What is my best bet of getting from LaGuardia to Midtown, cab, shuttle, train etc? What is the general cab cost?

I think the best way to go is cab--I always do. Depending on the time of day and your destination in Manhattan, it will be $20-30. It is definitely the way to go if you have more than one person. The subway doesn't go to LGA, and the city buss is very slow and has nowhere for luggage. The shuttle is ~$12, but you share it with others, so who knows how long it will take you to get in. A cab should take about 25-25 minutes if its not rush hour.

I live here and I took the subway once and I would never do it again. Yellow cabs generally run about $25 and deliver you to your door. Have a great trip!

Take the Super Shuttle. $15 and lets you off at Grand Central.

Supershuttle will take you door to door (anywhere in manhattan that is), but you may have to make several stops for other passengers which will add to the trip time.

I always like taking the Carey Airport buses. Only $10 from LaGuardia to midtown. Their website is www.groundnet.com/carey
I feel like it's a nice introduction to the city; the drivers are usually nice; and you DON'T have to put up with some really weird Manhattan cab drivers (sorry NY'ers, but we have weird ones in Chicago but yours are worse!).

Don't be a chump -- take a cab, unless your time is worth absolutely nothing. And, of course, if you're not traveling alone, a cab is as inexpensive or less so than a slow sad bus (cab fares do not change based on the # of passengers).

Another vote for a taxi. If you can afford a plane ticket, you can afford a taxi ride into Midtown.

If you're traveling alone with minimal luggage and either Grand Central or Port Authority terminal are convenient stops for you... taking the correct shuttle bus is as fast as a cab (after all, they do drive on exactly the same roads to reach Manhattan). Cabs don't have some special dispensation that gets them into the city faster buit with two or more people they are as cheap as the shuttle and more convenient. Just be sure to avoid the shuttles that stop at a variety of hotels. Unless you're lucky enough tio be one of the first to be let off it can become very time-consuming. I took a shuttle to and from LaGuardia recently and assure you I did not feel like a chump. I also saved somewhere between $35 and $40 total on the round trip. That works for me.

å shuttle bus and a taxi *o not necessarily use the same roads. The shuttle bus is not allowed to use the Grand Central Parkway. A cab driver generally uses the parkway for a portion of the trip.

I stand corrected on cabs and shuttles not using the same roads. Perhaps I was fortunate when I rode the shuttle - it was about the same elapsed trip time as a cab in both directions bubt I was not riding at rush hour in either direction.

Reasonable,question. Personally, I usually take a cab to save time and energy (not waiting for a bus, waiting for other drop-offs, etc). No real train options (NYC airports are way behind other cities/countries on this one!)
But, I don't agree that
"If you can afford a plane ticket, you can afford a taxi ride into Midtown"
Most of us splurge on some things and scrimp on others when we travel. Sometimes you stay in a cheap hotel and have expensive meals, sometimes you spend the money on a nice hotel and eat cheaply. Airport transportation in most cities is a place where you can often save big bucks relatively painlessly, so why not?

Note to JD - NYC area is finally catching up. The free airport monorail at Newark Airport now goes direct to an airport trains station for transfer to Amtrak or NJ Transit. Total time of ride into Mahattan's Penn Station is less than 25 minutes and just over $11. It's about time!

We'll have 2 adults/3kids leaving LGA for midtown on a Thursday at noon. Is traffic bad at this time? Do cabs always enforce limit of 4/taxi? We really don't want to split up the group. If we took the shuttle instead, do you have to make a reservation?

Perhaps the biggest travel mistake of my entire life was taking the Super Shuttle from LGA to our hotel, the Marriott Marquis. I'm not sure what possessed me, but I guess I thought it was a budget move. It cost about $15 each, or $30 for the two of us. After waiting for the bus at LGA while everyone else was whipping away in taxis, the bus finally came and then eventually dropped us off at Grand Central Station where we waited another 20 minutes for our other bus to our hotel. We then got caught up in early evening traffic while we stopped at four or five other hotels. I thought we'd never get to our hotel, and surely would miss our evening curtain. Later when I realized that a taxi directly to our hotel would have actually cost us about $5.00 less, I was really upset. If you are traveling alone and time is unimportant to you, then yes, take a shuttle. Otherwise if there are two of you, or you feel your time is worth anything at all, just be smart and take a taxi.

Regarding the 4 people only rule, some cabbies ignore the rule, particularly when children are involved. But even if you must take 2 cabs, it's still better than a shuttle (and less expensive anyway). Take a cab or two -- you'll be much happier.

Most cab drivers will take five if children are involved. There is an option that would be less expensive than a shuttle and costs about the same as a taxi - a car service. You call in advance for pick up. The cars are usually larger than taxis and more comfortable.