LaGuardia to Manhattan
 

Can anyone recommend the best way to get from LaGuardia to the north part of Greenwich Village? My flight arrives at 8:00 A.M. Really dont' want to pay for a taxi all the way in if I don't have to unless its just too confusing otherwise.
Also, I'll be staying by myself in NYC for 3 days. Don't want to spend a fortune eating out. Any recommendations for some interesting yet reasonable ethnic restaurants in the Greenwich/Little Italy area?
Thanks a lot!
Bob

LGA is not that far from Manhattan. Since you're arriving in rush hour, a taxi which is normally ~ $30 could get pricey. I'd order a car service for a flat price and make use of the $4 off coupon on their website.
carmellimo.com

or you could use the Airport Express bus service to one of their stops (ie Grand Central, Penn station etc.) but since you're not staying near any of their stops, imo it's not worth considering.

You could take one of the shared van services for $13. Here's one
http://www.airlinknyc.com/fares.html


There are tons of eating options in the village. Stay away from Little Italy unless you want to eat with the other tourists.

John's pizzeria is famous in the village. Ottto's at 1 Fifth Ave. is another pizzeria that's trendier. La Lanterna is another good one with live jazz next door.
http://menupages.com/restaurantdetai...mp;cuisineid=0

A Salt & Battery for fish n chips
http://menupages.com/restaurantdetai...mp;cuisineid=0

Here's a link to NY magazine's cheap eats guide by neighborhood
http://nymag.com/restaurants/article.../manhattan.htm

The only problem with the SuperShuttle is that it goes to so many hotels that it can take forever. You could take the shuttle bus to Port Authority and then take the subway rom there - assuming you don;t have much luggage (due to stairs and long passageways).

If you have substantial luggage (more than you can carry on your shoulder) I agree to take the car service.

If you like Indian food and don't mind taking a little walk, there is a whole block filled with really great indian food. Panna II (http://www.thisplaceiknow.com/place_view.cfm?placeID=34) is my favorite out of all of them.

East or West Village? That will make a difference with rec's. (Since you also say Little Italy, do you mean East Village?)

The Village has a ton of good, cheap places to eat - you could do worse than wander around near where you're staying and check out a few! :)

I'm staying at the Larchmont Hotel at 27 West 11th St. From the map I saw it looks like its in the northern part of the Village. Any suggestions around there?

There are tons of restaurants in the area, and you will be tripping over them as you walk around the area. Most will have their menus posted in the windows so you will have tons of options.

For desert a must is Veniero's which is close to your hotel on 11th and 1st Ave.

Have a great time while you are here.

no one has mentioned sharing a taxi. i do it all the time. there are always a number of business people or single travelers at the laguardia taxi ranks looking to share a taxi -- which cuts the cost to about $12 or 15. i often share them with women who feel safer than by themselves. i guess i look pretty harmless.

The cheapest way to get into Manhattan from LaGuardia is the M60 bus. If you are staying at the Larchmont, you take the 4,5,or 6 train at 125th Street and get off at Union Square. The Larchmont is still a 10-minute walk from there. If you don't have luggage, this is the cheapest way ($2, payable in change only -- no bills).

If you want to take the NY Airport Service bus for $10 or $11, then get off at Grand Central and take the same subway downtown. This is half the cost of a taxi.

I personally don't like sharing cabs, but many people do.

As far as restaurants go, there are a lot of restaurants on 6th Avenue (west of where you're staying) and around the Union Square area (east of where you're staying). I like Republic for asian food on Union Square, Patsy's for pizza on University Place at 11th St., and the Cedar Taver, also on University Place, has good burgers and is open late.

You'll be between 5th and 6th Aves: 5th in that area is pretty and residential, just a few blocks north of Washington Square Park and its arch. 6th Ave is commercial, with decent cheap eats all along it.

For a quick breakfast, try Murrays Bagels on the east side of the street between 12th and 13th. Bar Six next door is a good place for a drink at the bar: a French bistro with a downtown attitude. If you want Indian, IMO Baluchi's on 6th Ave and approx. 7th Street is better than the overhyped fare on "Little India" East 6th Street. The Japanese noodle shop nearby is also tasty and not too expensive.

The areas south and either east or west of your hotel are chock-a-block full of restaurants, bars and shops. The immediate vicinity is New School/ Parsons territory, overlapping with the large NYU area, so there is no shortage of cheap eats! The restaurants on University Place are especially good in this regard. The East Village (east of Broadway) has great inexpensive restaurants and trendy spots.

If you don't always want to eat out, the Food Emporium supermarket is pricey for groceries, but good for its upscale premade food. Even better is Citarella on 6th Ave and about 9th Street. Life Thyme is a great natural foods market. You'll also be very close to Union Square with its famous farmers market and the restaurants that ring the park.

menupages.com is a great resource for investigating by neighborhood, price range, etc.!

* * *
As far as transportation, if you don't have a ton of bags, I would suggest a combination of private bus to Penn Station (or Port Authority) plus NYC subway. By the time you get to Penn, most of rush hour will be over, and you will only be on the subway for 2-3 stops:

Take the Airport Express bus to Penn, then you have two options for the subway:
- Preferred route - take the A,C,E ("blue" lines) downtown to West 4th Street. [This stop is on 6th Ave. To get your bearings, traffic runs uptown (towards the north) on 6th Ave.] If you are in the back of the train, the exit will put you half a block south of West 8th Street, and thus 3 1/2 blocks from your hotel. Walk up 6th Ave and turn right on 11th St.
- Or, take the 1,2,3 ("red" lines) downtown to 14th Street. [This stop is on 7th Ave. Traffic on 7th Ave runs downtown/south.] Exit the station and walk east one block to 6th Ave, turn right, cross 6th Ave, and walk down to 11th Street. (Note avenue blocks are longer than street blocks, so both options will be about the same distance. Also, 14th Street can be very busy.)

* I just saw Doug's post. I have to say, I don't recommend the M60: it takes quite a while, plus the schlepp all the way down from 125th Street. If cost is the most imporant thing to you though, this is definitely an option.

Also, note that I have suggested you use the west-side subways. This is in part due to the fact that right now there is a lot of construction around the south-western end of Union Square, specifically the block of University Place and 14th Street. There is also scaffolding on 5th Ave betw. 13th and 14th and again on the north side of that intersection of 14th Street, and all along 13th Street betw. 5th & 6th Aves. This makes it awkward navigating in this area, so with luggage in an unfamiliar neighborhood, it could be frustrating!

Hope this helps. Good luck and have fun! :)

4 options:

1. taxi
2. car service
www.dial7.com
3. shuttle to midtown hotels or Grand Central or Port Authority ... but then you'd have to get to your B&B
4. public transportation ... M60 bus to 125th Street, subway south

Take a taxi or reserve a car if you want to pay with credit card. The price is the same. The other options are a waste of time just to save a few bucks.

Restaurants? Hundreds of options. Do a search of this forum, see New York magazine's excellent website, or don't worry about it until you arrive -- you'll have dozens of great choices right outside your door.

Enjoy NYC!

Doug -

I know you always reco taking the M60 bus and the subway from LGA to the city.

This is not a terrible idea if you're a poor student, every penny matters and you have just one small carry-on (as in shoulder not rollie) bag.

But for adults with any amount of luggage the trip is actually quite onerous and can take forever - depending on traffic, weather etc.

One example:

The husband of a friend of mine is very thrifty - actually incredibly cheap and when going out to dinner everyone else has to put extra in the tip to make up for him. The family was going to FL to visit in-laws. My friend called a car service - which she and the 3 kids took.

He - in protest, since he thought the car service was too much - took the subway and M30 route to LGA from the upper west side. He left almost 3 hours before the flight. First there was a delay on the subway, then the bus didn't come. HE DID NOT GET TO THE AIRPORT ON TIME - and was still in a long security line when the plane, with my friend and the 3 kids, took off. Her father picked them up at the airport - about 40 miles from the parents house.

Her husband had to pay big $ extra to get on the next flight - and then another huge amount to get a cab to her parents house (her elderly father wouldn't do the drive twice).

IMHO there is no way the time/trouble of this trip is worth it unless you are essentially bankrupt and have unlimited time. And I think it does tourists a disservice to present it to them as a viable option.

In April, we loved the wine list (and the many bottles of wine), but thought the food at Otto, with the exception of the very creative appetizers, quite mediocre.
M (SMdA, Gto.)

I must disagree about Otto. I've dined there <i>numerous</i> times and the food has been consistently excellent (although, I must disclose, I always order one of Mario's extraordinary &quot;designer&quot; pizzas for my entree).

Service can be slow, and 2 hour waits for a table are not uncommon, a testimony to the cuisine in my opinion.

i love otto's, for pizza mainly, but always call for a reservation which you can do just an hour or two before going. beats waiting after you get there.

Hi Bob, could you tell us your expereinces at Larchmont? Also, the restaurants around there. I reserved a room there for 4 nights in March due to good reviews in TA. Thank you.

We always take taxis from airports in NYC.
Otherwise, once in the city, we walk or use the subway.
Walking in Manhattan is a bit of a joke as we live at 6800 ft in the mountains of central Mexico.
M

Taxis FROM the airport to anywhere in Manhattan are a flat rate of $45. A car service is nicer, but will cost more-ours was $100. TO the airport is metered, but I think the car service is cheaper-ours was $65 to the airport from Manhattan.

<i>Taxis FROM the airport to anywhere in Manhattan are a flat rate of $45. </i>

I've been in NYC several times in the last few months and all of my LGA-Manhattan taxi rides were on the meter and all less than $45--the lowest at around $20 plus tip.

Yeah, it's definitely NOT a flat rate from LaGuardia to Manhattan. From LGA to my apartment is usually around $35.