JFK to Midtown at 4pm
 

This is similar to the question from the woman from Hawaii, and those were good answers to her. Also, is Super Shuttle from JFK To W. 57th/6th Ave. reliable enough at 4pm Wed. to get me there by 5:30pm? I have an appointment I cannot miss.

If this is a shared ride I wouldn't
chance it. Others may be dropped
off first.

In a word, no.

This is a dicey travel time -- it is rush hour and the beginning of the "shift change" for cabs. I wouldn't try the Super Shuttle because, as someone else mentioned, they will likely have to drop off others on the east side before they arrive at your destination. Wait in the taxi line. It's a $35 flat rate (plus toll and tip) from JFK to midtown.

The fastest and most reliable way to get into Manhattan from JFK is the Airtrain. I do the trip from 2nd avenue all the way to JFK (including travel time to Penn Station) in an hour or just slightly longer. It's absolutely the fastest way into the city in the afternoon, when it can take 30 minutes just to get across Midtown by cab, and if your luggage is small enough, it's what I would strongly recommend.

Otherwise, you have to go with a cab. There's simply no alternative that can do the trip in 90 minutes (but you will be cutting it very close in a cab at that point in the afternoon because you are probably going to hit Manhattan at 5 to 5:15, when traffic is typically at its afternoon worst.

If you land at JFK at 4PM, there is no way you will make a 5:30 appointment in Midtown.

You need to take in account that it will take you at least 45 minutes to get out of the airport (20 if you don't check luggage).

Can you fly in earlier?

With the number of delayed flights this summer I'd try to arrive much earlier.

First Super Shuttle is completely unreliable , often driving you around to 5/6 other hotels before dropping you at yours.

Second, landing at JFK at 4 pm (even assuming you land on time - unlikely that time of day) you have a very slim chance of getting to 57th St by 5:30. If you have checked luggage I would suggest your chance is nil. Ordinarily I take the cab - but in the middle of rush hour you would be trapped in traffic.

Your only possible chance - assuming you land on time and have only a carry-on is to take the Air Train to Jamaica, take the LIRR to Penn Station and then take the subway to Columbus Circle (59th St) and then run the several blocks to the appointment.

There are frequent (every 8 to 10 minutes) Air Train to Jamaica. There are LIRR trains from Jamaica to Penn Station every ten minutes or so - but it takes about 15 minutes, then you would have to get to the subway (10 minutes in Penn Station), wait for the subway (5 minutes) then ride the subway (10 minutes) then RUN.

In all seriousness, if I had an appointment at 5:30 that I HAD to make I would land at JFK by 2pm at the latest.

Thanks for the great suggestions. I actually land at 3:35p and have decided to have only carry-on luggage. The Airtrain sounds like the best bet and since 5:45p can be a flexible meeting time, I'm wondering if the E or F would be suitable thereby cutting out the time to get from Penn Station to W. 57th/6th Ave. I've familarized myself with the subway map so am ready to do it that way, or the LIRR if that is better.

Rusty,

Excellent job reading the subway map. I would do as you suggest--take the AirTrain and then take the E train. Get off at 53rd and 5th (or 7th, depending on your actual destination), and then you have a 5-10-minute walk to your destination. This will skip the backtracking via subway if you take the LIRR--you'll save some time by making fewer connections.

So can you do this in reverse -- take the E train to Jamaica and the airtrain TO the airport? What E train stop is it in Jamaica? (I used to go into the city from 179th street, but that was a long time ago).

Thanks, Ellen. With your instructions and those also from Doug Stallings I will plan to do the AirTrain/Subway connectiom. One more finer question: would it help to change to the F at Forest hills and come up at the 57th/6th Ave station, which is right at the meeting location, or is that an extra delaying step? I'm wondering if it isn't just better to stay on the E and walk to the meeting.

And I would assume that the reverse trip is equally valid.

I wouldn't bother to change to the F--you may just miss a train and have to wait a while for another. I prefer to be moving in the right direction. It might be 4 minutes walk extra from an E train stop of 5th or 7th Ave, but you could wait longer that that to change to the F.

The E train Jamaica subway station is called Sutphin Blvd/Archer Ave. It's the second to the last stop on the E, so if you miss your stop, you can only go one stop beyond.

Thank you, Ellen. I think I'm ready now to get there on the AirTrain and E. You're an excellent teacher.

RustyDG: I just wanted to clarify something about your travel. You will have extraordinarily little chance of making your appointment if you take the E train from Jamaica into Manhattan. This trip takes about an hour (versus 20 minutes on the Airtrain). You should take the subway only from Penn Station to your final destination.

hopstop.com estimates the ride on the E train from Jamaica to 53rd and 5th as 41 minutes.

I think the LIRR and then another subway might be a wash timewise, especially for a person unfamiliar with the transit system and making more connections.

No matter what form of transportation Rusty takes, it will be a tight connection to his meeting.

Yes, Doug has it right: you should take the AirTrain to Jamaica, then the LIRR to Penn, then switch to the subway at Penn.

The LIRR terminal is adjacent to the AirTrain at Jamaica; trains leave every 8-10 minutes and usually make a stop or two in Queens before reaching Penn. The 3:35p and 4:22p trains are non-stop to Penn. Here's a detail schedule:
mta.info/lirr/html/ttn/jamaican.htm (click the Weekdays link under To Penn Station on the left side; current schedule is through 9/9/07)

At Penn, follow the signs for the A, C, E subway. You want the Uptown C, E platform - but don't get on the C.

It's not worth walking the block at Herald Square to the F train. Do take the E train towards Uptown/Queens. The 7th Ave station is the third stop (5th Ave is the fourth stop) after Penn, so you should get off there.

As a direction identifier once you're above ground, traffic on 7th Ave runs downtown (south), so walking against traffic will put you in the right direction.

***
If you decide to take the subway from Jamaica, the E at rush hour is better than the F (express vs. local). Heading into Manhattan from Queens, you want to be towards the front of the train (2nd car from the front, to be exact), which will put you as far west as possible when you exit the 5th Ave subway station. When you exit that station, you will be on 53rd Street in between 5th and 6th Aves. Walk in the same direction as the car traffic to 6th Ave and turn right to go uptown to 57th Street. (You can even cut through the MoMA from 53rd to 54th Street - good to know if it's raining!)

ggreen: Thanks for your input. I think your and Doug's suggestion is simpler since the actual trip is shorter, not having any stops along the route. But how do you know that the 4:22p is an express? I couldn't tell that on the LIRR schedules page. If that's the case, it seems I would be at Penn Sta. before 5pm which is great. On the other hand, on the E from Sutphin Blvd., I wouln't have to make any changes and would end up at the same subway station. All in all, all these considerations have been so useful and have gotten me away from SuperShuttle.

It is kind of "six of one, half dozen of another" as far as LIRR + subway or just subway goes; it's up to you what you end up feeling is the best option, and you can decide that once you're on the ground! I think that LIRR will be faster, less nerve-wracking, more money... (Re nerve-wracking: IMO there's not much worse than running late for an appt and watching those subway doors close and reopen, close and reopen... Been there, done that! ;) )

From the link I gave you, the 4:22 shows hyphens across all the stops except Jamaica and Penn Station, meaning that it doesn't stop at Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, or Woodside. (You have to scroll back up to the top of the list to see those headings; also all times are on a 12-hour clock, so make sure you scroll down past where it says "Afternoon and Evening Service" for the appropriate train times.) In the Penn Station column on the far right, it says the 4:22 out of Jamaica arrives at 4:41; it should be fairly accurate unless there's a transportation meltdown like we had with the rainstorm a few weeks ago(!). At any rate, according to the LIRR schedule, even the next few trains after that will get you into Penn by 5pm, extra stops and all.

BTW, the subway from Penn to 7th Ave should take about 7 minutes once you're on the train; use hopstop.com to get a more accurate timeframe.

Not to jinx you(!). But if you get to your destination early, there are plenty of shops you can pop into to cool off before walking into your appointment. And if you feel you need a mirror, there are probably some in the Duane Reade drugstore on the SE corner of 6th and 56th! :D

ggreen: Thanks for the additional info. I've now located the LIRR schedule area that clearly states the express info and more. If everything goes well, I should be there in good time. If not, well, those things happen and having all of this support and information about the NYC system will make that bearable. The worse thing for me is to be in a confusing situation with no knowledge. At this point, I think I will probably make the subway vs. LIRR decision right there on the AirTrain platform, but the straight-thru approach seems the best for me right now.

I'll have to get back to everyone when I get home.

I totally agree that the worst is not knowing what the situation is - and that now that you know, it's a decision you can make once you're here in NYC.

Good luck with everything!

Hi Rusty, I don't know if you'll check this post again before your trip... But I happened to have time to kill at Jamaica station yesterday, and decided to check out the AirTrain terminal (because of this thread!). So here are a few more details for you:

<b>AirTrain Terminal</b>
- AirTrain ticket is $5. At the Jamaica end (and so I assume also at the other end), there is a row of ticket machines that sell both AirTrain tickets and Metrocards (what you use for the subway).
- The AirTrain appears to be two cars long; if you can, get in the front car. When you get off, walk past the front of the train, down a short corridor and through the ticket &quot;gates&quot;.
- The exit to LIRR and subway is at the end of this area on your left. If you haven't purchased one yet, on the right of the ticket gates is the bank of Metrocard vending machines.
- If you opt to take the LIRR, there is one ticket vending machine on the left immediately outside the doorway between the AirTrain and LIRR. (There is also a ticket lobby downstairs; see below.) Tickets are much more expensive if you have to buy them on the train.

<b>Jamaica Station</b>
- The way Jamaica station is set up, the AirTrain terminal is on one side adjacent to the LIRR tracks; the connection to the subway is on the far side of the LIRR station. Being a monorail, AirTrain arrives at the second story level, where there is a walkway perpendicular to the AirTrain terminal, above all the LIRR tracks, connecting them. Escalators and stairs go down to the LIRR platforms.
- There's an automated conveyor &quot;people mover&quot; on the walkway, but it's a little out of the way, so it's usually faster just to walk!
- In the middle of the elevated LIRR walkway, there's a snack stand with cold drinks, chips, etc. (and these pouches of surprisingly good &quot;two-bite&quot; brownies LOL; look to the right behind the vendor).
- Westbound LIRR trains (i.e., to Penn Station) depart from tracks 1-3, on the far side away from the AirTrain.
- Connection to the subway is also on the far side away from the AirTrain; follow the signs.
- To get to the subway and also to the main ticket lobby, cross to the far side of the elevated walkway and take the elevator down to the specified floor.

---
So now my BF really knows I'm nuts. Or maybe he was just happy that I had a distraction while we had to wait for our train. (I certainly was less cranky than usual about the wait! LOL) At any rate, I'm now convinced that my Fodor's addiction is full-fledged... ;)

From ggreen's great description: &lt;&lt; AirTrain ticket is $5. At the Jamaica end (and so I assume also at the other end), there is a row of ticket machines that sell both AirTrain tickets and Metrocards (what you use for the subway).&gt;&gt;

Actually, there are no ticket machines &quot;at the other end.&quot; When you leave the airport via AirTrain, you just get on without paying anything. It's only when you get off--at the parking lots or LIRR and subway connections--that you pay. You're paying to get out, since to do so you must go through a turnstile. (It can seem a bit odd to figure out how to buy a MetroCard AFTER riding the AirTrain, especially if you're not getting on the subway afterward.)

Hope this helps someone. . .

Thanks for the explanation, ellenem! That does seem really odd to me, especially since as you say, you have to go through the turnstiles before you reach the vending machines. But it does help to explain the large &quot;Welcome to JFK International Airport&quot; sign over the turnstiles!

Oh and one other detail for anyone taking the AirTrain to get to a flight at JFK: There is a bank of monitors on the wall opposite the Metrocard machines that list all departures for the day and their status. We were impressed! ;)

There are machines and I think even a booth for buying a MetroCard on both sides of the turnstiles at Jamaica--'inside' and 'outside'--but none at the airport end. Since a traveler might be using the AirTrain within the airport to get from one terminal to another, there is no charge to do so and therefore no turnstiles to pass through. You're only charged for making the longer trip out of the airport.

I did see the booth yesterday, but it wasn't in operation on a Sunday. There were two or three red-coated MTA employees assisting passengers at the vending machines.

I heard one man complain to his young son that the five dollars was a &quot;ripoff&quot;. That surprised me; IMO the AirTrain is a welcome improvement to the other modes of airport transportation! :)

The trip was a big success due in great part to the outstanding advice I received here in this thread. Thanks so much to ggreen and ellenem, and to Doug Stallings of Fodors for getting it off to a good start. Your latter info about the AirTrain could be published it's so good. I didn't see it before leaving but came to a lot of the same conclusions. I made my decision at the last moment to take the E subway because it seemed that I was making such good time. It was fun and worked quite well. I made it to the meeting in ample time. I would have also done well on LIRR too, I'm sure. I had already booked SuperShuttle for the return and stayed with that but the reverse of the E and AirTrain would have been good too and cheaper. The SS was a roller coaster, all through Queens with a very aggresive driver in rush hour. I'll be returning in October and am looking forward to being an expert this time. Incidentally, I had two people stop me for help/directions and I came through. I felt funny about it but they seemed lost and I thought I knew the answers. Thanks again.

Rusty: About how long do you think the E-train trip into Manhattan took?

Glad your connections worked so well!

Rusty, thanks for the compliments! I'm glad we could help.

You must have had an air of confidence and ease in your surroundings for others to ask for your assistance. Sounds like you came through! :)

Regarding how long it took, as best as I can recall, the ride on AirTrain was minimal, probably 15-20 minutes including the short wait. The E took about 50 minutes but it seemed shorter. We only paused once at a station for approx. 3 minutes. Other than that, it was constant motion. Both trains had plenty of seats available but the cars weren't empty so I got a chance to people watch, without being intrusive or staring. And yes, I may have looked the part of a local since by that time all the maps were in my brain. I'm not ready to go mapless, though; the next time I'm in New York (Oct.) I'll be there for five weeks. I'm intending to learn a lot about NYC. I got started a few months ago on this after watching (via NetFlix) the Ric Burns PBS documentary on New York done in 2000-2001. I was totally fascinated and shocked that I knew so little of the actual history of NYC.

That's awesome - five weeks in NYC! Trust me, I know very few NYers who don't refer to maps. The difference between a &quot;tourist&quot; and a local is how you reference the map: standing on a street corner with the entire thing unfolded in your hands is a sign you've never really looked at it before! ;)

When you're here, some good places for NYC history are:
- NY Historical Society, adjacent to Natural History Museum on the Upper West Side. Shows are often colonial-era history, and usually well curated. (I was amazed at how little NY Revolutionary history I actually knew when seeing a related show there.)
- Museum of the City of NY, north of the Met Museum on 5th Ave; and the Museo del Barrio next door. Good smaller shows at both places.
- NY Skyscraper Museum in lower Manhattan. Interesting perspective on the city, along the lines of the Burns documentary in its focus on buildings and the economy...
- Queens Museum, near Shea Stadium. Housed in one of the buildings built for the two World's Fairs held there. Good temporary exhibits, and the permanent collection of World's Fair artifacts and history is quite interesting.

Well, this certainly doesn't pertain to the JFK commute any more. I'm sure you'll create a new post if you have questions ahead of your trip! :)

Those are great museum suggestions. I'll be sure to go to those. You're right - we should be in a different thread since we conquered the original theme/problem, but it's been fun. I'm very impressed with Fodor's; I had already read their NYC 2007 book and marked it all up. And I'm so indebted to you all for getting me this far. And I'll keep my map folded neatly, just like New Yorkers do their newspaper on the crowded subways, I think. Thanks again.

Arriving JFK at 6:15 next Fri. With luggage. Should we take a cab or air train to Central Park south?

If you don't want the hassle of taking your luggage on the Airtrain, then take a cab. It will cost about $60 ($45 plus toll plus tip). However, that's going to be a very busy night in Manhattan, so the trip may take you a long time.

If you want to save time, take the Airtrain to Penn Station and then a cab from there.

But just to give you an idea of traffic in Manhattan right now, I went by cab from 39th/Park to Columbus Circle on Saturday night, and the trip took 30 minutes. It only takes 5 minutes longer to walk.