JFK - 13 Days NYC and NEWARK
 

Hi there,
me and my 17yrs son will spend 13 days in NYC at the end of January. We will arrive JFK at the afternoon and then pass to Manhattan for the hotel. At the end, our flight is from Newark Airport in the evening. What is the best transportation alternative from JFK to Manhattan and also from Manhattan to Newark? Is there a 2-weeks pass including subway and buses? Is there alternatives including JFK - subway - Newark transports all together or in a combination?
Thanks
Faruk

You can take a taxi from JFK to anywhere in Manhattan for a set fare ($45, plus toll and tip adds up to about $55-60).
Alternatives are a bus to midtown (and then maybe other transportation to your hotel) or a train/or subway combined with the airport monorail.

There are no longer any two week passes for subways (they got rid of that option about a week ago) You can buy 2 one week passes.

Manhattan to Newark is best by car service (about $50-$60, rather than a metered taxi) or by bus or by train($15 per person?)

No real option to bundle all of these transportation options since they involve different systems.

What is best for each leg depend on where you are in staying in Manhattan, and how you choose between convenience, time and cost.

EWR is in Jersey - and not part of the the NYC transit system.

To EWR you can take a shuttle bus or New Jersey Transit train and AirTrain to the airport - which makes most sense depends on what hotel you are using. (I would just do car service but I am allergic to luggage on public transit.)

My hotel on 31th street between 5th and 6tt Avenue (Wolcott hotel)

My hotel on 31th street between 5th and 6tt Avenue (Wolcott hotel)

Ah, so your hotel is pretty close to Penn Station, on 7th Avenue between 31st & 33rd Streets. This makes public transportation options both from JFK and to EWR quite straightforward. (Though I agree that with large luggage, as in any system, public transit becomes a struggle.)

From JFK, you can take Air Train (a.k.a. airport monorail) and transfer in Jamaica, Queens to the commuter train Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) for Manhattan. (You could transfer instead to the E line of the subway if you want to save a few dollars, but it's a much slower ride to the same destination.) These transfers are very short. If you want, do a search on this forum for loads of tips on how to do it.

To EWR, you can take the commuter train NJ Transit from Penn Station to Newark Airport stop, then transfer to the Air Train for that airport.

In both cases, the two commuter train lines run frequent service between the two stations you need.

hopstop.com and maps.google.com will give you step by step directions for using public transportation. You can get to/from both airports using the train and your hotel is not that far from Penn station in Manhattan so that's convenient. But you have to be able to walk a few blocks with your luggage. It's ~ $13-15/person per trip.

What you might consider is using a taxi when you arrive at JFK since it will all be new to you and using the train at the end of the trip to get to Newark. By that time you'll be familiar with where things are. Use only an official yellow NYC taxi from the taxi line outside the terminal. Don't accept a ride from anyone who approaches you.

You can buy a weekly subway pass for $29/each that's also good for NYC buses.

I agree with mclaurie... unless your afternoon arrival puts you on the road at rush hour, which usually starts about 4pm. In fact, while the JFK-Manhattan taxi ride is indeed a fixed fare, you may or may not want to sit in the chronic traffic that manifests on the roadways to/from JFK at any basically any hour. If it weren't so completely straightforward to take public transit, I'd lean much more towards the taxi option!

Thanks a lot for your very helpfull replies
Regards

I'm not sure what you paid for your hotel - but in Jan NYC hotel rates are usually rock bottom. The Wolcott doesn;t have a bad location but gets generally very bad reviews - as old, tired, dingy and with equipment out of order. I would suggest you have a look at tripadvisor.com to see the comments about the Wolcott over the last few months.

Hotel rates are so low in January that it's hard to believe you couldn;t find a more pleasant place for whatever you are paying.

For two, totally around 1050 USD for 13 nights including breakfast. I booked it in October via Orbitz and guest's rating was 3.5/5 (not bad). At that time, I searched from lots of sites (expedia, booking, priceline, hotline, kayak, etc.) and it was the only Manhattan hotel with that price. It is interesting that above sites had 110-120 USD for Wolcott and also Orbitz had the same but offering "stay 2 night,get 3rd night free". I didnt check but I think I can't find a Manhattan hotel within this rate.

The Wolcott Hotel does not as nytraveler says about "gets generally very bad reviews". Most of the reviews are positive with some bad one, of course. No hotel can be all things to all people. Wolcott tries to offer clean, comfortable accommodations at a reasonable price. What guests seem not to appreciate, is the newly purchased furniture in an 1902 style. Our market research is showing the guest would prefer modern, boutique or even urban furniture in a 100 year old hotel room with decorative ceilings and trim. If this is the same traveler from other review sites we have bumped heads before.

I have no personal experience with the Wolcott - and frankly don;t stay at hotels in this rnage - but had seen it rated poorly on another board. so I went to tripadvisor and looked at the last 7 or 8 reviews. I ignored the mention of poor service - since I think this is often subjective - and people from outside NYC may perceive locals as unfriedly when they are simply being businesslike. But there were several specific negative complaints - that I would investigate before making a final decision.

If the OP is already tied to the Hotel - then I would make sure when they arive they check the room carefully - and make sure that everything is in working order and up to their standards before accepting it.

Before booking, I have read most guest reviews on Wolcott and I just paid attention to the 3 things: clean room, clean beds and clean baths. The remainings are minors for me as follows:
-Old Furniture,lobby: I don't buy that hotel for my own house:)
-non-smiling stuff:I will not spent the rest of my life with him/her:)
-some noise: We are in the middle of NYC (non-sleeping city), what can surprise me other than silence??? :)
-out of order alarm clock:is there anybody not having a mobile phone without alarm function? :)
-dark room:I will be out during daylight, and come back at night. If I want to visit room during day if necessary,just turn on the electric light,it is free of charge :)

Anyway, these may be very important for somebody. I will write my objective reviews here after my stay.
good wishes

To EWR, choose between Northeast Corridor and/or North Jersey Coast Line. These two lines of NJ Transit are heading to Newark Int'l Airport station. It is 3rd stop from NY Penn Station, about 20-25 mins ride for $12.50 for adult one way. From there, you switch to Air Train.
http://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servl...SchedulesMapTo

If you don't like to walk a few blocks with luggage, here is the option.
http://www.goairlinkshuttle.com/page.php?id=30
or,
http://www.coachusa.com/olympia/ss.newarkairport.asp

thanks much Sakura

Hi ftoglu,

I have stayed at the Wolcott so can tell you about my experience. I live in NJ and stayed there for a long weekend a few years back. I had no problems with the place and yes they should update it but it was clean. I had a suite since there were 3 of us and one other person joined us later. The bathroom was small and we couldn't regulate the water in the shower. The water was just so hot but nothing we couldn't handle. We had a nice view of the Empire State building which was lovely to look at when lit up. It's not a 5 star but not a dump either by my standards. Unless things have really changed in the last 2-3 years.

It is only a 5 block or so walk to Penn Station and not at all difficult. You could take a taxi if you want but not necessary if you don't have a lot of luggage. I have always taken the Northeast Corridor train to EWR. Once you get off you will have to take the airtran to get to the airport. I've done this numerous times and haven't run into a problem so far.

No matter what you'll have a great time in NYC.

hotelowner should step up and identify themselves as being management from the Wolcott. A new poster, only post and clearly from the content in post, is an employee.

I thought the same thing.

Sassy, I thought the same things as you. As far as I understand from lots of guest reviews, Wolcott is in my standards and fulfils my basic requests. Using train for EWR seems more than easy.
Thanks