Have a few hours in New York city and need a shower.

August 1, 2009 4:31 PM

I am flying through New York City and have a seven hour layover. If I head in to Manhattan and go for a long run around central park/midtown is there a place to access public showers? Or, should I buy a day pass to a gym to do this?
posted by nicknd23 to travel & transportation (18 comments total)

Which airport? Keep in mind it could take an hour just to get from JFK to Manhattan via Airtrain
posted by meta_eli at 4:57 PM on August 1

Running through midtown would not be an enjoyable experience.
posted by HotPatatta at 5:18 PM on August 1

I'll be coming in through JFK. I figure time to stash a bag... public transportation to midtown, enjoy a long run around the city and park (1-2 hours), get cleaned up and head back.
posted by nicknd23 at 5:20 PM on August 1

Maybe you can call some hostels and ask if you can use a shower for a small fee.
posted by HotPatatta at 5:21 PM on August 1

You could shower on your return to JFK. The Terminal 8 American Airlines AAdmirals Club has a $50 day pass which would grant you access to their showers, if you're on AA.

There's also the XpresSpa, which offers all kinds of spa treatments that would necessitate a shower afterwards...perhaps you could get a shower and a massage or something for less than the $50? JFK locations on this page. Call and ask!
posted by mdonley at 5:29 PM on August 1

Maybe you can call some hostels and ask if you can use a shower for a small fee.

Good idea, especially since the HI hostel, for instance, is right near the top of the park on West 104th St. $33 a night.
posted by smackfu at 5:36 PM on August 1

Check here.
posted by hermitosis at 5:49 PM on August 1

Also, might want to edit your tags to include "shower" and "newyork" or "newyorkcity", for the sake of future searchers.
posted by hermitosis at 5:50 PM on August 1

Stash a bag where?

Just saying.
posted by fourcheesemac at 5:57 PM on August 1

Use a hostel or very cheap hotel for both your bag and a shower. It'll cost no different than trying to hack together a hybrid solution, and will leave you with more time for running.

Also, running on midtown streets is awful. Stick to the Park.
posted by rokusan at 6:27 PM on August 1

>Stash a bag where?

Does JFK not have bag-storage-for-a-fee facilities? We recently flew into Munich, then immediately flew to Berlin for a couple days. The Munich airport had a storage facility where we left our big suitcases for something like 3 euro/day, while we took our overnight bags to Berlin.
posted by chazlarson at 6:29 PM on August 1

Won't help you on this trip, but for future similar jaunts -- truck stops, like these, usually have showers for about $5-10. I use one once after a run, before the airport (in Portland, IIRC). It was nothing fancy, but perfectly clean and decent -- and private. It was a single, locked room all to myself, and they even gave me a towel!
posted by kestrel251 at 6:30 PM on August 1

It's also worth pointing out that it can take at least an hour to get from JFK to Midtown. The subway ride on the A line from Howard Beach to Columbus Circle takes 50 minutes, and it's going to take you at least another 15 to get to the subway from the airport.

So that's two hours right there, assuming no delays.

If you do find some way of doing this, I'd plan on getting on the subway in Manhattan for the ride back to the airport a full two hours before you want to be at your gate. You'll probably be early, but it might not be by all that much. Shouldn't be late though.

So one hour out, another two to get back, including buffer, and you've got, what, four hours? That's the kind of time you're probably looking at.

As to facilities... Honestly? Check CouchSurfing.org. It's full of cool people, at least one of whom will be both conveniently located to Central Park and happy to let you use their shower.
posted by valkyryn at 6:35 PM on August 1

JFK has luggage storage (for a fee) but not in every terminal. You can probably just check in your bag for your next flight.
posted by cushie at 6:50 PM on August 1

Seconded on what valkyryn said: it will take you a damn long time to get into Manhattan and back by train. You could take a taxi, but that'll run you a good $40 each way.

You may want to check the hotels near the airport to see if you can shower there. Much faster.
posted by gchucky at 9:46 PM on August 1

I would stay at the airport and buy a day pass at one of the airline lounges. Most have showers (check online in advance) and at least some amount of complementary food and drinks (many in the US make you pay for alcohol in my experience, but soft drinks are always free) and comfy quiet places to sit with power outlets and wi-fi. Usually newspapers and magazines too. Flight delays are also somehow more pleasurable when you're not crowded around the gate with hundreds of other groaning passengers. Pretty much worth it when you're talking about a layover that long if you don't otherwise have a great spot in mind at the airport. (OTOH, the Red Carpet Club in Hong Kong at 3am on Christmas is still a sad, sad place to find yourself. The presence of free Chinese food with which to celebrate the holiday did slightly cheer up this Jew however.)
posted by zachlipton at 12:43 AM on August 2

I like your idea but in the timespan you have outlined, there seen to be lots of places for things to go wrong. Do you have a backup plan in case you don't get back in time? What's the worst that could happen? Will anyone know where you are? I hope the stars align for you.
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 8:05 AM on August 2

If your luggage is checked in, it's probably checked all the way through, so I assumed OP was talking about carry on luggage, and in any case he'll have some. As I recall, there are bag checking services in some but not all terminals at JFK (and they charge a fair bit). There are no lockers, etc.

It's a nontrivial problem I've run into in many airports when I've wanted to dash into town during a layover, alas.
posted by fourcheesemac at 9:46 AM on August 3