Amanda Bynes -- Flees To New York

Amanda Bynes bolted out of L.A. this weekend and thankfully headed to a city where public transportation is readily available ... the Big Apple!

Witnesses who spotted Amanda in NYC tell TMZ ... the actress was aimlessly wandering around Midtown for hours on Saturday.

But get this -- Amanda is telling friends the reason she jetted off to New York is because she was tired of being followed in L.A. -- something she says doesn't happen in NYC.

Bynes now tells friends she NEVER wants to come back to L.A, which is interesting timing considering her parents JUST moved to CA from TX to be closer to their daughter.