10 hours connection at JFK, go to city?

Dutch Flyer wrote:
I'll be flying from JFK to Milan on Dec,15. Since I am landing at JFK at
8:35am and leaving for Milan at 6:25pm that gives me 10 hours between
flights. Since I have never been to Manhattan, I'd like to know if 10
hours (effectively 8 hours including the wait/customs at the airport?) is
enough to check out the city? I will only be carrying a small backpack so
I don't have to worrry about luggage. If this is possible, what is the
best way to go: subway, bus or taxi?

I am arriving to JFK with a local flight, how long do you think will it
take me to get out of the airport to the bus/subway/taxi and back to the
international gate for Milan?

Getting out of the airport is usually pretty quick. Figure at least an hour
to get to the city, and another hour to get back. Assuming you already have
your boarding pass for the flight to Milan, you don't need to get to the
airport too early - an hour is plenty. There is no outbound
immigration/customs process, so if you're already checked in, all you have
to do is go through security and get on the plane.

With any luck you should be able to spend 10am-4pm in town.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

Dutch Flyer wrote:
I'll be flying from JFK to Milan on Dec,15. Since I am landing at JFK at
8:35am and leaving for Milan at 6:25pm that gives me 10 hours between
flights. Since I have never been to Manhattan, I'd like to know if 10
hours (effectively 8 hours including the wait/customs at the airport?) is
enough to check out the city? I will only be carrying a small backpack so
I don't have to worrry about luggage. If this is possible, what is the
best way to go: subway, bus or taxi?

I am arriving to JFK with a local flight, how long do you think will it
take me to get out of the airport to the bus/subway/taxi and back to the
international gate for Milan?

Getting out of the airport is usually pretty quick. Figure at least an hour
to get to the city, and another hour to get back. Assuming you already have
your boarding pass for the flight to Milan, you don't need to get to the
airport too early - an hour is plenty. There is no outbound
immigration/customs process, so if you're already checked in, all you have
to do is go through security and get on the plane.

With any luck you should be able to spend 10am-4pm in town.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

I'll be flying from JFK to Milan on Dec,15. Since I am landing at JFK at
8:35am and leaving for Milan at 6:25pm that gives me 10 hours between
flights. ... [Is this] enough to check out the city? ... what is the
best way to go: subway, bus or taxi?

I haven't done this myself, but the quickest way into Manhattan now
should be to take the AirTrain from the airport to Jamaica station,
then the Long Island Rail Road ("LIRR"). This will take you to
Pennsylvania Station ("Penn Station"), which occupies the double block
from 7th to 8th Avenue and from 31st to 33rd Street in Manhattan.
LIRR trains are faster and more comfortable than the subway, and run
about every 10 minutes.

If Penn Station isn't near where you want to go, it *may* be faster to
take the subway rather than the LIRR, depending on where you want to go.
You still need to take the AirTrain to get to the subway conveniently;
it connects with two different lines.

The AirTrain costs $5, the subway $2, and the LIRR I think is about $7.
--
Mark Brader | "Nitwit ideas are for emergencies. The rest of the
Toronto | time you go by the Book, which is mostly a collection
| of nitwit ideas that worked. -- Niven & Pournelle

My text in this article is in the public domain.

"Mark Brader" wrote...
I'll be flying from JFK to Milan on Dec,15. Since I am landing at JFK at
8:35am and leaving for Milan at 6:25pm that gives me 10 hours between
flights. ... [Is this] enough to check out the city? ... what is the
best way to go: subway, bus or taxi?

I haven't done this myself, but the quickest way into Manhattan now
should be to take the AirTrain from the airport to Jamaica station,
then the Long Island Rail Road ("LIRR"). snip

To get a taste of the city in @6 hours (what the OP realistically has
to spare) he may want to spring for a taxi which can take him on a
little tour (albeit costly), or sign up for a bus-tour which will provide
the highlights... Grayline seems to offer the most options --
http://www.graylinenewyork.com/ -- with on and off options. [R]

Roger B. wrote:
"Mark Brader" wrote...
I'll be flying from JFK to Milan on Dec,15. Since I am landing at JFK at
8:35am and leaving for Milan at 6:25pm that gives me 10 hours between
flights. ... [Is this] enough to check out the city? ... what is the
best way to go: subway, bus or taxi?

I haven't done this myself, but the quickest way into Manhattan now
should be to take the AirTrain from the airport to Jamaica station,
then the Long Island Rail Road ("LIRR"). snip

To get a taste of the city in @6 hours (what the OP realistically has
to spare) he may want to spring for a taxi which can take him on a
little tour (albeit costly), or sign up for a bus-tour which will provide
the highlights... Grayline seems to offer the most options --
http://www.graylinenewyork.com/ -- with on and off options. [R]

I'd give him 7 or 8 hours. But the subway is part of the experience!

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

Thanks folks...

I'll probably be taking the AirTrain LIRR or subway combo.
As I hate doing organized tourtisty things, I'll just walk around the
city as much as I can, checking places as they come.

Thanks folks...

I'll probably be taking the AirTrain LIRR or subway combo.
As I hate doing organized tourtisty things, I'll just walk around the
city as much as I can, checking places as they come.

On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 09:39:43 -0500, "Dutch Flyer" wrote:

Thanks folks...

I'll probably be taking the AirTrain LIRR or subway combo.
As I hate doing organized tourtisty things, I'll just walk around the
city as much as I can, checking places as they come.

Not a bad way to go. Try to whisk down by subway to the Villages
and Soho for a look around. Midtown itself is the least interesting
area of the city once you have taken a look at Times Square. You
could be down and back from the Wall Street area within a hour with
time to stroll around.

On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 09:39:43 -0500, "Dutch Flyer" wrote:

Thanks folks...

I'll probably be taking the AirTrain LIRR or subway combo.
As I hate doing organized tourtisty things, I'll just walk around the
city as much as I can, checking places as they come.

Not a bad way to go. Try to whisk down by subway to the Villages
and Soho for a look around. Midtown itself is the least interesting
area of the city once you have taken a look at Times Square. You
could be down and back from the Wall Street area within a hour with
time to stroll around.

In article ,
Dutch Flyer wrote:

I'll probably be taking the AirTrain LIRR or subway combo.
As I hate doing organized tourtisty things, I'll just walk around the
city as much as I can, checking places as they come.

Here's an idea, if you're up to a lot of walking: Going into the city,
take the Airtrain to Howard Beach, then the subway to downtown Brooklyn,
either Jay St. / Borough Hall or High St. / Brooklyn Bridge. Walk across
the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan. If you feel like taking a bit more
time, walk through Brooklyn Heights and along the promenade that overlooks
the East River, on your way to the bridge. Then you can explore downtown
Manhattan, ride the subway up to midtown, explore a bit more, and finally
take the LIRR and Airtrain back to the airport.

--
Jon Bell Presbyterian College
Dept. of Physics and Computer Science Clinton, South Carolina USA