Travel to NYC, Part 3: Arriving to New York
- May 7
- 7 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
The NYC Traveler in NYC: An Introduction to the City of New York (practically speaking!) Part 3: Arrival to NYC
Remember: The City of New York consists of 5 boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. Public transportation, also called mass transit, are our subways (known as the metro in other countries, the train), buses and ferries. Scroll down for the links to transportation websites.
Arriving to New York:
How to Get to Your Lodging
1. By Car: If you arrive in NYC with your own vehicle, it is best to try to park it for the time you're here unless you take day trips (such as to Long Island or upstate). If you stay in Manhattan and go to the outer boroughs, you can drive but once you get to your destination, for the most part, it will be difficult to park at the most popular sites. However, although it may cost money to park in a garage, you will save time, gas and aggravation instead of trying to park on the street, which is almost impossible in midtown Manhattan, downtown Brooklyn, many parts of Queens (despite its reputation of it possibly being the most suburban borough), the Bronx and Staten Island.
2. Arriving to New York By Car Rental: If you arrive to NYC in an auto rental, return it as soon as you drop off your bags at your lodging and see below how to get back if you drop it at an airport. Better yet, go straight to the drop off place and take a car service to your lodging.
3. Do You Need A Car? A few exceptions that you can drive to would be Queens Flushing-Meadows Corona Park complex (with the USTA Tennis Center, Hall of Science, Queens Museum, and the Queens Zoo) the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo and Old Richmond Town in Staten Island. However, with the exception of the Bronx, going to the outer boroughs can cost you money in tolls (twice, with congestions pricing in midtown Manhattan and then bridges or tunnels), gas and more importantly, time.
4. Arriving to New York By Plane: If you arrive by airplane at JFK or LGA, you have several options: take pre-arranged transportation (most expensive but private), cab (second most expensive but also private), car service, friend or family, but make sure you stay in constant touch because your friend cannot stay there more than 2 minutes if you are not out of the airport yet. Other options involve public transportation.
5. From JFK: take a local bus or the air train to local subways if you're staying in Jamaica, Queens. Several buses run in, through and out of JFK (remember, locals work there and need to get to work, so there are buses). To get to the other boroughs, take the air train, which requires a fare to get to Jamaica's train station at Sutphin Boulevard. From there, you will see clear info about your choices: the regional train Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to Penn Station in Manhattan or Atlantic Avenue Terminal in Brooklyn. Or, you can take the subway (E train from Sutphin Boulevard), bus (a long ride to Manhattan, not advised), cab or car service to your destination.
The NYC Traveler Tip for Your Trip: use the LIRR app or the machines in the station. Buy the City Ticket to go from Jamaica to either Penn Station, Grand Central or Atlantic Terminal (downtown Brooklyn). You will pay a much cheaper fare. BUT, pay attention if the fare needs to be peak or can be off-peak.
To go anywhere except midtown Manhattan or downtown Brooklyn, it's best to take a car service.
6. From LGA (LaGuardia Airport), you can also take public transportation. There is currently a free bus service, check with the tourist desk when you arrive. There is a select bus, the LaGuardia Link. You must purchase the fare at a curbside machine, not pay onboard. The receipt will be your ticket to board. Regular buses will get you from LGA, also: the M60 takes you to upper Manhattan and the Q70 will take you to the subway. From there, you can take the subway, bus, cab or car service to your destination.
7. From EWR (Newark): the air train will get you to Penn Station (NYC) via Amtrak or NJ Transit. From there, you can take the subway, bus, cab or car service to your destination.
8. Arriving to New York by train: If you arrive by train, meaning Amtrak, you will arrive at Penn Station, West 32 Street-West 34th Streets between 7th and 8th Avenues, Manhattan. From there, you can take the subway, bus, cab or car service to your destination. If you're the rare traveler arriving by Metro North, you will arrive to New York probably at Grand Central Terminal (although there are a couple of stops within the city before). The Long Island Railroad is also at Grand Central as are several subways.
9. Arriving to New York by a major bus carrier: you will arrive at Port Authority Bus Terminal, West 40-West 42 Streets and 8th Avenue (most likely). From there, you can take the subway, bus, cab or car service to your destination. Some budget carriers arrive in other parts of Manhattan or other boroughs. You can either take public transportation or car service to your lodging.
10. If you are going to Staten Island: the ferry leaves from lower Manhattan, near The Battery. The select bus goes through Brooklyn. Once on the island, there is train and bus service. If you are coming in to the city and you are headed to Staten Island, it's best to take a cab or car service or at least take it to lower Manhattan and to take the ferry.
BONUS TIP: You just might arrive by cruise ship if it sails from one location and docks here. You will arrive at one of three area ports: Manhattan Cruise Terminal, 12th Avenue near West 54 Street; Cape Liberty, which is technically Bayonne, New Jersey but so close to Staten Island you could walk there; Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, Red Hook, Brooklyn. All of them are extremely inconvenient to travel from with luggage using public transportation directly. The best option is to use either the cruise line sponsored transport service or take a cab to the public transportation or your destination and go from there.
MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) (mobile app available)
Amtrak: subways, buses, LIRR, Path (mobile app available)
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK, mobile app available)
LaGuardia Airport (LGA, mobile app available)
Newark Liberty Airport (EWR, mobile app available) New York Stewart International Airport (SWF)
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Articles in this series:
Articles in the "Travel Like a Pro" Series
Articles in the "How To Cruise" Series
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
All photos and videos created and copyrighted by Marcia Crayton, unless otherwise noted.
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