) Metro North-South Bound to Grand central. Leave the platform, look for and ride the 5 train to Brooklyn Bridge- City Hall. Leave the station and walk south on Centre Street, cross Park Row and Frankfort Street. Walk south on Frankfort Street, and turn left onto Spruce Street.

Radio City Music Hall/Rockefeller Center: Metro North to Grand Central. Leave the station and walk to E 43rd Street and Madison Avenue. Wait for and take the M2 bus to Madison Avenue and E49th Street. Walk north to East 50th street then westward for both venues

The Battery: Metro North-South Bound to Grand central. Leave the platform, look for and ride the 5 train to Bowling Green. Leave the station and walk along State St./ Battery Pl.

Barclays Center:  Metro North-South Bound to Grand central. Leave the platform, look for and ride the 5 train 8 stops to Atlantic Avenue- Barclays Center.

Citi Field: Metro North-South Bound to Grand central. Leave the platform, look for and ride the Flushing bound 7 train 17 stops to Mets Willet Point. (Tip for Rolling Loud: Board the first or last two train cars, usually the least populated)

UBS Arena: Metro North-South Bound to Grand central. Leave the platform, look for and ride the Woodlawn bound 4 train one stop to 59 St- Lexington Avenue. Leave the station and walk north Lexington Avenue to East 63rd. Enter the station and ride the Jamaica-179 Street Bound F train 11 stops to 179 St. Leave the station and wait for the Q2 Belmont Park bus. Ride the bus for 27 stops to Belmont Park Racetrack/UBS Arena

Billie Jean King National Tennis Center: Metro North-South Bound to Grand central. Leave the platform, look for and ride the Flushing bound 7 train 17 stops to Mets Willet Point. 

I hope this was helpful to your future travel plans. Happy Traveling!