Category: Places

New York City: Why you should go anyway

New York City: Why you should go anyway

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Big cities tend to scare travelers, not just those with disabilities either. I think it’s because there are a lot more variables for us to contend with than there are in a quiet country retreat. But if you flip that around, there are also a lot more resources for assistance and travel in a big city than there are in the country as well. That’s why I don’t mind going to places like New York City and you should go anyway, even if you’re scared.

NYC Accessible Transportation

Other than saying you can use Uber WAV, Curb, the subway, bus, or plain-old rolling, I’ll confirm that even if you use a wheelchair you will be able to get around the city easily.

NYC Accessible Hotels

The last time I was there, I used Priceline to get day-of stays at several different hotels near Times Square. While I would recommend avoiding any of the IHG hotels in the area, you won’t have trouble finding a large chain or boutique hotel with wheelchair accessible rooms especially if you’re planning in advance.

NYC Things To Do

Central Park is my favorite thing to do when I am in New York City. It’s huge with paved paths and it’s wide open so it doesn’t feel crowded at all. I’ve also gone to the US Open tennis tournament which has accessible seating and cheap grounds passes for the early rounds. If you are interested in a show, you can get accessible seating in advance. If you don’t care which show you go to, you can go to any box office and arrange it in person when you get there. I wasn’t particularly set on one show or another but was able to get Lion King and Waitress tickets the day-of.

NYC Airports

It’s probably easiest getting from JFK to the city for cheap if you use a wheelchair. You can take the AirTrain from JFK to Jamaica station and then hop on the LIRR to Penn Station. The staff at the Jamaica station is awesome and will help you. Just go to the office after you leave the AirTrain station.

I’ve only ever taken taxis from LaGuardia and while renovations are going on, it’s very difficult to get these at certain times of the day.

I’ve never tried to get to the city from the Newark Airport, so no advice there!

Going to the US Open in a Wheelchair

The one thing I felt could have gone more smoothly was my visit to the US Open Tennis tournament. It was irritating that there were no accessible seats in the big stadium at the lowest price point. As a result, I recommend buying the cheapest seat available. When you get there, go to the guest services office and make them accommodate you.

In addition, getting there by taxi is easy, but leaving is more difficult. If you are going to get an accessible taxi back, I recommend heading towards the Mets-Willets train station. You’ll roll over the boardwalk and over all the tracks and end up at Roosevelt Avenue. There might just be an accessible taxi in the queue there but even if there isn’t you will have a MUCH easier time calling and getting picked up from there. Whatever you do, DON’T TRY TO GET A TAXI NEAR THE GLOBE ENTRANCE! It’s fine to drop off there but at night, it’s really difficult and not very accessible over there.

Where to stay in Tokyo, Japan, if you use a wheelchair (or not!)

Where to stay in Tokyo, Japan, if you use a wheelchair (or not!)

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The short answer to this is stay anywhere near a metro station! If you can find a comfortable and affordable hotel that isn’t in Shinjuku or any of the other popular spots, you’ll be totally fine hopping the train and getting where you need to go quickly.

The long answer is that I was an idiot and waited until the last minute to use a United Airlines voucher that was expiring and picked a week to go to Tokyo that happened to be a national holiday — the entire week! (Golden Week) So hotels everywhere were extra-expensive. So my, “Oh yay, I’m flying to Japan for $200 cash + a voucher!” turned into, “Oh yay, I’m spending $350 a night for an accessible hotel?”

First of all it wasn’t always clear if a Japanese hotel had accessible rooms. That content isn’t always ported over to their English website versions. In addition, booking engines like Booking.com or Expedia don’t always list the accessible rooms as specific room types. I did figure out that these rooms are usually called “Universal” rooms there, which helped whenever I would search or ask.

BTW, I hate having to contact hotels directly to book accessible rooms, especially if I have to call. I’m a millennial at heart when it comes to communication.

In any case, I was not going to spend $350 a night but I wasn’t sure if staying slightly away from things was going to be feasible for me in the chair. I also wasn’t sure about safety. Finally, I found a few places that had Universal rooms and one of them was the Nippon Seinenkan Hotel. The best part was that it was going to be $800 for the entire week! It also had great reviews and overlooked one of the pro baseball stadiums. Nevertheless I was concerned about the location.

Even though it was over a mile from the big train stations, it was much closer to one of the subway stops (Gaiemmae). It was also a much quieter area and totally safe. In fact, once I got there I discovered Tokyo is one of the safest places on earth to cruise around and feel comfortable.

So no worries if you get a hotel that’s not right in the thick of things. You will save a lot of money doing this and still have an amazing time! You might also get a nicer hotel for the price.

Accessible places to go in Tokyo (i.e. Tokyo Has Ramps)

Accessible places to go in Tokyo (i.e. Tokyo Has Ramps)

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One of the things I hate is when a travel blogger or Tweeter who uses a wheelchair makes a generalized statement that “XYZ Place is not very accessible.” Ignore this whenever you hear it. There is always a way. I mean, okay there might be a specific attraction or building that isn’t accessible, but it’s not like you’re gonna arrive somewhere and be stuck at the fucking airport or train station all week. (I actually thought this about Paris and it stopped me from going initially. How dumb!)

Tokyo is one of the places I’d heard this about and hesitated to go to based on this. Ugh. It was wrong. I bet the person I heard it from doesn’t even leave their house all day.

I’ll tell you the two places I had issues with on this trip. Certainly there are other places with issues, but I only had a week.

  • The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace — Specifically the ramp up to the top of the wall. Maybe it was a lookout, maybe it was a Starbucks up there. Either way, I survived by skipping it. It just looked a little too steep and my battery was low and there were people.
  • I lied, there was only one place.

I have encountered a lot less disappointment on trips since I stopped planning every damn place, restaurant, route, and toilet I wanted to stop at. Here are some tips for those of you who agree.

Green Spaces have nice paths and sidewalks are wide

I went to the Meiji Shrine, all around the East Gardens, the Shinjuku National Gardens, and others. Paved pathways were everywhere, including through the deserted, foresty part of the Meiji Shrine grounds that I found by accident. The sidewalks are usually wide to accommodate all the people and when there aren’t sidewalks, the streets were usually taken over by pedestrians. The side streets in Harijuku, for example, super fun to wander around on.

Paths at the Meiji forest
This route at the Meiji Shrine forest was typical of the pathways through the green spaces

You can roll over the Rainbow Bridge in a chair and skip the lines at the other observation places

I hate lines. I didn’t even bother to go to the other recommended high points in the city and I won’t bother sharing them with you now. Instead I decided to head over the Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba and it was awesome (and free). Just get yourself to the Rainbow Bridge Promenade, take the elevators up, and go over it. There are some nice stopping points, it’s not super steep, and there were hardly any people.

Tokyo from the Rainbow Bridge
The view I was just talking about from the Rainbow bridge

Restaurants at the various shopping centers are your best bet for accessible food places

Although Tokyo restaurants and stores are usually up a step or two, Toyko has more ramps (see the ramp gallery at the bottom of this post) than any place I have been so far. There were so many that I had to take pics of them, come up with silly captions, and post them here for you.

Having said that, you CAN find little restaurants and stores that are accessible right out of the box. But if it’s convenience you’re looking for then hit up the big shopping centers and you’ll be able to try out any of the hundreds of headphones (yes even earbuds, gross) at the electronics store then go up or down and find tons of accessible restaurants.

Disclaimer: The elevator can get packed. For example I went up to the 8th floor of one of the malls (I can’t even remember which one because I don’t fucking plan!) and it took a while for it to come down, pass me, then fill up before it even came back up to the first floor. Nevertheless once I got up to the restaurant floor, there were several great restaurants to choose from. I followed some rich-looking people into a sushi place and decided that’s my new best tip for finding a good restaurant without planning.

There are also food court options, usually in the basement, of these large shopping centers. Truth be told, I was a little irritated with elevator wait times so I didn’t check these out when I was shopping.

Here’s the Tokyo Ramp Gallery you’ve been waiting for

Ok so not ALL the ramps were useful and some weren’t even ramps, but I took many of these photos over a few blocks along the same street. They’re everywhere and they’re great. Even the horrible ones are at least mildly entertaining.

  • If you know how wide your ass is, then this ramp at the Toyota showcase tells you how wide it is.
  • Yeah, no. WTF?
  • Roll out the red carpet on this ramp…oh wait.
  • Ramps to stairs are always fun.
  • Ramps with patterns.
  • From the right angle this looks like a ramp.
  • It’s the thought that counts.
  • Ok so most of these are for bringing in deliveries, but still.
  • Extra wide ramps
  • Ramps as design elements
  • Hot and spicy ramps
  • Japanese Non-Step Bus
    There must be a ramp on here, right?
How to get around Tokyo in a wheelchair and win lots of toys in the process.

How to get around Tokyo in a wheelchair and win lots of toys in the process.

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I’d always made the assumption that it would be difficult to get around Tokyo in a wheelchair. Again, screw my negative thinking! It’s not. It’s really easy and very accessible and there are a few added bonuses in the process — toys and drinks!

The trains and subway are the only transit options I used besides rolling

You can read all about how to use the train system in Tokyo somewhere else. You can also read about the bus and taxi options elsewhere too. (Although I did like that the buses were labeled as Non-Step Buses!) I’m just gonna tell you that it was ridiculously easy to use the trains in Tokyo.

It’s not as assistance-free as Singapore or Dubai, but the assistance you rely on in the stations is the best I’ve ever encountered. The gaps were not huge, and a manual chair user could probably jump them easily. For me, the gaps were right at the point where I felt my front wheels could fall in if I didn’t gun it. I chose to use the staff help at every station. You can also follow all the “Yellow Brick Roads” as I call them, which are those yellow (or metal) textured tiles on the ground which usually lead you to the elevators, bathrooms, platforms, or exits.

I mostly rode the Ginza line which runs from Shibuya to Akasuka. I was staying near the Gaiemmae station which was very quiet and user-friendly. Here’s how every station works:

  • Get a PASMO card — Or whatever other transit card you have been told to get. You can buy one at any station and charge it up in lots of places. You can also use it to play the toy games at Sega or buy soda at the vending machines that support it. This is what I used and it was great.
  • Find the accessible entrance — Of course the only time I had a problem with this was the time my battery was on zero and I was trying to get home. But if you look at the public maps nearby your station, usually you can find the elevator. If not, ask someone.
  • Go all the way to the station ticket gate and then ask for help — Usually there’s a little office near where you tap your card to go through the gates. If not, it’s nearby. If you miss it at the small stations, you’re either an idiot or the guy left to help somebody. Wait.
  • Tell the staff where you want to go and that you need a slope or ramp — Show them Google Translate if that helps. The one time I found no staff, I didn’t actually need a ramp to board the train. This was coming back from Odaiba. The gap was very small.
  • Wait for the staff to put on their little train hats and grab the ramp — Sometimes this took 10-20 seconds and I was wondering if they understood me, but just wait and someone will magically appear shortly.
  • Follow the staff — This was the best part because you don’t have to think about where to go to get to the platform. At small stations it’s not a big deal but at the big ones. you’ll save yourself from looking for the train in the bathroom or maintenance room.
  • Board the train — The trains come with very little delay. Even if its crowded, people will move and the staff will help clear the way. The ramp takes 5 seconds to place and you roll on and enjoy the ride.
  • Enjoy the ride and rest assured someone will be there with a ramp when you arrive — For convenience, the stops are labeled with letters and numbers and the announcements are also made in English. Even if you forget where you’re going, just watch the doors for the staff with the ramp and they’ll be there at your stop.

How to win the toys and drink the soda

With your Pasmo card you can play the claw machines at Sega and also buy stuff at compatible vending machines. I had fun with both! You can also charge your card at the arcades.

For the vending machines, you just hold your card up to the sensor, pick what you want, then hold the card up again. Super easy! Watch the video below for a demo.

How to get from Tokyo Narita Airport to the city in a wheelchair (or not).

How to get from Tokyo Narita Airport to the city in a wheelchair (or not).

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I took the Narita Express from the airport to Shibuya station and it couldn’t have been easier. Even if you don’t use a wheelchair, this is probably the most convenient way to get into the city from the airport.

There are very few stops and this train can get you to any of the major stations in the city (Tokyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku). The Narita Express is on the JR line of the Japanese trains. If you are arriving to Tokyo Narita, the process is simple — just tell them you need the Narita Express or follow the signs.

The ticket desk is just before the electronic gates to enter the train. If you need a wheelchair space you’ll have to stop there to make sure you get a wheelchair spot on the train. It seemed like there were two in the car that I rode in. The train runs often enough that you won’t have to wait long.

I normally like to book things online and deal with it on my own, but in this case I was handled by the train staff in a very deliberate and accommodating fashion. I never felt like I was going to be forgotten and the same guy who helped me with my ticket ended up leading me down to the platform and then onto the train with the ramp.

You can buy a round trip for 4,000 yen if show your visitor passport. Just make sure to hold onto the return ticket pass.

Space for wheelchairs on the Narita Express
The view from my spot. There is one regular seat and then space for a wheelchair. I think if there were 2 wheelchairs here it would block the aisle, but it worked for me!

Returning was easy too but a little more confusing, probably because Shibuya station was in repair in anticipation of the Olympics. Nevertheless if you get as far as the ticket gate and don’t have a ticket yet, stop at the counter there and just ask for help.

The train was not crowded on the Sunday afternoon when I arrived or the Sunday afternoon when I departed. It was comfortable and quiet.

Here’s more info about the Narita Express and other airport transit options.