first trip to nyc. to get from la guardia to midtown,is it better to hail a taxi or pre arrange a car? will be arriving 1900. as we are touring city is it more efficient to take taxis or subway. thanks for your input

Cabs are readily available at Laguardia. The advantage to a limo is that he'll greet you inside the terminal, which will save you carrying your luggage a longer distance.
Once you're in the city, the subway and buses are definitely the way to go, except late at night.

Hi, was in NYC three weeks ago & took a shuttle bus from la guardia to midtown for $17. per person, each way. By doing so, you also get to see some of the other hotels when other passengers are dropped off, if that interests you at all. There is a service desk near baggage claim with all the information & workers who can answer questions & make arrangements.

Your cheapest bet will be to find an airport shuttle bus to midtown. Otherwise, it's very easy to find taxis at La Guardia and so its not necessary to pre-arrange a car.

As for getting around, try to cover everything in the midtown Manhattan area on foot. If you're going further, nowadays the subways are pretty safe, and just $1.50 per trip. I'd recommend taking a taxi only if you're travelling rather late at night.

Since you said "we," meaning there's more than one of you coming, a cab would be cheaper than the shuttle bus.

We did something stupid recently and I should have known better. We had tickets to the Lion King for the night that we arrived in NYC through La Guardia. You guessed it, the plane was 3 hours late and we missed the show. A word to the wise.

Two or more people (up to four) in your party a taxi is the best way to go. If you are going to the midtown area a taxi would probably be a dollar or two less than a car service. Subway for getting around the city. Subway generally better than a bus since there are no traffic problems to deal with.

this was my first time travel talk. thank you so much for your helpful ideas.

I would highly recommend using the subway as much as possible for transportation. My wife and I used it for the first time last week and it is definitely the cheapest and fastest way to go. We even felt very safe riding it in the evenings. It is also pretty simple to navigate once you get a feel for it. When we were unsure, New Yorkers were very helpful when we would ask for help and many even volunteered directions without us asking. New Yorkers definitely get a bad rap when it comes to their stereotypical image - everyone we met(other than cab drivers) was very nice and very helpful.