I'm going to Manhattan! Do I want to fly into JFK or LaGuardia?

Perks · Sep 24, 2012

So, next month I'm going to the Simon & Schuster offices to meet my editor and marketing & publicity team. Woo hoo!

Now the boo hoo: I'm too long out of city living (and DC is a very different city from NYC, so I'm told) and I've never been to New York anyway, so I am clueless.

I have a place to stay in the Upper East side. I have no appointments on the day I fly in, so there's no rush to get anywhere that day or on the day I leave. Do I want to fly into LaGuardia or JFK or does it even matter?

heyjude · Sep 24, 2012

Beats me. I just wanted to say how amazing is that! Going to meet your publisher... Have fun!

Perks · Sep 24, 2012

Thank you. I'm very excited! I just hope I don't end up toddling around New York, lost and bumpkiny.

asroc · Sep 24, 2012

LaGuardia is much closer to Manhattan than JFK. From JFK you'd have to travel all the way through Queens.

And congratulations! How awesome is that!

Perks · Sep 24, 2012

That's helpful! Thanks!

KTC · Sep 24, 2012

I was gonna say LGA too (little known fact--I was a travel agent 6 billion years ago for a blip in time). (-: Asroc beat me to it.

WAY TO GO, BTW! How fantastic is that!

Maryn · Sep 24, 2012

LaGuardia is closer to Manhattan, but you might consider train travel, which will take you into Manhattan. The taxi from Penn Station to the Upper East Side is going to cost way less than a cab from the airport to either location. Or you can take public transportation.

Whichever way you travel, important to know: 1) Walking shoes. Even if you taxi most places, in Manhattan you're on your feet a lot. 2) Use restrooms when available, in the hope that you will therefore not need one when they are not available, which is often.

Maryn, who visits New York when she can

Perks · Sep 24, 2012

Maryn, a little known fact about me (and more than you ever wanted to know): I have a bladder as big as my head. You know how a camel can go ages without drinking? I'm like that with restroom stops. It's practically superheroic.

calieber · Sep 24, 2012

How are you getting from the airport to the place you're staying?

Because in my experience crow-fly distance between two points doesn't correspond anything like 100% to ease of travel, particularly in New York.

If you're taking the subway, JFK is much, much easier (though pricier). By cab, there's a flat rate from JFK -- I put an arbitrary destination on the UES into HopStop and cab fare from LaGuardia was much cheaper. Driving, the same arbitrary destination is, Google claims, half an hour from JFK and 20 minutes from LaGuardia ... but I wouldn't recommend driving in Manhattan.

PM if you want to meet for a drink or something. Good luck and congratulations!

Perks · Sep 24, 2012

Ah, someone in the know. Excellent! Would you have an opinion on whether it would be safe (weather permitting) to walk from around 80th and York (just up from Grace Square Hospital) down to the offices, near Rockafeller Center? The map shows it at just over two miles, and I love to walk. It looks very straightforward and I'd be saved the headache of figuring out the public transportation. I just don't know what kind of neighborhood I'd be traversing, looking clueless.

And it might be fun to see if any of the NYC AWers wanted to meet up. I'm not there for long, but we could at least bat the idea around.

Susie · Sep 24, 2012

Haven't flown in years but sayin' good luck and bet it'll turn out great, Perks!

Maze Runner · Sep 24, 2012

Very safe to walk from 80th and York to Rockefeller Center. The Upper East Side is the safest part of Manhattan. Manhattan, anyway, is much safer than it used to be. Let me know if you want to check out some great live jazz while you're there. The only problem that I foresee for you in this trip is you may not want to leave.

Ambrosia · Sep 24, 2012

It sounds like an exciting trip, Perks. Enjoy.

calieber · Sep 24, 2012

Perks said:
Ah, someone in the know. Excellent! Would you have an opinion on whether it would be safe (weather permitting) to walk from around 80th and York (just up from Grace Square Hospital) down to the offices, near Rockafeller Center?

~~Lots of crime, almost none of it of the street variety~~ You'd be traversing the old-money neighborhood, so it should be fairly safe. Allow getting-turned-around time if you walk through Central Park.

Perks · Sep 24, 2012

Thanks guys! I'll probably skip the Park until after the meeting, but I will make sure to give myself extra time. This would be a pretty lousy meeting to be late for.

I hope it doesn't rain. I'm actually looking forward to that walk.

Lavern08 · Sep 24, 2012

I was in NY a few weeks ago, and I gotta warn you...

Do NOT get into the Pink cab - It's a tribute to the fight against breast cancer, but it reeks of cigarette smoke and is absolutely FILTHY!!! :rant:

Perks · Sep 24, 2012

Bebop said:
The only problem that I foresee for you in this trip is you may not want to leave.

I can imagine. Part of me thinks I could live in a city again, but I know I don't want to have to drive in the city anymore. I'm so unaccustomed to traffic now that it pisses me off much more than it did when I lived in it.

Perks · Sep 24, 2012

Lavern08 said:
I was in NY a few weeks ago, and I gotta warn you...

Do NOT get into the Pink cab - It's a tribute to the fight against breast cancer, but it reeks of cigarette smoke and is absolutely FILTHY!!!

There's only one?

Lavern08 · Sep 24, 2012

Not sure about that, but the one that took me from Long Island to LaGuardia stunk to high heaven.

rugcat · Sep 24, 2012

I grew up in NYC. Cabs from the airport are amazingly expensive.

The standard way to get in in years past was to take a direct bus (no stops) from the airport to the East Side Terminal, then cab it from there.

These days, I would imagine the best way in would be one of the airport shuttle van services like Super Shuttle. It can take a while if there are a lot of passengers to be dropped off, but at least you could see the city.

I think they run about $ 20-25 and drop you off at your address. You can reserve ahead of time (Might even have to.)

Little Red Barn · Sep 24, 2012

LGA would be best. Never had a problem flying in, and the cab fare from LGA to Manhatten is a standard fare, around 45-50.00

So happy you're going!
Grab your sneakers and walk, walk, walk. If you find yourself tired, hail a cab back to your place. Cheap.

Vito · Sep 24, 2012

Perks said:
I have a bladder as big as my head. You know how a camel can go ages without drinking? I'm like that with restroom stops. It's practically superheroic.

Sounds like a comic book character. You know -- Marvel Comics or D.C. Comics or whatever: "The Adventures of Bladdergirl". Something like that, maybe. :tongue

Perks · Sep 24, 2012

Vito said:
Sounds like a comic book character. You know -- Marvel Comics or D.C. Comics or whatever: "The Adventures of Bladdergirl". Something like that, maybe.

I don't even want to think of what the costume would look like.

calieber · Sep 24, 2012

Little Red Barn said:
LGA would be best. Never had a problem flying in, and the cab fare from LGA to Manhatten is a standard fare, around 45-50.00.

JFK is a flat fare ($45 plus tolls)
LGA is metered; it's $22 to where Perks is going.

(And while I'm correcting you, "Manhattan")

Perks · Sep 24, 2012

Yeah, that's in line with what my editor's assistant told me. She said it would be about $25 and probably less hassle with a suitcase.

I'm going to Manhattan! Do I want to fly into JFK or LaGuardia?

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