Best Way to see the sights from JFK
Aug 21st, 2008, 09:38 PM
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Best Way to see the sights from JFK
Hello, Could any one tell me the best way to see some of the sights from JFK. My husband and I will be returning from a cruise on a Sunday and have about 7 hours to see some sights in New York before we fly home.The Empire State Building would be on our list.Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Aug 22nd, 2008, 02:23 AM
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I'm not really sure I understand what you mean by 'see the sights from JFK' - here's my guess.
You will arrive by cruise ship into NYC - I'm guessing you mean the Manhattan Cruise ship port at 55th st.
9-10 hrs after your scheduled disembarking from the cruise ship you have a flight out of JFK. Anything less would leave less time for touring.
The Empire state bldg is about 2miles from the cruise ship port. It'll take you about 1hr from Manhattan to JFK each way, so you definitely would NOT trek to JFK, then return to Manhattan for sight seeing.
So I'm guessing you mean "best way to see sights after cruise before going to JFK" Did I get that right?
You will arrive by cruise ship into NYC - I'm guessing you mean the Manhattan Cruise ship port at 55th st.
9-10 hrs after your scheduled disembarking from the cruise ship you have a flight out of JFK. Anything less would leave less time for touring.
The Empire state bldg is about 2miles from the cruise ship port. It'll take you about 1hr from Manhattan to JFK each way, so you definitely would NOT trek to JFK, then return to Manhattan for sight seeing.
So I'm guessing you mean "best way to see sights after cruise before going to JFK" Did I get that right?
Aug 22nd, 2008, 04:56 AM
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Actually, I'm guessing you are returning from a European cruise and are flying into JFK. Believe it or not, 7 hours is not taht much time since you should return to leave for the airport no less than 2 or 2-1/2 hours before your flight, depending on how close you want to cut it. If you are actually arriving in NYC by ship and then going to JFK for your flight home, that severely limits your time further, and you will have to figure out what to do with your luggage.
If you don't have any luggage, you can certainly get into the city and see a couple of things. Here is my advice. You're going to have only about 2 or at most 3 hours for your sightseeing after you allow about 45 minutes each way for transport to JFK.
Absolutely skip the Empire State Building; it's mobbed on Sundays and always horribly overcrowded. It alone will take 2 or more hours. Instead, go to the Top of the Rock for a better view and more pleasant experience; you can do that one in an hour. Then spend another hour at a museum if you like art (MOMA is nearby).
If you don't like museums, then either walk up to Central Park via 5th Avenue (15 minutes to the zoo, which is as far as you can really go in this time, 25 minutes if you pop into St. Patrick's Cathedral quickly) or over to Times Square if you just want a touristy experience.
Sadly, that's about all you will have time for.
Take the Airtrain into and out of Penn Station to maximize your time in the city (30 to 40 minutes, $10 each way per person) unless you are arriving by ship; with cruise luggage, you need to take a regular taxi, which you can get at any hotel. You could take a cab anyway, but it's not really faster and costs $65 each way with tip. So you do the math and decide if it's worth it.
If you don't have any luggage, you can certainly get into the city and see a couple of things. Here is my advice. You're going to have only about 2 or at most 3 hours for your sightseeing after you allow about 45 minutes each way for transport to JFK.
Absolutely skip the Empire State Building; it's mobbed on Sundays and always horribly overcrowded. It alone will take 2 or more hours. Instead, go to the Top of the Rock for a better view and more pleasant experience; you can do that one in an hour. Then spend another hour at a museum if you like art (MOMA is nearby).
If you don't like museums, then either walk up to Central Park via 5th Avenue (15 minutes to the zoo, which is as far as you can really go in this time, 25 minutes if you pop into St. Patrick's Cathedral quickly) or over to Times Square if you just want a touristy experience.
Sadly, that's about all you will have time for.
Take the Airtrain into and out of Penn Station to maximize your time in the city (30 to 40 minutes, $10 each way per person) unless you are arriving by ship; with cruise luggage, you need to take a regular taxi, which you can get at any hotel. You could take a cab anyway, but it's not really faster and costs $65 each way with tip. So you do the math and decide if it's worth it.
Aug 22nd, 2008, 05:03 AM
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Assuming J62 is correct, you may need some place to store your luggage. This place is one option not far from the Empire State building. (355 w 36 st.)
http://schwartztravel.com/
If dressed nicely, you could also try asking a doorman at a hotel to hold it. Give them $5 and get a receipt. You'll need a taxi from the pier. Here's a bus map in case there's no taxi.
http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/manbus.pdf The Empire state building is at Fifth ave. & 34 st. You will not be allowed into the ESB with luggage. If you're serious about going, buy tickets in advance online to avoid one long line.
Many feel Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center is a much nicer, more pleasant place for a bird's eye view of NYC. http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/
Allow yourselves an hour or so to get to JFK. A taxi is a flat rate of $45 plus toll and tip or total ~ $60. There's also bus service for $15/person http://www.nyairportservice.com/
or you can take a train--Long Island Railroad from Penn station (34 st. & 7th ave.) to Jamaica and then AirTrain to JFK. This is ~ $10/person.
http://schwartztravel.com/
If dressed nicely, you could also try asking a doorman at a hotel to hold it. Give them $5 and get a receipt. You'll need a taxi from the pier. Here's a bus map in case there's no taxi.
http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/manbus.pdf The Empire state building is at Fifth ave. & 34 st. You will not be allowed into the ESB with luggage. If you're serious about going, buy tickets in advance online to avoid one long line.
Many feel Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center is a much nicer, more pleasant place for a bird's eye view of NYC. http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/
Allow yourselves an hour or so to get to JFK. A taxi is a flat rate of $45 plus toll and tip or total ~ $60. There's also bus service for $15/person http://www.nyairportservice.com/
or you can take a train--Long Island Railroad from Penn station (34 st. & 7th ave.) to Jamaica and then AirTrain to JFK. This is ~ $10/person.
Aug 22nd, 2008, 05:06 AM
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If Doug is right, you can store luggage at JFK at terminals 1 & 4
http://www.jfk-airport.net/luggage-storage.html
http://www.jfk-airport.net/luggage-storage.html
Aug 22nd, 2008, 07:43 PM
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Thank-you for your suggestions, J62and Doug. I just thought we could leave our luggage at the airport and maybe take a train or subway down town. I just wasn't sure how much time it takes. Thank-you again groomerbabe
