Info: taking the subway between JFK airport and Manhattan, N

This message updates a USENET message thread I initiated almost
exactly one
year ago concerning how to take the train to and from Manhattan from
JFK
airport. This message is optimized for travelers who intend to stay at
the
Hostelling International (HI) hostel at 103rd and Amsterdam on the
Upper
West Side, but the directions should work for anyone headed to
Manhattan.
None of this is rocket science, but I've tried to point out a couple
of
confusing "gotchas" that I've hit in the last two trips.



The short story is that it now costs about $7 to go each way between
JFK and
Manhattan. Transit time is about 1.5 hours. It appears a free shuttle
between JFK and the Howard Beach stop is not running anymore, so the
trip is
$5 more each way than it was a year ago. IMHO, the ease of this trip
makes
the train a much better option than wasting money on cabs.



I understand there may be a faster option involving the Long Island
Railroad; if anyone wants to advise me I'll try it out on my next
trip.



FROM JFK to MANHATTAN

Exit the terminal, cross the street, and follow the signs up to the
"Airtrain". Buy a $5 airtrain card; ignore the "unlimited"
metro/airtrain
card unless you plan to travel to Manhattan very frequently.



If you're staying awhile, consider going to the machine that sells
week-long
Metro passes for $21 or monthly passes for ~$70. Note that you need
to go
to a special card machine to buy the weekly/monthly pass.



Pick up a subway map for reference.



Ride the airtrain to the Howard Beach subway station.



Catch the "A" train marked "FaR Rockaway". Do NOT get on any A train
marked
"Lefferts Boulevard."



Ride for a long while (about an hour) to Manhattan. At the 59 Street
(Columbus Circle) stop, get off. If you're heading to HI international
on
103rd and Amsterdam, transfer to the "1", headed uptown.



Take the "1" local. Get off at the 103rd Street exit. Walk one block
to
Amsterdam and you're at the hostel.



FROM MANHATTAN TO JFK



If you're at the Hostelling International hostel on 103rd, go to the
103rd
subway station and take the "1 local" heading downtown.



Pick up a subway map for reference before starting your trip through
the
subway.



Get off at the 59th Street (Columbus Circle) exit. Find the "A" Train
platform and wait for a train heading to "FaR Rockaway," NOT
"Leffert's
Boulevard." Note that the signage here is very confusing: on most
subway
platforms, the placement of the labels on the left or the right tracks
indicates what train is going where, but that's not the case here.
Catch any
train heading to "FaR Rockaway" regardless of whether it seems like
it's on
the "wrong" side relative to the signage.



Ride the train for about an hour.



When you reach the "Howard Beach/JFK" stop, exit.



Take the "Airtrain" to your terminal. You can figure out which
terminal you
need to go to by looking at the information posted on the inside of
the
train: it lists airlines with their corresponding terminal numbers. If
you'
re going on American Airlines, you'll want to get off at Terminal 8/9.
--multiplaza.nl.nu--

There are a few mistakes in the directions, as well as some missed
opportunities. All are noted below within the relevant text.

On 30 Jul 2004 05:26:02 GMT, .no-spam.invalid (Anonymous) wrote:

This message updates a USENET message thread I initiated almost exactly one
year ago concerning how to take the train to and from Manhattan from JFK
airport. This message is optimized for travelers who intend to stay at the
Hostelling International (HI) hostel at 103rd and Amsterdam on the Upper
West Side, but the directions should work for anyone headed to Manhattan.
None of this is rocket science, but I've tried to point out a couple of
confusing "gotchas" that I've hit in the last two trips.

The short story is that it now costs about $7 to go each way between JFK and
Manhattan. Transit time is about 1.5 hours. It appears a free shuttle
between JFK and the Howard Beach stop is not running anymore, so the trip is
$5 more each way than it was a year ago. IMHO, the ease of this trip makes
the train a much better option than wasting money on cabs.

For frugal travelers, one can travel between JFK and Manhattan for
$2.00 if one already has a MetroCard, or $3.00 otherwise. Details
below.

I understand there may be a faster option involving the Long Island
Railroad; if anyone wants to advise me I'll try it out on my next trip.

Details below.

FROM JFK to MANHATTAN

Exit the terminal, cross the street, and follow the signs up to the
"Airtrain". Buy a $5 airtrain card; ignore the "unlimited" metro/airtrain
card unless you plan to travel to Manhattan very frequently.

If you're staying awhile, consider going to the machine that sells week-long
Metro passes for $21 or monthly passes for ~$70. Note that you need to go
to a special card machine to buy the weekly/monthly pass.

Pick up a subway map for reference.

Tese vending machines and subway maps are not available at the airline
terminal stations, but rather at the Howard Beach Airtrain station.

Ride the airtrain to the Howard Beach subway station.

Now that you're at Howard Beach, but the appropriate ticket(s). Buy a
$7 MetroCard for a single ride between JFK and Manhattan, and then use
the turnstiles on the left-hand side of the information booth to go
directly from the Airtrain part of the station to the subway part of
the station. In the alternative, buy both a $5 MetroCard and an
unlimited-use MetroCard (1-day $7, 7-days $21, 30-days $70). Use the
$5 MetroCard to exit the Airtrain part of the station using the
turnstiles on the right-hand side of the information booth. Turn left
and then use the unlimited-use MetroCard to enter the subway part of
the station.

Catch the "A" train marked "FaR Rockaway". Do NOT get on any A train marked
"Lefferts Boulevard."

Do NOT get on a train marked "Far Rockaway" for it will take you in
the wrong direction. There should NOT be any trains at Howard Beach
station marked "Lefferts Boulevard," so that should pose no problem.

Instead, get on an "A" train marked "Manhattan" or "Inwood." These
trains go directly into Manhattan.

Ride for a long while (about an hour) to Manhattan. At the 59 Street
(Columbus Circle) stop, get off. If you're heading to HI international on
103rd and Amsterdam, transfer to the "1", headed uptown.

During the day, when the "A" train runs express, the ride from Howard
Beach to 59 Street will take 50 minutes. Not very many trains operate
from the Howard Beach station, so you may also need to wait up to 20
minutes at the Howard Beach station before the train arrives.

Take the "1" local. Get off at the 103rd Street exit. Walk one block to
Amsterdam and you're at the hostel.

Most frugal route from JFK to Manhattan:

Skip Airtrain entirely and instead board the Q10 bus in front of any
airline terminal at JFK. The fare is $1.00 (except during rush hours
when it is $1.50), payable in coin(s) only. Ride to the last stop, 80
Road and Kew Gardens Road in Kew Gardens, Queens. There's a subway
station at that corner (Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens station), and for
$2.00 more you will be able to get either the "E" or the "F" train
express into Manhattan. For further information on this route, call
(718) 995-4700.

Quickest route from JFK to Manhattan:

Ride the Airtrain from JFK to the Jamaica station. You'll need to buy
a $5 MetroCard upon arrival to exit at Jamaica. Then change at Jamaica
to the Long Island Rail Road into Penn Station, Manhattan. Trains to
Manhattan operate about every 10 to 20 minutes during the day, and the
ride takes about 20 minutes. A one-way ticket is $4.75 (except during
rush hours when it is $6.75). For further information on this route,
call (718) 217-5477.

FROM MANHATTAN TO JFK

If you're at the Hostelling International hostel on 103rd, go to the
103rd subway station and take the "1 local" heading downtown.

Pick up a subway map for reference before starting your trip through
the subway.

Get off at the 59th Street (Columbus Circle) exit. Find the "A" Train
platform and wait for a train heading to "Far Rockaway," NOT "Lefferts
Boulevard." Note that the signage here is very confusing: on most subway
platforms, the placement of the labels on the left or the right tracks
indicates what train is going where, but that's not the case here.
Catch any train heading to "Far Rockaway" regardless of whether it seems like
it's on the "wrong" side relative to the signage.

Ride the train for about an hour.

Closer to 48 minutes on an express train, plus up to a 20 minute wait
for the train to arrive.

When you reach the "Howard Beach/JFK" stop, exit.

Take the "Airtrain" to your terminal. You can figure out which terminal you
need to go to by looking at the information posted on the inside of the
train: it lists airlines with their corresponding terminal numbers. If
you're going on American Airlines, you'll want to get off at Terminal 8/9.

Frugal travelers will want to alight from the "1" train at Times
Square, and follow the signs for the "E" train to Jamaica, Queens.
Ride the train for about 25 minuntes, and get off at the Union
Turnpike-Kew Gardens station. Follow the signs for the Q10 bus, which
loads on Kew Gardens Road (at 80 Road), just outside the subway
station. Your MetroCard will give you a free transfer onto the bus,
which will then take you directly to all of the terminals at JFK.

There are a few mistakes in the directions, as well as some missed
opportunities. All are noted below within the relevant text.

On 30 Jul 2004 05:26:02 GMT, .no-spam.invalid (Anonymous) wrote:

This message updates a USENET message thread I initiated almost exactly one
year ago concerning how to take the train to and from Manhattan from JFK
airport. This message is optimized for travelers who intend to stay at the
Hostelling International (HI) hostel at 103rd and Amsterdam on the Upper
West Side, but the directions should work for anyone headed to Manhattan.
None of this is rocket science, but I've tried to point out a couple of
confusing "gotchas" that I've hit in the last two trips.

The short story is that it now costs about $7 to go each way between JFK and
Manhattan. Transit time is about 1.5 hours. It appears a free shuttle
between JFK and the Howard Beach stop is not running anymore, so the trip is
$5 more each way than it was a year ago. IMHO, the ease of this trip makes
the train a much better option than wasting money on cabs.

For frugal travelers, one can travel between JFK and Manhattan for
$2.00 if one already has a MetroCard, or $3.00 otherwise. Details
below.

I understand there may be a faster option involving the Long Island
Railroad; if anyone wants to advise me I'll try it out on my next trip.

Details below.

FROM JFK to MANHATTAN

Exit the terminal, cross the street, and follow the signs up to the
"Airtrain". Buy a $5 airtrain card; ignore the "unlimited" metro/airtrain
card unless you plan to travel to Manhattan very frequently.

If you're staying awhile, consider going to the machine that sells week-long
Metro passes for $21 or monthly passes for ~$70. Note that you need to go
to a special card machine to buy the weekly/monthly pass.

Pick up a subway map for reference.

Tese vending machines and subway maps are not available at the airline
terminal stations, but rather at the Howard Beach Airtrain station.

Ride the airtrain to the Howard Beach subway station.

Now that you're at Howard Beach, but the appropriate ticket(s). Buy a
$7 MetroCard for a single ride between JFK and Manhattan, and then use
the turnstiles on the left-hand side of the information booth to go
directly from the Airtrain part of the station to the subway part of
the station. In the alternative, buy both a $5 MetroCard and an
unlimited-use MetroCard (1-day $7, 7-days $21, 30-days $70). Use the
$5 MetroCard to exit the Airtrain part of the station using the
turnstiles on the right-hand side of the information booth. Turn left
and then use the unlimited-use MetroCard to enter the subway part of
the station.

Catch the "A" train marked "FaR Rockaway". Do NOT get on any A train marked
"Lefferts Boulevard."

Do NOT get on a train marked "Far Rockaway" for it will take you in
the wrong direction. There should NOT be any trains at Howard Beach
station marked "Lefferts Boulevard," so that should pose no problem.

Instead, get on an "A" train marked "Manhattan" or "Inwood." These
trains go directly into Manhattan.

Ride for a long while (about an hour) to Manhattan. At the 59 Street
(Columbus Circle) stop, get off. If you're heading to HI international on
103rd and Amsterdam, transfer to the "1", headed uptown.

During the day, when the "A" train runs express, the ride from Howard
Beach to 59 Street will take 50 minutes. Not very many trains operate
from the Howard Beach station, so you may also need to wait up to 20
minutes at the Howard Beach station before the train arrives.

Take the "1" local. Get off at the 103rd Street exit. Walk one block to
Amsterdam and you're at the hostel.

Most frugal route from JFK to Manhattan:

Skip Airtrain entirely and instead board the Q10 bus in front of any
airline terminal at JFK. The fare is $1.00 (except during rush hours
when it is $1.50), payable in coin(s) only. Ride to the last stop, 80
Road and Kew Gardens Road in Kew Gardens, Queens. There's a subway
station at that corner (Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens station), and for
$2.00 more you will be able to get either the "E" or the "F" train
express into Manhattan. For further information on this route, call
(718) 995-4700.

Quickest route from JFK to Manhattan:

Ride the Airtrain from JFK to the Jamaica station. You'll need to buy
a $5 MetroCard upon arrival to exit at Jamaica. Then change at Jamaica
to the Long Island Rail Road into Penn Station, Manhattan. Trains to
Manhattan operate about every 10 to 20 minutes during the day, and the
ride takes about 20 minutes. A one-way ticket is $4.75 (except during
rush hours when it is $6.75). For further information on this route,
call (718) 217-5477.

FROM MANHATTAN TO JFK

If you're at the Hostelling International hostel on 103rd, go to the
103rd subway station and take the "1 local" heading downtown.

Pick up a subway map for reference before starting your trip through
the subway.

Get off at the 59th Street (Columbus Circle) exit. Find the "A" Train
platform and wait for a train heading to "Far Rockaway," NOT "Lefferts
Boulevard." Note that the signage here is very confusing: on most subway
platforms, the placement of the labels on the left or the right tracks
indicates what train is going where, but that's not the case here.
Catch any train heading to "Far Rockaway" regardless of whether it seems like
it's on the "wrong" side relative to the signage.

Ride the train for about an hour.

Closer to 48 minutes on an express train, plus up to a 20 minute wait
for the train to arrive.

When you reach the "Howard Beach/JFK" stop, exit.

Take the "Airtrain" to your terminal. You can figure out which terminal you
need to go to by looking at the information posted on the inside of the
train: it lists airlines with their corresponding terminal numbers. If
you're going on American Airlines, you'll want to get off at Terminal 8/9.

Frugal travelers will want to alight from the "1" train at Times
Square, and follow the signs for the "E" train to Jamaica, Queens.
Ride the train for about 25 minuntes, and get off at the Union
Turnpike-Kew Gardens station. Follow the signs for the Q10 bus, which
loads on Kew Gardens Road (at 80 Road), just outside the subway
station. Your MetroCard will give you a free transfer onto the bus,
which will then take you directly to all of the terminals at JFK.

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 15:21:33 -0400, Lawrence Hughes
wrote:

[snip]
Most frugal route from JFK to Manhattan:

Skip Airtrain entirely and instead board the Q10 bus in front of any
airline terminal at JFK. The fare is $1.00 (except during rush hours
when it is $1.50), payable in coin(s) only.

But they also accept MetroCards.

Ride to the last stop, 80
Road and Kew Gardens Road in Kew Gardens, Queens.
[snip]

You can also get the A by getting off sooner, at the Lefferts Blvd.
stop on Liberty Av.

I intend to do this in reverse soon from Manhattan. Does anyone have
any idea how long the ride is from the A train at Lefferts Blvd. to
JFK on the Q10, or how often the bus runs? The Q10 is evidently a
private bus, and its schedule is not listed on the MTA's site.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 15:21:33 -0400, Lawrence Hughes
wrote:

[snip]
Most frugal route from JFK to Manhattan:

Skip Airtrain entirely and instead board the Q10 bus in front of any
airline terminal at JFK. The fare is $1.00 (except during rush hours
when it is $1.50), payable in coin(s) only.

But they also accept MetroCards.

Ride to the last stop, 80
Road and Kew Gardens Road in Kew Gardens, Queens.
[snip]

You can also get the A by getting off sooner, at the Lefferts Blvd.
stop on Liberty Av.

I intend to do this in reverse soon from Manhattan. Does anyone have
any idea how long the ride is from the A train at Lefferts Blvd. to
JFK on the Q10, or how often the bus runs? The Q10 is evidently a
private bus, and its schedule is not listed on the MTA's site.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 15:21:33 -0400, Lawrence Hughes
wrote:

[snip]
Most frugal route from JFK to Manhattan:

Skip Airtrain entirely and instead board the Q10 bus in front of any
airline terminal at JFK. The fare is $1.00 (except during rush hours
when it is $1.50), payable in coin(s) only.

But they also accept MetroCards.

Ride to the last stop, 80
Road and Kew Gardens Road in Kew Gardens, Queens.
[snip]

You can also get the A by getting off sooner, at the Lefferts Blvd.
stop on Liberty Av.

I intend to do this in reverse soon from Manhattan. Does anyone have
any idea how long the ride is from the A train at Lefferts Blvd. to
JFK on the Q10, or how often the bus runs? The Q10 is evidently a
private bus, and its schedule is not listed on the MTA's site.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 15:21:33 -0400, Lawrence Hughes
wrote:

[snip]
Most frugal route from JFK to Manhattan:

Skip Airtrain entirely and instead board the Q10 bus in front of any
airline terminal at JFK. The fare is $1.00 (except during rush hours
when it is $1.50), payable in coin(s) only.

But they also accept MetroCards.

Ride to the last stop, 80
Road and Kew Gardens Road in Kew Gardens, Queens.
[snip]

You can also get the A by getting off sooner, at the Lefferts Blvd.
stop on Liberty Av.

I intend to do this in reverse soon from Manhattan. Does anyone have
any idea how long the ride is from the A train at Lefferts Blvd. to
JFK on the Q10, or how often the bus runs? The Q10 is evidently a
private bus, and its schedule is not listed on the MTA's site.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.