Next month I'll have an 11 hour layover at JFK on my way to Italy. I know I won't get to see much, but I'd like to take a trip into the city as I've never been to NYC before. Maybe see Times Square or the Statue of Liberty. We should land at 8 am and will be leaving again at 7 pm.

Has anyone done this before? I see that there is luggage storage in terminals 1 & 4. We will most likely use whichever is closer to us for our carry-on bags so we don't have to take them into the city. According to the JFK website, it seems we'll be in terminal 3 (flying delta). Since we'll have to return to the airport, retrieve our carry-ons and then go thru security does 4 hours seem an appropriate amount of time to accomplish this? If we stay in NYC until 3 pm should we be able to catch our 7 pm plane?

I was advised by a friend that I should take a taxi each way. But I worry that traffic might slow us down. Would the subway/train be a better idea?

TIA for any help!

What day of the week?

If your flight "lands" at 8 am, it's conceivabel that you won't be free to start moving toward Manhattan until 9 am. Allow 30-45 minutes by taxi, an hour or more by public transit, to reach Manhattan.

What will you do with your luggage?

When you say "leaving again at 7 pm," is 7 pm your flight's departure time? If yes, keep in mind that you should be headed back to JFK no later than 3:30-4:00 pm in order to check in for your international flight.

So, perhaps you have 10am-3:30pm, 5-6 hours to see something of Manhattan.

You could see Times Square and get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty across the harbor. I'd head to midtown (by taxi or AirTrain/E train to 53rd St) and walk around Rockefeller Center, walk down Fifth Ave to the public library at 42nd St, walk over to Times Square, grab lunch somewhere along the way. Then take the subway to Battery Park and look at the Statue of Liberty across the harbor. Then walk up Broadway past Trinity Church and Wall St. Then catch the A train at nearby Fulton St station to head back the airport.

For a first-timer, I think ellenem's plan is a good one -- the only thing I would do a little differently (just stretching the mid-town portion) is I'd walk up Fifth Avenue to Central Park (59th Street) instead of or in addition to down Fifth Avenue to 42sd Street - reason: all the good window shopping (Saks, Tiffany's, Bergdorf, etc.). Or both if there's time

If budget is not an issue you could hire a car/guide to pick you up, drive you around the city and take you back. http://www.strusserslimousineservice.com/index.php

If your plane lands at 8am (and is on time - may be dicey depending on where you're flying in from and the weather there) you should be able to get through the airport, check yuor luggage and be in the city by about 10 am (if lucky) or 11 (if not).

You will not have time to visit the Statue of Liberty, since this requires advance ferry tickets and takes 5 to 6 hours for the whole process. You can take a free Staten Island ferry (every 15 minutes or so) and see the Statue from a distance and agreat view of the city skyline on the way back.

You can also spend 15 minutes in Times Square (what it's worth), ascend the Top of the Rock (get timed advance tickets), have a decent lunch and perhaps walk around some. (This will depend on the weather - you may be lucky and get a warm day or you may get snow/slush.)

If you leave by 3 you should be back in time to pick up you luggage, take the Air Train back to your terminal and check in.

If weather is OK cab and subway will probbly be abuot the same time. If weather is bad subway will be faster.