Blumie

Well, I assume you are not arriving from SEA, because you wouldn't be arriving at noon. As someone pointed out on the AA board, if you are flying from SEA, you may want to choose JFK just to be able to get the non-stop.

It's actually pretty easy to get to Manhattan from any of the airports. Here are the best options, IMHO:

LGA: Purchase a MetroCard at one of the Hudson News stands before leaving the airport (paying for the bus using a MetroCard will permit a free transfer to the subway). Go outside on the baggage claim level and look for the sign for the MTA buses. Take the M60 bus (which should run about every 10-20 minutes) to 125th Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue (after crossing the Triboro Bridge, the bus will cross Manhattan on 125th Street, so you just need to ask the bus driver to point out when you get to Saint Nicholas Avenue). Right where the bus drops you off you can go downstairs into the subway and catch any downtown train (A, B, C, or D) to 59th Street/Columbus Circle. Total cost: $2. Travel time should be about an hour.

EWR: Take the free AirTrain to the NJT/Amtrak rail station at EWR, where you can catch a train to Penn Station. Then follow the signs to the 8th Avenue subway and take the A or C train uptown to 59th Street/Columbus Circle. Total cost: $2 plus the cost of the train. Probably about $15 all in. Maybe someone can provide exact numbers.

JFK: Take the AirTrain to Jamaica Station. You have to pay $5 to exit; you can purchase a MetroCard before you exit, and load it with enough value for your subway rides over the weekend, too. From Jamaica, the faster, but more expensive, option is to take the LIRR to Penn Station, and then the subway to Columbus Circle (see EWR directions above for subway info from Penn Station). This will cost $11 (iirc), $9 for the train plus $2 for the subway. The slower, but less expensive, option is to take the subway all the way from Jamaica Station. Follow the signs to the E train towards Manhattan. You can either take the E train to 50th Street and walk to Columbus Circle from there, or you can take the E train to 42nd Street, cross over to the uptown side of the tracks (you will be on the downtown side), and take the A train uptown to 59th Street/Columbus Circle.

(Note that another option from JFK is to take the AirTrain to the Howard Beach station -- also $5 -- and then take the A train from there -- $2 -- all the way to Columbus Circle. It's been more than 15 years since I've taken the A train to Howard Beach, but my recollection is that it stops about every 50 feet until it gets to Manhattan, making the trip very slow.)

In my mind, the LGA option offers the best combination of convenience and cost. The EWR option is more expensive and, in my experience, is no quicker unless the stars and the moon are aligned exactly right.