[THREAD CLOSED - SEE PART 2] Anything & Everything New York

dzug

Where are you going to park this brute when you are not using it?

M4RKM

if you can get one.. try a big apple greeter... they are locals, they are free, and they know literally everything..

when i met mine, i wanted to learn how to use the subway, and explore around lower manhattan and a bit of china town... now we had a couple of hour limit...

well. i got a great tour of the subway, hopping on, and off, walked down to battery park city, a trip on the staten island ferry (always good, as it is free) into chinatown, stopped for some dimsum, and then got taken to a wonderful store in chinatown to purchase a new suitcase, as mine had broken on the way to NYC...

all you have to tell them is where you want to go, and what you want to know about, and i'm sure they'll hook you up with someone brilliant!

Marky

ACID

Would you recommend the metro then? I have never been before so thought hiring a car would work out easier and cheaper.

Anyone suggest a way of us getting to out hotel we are staying at holiday inn express madison square gardens and will be flying into JFK.

Thanks for the replies so far.

Feanor

Hi,

You would have more trouble than it's worth trying to hire/park and drive a vehicle around New York!!
The metro is very cheap and soooo easy to use. I think we paid about 12 pounds for a 5 day unlimited ticket each.

There are trains from JFK, but I went in a group of 6 last September and we got a taxi minivan thing that fit all of us in. It cost $72 between us, so $12 each. I thought this was great, we organised it from the travel info desk inside the terminal when we arrived.

Have fun!

naughty_10382

ACID wrote: »

Would you recommend the metro then? I have never been before so thought hiring a car would work out easier and cheaper.

Anyone suggest a way of us getting to out hotel we are staying at holiday inn express madison square gardens and will be flying into JFK.

Thanks for the replies so far.

Take the airtrain to Jamaica station ($5) then get either a LIRR train to Penn station (think this was around $8) or take the A or C subway ($2 pp, or just buy your $24 metrocard right away) - if I remember correctly you can get straight to Madison Sq Gdn from the A/C subway end of the station.

blindman

ACID wrote: »

Would you recommend the metro then? I have never been before so thought hiring a car would work out easier and cheaper.

Anyone suggest a way of us getting to out hotel we are staying at holiday inn express madison square gardens and will be flying into JFK.

Thanks for the replies so far.

What part of this thread title did you not understand? :rolleyes:

sallysaver

Hi,
Depending on what time you are arriving at JFK and as its your first time there, I would second Feanor's advice and take the mini van at approximately $12 each. the cheapest way to get into the city is a $5 dollar airtrain ticket and then a $2 subway ride so $7 altogether. Forget the $2 if you buy the 7 day metro pass at $24 as you will be able to use this. So you are really talking about $5 each here and I think once you get there and see things you will appreciate spending £2.50 each. DO NOT get into any transport other than a licensed cab, mini van etc or you will be ripped off and more importantly rumour has it they are driving uninsured vehicles. Stay well clear and use the Travel info booth at JFK or a yellow taxi despatcher. The 7 day metro card was invaluable to us and worth every cent but beware, just like the London underground it can and does get very busy. We used the subway and Airtrain to get back to JFK so in effect cost us $5 as we still had a couple of days left on the metro card. Gave it away just before we got on the airtrain to hopefully someone who could make use of it. Regards - sally

DKLS

NYC is known as the walking city, as you can easily walk around most of it, with cheap cabs and even cheaper buses and the metro, I wouldnt contemplate hiring a car unless you plan to go upstate NY.
Its one of the easiest cities to get around in. A car or MPV would be a major headache.

duchy

Unless you think driving and parking in central London is easy and inexpensive-then don't do it !! Seriously parking is really expensive-more so than London and hotels in Manhatten do not offer free parking. It's usually quicker to walk than take a cab for walkable distances anyway but the metro system is as good if not better than the London tube. There are two types of Metro pass an unlimited one and a pay as you go type which you top up as needed at any station-The nice thing about the PAYG is that you can use the same pass for everyone in your party (legally) it's valid on both underground and buses. For travelling from JFK to manhatten when you arrive I suggest a cab as there is a fixed price (from memory it's $53 including tolls but plus tip of approx $8) split between 6 of you that's much cheaper than the airport bus and the despatcher will get you a larger car taking 6.
Be aware it will likely be very snowy in january in New York but because it always is-the infrastructure is set up to take it so the city doesn't ground to a halt after three snowflakes like it does here !!
I had a fab time in NYC in the snow and I'm sure you will too but really unless you want to see places outside the city too a car will be more trouble and expense than it is worth

TBeckett100

parking charges in nyc are steep. cab and metro is best bet