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Yes, you need a car seat for taxis. Assume that some taxis won't pick you up because they won't want to bother with you. Generally speaking, taxis are too much hassle with a toddler and you'll take the bus/subway instead. If you do need to take a lot of taxi rides, consider getting the car seat/stroller combination for the trip. You can also use it on the plane.

You want a stroller that is easily collapsible. A maclaren or a cheapo umbrella are ideal. If you have something big and bulky leave it at home. You can't take a seated child on a bus and you'll need to be able to carry it up/down subway stairs. Study the map and figure out which are elevator accessible-- many stations are not. Depending on the weight of the child, you might be better off with a sling.

Legally car seats are NOT required in taxi cabs.

If you travel by bus or subway, keep in mind the time of the day that you travel. Rush hour will be very crowded so the stroller will be squished in between many many commuters with no places to sit. So if at all possible, try to hit the public transporation during off-peak times.

As an ex-New Yorker I have some advice for you on this issue. I had several friends with kids visit while I lived there and learned the following.

1) If you can use a sling or carrier, DO IT. Saves a ton of time and hassle.

2) If you need to bring a stroller, bring a small, collapsible, umbrella type. Bulky strollers or those that do not fold up will not work in taxis, buses or subways.

3) Take the bus instead of the subway. The subway can be scary to a baby who has not been in the city before, it's hot/gross, and it takes much more effort to get down there. With the bus, can you stand outside and wait. Also, it's a much more pleasant view with the bus - you get to actually see New York. Ask your friend for help with what buses to take, etc.

4) Get a hotel that is as close to the venue site (or areas you will be visiting) as possible. This way you do not have to travel as much.

5) Plan your itinerary around going out and back only once. For instance, plan a morning/lunch in the West Village shopping, walking around, and eating - instead of trying to sightsee in many different neighborhoods over the course of a few hours. Your child will get cranky doing this and many visitors underestimate the amount of time it takes to travel even 1 mile in bad traffic in NYC.

6) You do not need a car seat to travel in a taxi. However, if you do bring one and try to use it, there are few taxi drivers that will stop for you. Horrible, I know, but that's the way it is. If you do need to take a taxi with your child, I would forgo the car seat but make sure you're just going through town - in New York traffic cabs can't go all that fast anyway.

Hope this helps!

If you take a bus, you will need to take your child out of the stroller and fold up the stroller. Opened strollers are not allowed on buses. Most bus drivers will ower the bus for you, but you'll still need to climb a few steps.
We call for car service on the rare occasion that we need to travel by car. The drivers are usually more patient than a yellow cab driver. One driver even "installed" the infant car seat for me. (He had young children, too.)
As for fitting through the turnstiles, you don't. You tell the station agent that you have a stroller. Then you look for the turnstile with the a green sticker on the side. Swipe your metrocard and turn the turnstile, but don't walk through. Go to the gate and go through that with your stroller.

as a current NY'er with a child, I ditto laurensayso: leave the stroller at home and use a sling. If you can provide more detail about your itinerary, we can offer more tailored advice. How much sightseeing do you want to do and what neighborhoods will you be in?

We visited New York with an 8-month old and didn't have a problem with a full sized stroller. We got a great, affordable hotel on the subway line(buckinghamhotel.com) for about 180 per night that included a full kitchen with pots and pans, so we could eat in our room. Restaurants are small and won't allow strollers. The hotel is right next to Central Park, so there are lots of nice walks with the stroller and horses to pet. There is a Whole Foods grocery store within walking distance where we got all the baby stuff we normally have at home. We did not take cabs or buses and had no problem with the stroller on the subway, only taking the subway during non-peak times. The elevators for the subway are full of urine and nasty, so you just have to have your spouse help you carry the baby in the stroller down the stairs. Some museums don't allow strollers. We took the Staten Island ferry past the Statue of Liberty with baby in the stroller with no problem. We walked a lot. There was a great pizza place next to the hotel that we ate in almost every day. There was also an empty lot next to the hotel in 2007 so maybe there is construction going on. The street noise is so loud, that you should ask for a room high up and facing the back. I think ours was 1601, and it was great. The hotel also has a lounge with a TV that you can wait in if you are early and your room isn't ready. That was the first time we got some sleep. We thought taking the red eye flight was a genius idea since Baby would sleep. She didn't and stayed up all night until 2pm the next day. Don't take the red eye. The Natural History museum was also great with the stroller. I can't imagine carrying a baby all through New York in a sling. Ouch.

P.S. April was really cold. Get a stroller bag to keep your baby warm.

P.S. again

We also went to the Top of the Rockefeller Center to see the view from the roof with the stroller with no problem. The only bummer was that we would have liked to attend a taping of The Daily Show or the Colbert Report, but kids are not allowed. We considered having one parent go each night alone, but we didn't.

P.S. One last time.

It was totally nerve wracking being stuck in traffic in the airport shuttle or town car. I thought we were going to miss our flight. Consider taking the subway connections back to the airport if it isn't at a peak time and you don't have too much luggage. Luckily and unfortunately, the flights leaving the airport at night are so backed up that they are always delayed.

I just got back from Paris, and much of this is the same there. While we were there I used my girlfriend's manduca (Euro version of the Ergo) and it was the bomb. Comfy for me and her (a small 23 month old--26.5 pounds). If we lived in the city, I'd definitely use that a lot. She totes her 2 year old in a MacClaren, but mainly just sticks to near her own home because of the hassle. Some people will help you on the subway, but when it comes to the stairs, you just have to plow ahead and make them move for you.

I was in NYC 2 weeks ago, and they made me take the stroller down on the bus. It was a pain. In Paris, they have a dedicated "poussette" spot and don't make you take the kid out.

I say spring for an Ergo!!!

I just visited Manhattan for 4 days with my 12 month old and my Bugaboo stroller. I had no problem taking taxis with no carseat, and did not run across any restuarants that did not allow strollers. I avoided the touristy places, and mainly went to some cooler little places that I knew from when I lived there, or that friends recommended. Contrary to many of the comments posted here, I found that strangers (and taxicab drivers) were happy to see a baby.

I WOULD recommend walking whenever possible: New York is a very walkable city, and that is always the easiest way to get around. I found walking from Central Park to the Meatpacking District & West Village to be just about as far as I could handle.

I live in New York and commute every morning with my 19-month old daugher via bus, cab, or subway/bus. I don't know if it's just you plus baby or 2 adults plus baby, but either way, I'd recommend having both a baby carrier and umbrella stroller. Myself, I only use the carrier for commuting, but only because it's just the two of us and I can't manage the bus with baby on the loose, my bag, her bag, and a stroller...

Anyway, being able to strap baby to you on the bus (or even subway if it's crowded) has been a real life-saver for me because it means I still have two hands free to carry whatever else I have with me. I also use the carrier for cabs (I put the seatbelt between me and the carrier and hope for the best - and realize that it's not ideal...). The umbrella stroller is great for longer walks or the zoo as a 16-month old is probably too heavy to carry for several hours at a time.

Another option, depending on the size of your baby and your commitment to cabbing with carseat, would be to have a Graco SafeSeat (or a similar carseat that can accommodate an older baby) on a Snap N'Go. That way you'd have a stroller and carseat in one.

Regarding the car seats and cabs: I've never had a problem flagging down a cab with my daughter in the carrier, but I can imagine you might have problems lugging a larger carseat with you. But I'm sure that totally depends on the cabbie.

Oh and bring a book for the baby. Or a small toy. Even if it only gives you 10 minutes of baby occupation, that may be all you need!

And have fun! New York is a great place to visit, even with a baby. With the Zoos, Children's Museums, and playgrounds everywhere, there really is a lot to do with a small child. Plus, people tend to be really nice and understanding, especially on the bus (I ALWAYS get a seat). I don't know how many people have helped me keep my daughter occupied on the bus, playing peekaboo and whatnot.

Have a great time!

When our daughter was 18 months old, we brought her for her first trip to Manhattan. It was wonderful -- for her and us!! Security guards would bring her balloons, the doormen in our hotel thought she was hilarious and played with her, she flirted with waiters and got extra treats, and made people laugh on the subway. Much, MUCH more fun than back home! (New Yorkers really are the best!)

We used our Bugaboo stroller everywhere -- good thing too, because a snowstorm hit while we were walking around in town -- fortunately, with our stroller it was magical, not a nightmare (it is well-designed for snow drifts, has a plastic cover, etc.). The good thing about the bugaboo is that we are able to securely stash everything underneath, and so don't haul anything else around (diaper bag, shopping, everything is held in the underseat bag, which is closed tight).

New Yorkers are great -- the friendliest people we've come across anywhere -- and so whenever I would stand anywhere in the vicinity of the subway (during off-peak hours) without my husband in view, some gentleman would always appear and ask whether I needed help with the stroller. It happened each and every time! Most stations have a special gate for let strollers through -- you don't use the turnstiles.

We never used buses or taxis, so I can't comment on those.

I'd also recommend getting a place with a kitchen or kitchenette; lunches are easy with children, but dinners (unless you go early) are more difficult. We didn't have problems with restaurants, but we also tended to pick ones that are more casual.

Just try to go off-peak and avoid the worst crowds, and everything will be fine.

Have a blast!

Try Kid Car. It's a NYC car service for families. All the cars come with car seats and the drivers have been CPR-trained and tested as safe drivers.

We have a convertable carseat/stroller - I think it's called the Sit-n-Stroll. Because our daughter is over 2 now, we lugged it to NY - she sat in it on the cross-country flight and again in the taxi to Manhattan. If you're not traveling as far and your baby is flying in your lap, you may not need it.

If you're comfortable using an Ergo or backpack or whatever carrier, I'd definitely recommend doing that (and am somewhat nostalgic for the days when our little one was still that portable!) But it's definitely possible to get around with a stroller. We were even able to bring it to restaurants - we'd just fold it and store it somewhere out of the way.

The subway is manageable, but you will have to haul yourselves up and down the stairs. If you have to transfer from one line to another, check your map, because sometimes it's worth skipping the transfer (especially if you'd only be going another one or two stops) and walking the final blocks to your destination.

I second the advice about staying somewhere with a kitchenette. You want to be able to store milk and food in a fridge and not have to run out the door first thing in the morning to get breakfast.

People were really nice and friendly there - Manhattan is a great place to visit with a kid. We spent a lot of fun time in various city parks. (One favorite: Madison Square Park, with its gated playground and the Shake Shack)

I live in New York with a 9 month old and have had no problems at all with my big Microlite Toro stroller. I've taken the train during peak hours and as long as I rode in either the first or last car, I've always had plenty of space. People almost always offer to help you lug the stroller up the stairs and they often offer you a seat. This didn't happen when I was 9 months pregnant!

Always use a car seat for the baby. I haven't had any problems catching a taxi. I've even encountered friendlier cabbies who almost willingly took me to Brooklyn where I live, after seeing the baby. New Yorkers love kids, don't worry.

i just got back from a two day trip up to brooklyn. i decided to take the train in since it was just going to be my daughter and i. i had absolutely no problem traveling all around the city with a stroller, one larger bag and a smaller/purse essentials bag. i too always take a carrier in the stroller just in case. i have a bugaboo bee and it is lightweight enough that carrying it and my 21 lbs 13month old up and down the subway stairs was manageable. when i got to brooklyn a guy actually offered and carried the stroller up the stairs. i was able to go to restaurants with the stroller. we also had brunch at an outdoor cafe which was ideal for the stroller. i hope this helps and that you have a great time