JFK to Manhattan Question
 

My husband and I will be flying in to JFK and staying at the Hilton Club on W. 57th St. in Manhattan. Would you recommend taking the AirTrain to the subway into the city or the AirTrain to the LIRR to Penn Station and then the subway to save time? We're not pressed for time, but don't want to spend a lot of additional time on a train needlessly.

The AirTrain to the E or F line in Jamaica is probably your best bet.

The AirTrain to E train will require less changes of transport, which would be my preference. You can check times for both trips at Hopstop.com.

Airtrain to E. It takes about 15 minutes longer but less stops,

Thanks all! AirTrain to E it is!

The taking of the AirTrain to Jamaica and then taking the E train is good BUT I would add one slight addition so you don't have to do a lot of walking to your hotel - especially if the weather isn't that good. The E has a stop at 7th Av (at 53rd St), the Hilton Club is on 57th ST between 6th Av & 7th Av.

Take the E train to Queens Plaza station, then go across the platform for the R train. Take the R to 57th St station at7th Av). (Note - the only time this would not work is between 12 midnight and 5:30 AM as the R doesn't run in Queens overnight.]

When taking the AirTrain, remember to buy an "AirTrain + Subway" MetroCard for $7.25 from the vending machines at the AirTrain turnstiles in Jamaica. $5.00 covers the AirTrain fee
leaving $2.25 for the subway. You'll need to buy 2 cards (one each in a separate transaction) - one for you and one for your husband.