Getting to New York City : from JFK Airport and other New York City, NY Transportation Tips

'Mode': TO
Category: Airplane
Getting TO/AROUND: Formerly "Idlewild", The John F. Kennedy International Airport, or "JFK", is located fifteen miles from midtown Manhattan, in southeastern Queens, at the southern end of the Van Wyck Expressway. Over 29 million passengers pass through JFK annually.
Taxis (flat rate $45 plus tolls, as of May 2004) aren't your only option to get to Manhattan from JFK, you may want to check out the :
-AirTrain JFK to Manhattan (via connection with NYC subway)
-New York Airport Service Express Bus to Midtown Manhattan/West Side
-SuperShuttle Manhattan to anywhere in Manhattan between Battery Park and 227th, including all hotels
-Q10 and Q3 buslines connecting to MTA subway trains
-Private Car/Limousine/Van Services

Details on all of the above transportation options are too numerous to list here, but are clearly presented on the official JFK website - see below. Here you will also find all information on getting to Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, or Staten Island from JFK.

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Phone: 718-244-4444
Website: http://www.panynj.gov/

'Mode': TO
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Located in New Jersey, Newark Airport (code EWR) is 16 miles from midtown Manhattan. Over 30 million passengers pass through Newark Airport annually.

A variety of options are available to get you to Manhattan from EWR :

-Taxi
-Air Train to Midtown Manhattan/West Side 33rd Street via PATH subway (34th St. and 8th Ave.) or NJ Transit/Amtrak.
-Olympia Airport Express to Midtown Manhattan/West Side or East Side
-SuperShuttle Manhattan to anywhere in Manhattan between Battery Park & 227th Street (Including all hotels)
-Private Car/Limousine/Van Services

For detailed information about the above transportation options, or for information on how to get to Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, or Staten Island from EWR, please refer to the official EWR website below.

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Website: http://www.panynj.gov

'Mode': TO
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Located in Queens, La Guardia Airport (code LGA) is eight miles from midtown Manhattan and located on Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay.

A variety of options are available to get you to Manhattan from LGA :

-Taxi (an estimated $16-$26 plus tolls)
-New York Airport Service Express Bus to Midtown Manhattan/East Side or West Side
-SuperShuttle Manhattan (shared mini bus) to anywhere in Manhattan between Battery Park and 227th Street including all hotels
-M60 Bus (MTA - New York City Transit) to 125th St. Can connect with 2,3,4,5,6,1,9,A,C and D subway trains
-Q33 Bus (Triboro Coach) from all terminals except Marine Air Terminal. Connects with E,F,G,R,V and 7 subway trains.
-Q47 Bus (Triboro Coach) from Marine Air Terminal. Connects with E,F,R,V and 7 subway trains.
-Private Car/Limousine/Van Services

Details for all the above transportation options are too numerous to list here, please check the official LGA website below, also for information on getting to Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx or Staten Island.

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Website: http://www.panynj.gov

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Walking in Manhattan :

-If you study the map you'll notice the rectangular grid pattern starts north of Houston St; to the south, the pattern becomes more and more random.
-Streets run east-west and are numbered going up as you head north, Avenues run north-south, their numbering starts in the east, with the exception of avenues A to D in the East Village.
-Sixth Ave = Avenue of the Americas.
-Broadway also runs north-south, but it's twisting so it's not always between the same 2 avenue numbers.
-East of Fifth Avenue : there's no Fourth Ave except for a short distance south of Union Square (14th St). Between 3rd and 5th there are 3 avenues in midtown : Park Avenue, flanked by Madison Ave and Lexington Ave. Don't worry, this will sink in.

Plan your walking routes : know where you'll start and end on the map + the avenues / streets you'll be crossing. It's hard to get lost that way, but when in doubt don't hesitate to ask directions - New Yorkers just love showing off how well they know the city. It's a thing called pride I guess :)

When you're in an area where the street pattern is between random and grid, like in Greenwich Village, you may notice things like 12th St crossing West 4th St. Huh ? This alone is a reason not to venture out there without a map - you need to plan the route, or you'll lose precious time.

Lastly,
DON'T stop in the middle of the sidewalk all of a sudden to pull out your 3'x5' map. Other than blatantly giving yourself away as a tourist, people will inevitably bump into you. Remember, this is a fast paced city so you should at least try to 'go with the flow", especially during rush hours. Step aside if you need to look something up, or you'll just annoy everyone.

Safety : pay attention to see if no car is nearing from a corner behind you as you cross the street, and when in doubt make eye contact with the driver. Most accidents in Manhattan involve people getting hit by cars / taxi's. I've seen it happen and it's never pretty.

Plan ahead, pay attention and you'll be fine.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: The NYC subway used to have a really bad reputation but it's much safer than before - the system got upgraded tremendously.

You can't possibly do everything on foot in NYC, your best bet is to always plan your sightseeing / shopping / dining by area and move between areas by subway. It's fast, convenient, reliable and cheap. I recommend getting an 'unlimited ride' Metrocard, see the MTA website. Pass the card through the turnstile and off you go, anywhere in the city.

Most subway lines run north-south. You can get a free map at any station booth.
Prior to your trip, download the .pdf of the subway network from the MTA web site and STUDY the routes. Take note of the lines / stops near the places you want to go.

Downtown and Uptown are directions, not locations. In the pic on this page it says Uptown, meaning this is the platform for the train heading north. Often you'll have subway entrances on opposite sides of the street.

A LOCAL train always stops at the indicated stations, an EXPRESS train is faster since it skips stations.

Safety : if there's a green sphere at street level it means the sation is manned at all times. During off hours wait in the indicated spot in front of the booth so you can be seen by the staff at all times. Board the car in the center where it's busiest.

Don't travel alone when it's late. Avoid contact with down-and-out types or people who ask money or other weird characters. Between 8am and 6pm the subway is busiest. Mind your belongings and stand clear of the doors.

Be polite, don't take up more than one seat with bags, etc. (You can even get a fine for that.)

If you took the wrong train, don't panic. Just get out at the next station and take the train back. If you're lost, go see a guard immediately or walk to the station booth and ask directions, especially if you're not sure in what neighborhood you are.

In a nutshell : relax, know where you're going, and look confident. You'll end up loving this, anyway :)

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Website: http://www.mta.info/

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: It is advised you only ride in the official yellow licensed NYC Taxi cabs and not in the so called 'gypsy" cabs which often aren't insured properly and will basically charge you whatever they want.

From JFK : The flat fare is $45.00 as of May 2004, plus any tolls. The meter will not be turned on and the night surcharge will not be added.
(note there's no flat fare TO the JFK airport)

In New York : the NEW metered rate of fare as of May 2004 :
-$2.50 upon entry
-$.40 for each additional unit
The unit of fare is one-fifth of a mile, when the taxicab is traveling at 8 miles an hour or more; or 2 minutes (40 cents, i.e. at a rate of 20 cents per minute), when the taxicab is not in motion or is traveling at less than 8 miles an hour.
-Night surcharge of $.50 after 8:00 PM & before 6:00 AM
-New as of May 2004 is the peak surcharge of $ 1.00 between 4pm-8pm on weekdays.

-if the roof numbers are lit up, the taxi is available
-occupied cabs have their top lights switched off, taxi's that are "off duty" have the corresponding words lit in the sign on the roof
-taxi's can be flagged with a raise of the hand and a flick of the wrist
-a taxi will carry up to four passengers
-make sure the driver knows exactly where you want to go, as many drivers are newly arrived immigrants
-the driver may NOT ask you your destiniation before you've sat down and by law must take you anywhere in the city
-pay cash and tip the driver about 15%
-if the driver does not comply or is unreasonable, rude etc..., saying you will report him to the Taxi & Limousine Commission (which is your right) usually helps. The driver's name and license number are visible from the backseat.

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Phone: 692-8294
Website: http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/passenger/taxicab_rate.shtml

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: It was never my intention to ride in a limousine. When I initially planned my trip to NYC I arranged for private transportation (a sedan) from JFK to Manhattan. Due to the fact that the immigration service at JFK's Delta Airlines terminal was a complete mess because they "forgot" to have all the necessary immigration forms on board the plane, it took us three hours to get out of the airport - a nightmare, and our driver had left already. I called the renting service to complain about this and was sort of expecting a refund. I had booked my return transportation to JFK (a week later) with the same company, and to my surprise the driver showed up in a long stretch limo and apologized a dozen times for the fact they missed us when we arrived.
Hey, it was a fun experience, but i could've also missed it.

If you want to book a limo, there are dozens of companies in New York, but stick to those listed with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission - see website.

Here you will also find listings of transportation services for people with disabillites, and more affordable solutions for private transportation like Black Cars and Community Cars.

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Website: http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/passenger/find_ride.shtml

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: It's inevitable for every visitor... sooner or later you'll have to leave again :(

Don't forget about the following :

-you probably need to reconfirm your flight by calling your airline, ca. 24 hrs. in advance

-Depending on whether or not you have an evening flight home, you may have a few hours left to take a stroll in the city; make sure your luggage is stored safely after you check out at the hotel.

-When taking a taxi, make sure you have enough cash with you; remember there are no flat fees for taxis to the airports, only the other way around. Depending on the traffic situation, it will cost you quite a bit more. If you can afford it, pre-arrange private transportation from your hotel to the airport. In any case make sure your leave well on time - no matter how you hate it - because traffic can be a real mess during rush hour and at times a taxi can be very hard to get. For the latest traffic updates, check the local news channel on TV before you check out.

-For all kinds of private transportation solutions, refer to the web site of the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission.

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Website: http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/passenger/find_ride.shtml