There's one more detail that I didn't mention that's important in your decision making. The M60 bus is now a Select Bus, which means you pay before you board and get a little slip to carry with you. But the difficulty here is that while you can pay in a little machine before boarding, you really need to buy a metro card in advance (and you have to do that in a machine on the baggage claim level of the main terminal). Otherwise, you have to pay twice because you can't get a free transfer to the subway from the bus if you pay in cash. The Metrocard itself costs $1, but you'll need one anyway to ride the subway later.

Cab fixed rate and scheduled (not the guys that loiter the airport asking if you need a ride) car service are about the same. $50ish + tip/toll.

Sacks, now you've confused me. Is there now a "fixed rate" cab program from LGA?

the bus will not take you to midtown.

the Q70 will take you to Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Station. I believe there is an elevator at that station the E train will take you to 5th and 53rd..about 3/4 of a block to 6th Avenue (that is Avenue of Americas to non-NYers) while there is an elevator and escalator from the platform you will still have to go up stairs to exit the subway.

a car service will have a fixed rate and you can arrange that in advance or call when you arrive . If you do not mind the expense and do not want to schlep then take a cab or car service.

I don't like to throw out money but I'm also practical.

If we're going to start a little trip with a hassle it's not worth it. Getting worn out at the start is not a good idea.

I expect to take a cab from Union Station in Washington to our hotel (11:30PM to just west of the White House - that would require a Metro change and a 2 block walk with luggage) but a Metro to DCA late afternoon, with no changes.

I'll pick my battles about what's worth saving on and what's not.

A cab it is from DCA to the hotel.

Thanks.

Just FYI, the last time I tried to take a taxi from Union Station after 11, I had to wait in a taxi line for almost 45 minutes. You may want to look into Uber for DC. I don't recommend Über in NYC, however.

All yellow cabs going to/from NYC airports are a fixed rate.

"All yellow cabs going to/from NYC airports are a fixed rate"

http://www.panynj.gov/airports/lga-t...n-service.html

Unfortunately, sacks is absolutely incorrect. Only taxis going to/from JFK have a fixed rate of $52 (before tolls, tip, and surcharges) ... make sure the meter shows Fare Rate 2.

Tolls are now added to fares automatically and show up as "extras". Surcharges should be built into the fare as well but separated.

And both yellow and green taxis can go to the airports, but green taxis can only pick you up in Manhattan above 96th Street, or anywhere in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, or Staten Island.

In my post above I meant

"A cab it is from LGA to the hotel".

Doug,

Uber is an interesting idea.
However, we haven't as yet joined the modern generation.

We have cell phones. No smartphones.
We have a tablet but wifi not 3G.

They don't make it easy to contact them unless you've joined the NOW generation.

I sent them an email asking if it's possible to contact them by cell phone. No response (as yet).

I guess we haven't joined the "smart" world and they've left the Old World.

Doug Stallings wrote about arriving in Washington (I'll post this also in DC forum)

"Just FYI, the last time I tried to take a taxi from Union Station after 11, I had to wait in a taxi line for almost 45 minutes. You may want to look into Uber for DC. I don't recommend Über in NYC, however."

Well, I emailed Uber and they didn't respond.

Now I'm thinking of going in a different direction.

Our train from NYC is supposed to arrive at 11:25PM. If it's on time, I'm tempted to take the Metro. Metro runs until midnight.

Our closest stop (3 minutes walk as per Google Maps) is Farragut West but that requires a change.

Our second closest stop (7 minute walk) is Farragut North and we can get their without changes (Red Line) after an 8 minute ride from Union Station.

Can I assume the Union Station Metro is easily accessible and easily found from inside the train station?

Is this an ok option (disregarding the saving in fare) compare to a cab?

I've already purchased Smartrip Cards.

Why add a whole post about DC's Union Station to a question about LGA in NYC?

Because Doug obviously thought it might be an issue since I listed what we are doing.

Why not?

This topic has about an 30 extra unnecessary responses. It is LGA, not DC, or the boonies.

I have taken the Super Shuttle to/from LaGuardia/Manhattan. It is slower than a taxi because it will be a shared ride and the driver will follow the best route for him to deliver everyone and not based on first in/first delivered. It is much less expensive if time is not crucial. However, if you have 3 or more people, it is just as economical to take a taxi and much faster directly to your destination.

The OP's trip is over.

And yes, that Metro stop at Union Station was easy to find, right?