Starting to have buyer's remorse on what I thought was really cheap tix to NY. So I'll be flying in 5/26 and leaving 5/29 from Islip MacArthur Airport. We booked our stay at the Roosevelt Hotel in MTW. Can someone suggest what would be the cheapest/fastest way to get from one to the other?

Also, this is my first time going to NY!!! (So excited!)

Research I've done so far shows that it'll be a very long ride or it'll be very expensive and long. The options I've thought of so far are:

1. Ronkonkoma to Penn Station on the LIRR.
2. Driving to somewhere near a MetroCard station in Long Island so I can buy one of those Unlimited Fare cards.

My problem is #2, in that I wouldn't know where to leave the car (free hopefully), traffic, or if the idea even seems reasonable. BTW, the flight should be in around 1 PM. I would appreciate any suggestions. TIA!