Half a day to kill in NYC
August 1, 2011 5:52 AM Subscribe
At noon today I will arrive at LaGuardia. I need to be at JFK at about 6:30pm. I've never been to NYC. What should I do with my time?
I'll have a fairly small duffle bag I'll need to carry around, so a five hour walk is not practical--but strolling around, taking subways, etc. are all perfectly doable. I can spend some money, but cheaper is always nice.
I'll have a fairly small duffle bag I'll need to carry around, so a five hour walk is not practical--but strolling around, taking subways, etc. are all perfectly doable. I can spend some money, but cheaper is always nice.
I believe the AirTrain to JFK is currently not running on weekdays, which makes pubtrans to that airport much harder.
As such, if I were you I'd catch the Q48 bus to Flushing (take it allll the way to the end of the line) wander around the neighborhood for a while and pick up some excellent Korean food, take the 7 train into Manhattan, get off at Grand Central Station, be a tourist for a little bit, then hail a cab to JFK. There's a flat fare of $45 to JFK from Manhattan, I believe, and without the AirTrain that's your best bet.
All of that said, I'm not sure how much time for exploring six hours really is when airports are involved. JFK can be an hour drive, sometimes longer if traffic is really bad. And the last time I flew out of JFK it took me 45 minutes just to get through security.
posted by Narrative Priorities at 6:08 AM on August 1, 2011
As such, if I were you I'd catch the Q48 bus to Flushing (take it allll the way to the end of the line) wander around the neighborhood for a while and pick up some excellent Korean food, take the 7 train into Manhattan, get off at Grand Central Station, be a tourist for a little bit, then hail a cab to JFK. There's a flat fare of $45 to JFK from Manhattan, I believe, and without the AirTrain that's your best bet.
All of that said, I'm not sure how much time for exploring six hours really is when airports are involved. JFK can be an hour drive, sometimes longer if traffic is really bad. And the last time I flew out of JFK it took me 45 minutes just to get through security.
posted by Narrative Priorities at 6:08 AM on August 1, 2011
Best answer: I'd spend it people-watching at Coney Island. Maybe grab a hot dog at Nathan's, some gelato on the boardwalk, a freak show if you're so inclined (Donny Vomit is great!). You can stroll as much or as little as you want.
Looks like you'd take the M60 bus from LaGuardia, get off when it crosses the N, Q line, spend an hour or so riding that all the way to the other end -- thus people watching -- hang around Coney, get back on the N, Q, jump out of the system at Atlantic Ave and cross over to Nevins, jump on the A, C train for the long ride to JFK. But that's me.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:13 AM on August 1, 2011
Looks like you'd take the M60 bus from LaGuardia, get off when it crosses the N, Q line, spend an hour or so riding that all the way to the other end -- thus people watching -- hang around Coney, get back on the N, Q, jump out of the system at Atlantic Ave and cross over to Nevins, jump on the A, C train for the long ride to JFK. But that's me.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:13 AM on August 1, 2011
Getting around NYC is very slow or expensive, or often both at the same time. Even with 6 hours, you might not get much time in Manhattan or Coney Island or any place that isn't close to one of the airports.
If the weather is nice, you could take a shuttle from LGA directly to JFK (probably about $15), and then catch the AirTrain ($5) - or the substitute bus if the AirTrain isn't running - from JFK to Howard Beach Station. Walk up the wooden boardwalk that parallels the subway trains (in the outbound direction) towards the neighborhood of Howard Beach, and marvel at the contrast between speeding trains on your left and waterside cottages on your right. Walk 1 mile to Charles Memorial Park, where there's a small beach - you can look at some brightly colored crabs and wade in the warm water while watching planes landing and taking off. There'll probably be an ice cream truck around. When you get tired of the beach, and preferably more than 2 hours before your flight, walk back to Howard Beach Station and get yourself back to the airport.
posted by moonmilk at 6:29 AM on August 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
If the weather is nice, you could take a shuttle from LGA directly to JFK (probably about $15), and then catch the AirTrain ($5) - or the substitute bus if the AirTrain isn't running - from JFK to Howard Beach Station. Walk up the wooden boardwalk that parallels the subway trains (in the outbound direction) towards the neighborhood of Howard Beach, and marvel at the contrast between speeding trains on your left and waterside cottages on your right. Walk 1 mile to Charles Memorial Park, where there's a small beach - you can look at some brightly colored crabs and wade in the warm water while watching planes landing and taking off. There'll probably be an ice cream truck around. When you get tired of the beach, and preferably more than 2 hours before your flight, walk back to Howard Beach Station and get yourself back to the airport.
posted by moonmilk at 6:29 AM on August 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
Or, at Howard Beach Station, take any outbound A train to the Rockaway Peninsula (it's a peninsula, right?) for a more traditional ocean beach. Check the map for any station that's close to the beach, but I'll note that Rockaway Taco is close to Beach 98 St and Beach 90 St.
posted by moonmilk at 6:40 AM on August 1, 2011
posted by moonmilk at 6:40 AM on August 1, 2011
Scattered thunderstorms are expected around 4pm, so I'd have a backup plan, or get my beach time in before then. If any part of your plan involves hailing a cab, they'll become scarce right about then due to both rain and the shift change.
posted by kathryn at 7:03 AM on August 1, 2011
posted by kathryn at 7:03 AM on August 1, 2011
Grab a cab and head down to Chelsea to check out the Hotel Chelsea before it closes forever. Have a peanut butter & jelly donut at the Donut Plant next door, wander a bit, and then cab it to JFK. That's about all you'll have time for. That's what I'd do, anyway. :)
posted by pazazygeek at 7:22 AM on August 1, 2011
posted by pazazygeek at 7:22 AM on August 1, 2011
FYI--cab fare to JFK from manhattan is a flat rate of $45 + tolls, a cab from LaGuardia will run you about $20-30 + tolls.
But those peanut butter and jelly donuts from Donut Plant are indeed amazing. I'd check out the art galleries in chelsea (free + air conditioned) or walk on the High Line.
You could also take the shuttle from LGA to JFK and the AirTrain (or substitute) to Jamaica Station in Queens and catch the LIRR to Penn Station ($6.25). It will bring you right to midtown, but you might only have an hour or so before you'll need to turn around and head to JFK.
posted by inertia at 7:43 AM on August 1, 2011
But those peanut butter and jelly donuts from Donut Plant are indeed amazing. I'd check out the art galleries in chelsea (free + air conditioned) or walk on the High Line.
You could also take the shuttle from LGA to JFK and the AirTrain (or substitute) to Jamaica Station in Queens and catch the LIRR to Penn Station ($6.25). It will bring you right to midtown, but you might only have an hour or so before you'll need to turn around and head to JFK.
posted by inertia at 7:43 AM on August 1, 2011
I think take a taxi to the Brooklyn Museum/Botanic Gardens, enjoy them for a couple of hours, get lunch at the Islands (in their cool upstairs or to go and picnic in front of the museum) or the cafe of either the museum/gardens, and be on a taxi to JFK by 3:30 latest.
posted by Salamandrous at 8:20 AM on August 1, 2011
posted by Salamandrous at 8:20 AM on August 1, 2011
A bit of bubble bursting: getting places in NYC can take awhile and, in spite of our massive transit system, airport connections are downright awful. You'll need to be at JFK by 4:30, the latest, to make sure you make your flight, and you need to budget about 1.5 hours getting from both airports to Manhattan. That leaves you with about an hour or so in Manhattan, basically enough time to grab a quick bite and walk around for a bit. I honestly don't think it's worth it the trouble.
You could probably knock a bit of time off that if you cab it from LGA to Manhattan. NYC traffic is always unpredictable, but it's usually not too bad at mid-day and LGA is the closest airport to Midtown.
If you want to explore outside Manhattan, Flushing seems like a good bet, as it's interesting, has great food and isn't really out of the way. You could get some awesome Korean food and maybe meander over to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. However, I would not bother heading into Manhattan, but just stay there for the afternoon and then hop in a cab to JFK at around 3:30 or 4. If the AirTrain is running, you could cab it to Jamaica, which is nearby, and hop on the AirTrain.
Do not go to Coney Island. It will take you at least two hours to get there from LGA and, though it's not far from JFK, transit connections are not good.
Pro-tip if you insist on heading to Manhattan: The best way to JFK, if you can't spring for a cab, is to take the LIRR to the AirTrain instead of the subway. It's a bit more expensive, but much faster and still much cheaper than a cab. Stick to the area around Penn Station and leave at about 3 o'clock. This also works if you are in or near downtown Brooklyn - you can get the LIRR at Atlantic Terminal.
posted by breakin' the law at 8:33 AM on August 1, 2011
You could probably knock a bit of time off that if you cab it from LGA to Manhattan. NYC traffic is always unpredictable, but it's usually not too bad at mid-day and LGA is the closest airport to Midtown.
If you want to explore outside Manhattan, Flushing seems like a good bet, as it's interesting, has great food and isn't really out of the way. You could get some awesome Korean food and maybe meander over to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. However, I would not bother heading into Manhattan, but just stay there for the afternoon and then hop in a cab to JFK at around 3:30 or 4. If the AirTrain is running, you could cab it to Jamaica, which is nearby, and hop on the AirTrain.
Do not go to Coney Island. It will take you at least two hours to get there from LGA and, though it's not far from JFK, transit connections are not good.
Pro-tip if you insist on heading to Manhattan: The best way to JFK, if you can't spring for a cab, is to take the LIRR to the AirTrain instead of the subway. It's a bit more expensive, but much faster and still much cheaper than a cab. Stick to the area around Penn Station and leave at about 3 o'clock. This also works if you are in or near downtown Brooklyn - you can get the LIRR at Atlantic Terminal.
posted by breakin' the law at 8:33 AM on August 1, 2011
If you want to explore outside Manhattan, Flushing seems like a good bet, as it's interesting, has great food and isn't really out of the way. You could get some awesome Korean food and maybe meander over to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
I personally would get some Chinese food if going out to Flushing. Take the Q48 from LGA to Flushing Main St. This will take about half an hour. Go to Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao (38-12 Prince Street) for some pork soup dumplings and a scallion pancake stuffed with beef. Then walk around Main St Flushing for a little while, maybe go into some shops, and then take the bus back to LGA around 2:30pm. This gets you back to LGA around 3pm and you can then catch the shuttle to JFK (as mentioned by moonmilk). This should get you to JFK around 4pm with plenty of time to spare.
posted by kathryn at 8:58 AM on August 1, 2011
I personally would get some Chinese food if going out to Flushing. Take the Q48 from LGA to Flushing Main St. This will take about half an hour. Go to Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao (38-12 Prince Street) for some pork soup dumplings and a scallion pancake stuffed with beef. Then walk around Main St Flushing for a little while, maybe go into some shops, and then take the bus back to LGA around 2:30pm. This gets you back to LGA around 3pm and you can then catch the shuttle to JFK (as mentioned by moonmilk). This should get you to JFK around 4pm with plenty of time to spare.
posted by kathryn at 8:58 AM on August 1, 2011
If you've never been to NYC, Queens will be happy to supply you with the essential experience. For example, if you take the Q33 bus from LaGuardia to the end of the line (74th & Roosevelt, about 20 mins), you'll be in the center of Jackson Heights. Walking north and east, you can find:
* "Little India" -- a ridiculous conglomeration of interesting shopping, ridiculously good food, and "only in NYC" stuff, mostly along 74th Street.
* A giant historic district of beautiful old houses and apartments (mostly between 34th and 37th Avenues, east of 78th Street).
* Further east, a large Colombian neighborhood (great cafe con leche, great street food).
Then when you're done you can walk back to where you started, hop on the E (express) train to Jamaica, and catch the AirTrain to JFK. That's the $10 tour of NYC, right there.
(Flushing is good too, but I'd be hard pressed to recommend much to do other than eat.)
posted by zvs at 10:51 AM on August 1, 2011
* "Little India" -- a ridiculous conglomeration of interesting shopping, ridiculously good food, and "only in NYC" stuff, mostly along 74th Street.
* A giant historic district of beautiful old houses and apartments (mostly between 34th and 37th Avenues, east of 78th Street).
* Further east, a large Colombian neighborhood (great cafe con leche, great street food).
Then when you're done you can walk back to where you started, hop on the E (express) train to Jamaica, and catch the AirTrain to JFK. That's the $10 tour of NYC, right there.
(Flushing is good too, but I'd be hard pressed to recommend much to do other than eat.)
posted by zvs at 10:51 AM on August 1, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for all the tips! I ended up realizing that I had an hour less than I had expected, so I did q33 to the metro, the metro to sutphin, and then airtrain to jfk. BUT, I walked around before getting on the airtrain and ate a chili cheese dog from Nathan's. And I now understand how it is that a hot dog can taste good.
So all in all it was worth it.
posted by resiny at 6:01 AM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
So all in all it was worth it.
posted by resiny at 6:01 AM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
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posted by litnerd at 6:08 AM on August 1, 2011