sonora57

I am travelling with my 14 year old son to NYC right before Christmas, have hotel booked (midtown Manhattan, 7th Ave and 56th st), we're travelling light as in not a lot of luggage. I've been reading about the Air Train that goes to Jamaica Station and then taking the LIRR into Manhattan which leaves you at Penn Station. We can then take a cab to our hotel. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.


Sonora

babylon

sounds good, but even easier to take the E train subway to 7th avenue stop. The Air Train goes to the Jamaica LIRR station which is also the Sutphin Blvd stop for the E train subway. Take it in the direction towards Manhattan. The 7th Ave stop is 53 street, 3 blocks from your hotel. There's an elevator from the Air Train down to the subway. The MetroCard for the Air Train ($5) also pays the fare for the subway ($2.25 per trip). Probably you'll want at least a $20 card.

nytraveler

The cost of the Air Train and LIRR will be about $15 each - so $30 plus the cab of about $10 for about $40 total. Also - the train from Jamaica station to Penn Station is typically mobbed - often standing room only and you need to stand next to and hang onto your luggage.

To take just the Air Train and subway will cost about $7.50 each - so $15 total - but you need to be prepared to haul your luggage along long corridors and up and down stairs. Also need to hand onto your luggage - but may get seats if not rush hour.

Either of the above will take about 1.5 hours

For more comfort a taxi will cost about $60 - $45 flat fee plus bridge/tunnel toll and 20% tip. This can take from 1 to 1,5 hours depending on traffic..

doug_stallings

Except during rush hour, I've never seen the Long Island Railroad from Jamaica stand-room only. In fact, this is a breeze if you don't have a lot of luggage, but nytraveler's point about stairs is completely correct. You do have to climb up and down stairs. But you can easily make the trip from terminal (once off the plane) to hotel in a little more than an hour, perhaps less if you get lucky on the connections. I can do it in 50 minutes from my apt. on the east side if I take a cab to Penn Station and arrange to arrive right at the time of train departure.

I just don't find this to be a hassle at all, and it's my preferred way to get to and from JFK if I am only 1 or 2 people. Above that, the cost of the taxi is not so much more per person but is not always faster except late at night and very early in the morning. So for me just not worth the extra cost.

sf7307

Doug, out of curiosity, does the A train-air train combo from the west side typically take longer ( it took us 1-1/4 hours on Labor Day from Columbus Circle)?

ellenem

If I were already on the A train, I would not bother to get off at 34th and switch to an LIRR train. Any time savings in train travel time would probably be lost in making the connection at Penn Station. You can play with the route choices at hopstop.com t see how much time the various routes might take.

mztery

what about the NY Airport bus to Grand Central then a cab? less stress, about the same price as Airtrain/LIRR/Cab.

sonora57

Lots to think about now. Especially the stairs even with one of those suitcases with wheels. We arriving around 3 PM so that sounds like rush hour to me. How long does it last? Maybe we'll get something to eat at the airport until the rush is over and to rest up for the jaunt into Manhattan. The E train sounds like an option but not if the subway is crowded. What about the NY Airport bus? Are they fairly comfortable? Thanks Ellenem for the hopstop.com, I'm checking it out.

ellenem

NY Airport bus is like a longer distance bus with luggage storage beneath. Tickets cost $15 per person each way. Then you will probably spend another $8-$10 on a taxi to your hotel. With two people, not my first choice. For $15-$20 more you can go door-to-door in a taxi wthout transferring from bus to taxi mid-trip.

I wouldn't hang around the airport waiting for rush hour to be over. Heading toward Manhattan, the E train should be relatively uncrowded since it is just the second stop on the route.

After getting off the AirTrain at Jamaica Station and paying your way out (you buy a MetroCard and pay at the Jamaica end, not in the airport), you will walk through flat hallways and out to the left, walking straight across the overpass that crosses over the LIRR tracks below. There's a moving walkway at this point, but the walk is not really that long.

Straight ahead you will find elevators down to subway level. Walk straight/rightish (you really have no choice) out of the elevator to the subway turnstiles and swipe your MetroCard at a turnstile to pass through to find the E train. There are stairs, elevators, and escalators available here to track level. There's just one platform, with Manhattan-bound trains on one side and Queens-bound on the other. Watch for an E train. (J trains also stop at this station.)

I believe there is an escalator at the 7th Ave stop, so look around on the platform for it. This is a deeper station so there are more stairs than some others.

HOWEVER, there are some service interruptions going on currently, and the E train is following the F train route through Manhattan. I don't know if these changes will be true when you are here. There will be white paper signs posted showing these changes. Hopstop is also good about telling of these changes. If the rerouting is still in place, the best stop for your hotel will be 57th St (which is at 6th Ave). Study the subway map and follow the routes so you can see which stops to expect. When you get on the E train at Jamaica, you might choose a seat that is near the posted subway map so you feel more secure about the route.

http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm

nytraveler

You can;t outlast rush hour -it runs from 4 to7 in the evening.

You just need to make your choice based on $,time and convenience and then just go for it.

babylon

If you're coming into JFK around 3, then you won't be in rush hour going towards Manhattan. I take the E train at around that time. I don't usually get off at 7th Ave, so ellenem knows more about that. Sometimes driving in Manhattan towards the west side can be pretty awful in the late afternoon, so I'd hesitate to take a cab but it's up to you.

sandi

Just take the taxi. It's flat fare, plus tolls and tip. It'll take whatever time it takes, but drops you right at your hotel.

No trains, stairs, dragging luggage, then taxi... keep life simple - TAXI!