winnick

We are arriving JFK around 2pm and have reservations at the Hampton Inn JFK. Should we just take a taxi into Manhattan for afternoon & evening or is there an easy way to get from this hotel to Manhattan? Any other suggestions for spending the afternoon?

nytraveler

Getting to and fro Manhattan from JFK hotels is generally a PIA. It usually involved taking the hotel shuttle back to the airport and from there taking some form of public transit into the city.

If you are willing to take cabs - it will cost about $60 each way - for fare, toll and tip (20% of fare but not toll) and will be somewhat less inconvenient.

As to what to do - it would help to know who "we" are - and also your interests - and if you've been to NYC before and what you've already seen/done.

winnick

nytraveler:

Thanks for your input. We've been to NY several times and would plan to meet friends or take in a show/dinner if we went into Manhattan. Just trying to determine the best way to get there without a lot of hassle. Sounds like taking a cab is the best option if we decide to go there.

We (a 60 yr old couple) were looking for any other recommendations if we didn't go into Manhattan. It sounds like all would involve taking a cab in any event if we didn't want to take shuttle back to airport and then get the subway.

doug_stallings

Actually, I'm not at all sure that a taxi is the best idea.

I'd probably opt for the Airtrain. Even counting the time of taking a hotel shuttle to and from the Airtrain stop, you can take the Airtrain (connecting to the Long Island Railroad at Jamaica) in much less time than a taxi, particularly one during the evening rush. The round-trip for the two of you will be half the price of taxis.

Try to head into Manhattan before 3:30 if you can, and then you come in at off-peak train fares. Otherwise, you pay a bit more, but it's still going to be easier and faster, in my opinion.

I'm not sure about getting back, however. I'm sure the hotel can tell you (you probably call for the shuttle when you get to the Airtrain stop. I guess you can take a taxi back if you want to spend that kind of money. But it will be ON the meter (the flat fare works only to JFK), and you may have to really push to get a driver to take you.

sf7307

Doug, I'm just curious, if the taxi will be "on the meter", why would a driver object to taking them?

nyer

Doug and others, the same flat fare for taxis Manhattan to JFK has been in effect for several years

"For trips between (to and from) Manhattan and JFK International Airport, the flat fare is $45.00 plus any tolls using Rate Code 2 on the meter. A NY State Tax Surcharge of $.50 will be added to each trip.

If passengers request multiple stops, the flat rate of $45.00 will be collected at the first stop in either Manhattan or JFK International Airport, and the meter will be activated at Rate Code 1 (standard city rate) for the remainder of the trip. The metered fare should be collected at the last stop, from the last passenger.

All trips between JFK International Airport and New York City destinations other than Manhattan will use that standard metered rate."
http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/pas...cab_rate.shtml


Taxi drivers don't like getting tied up going to the airport since they can make more money on short fares in the city, but they ARE required to take you if they stop and are on duty.

ellenem

I think Doug meant that a taxi would not like to go from Manhattan to the Hampton Inn JFK, which is not at the airport, just in the general vicinity. The taxi may or not not be able to pick up another fare at the hotel and then will have no choice but to waste time driving into the mess of JFK and joining the taxi pool.

nyer

Oh. I think you're reading that better than I did, ellenem.

I saw the emphasis as "TO Jfk"" (vs FROM Jfk) rather the the intended "to JFK, the actual airport" (vs. "To the JFK vicinity")

Of course, the same could be said for the trip from the JFK area Hampton Inn into the city--in case winnick was planning to drop off stuff at the hotel before heading into the city. The flat fare would also not apply for that trip.
SInce he/she asked "is there an easy way to get from this hotel to Manhattan" I guess as Doug indicated it would also involve going back to the airport to get the train, so...


I hope the clarifications are useful to someone, though.

Gekko

Unless you're a poor college student or trying to get into Manhattan during the morning rush, take a taxi.

txdbog

i would take the airtrain to Jamaica Station and transfer to any of the gazillion trains going into Penn Station. If you take a taxi you just risk sitting in traffic and that is after you wait a while in a taxi line. the train is so easy and effortless.

doug_stallings

As ellenem pointed out, the flat fare only works to the airport, not to nearby hotels.

Taxi drivers in Manhattan are notoriously uninterested in going anywhere that's outside of Manhattan below 125th Street except for LGA and JFK airports. And I've had drivers turn me down on a trip to the airport.

But I'm just not with Gekko at all on the taxi issue. It's quite a bit easier (especially without luggage) and usually faster to take the train (LIRR, not Subway) into Manhattan from JFK unless you are coming at a real off-hour. It's not really a matter of cost but of convenience and speed.

Gekko

Doug & I agree to disagree on this issue. I've taken the subway/airtrain recently and prefer a taxi.

A key consideration would be your actual destination in Manhattan. How many subways will you need? Are there service changes on any of the lines?

And adding a shuttle trip from the hotel to the airtrain? No way. I'd rather get a root canal.

winnick

Thanks for all the interesting discussion on getting from/to Manhattan. Depending on what time we get to the hotel may well determine what we end up doing.