Info: taking the subway between JFK airport and Manhattan, New York City (NYC)

In article ,
Ken Fine wrote:

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, take the Airtrain to Jamaica (not Howard Beach), which takes
10-15 minutes. Just like at Howard Beach, you'll need to buy a Metrocard
to get out of the Airtrain part of the station. If you're going to take
the LIRR, you can buy either the %5.00 Metrocard for the Airtrain fare
alone, or one of the more expensive cards that gives you subway fare, too
(handy if you'll be riding the subway after you reach Manhattan).

You'll also need to buy a LIRR ticket. There's a vending machine inside
the Airtrain area, near the Metrocard machines. Buy a ticket to Penn
Station. I don't remember what the fare is (I was heading to Long
Island), but it's higher during morning rush hour, roughly until 9:00 am.

After you get your tickets, use your Metrocard to exit the Airtrain
station, and follow the passageway that crosses over the LIRR platforms.
There are several sets of stairs leading down to the various platforms,
each with an electronic sign indicating the destination of the next train.
Look for one that says "Penn Station'.

After the train leaves, the conductor will come around and collect your
LIRR ticket. I think you can buy a ticket from the conductor if you
didn't get one at the station, but you'll probably have to pay a higher
fare. Travel time between Jamaica and Penn Station is about 20 minutes.

Note that from Jamaica, you can also take the subway to Manhattan (cheaper
but much slower). I haven't taken the subway from Jamaica myself, so all
I can say is to get a Metrocard that includes the subway fare, and follow
whatever signs you see for the E/J/Z trains.

The E train takes a different route from the J and Z. If you're going to
midtown Manhattan, you want the E; the J and Z go only to downtown
Manhattan (basically Chinatown and southward).

FROM JFK to MANHATTAN

[snip]

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."

At Howard Beach, you won't see any trains marked "Lefferts Boulevard,"
because that's the terminal of the other branch of the A. You *will* see
trains headed for Far Rockaway, if you're on the wrong platform, but
they'll take you *away* from Manhattan, not towards it. Just make sure
you're on the correct platform (the northbound one) and you'll be OK.

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

In article , wrote:
Ken Fine 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.snip

Wow, this would be a bit complicated. I think the $23 roundtrip "NY
Airport Service" bus is quite a bit easier.

People who find that complicated must in general be intimidated by getting
around large cities. Basically, Ken's just saying "Take the Airtrain to the
A to the 1, and get off at 103rd".

miguel
--
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