Lost In: How to stop a cab

A taxi (or a cab) is the most popular public transportation in NY. This is because you can reach anywhere without walking or taking the subway. And in some tv programs and movies you'll usually find that person who just came to NY once doesn't know how to stop a cab. Soooooooo, these are some way how to stop it and you better read this because I bet you don't want to waste lots of your time standing on the side of the street and nothing stop for you ;)

Stand on the side of the street that has traffic going in the direction you’re headed. If you’re going downtown, stand on the side of the street that has traffic going downtown already. It’s not necessary, but it will save you time and a bit of money as the driver doesn’t have to turn around and go the other way.
Find an ideal spot. Street corners are the best places to hail a cab. If you’ll be hailing cabs in New York City, download the Cabsense App to your smartphone. The CabSense app uses data from the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission to help you find the best nearby street corners to hail an open cab based on the day of the week, the time, and your current location.
Step off the sidewalk and into the street a bit. This makes it easier for drivers to notice you from the rest of the sidewalk traffic. Now don’t step out too far into the street. You don’t want the NYC Sanitation Department scraping pieces of you off the pavement. But a foot or two off the sidewalk will keep you safe and make you noticeable.
Stick your arm out like you mean it. No time for timidity or half-assing. Lift your arm up and out like a man who knows where he’s going in life.
Don’t whistle or yell “Taxi!” They only do that in the movies, and it makes you look like a tourist.
Look the driver in the eyes. No, you’re not trying to stare him down like a predator stares down prey. Well, maybe a little. Getting eye contact with a driver makes it easier to know if he’s going to stop for you. He’ll usually give you a nod if he’s going to pull over.

AAAAND maybe this whole time you never realized what the lights on the tops of the NY's taxis meant, here’s a nice graphic showcasing the possible light combos and their meanings regarding availability:

Available Cab: Just the center number is lit and nothing else. Hail away!
Occupied Cab: None of the lights are lit. This cab is already running a fare, so don’t hail it.
Off Duty Cab: Both the center number and the “off duty” lights are lit. Though, sometimes I saw cabs that just had the “off duty” lights on without the center light on and they were still off duty. This cab isn’t picking anybody up. Don’t hail.

So, I guess now you know to find an available taxi and to hail/stop them. And for more information about this you could read from here: http://artofmanliness.com/2011/03/30/how-to-hail-a-taxi-cab-like-a-man/