JFK 8 hour layover - what to do?
 

Delta just eliminated my morning flight in JFK -- so now I am on a 6:30am flight arriving at 8:30am. Our Athens Greece flight doesn't leave till 4:20pm that same day, so can anyone familier with that airport give me some good tips on where to hang out. Traveling with college age daughter.

BTW - the Delta operator wanted to put me on the 12:20pm flight arriving at 2:20pm but I didn't want be too stressed about delays and missing my overseas flight. She thought two hours would be plenty of time. Also, I didn't receive any notification that my original flight was cancelled .. I asked her and she said that they will help you only if you call first. So, I guess I will be checking my reservation at least twice a week from now on.

If you were able to check your luggage through you could go into Manhattan on the train and have lunch or do one thing. I'd allow 1 1/2 hrs. travel time in each direction (will take less)and you prob. should be at the airport 2 hrs. in advance which still leaves you 3 hrs. to do something in Manhattan.

There's nothing much in or near JFK.

If it's worth the money to you, take a cab into the city ($45 each way, plus tolls and tip) and you'll have LOTS more time. The subway takes foreeeeever.

Obviously there's lots to do, so it depends on what interests you. I'm assuming neither of you have been before?

Thanks mclaurie and nycgirl1 for the replies. I don't think we will go into the city -- I hate to spend over 100+ just for transportation there and back. We will just find a place to hang out in the airport.

Well, if you know what terminal you're flying into, I would suggest you go to this site and check out what you can look forward to during your wait.

http://tinyurl.com/2qb5vp

Terminal 1 and 4 are the most "exciting" if it were.

I don't know how many of you there are, Miss Maple, but taking the AirTrain/subway is $7/person each way and taking the AirTrain/Long Island Railroad is $12/person each way. The second option can be faster and it doesn't take "forever" on the subway. I can't imagine spending 8 hrs. at the airport. Dozens of people ask about going into the city on a layover and they usually have 4-5 hrs. which is not quite enough. But with your 8 hrs. I almost think it's foolish not to do something.

If you don't want to go all the way into the city, there are a few things in Queens (the same county as the airport) that you could do. There's a Noguchi museum, the Museum of the Moving Image and the Panorama which is a scale model of NYC.

http://www.queensmuseum.org/index.shtml
http://www.queens-ny.worldweb.com/Si...tions/Museums/

mclaurie - thanks for the info on Queens -- I like the idea of a museum visit with were we two can take a taxi and perhaps prearrange a pickup after a couple of hours of touring, lunch and then head back to the airport.

mcnyc -- thanks for the airport terminal links -- I will check them out.