Everything & Anything New York City

bluenoseam

To be fair when I went the last time I had an airport minibus transfer & was one of the last ones off, it wasn't that I enjoyed the journey around the place but it wasn't the worst in the world. Granted the taxi from the hotel to the airport was better as it involved the driver basically giving a guided tour of the neighbourhoods, most fun I've ever had in a cab!

19lottie82

Edit..... We are flying to JFK, not Newark.
I was thinking of getting one of these shuttle van things. Looks a bit less stressful than trying to find / catch a train then make our way to the hotel.

SW17

19lottie82 wrote: »

Edit..... We are flying to JFK, not Newark.
I was thinking of getting one of these shuttle van things. Looks a bit less stressful than trying to find / catch a train then make our way to the hotel.

The train instructions from JFK are not much different to EWR, as the trains from both go to Penn Station. At JFK you take the AirTrain to Jamaica station and connect for a train to Penn. Of course you do have the trouble of buying tickets. Walking from Penn to hotel is just a few blocks.

Regarding the shuttle vans, the Pros are: more straightforward than train, relatively inexpensive, takes you to the door of the hotel. Cons are: you may have to wait at airport until all the people scheduled for your route are on the shuttle, and you don't know if you will be the first or last to be dropped off. Costs more than train, less than taxi.

From JFK, you could also consider a taxi. There is a fixed fare of USD 52, plus tolls and tips it works out around USD 65. Shuttle buses are USD 20 p/p (plus any tips you choose to give).

bluenoseam

As SW17 pointed out, taxis from JFK to anywhere on Manhattan are flat rate - however there are more than enough shysters out there & you have to be careful to avoid the private hire cars! Bearing in mind if there's a couple of you that immediately makes the taxi relatively cheap all things considered at $30ish a pop for the added convenience.

It is possible to do the whole train thing from JFK but I'm not entirely sure I'd recommend it, didn't do it first time round, aint doing it second time round. For me the taxi now takes over as the best way to go if you're coming in from JFK & does have the added wow factor of being a cracking view as you're driving over the East River.

HHarry

We did the Airtrain from JFK to Manhatten, and it is really easy.
Jump on the Airtrain at JFK, get off at Jamaica St. Buy a metrocard from the self service machine, which let's you out of the Airtrain turn stile and then head down to the Metro platform.

19lottie82

Thanks guys...... I'm trying to have good intentions to get the train, but we're both pretty lazy, so chances are we will jump a cab!

I think we will need to get the train on our way back though, as it's rush hour (need to be at JFK 6pm on a Monday), so avoiding the traffic seems sensible.

SW17

19lottie82 wrote: »

Thanks guys...... I'm trying to have good intentions to get the train, but we're both pretty lazy, so chances are we will jump a cab!

I think we will need to get the train on our way back though, as it's rush hour (need to be at JFK 6pm on a Monday), so avoiding the traffic seems sensible.

If it's your first trip to NYC, I think you're making a wise choice. The train isn't difficult, but on arrival after the flight and immigration, and it will be dark, jumping in a Yellow Cab will feel good (not luxurious, but still iconic). By the time you are departing NYC, you'll be a veteran and the train will be a breeze.

From Penn Station you need to take the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to Jamaica, where you connect to the Airtrain that goes round JFK. The LIRR takes around 20 mins to Jamiaca, you can check times here:

http://lirr42.mta.info

Penn is busy at that time of day, so either buy your train ticket earlier in the day or allow a little time to queue. You can buy a ticket which includes the AirTrain cost (still $5 I think), but if you've bought a Metrocard and it still has at least $5 credit, just buy the ticket to Jamaica and use the Metrocard for the AirTrain.

One last thing - at that time of day the trains from Penn come thick and fast, and they tend to only announce the platform a few mins before the departure. You will have time to get down there, but be ready to hustle, depending which platform it is. All part of the full NYC experience, you get to be a commuter for an afternoon...

shymanuk

any ideas for best insurance for usa ? for couple or a good cheap company that covers most things

Savvy_Sue

shymanuk wrote: »

any ideas for best insurance for usa ? for couple or a good cheap company that covers most things

Start with Martin's article.

shymanuk

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Start with Martin's article.

Hi i did look at it, but some of the companies he has on there have poor reviews for paying out and the bits they cover, such as holiday safe . just dont wanna be under covered as never been before .