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N.Y.C. RESOURCES

Living in New York City for the first time can be an overwhelming experience. However, once you become acclimated to "the Big Apple," it is easy to see that New York offers a profusion of resources, from artistic events to places of worship. The ease of New York City's public transportation system allows you to explore museums, attend performing arts events, and see Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. As a student, there are lots of inexpensive venues to experience!

On the Juilliard Web site you will find a page of useful links to sites with information about New York City.

Public Transportation
Finding your way from place to place is no easy task if you're a newcomer to New York City, but after only a few trips on mass transit, you will discover that the city's public transportation systems are designed to move New Yorkers as quickly and conveniently as possible. With your destination in mind, and with a basic knowledge of your transportation options, you can board a subway, bus or taxi-and you'll be on your way!

Subways

The subways are your best bet for swift and easy travel. Trains operate 24 hours daily and can usually get you within just a few blocks of your destination. A ride on the subway currently costs $2. If you plan on traveling to several locations in one day, invest in the $7 all-day "Fun pass."  Students who live off campus and ride the subway every day may want to purchase either the 7-day unlimited ride or 30-day unlimited ride Metrocards for long-term savings.  Metrocards can be purchased at booths located in every station. Lines at the token booths are usually quite long during rush hours so buy your Metrocards in advance or at the Metrocard vending machines located in most subway stations. Subway maps are available at token booths or in the Office of Student Affairs. Juilliard is accessible by taking the #1 or #9 trains to 66th Street and Broadway; the A, C, B, or D trains to 59th Street and Broadway; or the #2 or #3 to 72nd Street and Broadway.

Buses
Buses provide an above-ground alternative to the subway, but they are also slower. Buses on the north-south routes stop at every second or third block on the major avenues. Crosstown buses (east-west routes) stop at almost every street corner. Bus fare is currently $2 and a  Metrocard, or exact change is necessary. Drivers do not carry change and will not accept dollar bills. The M66 (crosstown), M104, M11, M5, and M7 all make stops in the immediate area. Bus schedules and maps that diagram specific bus routes are posted at most bus stops. You can also pick up a bus map in the Office of Student Affairs, Room 219.

For more information about subways and buses, call the MTA at (718) 330-1234 or visit www.mta.info.

Taxis
If you have a little extra cash, taking a taxi is always an option. Taxis can take you to the front door of your destination fairly quickly. During rush hours, however, taxis move very slowly through traffic and can be more expensive.

You will find two types of taxis in New York: yellow cabs and gypsy cabs. Gypsy cabs are privately owned and are not metered. Therefore, newcomers to the city are advised to take yellow cabs. Yellow cabs (or medallion cabs) are easily identified by their color and their rooftop medallion number signs. These cabs are licensed and registered. Fares are computed on a meter and are printed on the side door of the cab.   Available cabs are indicated by the lighted rooftop lights.  Fares are calculated for every 1/5 of a mile. You will also be charged for waiting in slow traffic. Don't forget to tip—15% of the fare is the standard rate. And it's a good idea to ask the driver for a receipt.



Safety Tips
While you need not become overwhelmed by the precautions of living comfortably and securely in New York, you should maintain an attitude of awareness and caution. While national statistics show that New York City has a lower crime rate than that of many other major U.S. cities, it still requires practicing safety to avoid troubles. Just a little common sense can get you through almost any situation you may encounter in the city. What follows is a list of some safety precautions to keep in mind while living and traveling in New York City. In general:

Remain alert. Be aware of your environment and of those around you.

Carry a bag that fits close to your body or that you can hold securely in front. A dangling bag can be easily yanked off your shoulder from behind.

Avoid shortcuts that are not well traveled or well lit, including alleys, parks, and parking lots that may be isolated.

Keep your wallet/all valuables in your front pocket.

Have your keys ready when you enter your apartment or room so that you won't have to stop to look for them.

If at all possible, do not walk alone at night. If you must, stay on well-lit, well-populated streets.

Walk briskly, look alert, and appear to know where you are going-even if you don't!

Always walk with confidence. It helps if you take the time to become familiar with your environment. Get out and explore your new neighborhood. The more confident you feel about where you're going, the better off you'll be. Keep in mind the adage, "The city never sleeps." Many major streets and avenues are heavily populated and brightly lit well into the night, providing a relatively safe late-night environment.

At Home

Keep doors locked at all times.

Always use caution and check the identity of a visitor before opening the door.

On Mass Transit

As always, look alert, be aware and confident.

Avoid deserted train stations and bus stops.

Don't wear valuable jewelry.

At night, travel with a friend or choose to take a bus or taxi, if possible. Stand in the yellow "off-hours waiting area" in front of the token booth in subway stations.

On subways, choose the most crowded car. If it's late, use a middle car. (The conductor operates from the fifth car).



Identity Theft and Internet Fraud
Be cautious when conducting personal business (buying or selling items, responding to online offers of free gifts, offering private lessons, etc.) online or with anyone you do not know. Below are several tips to help you avoid negative situations. However, this is not an all inclusive list. Use common sense: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you are in a situation that doesn't feel right, don't go forward with the transaction. If you feel you are the victim of fraud, please report it to Student Affairs and the local authorities.

Conducting Personal Business

Ask for prices in writing up front.

Always request a receipt/warranty/return or refund policy in writing.

Don't be afraid to ask for references from previous clients.

Before agreeing to additional work/time/service, always ask what the additional costs will be.

Read everything before you sign or agree to something; this includes online service agreements.

Be safe! If someone works out of their home, bring someone with you or let a friend or roommate know where you are going and when you expect to return

If you are selling something, it is O.K. to ask for cash, especially if you do not know the person you are doing business with. Be prepared to provide a written receipt.

If you accept a check or money order from someone you don't know, know your bank’s policies for clearance of funds, etc. In most circumstances, your bank will hold you responsible for deposit of fraudulent checks, and will seek to recover the funds from you by charging your account or pursuing legal action.

Read these tips to protect yourself from identity theft(from the United Stated Postal Services)

Report lost or stolen credit cards immediately.

If you applied for a credit card and didn't receive it when expected, call the financial institution.

Sign new credit cards immediately—before someone else does.

Memorize your Social Security number and passwords. Don't use your date of birth as your password and don't record passwords on papers you carry with you.

Never leave transaction receipts at ATM machines, on counters at financial institutions, or at gasoline pumps.

Don't carry your Social Security card or birth certificate—leave them in a secure location.

Don't disclose credit card or other financial account numbers on a Web site unless the site offers a secure transaction.

Closely monitor the expiration dates on your credit cards and contact the issuer if you don't receive a replacement prior to the expiration date.

Beware of mail or telephone solicitations that offer prizes or awards--especially if the offer or asks you for personal information or financial account numbers.

Match your credit card receipts against your monthly bills and check your monthly financial statements for accuracy.

Watch for your monthly financial statements and bills. If you don't get them when expected, contact the sender.

Tips for recognizing and avoiding fake check scams  (from the National Consumer League)
If someone you don’t know wants to pay you by check but wants you to wire some of the money back, beware! It’s a scam that could cost you thousands of dollars.

There are many variations of the fake check scam. It could start with someone offering to buy something you advertised, pay you to do work at home, give you an “advance” on a sweepstakes you’ve supposedly won, or pay the first installment on the millions that you’ll receive for agreeing to have money in a foreign country transferred to your bank account for safekeeping. Whatever the pitch, the person may sound quite believable.

Fake check scammers hunt for victims. They scan newspaper and online advertisements for people listing items for sale, and check postings on online job sites from people seeking employment. They place their own ads with phone numbers or email addresses for people to contact them. And they call or send emails or faxes to people randomly, knowing that some will take the bait.

They often claim to be in another country. The scammers say it’s too difficult and complicated to send you the money directly from their country, so they’ll arrange for someone in the U.S. to send you a check.

They tell you to wire money to them after you’ve deposited the check. If you’re selling something, they say they’ll pay you by having someone in the U.S. who owes them money send you a check. It will be for more than the sale price; you deposit the check, keep what you’re owed, and wire the rest to them. If it’s part of a work-at-home scheme, they may claim that you’ll be processing checks from their “clients.” You deposit the checks and then wire them the money minus your “pay.” Or they may send you a check for more than your pay “by mistake” and ask you to wire them the excess. In the sweepstakes and foreign money offer variations of the scam, they tell you to wire them money for taxes, customs, bonding, processing, legal fees, or other expenses that must be paid before you can get the rest of the money.

The checks are fake but they look real. In fact, they look so real that even bank tellers may be fooled. Some are phony cashiers checks, others look like they’re from legitimate business accounts. The companies whose names appear may be real, but someone has dummied up the checks without their knowledge.

You don’t have to wait long to use the money, but that doesn’t mean the check is good. Under federal law, banks have to make the funds you deposit available quickly — usually within one to five days, depending on the type of check. But just because you can withdraw the money doesn’t mean the check is good, even if it’s a cashier’s check. It can take weeks for the forgery to be discovered and the check to bounce.

You are responsible for the checks you deposit. That’s because you’re in the best position to determine the risk — you’re the one dealing directly with the person who is arranging for the check to be sent to you. When a check bounces, the bank deducts the amount that was originally credited to your account. If there isn’t enough to cover it, the bank may be able to take money from other accounts you have at that institution, or sue you to recover the funds. In some cases, law enforcement authorities could bring charges against the victims because it may look like they were involved in the scam and knew the check was counterfeit.

There is no legitimate reason for someone who is giving you money to ask you to wire money back. If a stranger wants to pay you for something, insist on a cashiers check for the exact amount, preferably from a local bank or a bank that has a branch in your area.

Don’t deposit it — report it! Report fake check scams to the National Fraud Information Center/Internet Fraud Watch, a service of the nonprofit National Consumers League, at www.fraud.org or (800) 876-7060. That information will be transmitted to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.


Below are several Web sites that offers tips or helpful information if you are a victim of fraud or identity theft.

http://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/fakecheck.htm

http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/idthft_ncpw.htm

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/phishingalrt.htm

http://www.idtheftcenter.org

http://www.antiphishing.org/consumer_recs.htm

http://www.fightidentitytheft.com/sucker.html

http://connect.juilliard.edu/infosec.asp (this describes Juilliard’s information security policies and measures that faculty, administrators, and students are expected to follow to help prevent fraud and identity theft)

www.consumer.gov/idtheft

www.idtheftcenter.org

www.identitytheft.org



PERFORMING ARTS IN N.Y.C.

Discount Tickets
One of the obvious advantages of going to school in New York City is the easy access you have to a thriving performing arts community. It has often been said that all of New York is a stage. Those craving culture do not have to empty their pockets in pursuit of worthwhile performances. In addition to discount tickets and clubs that offer lowered prices, there are numerous stages with inexpensive or at least reasonable admission rates.
The Office of Student Affairs has discount coupons for various Broadway and Off-Broadway plays and musicals.

N.Y.C. Onstage (TKTS)
Located on Broadway at 47th Street (main branch), Onstage offers same-day, half-price tickets to select Broadway and Off-Broadway performances. For information, call 768-1818. Other Onstage locations include the Lower Manhattan Theater Center (located at Bowling Park Plaza, across the street from Battery Park at the foot of Broadway) and the Fulton Mall Theater Center at the junction of Fulton Street and DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn.

Tickets at all centers may be purchased with cash or travelers' checks only.

Theater Development Fund (T.D.F.)
A performing arts mailing list service, T.D.F. offers low-cost vouchers that entitle you to enter any participating performance group free or for a minimal charge. Broadway and Off-Broadway tickets are also occasionally available at significantly reduced rates. T.D.F. applications are available in the Office of Student Affairs.

Juilliard Box Office
Free student tickets to productions around town are often available in the Box Office, plaza level, next to the Rose Building. Students are advised to check there frequently as tickets often become available on the same day as the performance. Events include performances of the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, and special productions throughout the city for no charge. For more information about the Box Office, call 769-7406.

Juilliard Performances

Tickets to most Juilliard performances are available to students free of charge through the Box Office. Check the board in the office to see what tickets are available, and when they will be distributed. The Box Office is open Monday - Friday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Some performances are ticketed and offered for sale to the general public. For many of these events, however, students and faculty are admitted without charge or at a discount, or can attend a dress rehearsal. Check with the Box Office for ticket availability for these performances.

Dance Division
Tickets for the annual dance concerts with the Juilliard Orchestra are distributed by the Dance Division to dance students. All others must get their tickets from the Box Office.

Drama Division
Tickets for all fourth-year Drama Division productions, are available at no charge in the Box Office two weeks prior to the first performance date of each production. Students can also often be accommodated just prior to curtain time.

Tickets for the final third-year production, held in the Drama Theater, are available in the Box Office, two weeks prior to the first performance date of the production.

Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center houses the New York State Theater, home of the New York City Opera and New York City Ballet; Avery Fisher Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic; the Metropolitan Opera House, home of the Metropolitan Opera Company; the Vivian Beaumont and Mitzi E. Newhouse Theaters, home of the Lincoln Center Theater; and Alice Tully Hall, home of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

For tickets: Juilliard students and staff can attend selected open dress rehearsals of the New York Philharmonic. A limited number of free tickets for dress rehearsals are available at the Juilliard Box Office on the Monday of the week in which the rehearsal takes place.  Subject to availability student-rush tickets for the Philharmonic may be offered after 10 am on the day of performance. Present your ID at the Avery Fisher Box Office for $10 tickets. $10 student rush tickets are at the State Theater on the day of performance, if available for New York City Opera and Ballet performances and at Alice Tully Hall for selected events.

Carnegie Hall
154 West 57th Street (247-7800). The legendary concert hall, with near-perfect acoustics, offers a range of performances. Some tickets are discounted to students with an ID on the day of performance.

Merkin Concert Hall
Located in the Abraham Goodman House, 129 West 67th Street (501-3340). Opened in 1978, this small recital hall presents chamber music and solo performances. It also occasionally features traditional ethnic folk music. Student rush tickets are available for select concerts only. You must present your ID. Rush tickets are half-price.

Broadway
The "heart" of American theater stretches along Broadway, although most of the 42 commercial theaters are located in the area around Times Square. Check listings for musicals and plays.

Off-Broadway
Best-known houses are located on the 42nd Street block between Ninth and 10th Avenues (known as "Theater Row"). Other locations are scattered from the Village through Chelsea up through the Upper West Side.

Off-Off-Broadway
There are over 200 scattered houses in such creative spaces as lofts, garages, and churches. A little courageous exploring might turn up a gem.

Alternative Theaters
In addition to the more standard fare, New York offers numerous alternative "performance spaces" which often combine music, theater, dance, and the visual arts. Prices are most reasonable.

PLACES OF WORSHIP

There are many places of worship in New York City. Below is a list of some nearby religious centers, including times of service (if available at time of printing).

Assembly of God (Christian)

New Joy Fellowship — 209 E. 16th Street between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue. Sundays at 11 a.m.


Baptist

Calvary Baptist Church — 123 West 57th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, 975-0170. Sundays at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., and 6 p.m.

Buddhist

Buddhist Temple of New York — 332 Riverside Drive, between 105th and 106th Streets, 678-0305. English services at 11:30 a.m. on Sundays.

Episcopal

Church of the Heavenly Rest — Fifth Avenue and 90th Street, 289-3400. Services at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Parish of Calvary/St. George's — 209 East 16th Street, 723-4199. Services at 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

St. Thomas — Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street, 757-7013.

Greek Orthodox

Holy Trinity Cathedral — 319 East 74th Street, between First and Second Avenues, 288-3215. Sundays at 9 a.m.

Jewish

Fifth Avenue Synagogue — 5 East 62nd Street, 838-2122.

Lincoln Square Synagogue (Martin Orthodox) — 200 Amsterdam Avenue, at 69th Street, 874-6100.

Stephen Wise Free Synagogue — 30 West 68th Street, at Central Park West, 877-4050.

Lutheran

Advent Lutheran Church — corner of Broadway and 93rd Street, 866-2100. Services at 11 a.m.

Holy Trinity Lutheran — Three West 65th Street, at Central Park West, 877-6815. Sundays at 11 a.m.

Methodist

Christ Church — 520 Park Avenue and 60th Street, 838-3036. Sundays at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Lexington United Methodist Church — 150 East 62nd Street, 838-6915. Services at 10:30 a.m.

Mormon

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints — Columbus Avenue and West 65th Street, 875-8197.

Non-Denominational

Church of the U.N. — 777 UN Plaza, between East 44th Street and First Avenue, 661-1762.

Riverside Church — Riverside Drive and 122nd Street, 870-6700.

Times Square Church — 51st Street and Broadway.541-6300.

Presbyterian

Church of the Covenant — 310 East 42nd Street, at Second Avenue, 697-3185.

Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church — Seven West 55th Street, at Fifth Avenue, 247-0490. Sundays at 11 a.m.

Redeemer Presbyterian Church — 359 Broadway between 36th Street and 37th Street, 808-4460.

Roman Catholic

St. Patrick's Cathedral — Fifth Avenue and 50th Street, 753-2261. Sundays at 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 10:15 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 5:30 p.m.

St. Paul the Apostle — 405 W.59 th Street, 265-3495, 265-3495. Sundays at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 12:15 p.m. (Spanish), 5:15 p.m., 9 p.m.

Unitarian

All Souls Unitarian — 1157 Lexington Avenue, at East 80th Street, 535-5530.

Fourth Universalist Society — 160 110th Street, 595-1658. Sundays 11 a.m. and 9 a.m. nature walks first Sundays of the month.

Other

Metropolitan Community Church of New York — a Church of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community 446 West 36th Street, between Ninth and 10th Avenues, 629-7440.



BANKING
Banking in New York requires patience. It is advisable for you to open a checking or savings account at a nearby bank as soon as possible. You will then be able to deposit checks and withdraw money. But be warned: you cannot cash paychecks unless you have enough money in your account to cover the check. Out-of-town checks take about 10 business days to clear. Since most banks are closed on weekends, it is a good idea to establish an account with a bank that has ATM access throughout the city.
Note: International students who wish to open a bank account are encouraged to visit the International Advisement Office for advice and recommendation. To open an account you must have: Form I-20 or IAP-66, a valid passport, and the I-94 card (the white card stapled to your passport).
These are some banks in the Juilliard area: