Monday in mid July - need to get from 56th & 7th in Manhattan to Newark for a 7:15pm flight to Toronto. This means we'll be heading out of Manhattan during rush hour (4:30?). How much time should we allow? Car Service at $34 + tip, or taxi?

Car not taxi.
Two hours before the flight would be 5:15-so you should give yourself at least an hour to get there. So leave at 4:00 or a little before.. I always leave far earlier than I need to because you never know when there will be some sort of traffic jam that will hold things up.

The New Jersey Transit will get you from Penn Central Station at 7th ave. & W. 32nd to the Newark airport in about 20 minutes. About $12 apiece.

www.airtrainnewark.com

Of course, it depends upon how much luggage you have.

I agree with indytravel, NJ Transit to Newark Airport Station then Airtrain to the airport is the best option. Penn Station is actually at 8th Ave and 34th St. The following websites have more inforamtion on options for getting to Newark Airport from The City.


http://www.panynj.gov/aviation/egtsmain.HTM

http://www.airtrainnewark.com/airtrainnewark/index.html

I also recommend looking into the Carey bus (spelling?) it's about a 10/person and there is a pick up at Grand Central and 33rd and 6th I believe.

A taxi will run in the$50 range. Car service is a good option and I would be on my way by 4:30. The Airtrain leaves from Penn Station and takes around 20 minutes to the airport. Figure another 20 minutes or so to the terminal. Carey bus has been out of business for years. There is a bus that leaves from the Port Authority to EWR. There is a $6 toll for the tunnel that is paid when going into the city , If you take a taxi you will pay the toll. Don't know if you pay the toll if you use a car sevice.

There is a bus that goes from Grand Central and Park Ave to Newark, hourly and I think the cost is $10pp, and luggage is stored in the bottom. It also stops on 34th and 8th Ave and then heads to the Lincoln Tunnel and Newark. The trip is usually an hour depending on traffic, and will drop you off at your terminal.

Hope this helps.

Go to Penn Station and take the train. It runs very frequently and will take you directly (one stop at Newark City train station)to the Newark airport monorail which takes you to your terminal. On the train you do not need to worry about the traffic at the tunnels or bridges. Still leave plenty of time since "you never know". I do not know schedules or price, but the trains go south very often (several times an hour) and the price is certainly less than car service. I would never take a bus over a train in a traffic area. See the indytravel message.

Also, find out from your airline what the requirements are for international flights. Some require you to check in two hours in advance but a couple are three hours.

Someone on this board gave me this car service info, I'm using them next week:

http://www.carmellimo.com/index.html

The train from Penn station is the way to go. We used to always take car service to Newark for business trips, but now all take the Airtrain. Even when I'm traveling with the head of my company! It has nothing to do with cost. Is has everything to do with the unpredictability of traffic jams!

Add my vote to the airtrain service. It's a little confusing to be sure you have the right train from Penn. Station (so be prepared to ask and add a little time for confusion, esp. since at 4 pm you are closing in on rush hour), but once you've got that figured out, it's a BREEZE and you go whizzing by all the traffic to get to the monorail that goes right to your terminal. Even with baggage, the hardest part is getting into Penn. Station and after that, you don't have to deal with stairs, only elevators. If it were me, I wouldn't dream of trusting traffic on roads and bridges, even in a Rolls Royce limo to get me to the airport.

Super Shuttle is another option. I don't know how much it is now though, but I used them last time I was in NY.

JM says "we" so I assume there are at least two traveling. Two SuperShuttle tickets might be close to a car service fare, and the SuperShuttle might drive all over town picking up other riders before it heads to Newark. Take the train--no traffic to worry you.

Super Shuttle does not charge full fare for a second passenger. I took them to Newark and the day I went, there may have been only 1 other pick up. It's another option that JM can consider and have door to door service.

Thank you everyone, for your suggestions. So I guess it will be between the car service at $33 +tip&tolls or the AirTrain to avoid traffic. Including bus or taxi fare for the two of us to Penn station, it's not a cost issue, as there's not much difference - but a traffic issue. Thanks again.

The bus company is OLYMPIA/Newark Airport Express, not Carey. Their website is http://www.coachusa.com/airporterusa...cation_id=1126 or call 1-877-8-NEWARK - Fare is $12 each, kids under 16 free w/ adult.

But - I would also suggest the train, considering the rush hour.

Taxi to penn should be about $6 - $7 with tip. Skytrain is $11.25 each and at that time of day probably runs every ten minutes or so. Cab with tolls and tip is more like $45 - $50 total. Any cab, bus or car service could be as fast as 45 minutes at that time of day but could conceivably take 90 minutes on a bad traffic day not to mention the aggravation. Definitely take the train.

Thanks, everyone. I didn't even know about the train before I asked this question. The train it is. You were all very helpful.