JFK - Place nearby to hang out for picking up arriving passengers???
 

My brother and my nephew are arriving at JFK in a couple of weeks. Rather than trying to walk them through the Airtrain/Subway/Metro-North maze to get them to a train near me (I'm about 100 miles upstate), I'm considering driving down to JFK to pick them up. The only problem is the endless driving around the circle of roads waiting for a phone call that they have negotiated deplaning, baggage pickup, etc. and are ready to get in the car.

So, I'm looking for a place to hang out, within about 10 driving minutes of JFK, while waiting for the call. Someplace where nobody is going to care that I'm sitting patiently, and won't want to write me a ticket for dawdling. I'm sure there's something that I have overlooked. Any tips would be helpful.

Wow! Thanks! I never knew it was there....

I did not know JFK had entered the 21st century. Next thing you know they will have Nathan's.

Why not just park the car and wait? After a 100 mile drive, do you really just want to sit in the car? The Jet Blue terminal has some decent food in a food court. You could park the car and wait there.

Thanks, I'll consider that, too!

You also might consider Cross Bay Blvd just south of the Belt Pkwy in Howard Beach. There is a whole string of restaurants, coffee shops, pizzerias, etc in the area. It is about 10 minutes from the terminals of JFK.