I have a layover in NY of about 14 hours and I plan on taking a boat tour to see NY (since I have never been there) and spend some time in Central Park. I will be flying out of JFK at 7:00pm on a Wednesday, and I was wondering if anyone might be able to provide any suggestions on the best way to get there at that time, and how long I should allow for travel time based on traffic during the time I need to be traveling.

Also, since my flight is at 7pm, I plan to be at the airport no later than 5. I will need to pickup baggage that will be in storage at Terminal 4 and head to Terminal 7... is that enough time??

Thank you for any suggestions and information!!

What's your definition of "best"?

The really "best" way is to go by a private car service. They will pick you up at the spot of your choosing and drive you straight to Terminal 4 where you can pick-up your baggage. You can ask the driver to wait for you while you retrieve your bags and then drive you to Terminal 7. When you make your reservations the "car service company" dispatcher will even advise you on the optimum "pick-up" time. Depending on where in NYC you planed to be picked up, I suspect it will be around 3:30Pm or 4:00PM if you want to be back at JFK by 5PM. FYI - Rush Hour traffic starts to build up around 4PM.

Many of the contributors on this forum recommend Dial 7 car service as they have pretty reasonable rates. there are plenty of other reputable car service companies. A simple google search using topics like "NYC Airport car service" will bring up scores of links.

Next best option would be to take a taxi but that will probably cost you almost as much as a car service - for the extra cost you are better off going with the car service.

14hr layover says you'll arrive JFK at 5am, so you certainly have time for some sightseeing in NYC.

For boat tour, you could take one of the Circle Line downtown tours - I think they are both 1hr tours. Zephyr might be just what you're looking for. 1st departure is 10am.

http://www.circlelinedowntown.com/

From JFK you could take the AirTrain to Howard Beach/A-train subway and that would take you right to lower Manhattan. You'd have time to check out some sights like the Brooklyn Bridge, World Trade Center/911 site, Wall st, etc (not all of them) before a boat ride, or sit & have a breakfast & people watch.

After the cruise you could take a subway uptown to Central Park area. Others can advise you the best way to get from mid town back to JFK.

Thanks Roamsaround.. very helpful! My definition of best is basically most convient and most cost efficient... so it seems like a car service would likely be the best!

Thanks J62 great ideas to get the most of my layover! Especially since this will be my first visit.

Adding on to J62's itinerary, from WTC area, take the N or R train to Fifth Ave/60th St, right at the southwest corner of the park. Depending on the amount of time you have, venture into the park for a while. Then walk south on Fifth Ave to Rockefeller Center. To get back to JFK, at 53rd St and Fifth Ave catch the E train to Jamaica Station, which connect to the AirTrain to JFK. (E train from 53rd + AirTrain will take about an hour)

Where is your flight going and when does your airline require you to check in? For international flights they usually advise 3 hours- to allow for checking bags and getting through security. If it's a domestic flight 2 hours is usually enough. In any case if you're doing a car service ask them when you should be picked up - based on arrival at the airport - not flight time. they will know of nay conditions that may affect traffic on a specific day (weather, accident, construction, holiday etc).

(Some coworkers going to the airport this afternoon were advised to leave an extra hour early - since rush hour is early because of the holiday. If you haven;t anticipated Yom Kippur and all the extra early traffic - it could have been a problem.)

To play safe I would leave 1.5 hours from Central Park South to JFK - it could take 45 minutes - or it could take every minute of that. From there public transit would probably take about as long and would be cheaper - and not inconvenient as long as you don;t have any luggage with you.

I would leave for the airport at 3, but you need time to pick up and recheck your bags. Subway to Penn Station, then LIRR to Airtrain to JFk. A tad over one hour travel time or less. A taxi or car service is too variable and dependent on traffic at this time of the day (I.e., the height of rush hour on a matinee day). Trains are frequent, but do verify the time and buy your return ticket in arrival in Manhattan. Come into Manhatten the same way. Don't waste time on the subway.

I'm not sure I'd waste time on a boat tour with just one day. Pick three things you'd like to see in NYC and see them. And do Central Park first in the morning when it's quiet, or have breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien and then head to the park about 9.

I would take a tour bus around the city. ( not hop on hop off, but a bus that you stay on and get an overview. ) Then, when you return you will know what you are interested in . YOu will most likely also have time to then use the subway and backtrack to visit one thing that interested you. RE: return to the airport--a taxi is flat fare--$45 plus tip and toll, so figure $60. OR especially since you are luggage free, consider the Airtrain. ( take a subway to it) It is less expensive and depending upon traffic--faster.

I want to also agree with the one person who said International flights require 3 hours at the airport. So a 7PM flight requires you be there by 4PM plus you have to add time to retrieve you luggage!

For international flights I routinely roll into JFK 90min before international departure. Earlier is better, but there is no requirement for you to check in by 4pm.

You really need to check with your airline. some have much longer check-in lines (not enough agents) and some have extra-long security liens ((due to extra stringent security). Other people may choose to arrive later - but it can depend on how much luggage you have to check and you capacity for risk.

J62--you may roll in 90 minutes before but you are living on the edge. It is not a good idea to recommend that type of "excitement' to others. Many flights require you be checked in 1 hour before--that gives you a 30 minute window!--Go to the Air Forum on Tripadvisor and see the complaints of people who missed their flight because they weren't at the airport early enough (although there BEFORE the plane left the airport) While I hope it never happens, if you fly enough flights you will find the law of averages catches up with you.

At JFK, if you haven't checked in for your flight and had your luggage security-inspected at least an hour before departure, it simply doesn't make the flight. So while J62 may be a lucky traveler, I wouldn't take that chance. Some airlines have a 90-minute cut-off for check-in, but it really depends on the airline ... I think most are 60 minutes.

And yes, Eikaz has correctly quoted the rate for a taxi, but on a Wednesday afternoon I really and strongly recommend you do not go this route.

My main point was that "International flights require 3 hours at the airport" is not correct as a blanket statement.

I think we're all saying the same thing - you have time for some touring, within reason.

nyt is correct - check with the airline on their check in cut off times, then decide your own level of (un)certainty (mode of travel/travel time & arrival at the airport).

In my own experience flights to Central & South America (AA T8) tend to have longer checkin lines.

Flights out of T1, T4, or T8 to Europe or Asia have always (for me) been smoother, with no delay getting through security.