We have friends arriving at Laguardia and Kennedy on the same day--don't know the times or if they're close. We're in western Jersey, and really don't want to go to either airport. Is there an easy way for them to get into the city, perhaps Penn Station or Grand Central where we could meet them?

Do you have suggestions for other meeting points? This would be on a Saturday.

Clousie: Why not have them take taxi's and pick a good meeting point like the Empire State Building. There is currently no "easy" way to get into Manhattan with public transportation. Although the mono-rail is currently under construction at Kennedy and should make the trip to Penn Station more convenient in the not to distant future. If cost is an issue, there is the Carey Bus that makes pickups at the airports and drop offs at hotels and a central point opposite Grand Central Station.

Ditto on the taxi. Should be about $30 +tip. A friend of mine came into midtown, Sat @ 7:15PM from LGA and it only took about 1/2 hr.

When I'm meeting people who come in from out of town and are not familiar with NYC I always meet up by the info stand/clock tower in the center of the main concourse at Grand Central - it's easy to find and always surrounded by people doing just that - meeting others who've come in from trains or airports. It's also a more pleasant environment in which to hang out while you wait (e.g. compared to Port Authority or Penn Station).

I assume that you will be traveling by car to pick them up at a meeting place. If so, suggest you pick a place where you can park and wait for them in the car. You won't be able to do that at Penn or Grand Central Stations unless you put the car in a garage and the cost for a short term stay could be $10 or more. Both parties should take a cab to the city and I would pick a meeting place on the upper west side - 79th and Broadway, for example. There are parking meters all along Broadway and you can keep feeding the meters until they arrive - just have lots of quarters. The cab fare from Jfk is fixed at $30. With a tip and the toll the cost will be between $35 and $40. From LGA to 79th and Broadway the cab will cost around $25. If you are going back to Jersey getting to the Lincoln tunnel or George Washington bridge will take less than 15 minutes from 79th Street.