Saturday 9 April 2011

Airports - they're a long way from anywhere (Pt 2)

So the next part of the adventure will be getting from JFK to Harlem, which is where my B&B is. There are a few options, naturally.

According to the guide book I picked up from the library (New York City for Dummies, 6th ed'n, 2011), my choices are:
  1. Take a cab, which will take around 45mins, or much longer if the traffic's bad (I will be arriving at peak hour), and cost $45 plus peak hour surcharge plus tolls and tip (15%) - total of around $60.
  2. Book a private car, known as a limo (*), which will cost about the same as a cab
  3. Take a shuttle ("minivan"), 
    1. Option a: Buses leave every thirty minutes, and cost around $15, dropping me at Grand Central Station (New York Airport Service); then take No. 6 train to 116 St/Lexington
    2. Option b: On-call vans, costing $23 to drop me at a residential address (SuperShuttle)
  4. Take public transport, apparently a time-consuming but cheap option. A bit of google-fu tells me that this involves:
    1. Take the AirTrain to Jamaica station (Sutphin Blvd/Archer Ave) -  $5, around 10 mins, every 7 minutes
    2. Connect with the E train, to Lexington/53rd St - $2.50 (**), about 30 mins, departs every 5mins or so
    3. Switch to the No. 6 train, to 116 St/Lexington - $2.50, about 15mins, dep every 5 mins or so
    4. Walk the two blocks to where I'm staying
    5. Total: A bit over an hour, costing $10.
    Possible bonus: I get to stop in at the Apple Store in town (767 Fifth Ave, between 58th & 59th Streets) and buy a wireless keyboard on the spot
In the end, I'm tossing up between option 3b (simplest) and option 4 (more adventurous).  I think I'll probably go with the shuttle, and then if I'm up for it, journey back into town - the Apple store is open 24/7 if the jetlag won't let me sleep, and I'm game to walk the streets/catch the subway at night.


(*)  Last time JD and I went to the States, we were impressed to be told we'd be collected by a limo, which to us means a stretch limo.  We were somewhat disappointed when it turned out to be just a regular car.
(**) I'll actually get a seven day metro card, which will make those two fares around $2.07 each

1 comment:

  1. You know how I bitched about things not being the list price, due to undisclosed sales tax and all but mandatory gratuities?

    The SuperShuttle does indeed cost $23. Plus 8.87% sales tax. Plus 18% tip. Total actual price: just under $30.

    Looks like my new rule of thumb is "add 30% to list price if it includes tip".

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