Airports: LGA

Laguardia Airport, is the closest airport to Manhattan, but is not connected to the Subway system with an easy and quick system like Airtrain. Typically there are fewer direct flights from California to LGA .

SHUTTLE
It is possible to take an ‘official’ shuttle from LGA.
http://www.nyairportservice.com/
This is typically $12 per person and they run every 30 minutes or so. This is probably the best method of getting to Manhattan from LGA. The shuttle can drop you at Penn Station or Grand Central. If you are staying at the Jane, Penn Station has an A, C Subway line, and this is the best route to get down to 14th Street.

BUS
The MTA runs the M60 bus from LGA to Manhattan. This runs to 106th St and 116th St at Broadway in Manhattan, and serves all LGA Terminals. MetroCards can be used for bus fare, but MetroCards are not sold on board. The fare is $2.25 and exact change is required.

“M60 bus from Manhattan and Astoria
With the M60 bus, you can travel to all terminals at LaGuardia from the West Side, the East Side or Astoria (Queens). The M60 runs between 106 St and Broadway in Manhattan and LaGuardia Airport from approximately 5 am to 1 am, seven days a week. The M60 serves all airport terminals.
Connections can be made with all north-south Manhattan subway lines or with the N and W trains at the Astoria Blvd station.
If you pay your fare with MetroCard, you can transfer free between the subway and the M60 bus. The M60 also makes convenient connections with MTA Metro-North Railroad at the 125 St station. Travel time between Broadway and 116 St and the Delta Terminal is approximately 40 minutes. “

M60 Bus Schedule

From the M60 Bus at 116th you can enter the Subway system (Columbia University) and take the 1 train downtown. If you are staying at the Jane Hotel, transfer at 59 st/Columbus Circle to an A or C train to go down to 14th Street/8 Av

Walking Directions: 14th/8th Ave to Jane Hotel

TAXI
Taxis are easy to get, but make sure you wait in the Taxi line and get an OFFICIAL NYC TAXI. Many people will come up to you in and around the terminal and will offer you shuttles and cars to where you need to go. DO NOT TAKE THESE OFFERS! They will make you wait until the car is FULL of people before they leave, you will always be the last stop, and often, they will drive around in circles and charge you extra! I always warn people about this, and someone always takes one of these offers and is charged $70! The official taxi service has a metered fare to Manhattan, so fares will vary, the taxi stand official should make sure the meter is turned on.

NOTEWORTHY
See the NYC Subway post about MetroCards/Subway Fares.

Airports: JFK

John F Kennedy Airport, originally known as Idlewild, is not the closest airport to Manhattan, but might be the easiest to get to.

SUBWAY
MTA has constructed an Airtrain at JFK, linking the NYC MTA Subway to the terminals. There is a $5 connection fare for the Airtrain, and this can NOT be covered by one of the Unlimited Ride Metro Cards. If you take this route, I HIGHLY recommend taking the A train!

MTA Info: AirTrain Connection
JFK Info: jfk_brochure_english.pdf (Airtrain)

TAXI
Taxis are easy to get, but make sure you wait in the Taxi line and get an OFFICIAL NYC TAXI. Many people will come up to you in and around the terminal and will offer you shuttles and cars to where you need to go. DO NOT TAKE THESE OFFERS! They will make you wait until the car is FULL of people before they leave, you will always be the last stop, and often, they will drive around in circles and charge you extra! I always warn people about this, and someone always takes one of these offers and is charged $70! The official taxi serve has a FLAT FARE of $45 plus tolls into Manhattan from JFK.

SHUTTLE
It is possible to take an ‘official’ shuttle from JFK.
http://www.nyairportservice.com/
This is typically $15 per person and they run every 30 minutes or so. Typically the Subway is just as good of an idea, but this option is here if you desire to investigate.

NOTEWORTHY
If you are flying in or out of JFK, keep an eye out for Eero Saarinen’s Terminal, formerly the TWA Terminal, which should be visible from the Airtrain.

NYC Subway

The easiest way to get around NYC is via the Subway. You will often see Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) listed with Subway.

Subway Map: subwaymap1.pdf

The best way to ride the Subway is to purchase a MetroCard before your first ride. There are many types of MetroCards, but as we are going to be moving around the city quite a bit I highly recommend an UNLIMITED RIDE MetroCard. These come in 1-Day, 7-Day, 14-Day and 30-Day flavors. A normal subway fare has now gone up to $2.25 per ride. The 1-Day is $8.25 and the 7-Day is $27. I recommend that everyone purchase the 7-Day card, as all of you will be in NYC for 4 days (Tues-Sat).

MetroCard Info: mta-where-to-buy-metrocard1.pdf

Many of us will be staying at the JANE hotel. The closest Subway stop to the Jane is 14th Street/8 Av. There are many subway stops at 14th St, but only one at 14st and 8th Av, this is where the A, C, E and L stop. The subway map is color coded, but has multiple letters on a single line. The A and C for example are both BLUE lines. IN the outer boroughs these trains will often split into different routes, but in Manhattan one of these trains is typically an EXPRESS and one is a LOCAL. (also note how the E peels off at 50 st). If you are taking an A Express from the far end of the line (like JFK) it will get you into Manhattan MUCH FASTER than if you take a C Local, the difference in times for a long trip like this can be HOURS!

Walking Directions: 14th/8th Ave to Jane Hotel

Please consider printing the Subway map and keeping this with you at all times while in NYC, as Maps are often posted in the Stations and Train Cars, but are occasionally missing or defaced.

Any questions? Please list them in the comments.