Need help with NYC subway use planning

Hi - friend and I are from the US but not familiar with NYC transit at all.

We're looking to fly to NYC (JFK airport) first thing in the morning on
a Wednesday in early May, check out midtown Manhattan, then catch the
last flight out at night on the same day. Only thing we're bringing is a
camera. That's it.

We'd be landing in JFK around 7:30am; I'm guessing it takes about a hour
and half to get into midtown Manhattan? Right in middle of rush hour.
(Cool!)

From looking at the MTA website's subway map, would this be good?

- AirTrain from JFK terminal to Jamaica station
- E express train to Times Square

How do we tell if a train is running as local or as express? Will that
be signposted or marked on the train somewhere?

Where do we find more information on which stops the E express makes
during the morning rush hour? What times of the day does E run as express?

Since we're there for just the day, we're looking into buying the Fun
Pass card for unlimited one day use. But I understand that they don't
sell these at the subway stations -- understandably so.

What's the best way to get one? Should we pay the $2 for the ride in,
then look for a place in Manhattan to buy that card? What kind of places
sells them? Should we mail order a card in advance?

At JFK, what's the best way to catch the AirTrain once we step in the
gate area? Clearly signed and we just follow directions? Or is there any
trick or tip that might be useful? Someone said something about taking
the long-term parking shuttle bus as that stops at the station, though
I'm not sure if this makes sense for us.

Hailing a taxi for a ride from GCT to the Cloisters museum - how much
are we talking about for the fare (one way) ? $30+ ? Is the fare per
person or can be split amongst the passengers?

For the evening return to JFK, we're probably going to take the $15 NY
Airport Service Express bus from GCT to JFK at 9pm. Traffic should be
light at 9pm on a Wednesday night, correct?

Any comments, suggestions, or tips would be gratefully appreciated.
Angry/rude comments or emails, slightly less so. :-)

Thanks!!

1. You can get the daily 'fun pass' at most subway stations at the MetroCard
Vending Machines.
2. Before you leave the terminal at JFK you will see signs for the Airtrain.
You don't have to go outside.
3. Read the information at the Airtrain station carefully so you get on the
right train. Go to http://panynj.gov/airtrain/from_jfk.html for more
information.

4. When you ride a taxi, the fare is for the ride.

5. You can take the subway to get to the cloisters, you can take the subway.
go to http://www.metmuseum.org/cloisters/events/ and scroll to the bottom of
the page for directions.

I hope this helps

Gadi
"The Grand Poobah" wrote in message
. ..
Hi - friend and I are from the US but not familiar with NYC transit at
all.

We're looking to fly to NYC (JFK airport) first thing in the morning on
a Wednesday in early May, check out midtown Manhattan, then catch the
last flight out at night on the same day. Only thing we're bringing is a
camera. That's it.

We'd be landing in JFK around 7:30am; I'm guessing it takes about a hour
and half to get into midtown Manhattan? Right in middle of rush hour.
(Cool!)

From looking at the MTA website's subway map, would this be good?

- AirTrain from JFK terminal to Jamaica station
- E express train to Times Square

How do we tell if a train is running as local or as express? Will that
be signposted or marked on the train somewhere?

Where do we find more information on which stops the E express makes
during the morning rush hour? What times of the day does E run as express?

Since we're there for just the day, we're looking into buying the Fun
Pass card for unlimited one day use. But I understand that they don't
sell these at the subway stations -- understandably so.

What's the best way to get one? Should we pay the $2 for the ride in,
then look for a place in Manhattan to buy that card? What kind of places
sells them? Should we mail order a card in advance?

At JFK, what's the best way to catch the AirTrain once we step in the
gate area? Clearly signed and we just follow directions? Or is there any
trick or tip that might be useful? Someone said something about taking
the long-term parking shuttle bus as that stops at the station, though
I'm not sure if this makes sense for us.

Hailing a taxi for a ride from GCT to the Cloisters museum - how much
are we talking about for the fare (one way) ? $30+ ? Is the fare per
person or can be split amongst the passengers?

For the evening return to JFK, we're probably going to take the $15 NY
Airport Service Express bus from GCT to JFK at 9pm. Traffic should be
light at 9pm on a Wednesday night, correct?

Any comments, suggestions, or tips would be gratefully appreciated.
Angry/rude comments or emails, slightly less so. :-)

Thanks!!

The Grand Poobah wrote:
Hi - friend and I are from the US but not familiar with NYC transit at all.

You can also take the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) from the Jamaica
station to Manhattan.

I've taken both the subway and LIRR, and LIRR is much faster and much
more pleasant, and you don't want to burn up your time on the subway.
The subway ride is quite long and very jarring, and the subway station
is sort of scary. But if you're in the mood for an adventure, the
subway can be sort of fun. (Sort of.)

Have a great trip, NYC is a great city.

dleifker

Thanks, gents -- MUCH appreciated!! I'm taking good notes.

Dan Leifker wrote:
The Grand Poobah wrote:
Hi - friend and I are from the US but not familiar with NYC transit at
all.

You can also take the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) from the Jamaica
station to Manhattan.

This is a better option. Neither the E line, nor the LIRR go directly to
Times Square anyway. Take the LIRR and walk from Penn Station to Times
Square, or take the 1,2,3, or 9.

I wouldn't take the bus back to JFK.

On 3/23/2008 4:01 AM The Grand Poobah consulted a Magic 8 Ball and
declared:
Hi - friend and I are from the US but not familiar with NYC transit at all.

We're looking to fly to NYC (JFK airport) first thing in the morning on
a Wednesday in early May, check out midtown Manhattan, then catch the
last flight out at night on the same day. Only thing we're bringing is a
camera. That's it.

We'd be landing in JFK around 7:30am; I'm guessing it takes about a hour
and half to get into midtown Manhattan? Right in middle of rush hour.
(Cool!)

From looking at the MTA website's subway map, would this be good?

- AirTrain from JFK terminal to Jamaica station
- E express train to Times Square

How do we tell if a train is running as local or as express? Will that
be signposted or marked on the train somewhere?

Where do we find more information on which stops the E express makes
during the morning rush hour? What times of the day does E run as express?

Since we're there for just the day, we're looking into buying the Fun
Pass card for unlimited one day use. But I understand that they don't
sell these at the subway stations -- understandably so.

What's the best way to get one? Should we pay the $2 for the ride in,
then look for a place in Manhattan to buy that card? What kind of places
sells them? Should we mail order a card in advance?

At JFK, what's the best way to catch the AirTrain once we step in the
gate area? Clearly signed and we just follow directions? Or is there any
trick or tip that might be useful? Someone said something about taking
the long-term parking shuttle bus as that stops at the station, though
I'm not sure if this makes sense for us.

Hailing a taxi for a ride from GCT to the Cloisters museum - how much
are we talking about for the fare (one way) ? $30+ ? Is the fare per
person or can be split amongst the passengers?

For the evening return to JFK, we're probably going to take the $15 NY
Airport Service Express bus from GCT to JFK at 9pm. Traffic should be
light at 9pm on a Wednesday night, correct?

Any comments, suggestions, or tips would be gratefully appreciated.
Angry/rude comments or emails, slightly less so. :-)

Thanks!!

The whole thing seems rather hectic to me. You don't mention which day
of the week or what month. Those things can effect traffic
considerably. You also haven't mentioned your airline. Some flights
and some airlines and airports have a record of not being on time. What
will you do if your incoming flight to JFK is delayed or canceled?

--
________
To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951

Well, allegedly, in article , Brian
K wrote:
The whole thing seems rather hectic to me. You don't mention which day

Wednesday, probably first week of May.

I don't know about my friend but I've been to NYC many times in my
younger days, so I don't mind a 'hectic day'. I only really want to see
a few things in NYC this time. Friend doesn't mind, either.

of the week or what month. Those things can effect traffic

That's true, indeed.

considerably. You also haven't mentioned your airline. Some flights

JetBlue.

and some airlines and airports have a record of not being on time. What

Touché.

will you do if your incoming flight to JFK is delayed or canceled?

Oh, if it's incoming, we'll just wait -- within reason. No hot date to
meet in the city. If cancelled, we'll probably go another day.

The nice thing is that we're from western NY so it's not a huge deal if
everything goes 'pear-shaped'. I only get a day off from work this time,
so got to try and make most of it.

Not enough time to drive there; besides, with Manhattan traffic the way
it is, I haven't enjoyed driving there in the past. That's the only
place I've ever driven at a 90 degree angle against oncoming traffic
against all common sense, traffic laws, and regulations; and just barely
making it -- the oncoming traffic didn't cut ANY slack whatsoever.

For the folks who suggested the LIRR earlier as a quicker trip into
Manhattan -- duly noted. Probably going to use that approach, and for
the return trip -- and forego the express bus. More flexibility, and
shaving a few bucks off. Research suggested that at 9pm on a non-holiday
weekday night, train and bus option would be roughly equal.

I just read that the MTA raised some fares earlier this month. (Gee,
talking about being behind the 8 ball.) I understand the 1 day Fun Pass
is now $7.50 and the base subway fare is still $2.

If anyone knows -- the MTA revised rate table looked confusing:

Is it still $5.25 off-peak for the LIRR from Penn Station to Jamaica,
and $7.25 peak for the same thing?

Thanks!!

Well, allegedly, in article , The Grand Poobah wrote:

Is it still $5.25 off-peak for the LIRR from Penn Station to Jamaica,
and $7.25 peak for the same thing?

Well, I see this link:

http://mta.info/mta/fares/lirr.html

....says the above fares are what I listed (for Zone 3). So if that's
still accurate, then I'm all set, planning-wise.

The Grand Poobah wrote:
Hi - friend and I are from the US but not familiar with NYC transit at all.

We're looking to fly to NYC (JFK airport) first thing in the morning on
a Wednesday in early May, check out midtown Manhattan, then catch the
last flight out at night on the same day. Only thing we're bringing is a
camera. That's it.

You might also want to look at "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvF_nxXJO5s".

On 2008-03-23 04:01:33 -0400, The Grand Poobah
said:



Any comments, suggestions, or tips would be gratefully appreciated.
Angry/rude comments or emails, slightly less so. :-)

Thanks!!

At the Air Train you will have to buy a $5 fare that is the same as a
MetroCard. In the same machine you can buy a Fun Pass and you can use
a credit card if you like.

Tke the E train to 42 Street at 8th Avenue. It is always an express
(for your purposes). This takes longer than the LIRR but the walk from
Penn Station would eat up most of the gained time and not present you
with any great views. For all intents and purposes the E train stop at
42 Street is Times Square. You will walk one block east to get to
Broadway & 42 St, the heart of TS.

To get to the Cloisters go back to the train station at 8th Ave and
take an uptown A train to 190 Street. This is the entrance to Fort
Tryon Park. You can walk through the park to the Cloisters but if you
take an M4 bus (right at the subway exit) it will run you right to the
Cloisters entrance. A cab will take much longer fighting traffic so I
wouldn't even consider it.

A Fun Pass can't be used on the same bus line, or at the same subway
station, until 18 minutes has elapsed. The Fun Pass also expires at
3am the following day so maybe you can give it to someone when you are
finished.

Depending on how many are in your party you may want to take a cab back
to JFK. The standard rate is $45 plus tips and toll so figure on a
total of about $60, more if you are generous. For four people that is
a bargain.