Originally Posted by mauld
I believe the thread was referring to taking the A or E train after midnight from EWR to Penn Station to JFK/Jamaica. That is a fairly long ride, and goes thru some not very populated stations, thus the caution.
As for cabbies refusing you, I've been refused during the daytime trying to get a taxi in front of a midtown hotel going to Penn Station. (It seems they line up and want to get the airport fares, not the short hauls
).
Yeah, and that's the biggest factor in terms of subway safety. Pretty much anywhere in manhattan below 100th street is completely safe at any hour, and you're unlikely to be alone in a car even at 4am. When you go to/from the outer boroughs, especially during off-hours and reverse commutes (like queens-manhattan during the week late at night), you're more likely to be alone. That, of course, is the only really dangerous time, as you're unlikely to get hassled when there's a bunch of witnesses.
I've occasionally had taxi drivers refuse to take me somewhere, but I try not to say where I'm going till I'm in the cab if I think that they're going to refuse. The one time someone did refuse once I was in the cab and we were driving already, I called 311 and filed a complaint mid-ride. I'd like to say this changed their opinion, but it just escalated. Though I did get the satisfaction of filing a complaint.
Matt