fliesdelta

Three of us will land at LGA around 8:45pm this Thursday, and we'll have a checked bag, so I expect to be leaving the airport between 9:15pm and 9:30pm. Is an Uber the best choice at that time to get to Manhattan (48th and 5th Ave)?

easy_money

Uber/Lyft would be a recommended option. Since you have luggage it's just easier. Shouldn't be much traffic around that time. I'd say around 20-30 minutes from LGA to midtown around Grand Central, which cost around $25-$40 around that time.

There's also many shuttle services available. Generally cost around $15-$20 one way. Many of them are not door-to-door and just stop at prime locations like Grand Central, Times Square, Port Authority bus terminal, etc. So if where you're staying at is not close, might not be a good idea.

Also, depending where you're staying, if you're staying at a hotel, inquire with them if they offer any shuttle service. Unless you don't mind some minor walking to catch public transportation, it's another option.

Often1

To 48th & 5th, Uber or a Taxi. With three of you and luggage, it will be cheaper, faster, and less unpleasant than any of the other options. Likely 20-25 minutes at that time of night.

guv1976

For travel this Thursday, Budget is offering a one-way rental from LGA to Manhattan for $14.00, tax and gas included. (Add $1.00+tax to earn frequent-flyer miles on the rental.) If you take the 59th Street Bridge, no tolls.

But the Budget office at West 49th Street closes at 11:00 pm.

fliesdelta

I've been to NYC many times, but only rented cars twice. Both times I almost lost the will to live.

I'm going to Lyft it. I do appreciate you taking the time to pass the information though, others might benefit from it.

themicah

Those shuttle services (Airporter, SuperShuttle, etc.) almost universally suck. Public transit and e-hail car services are almost always better options (with the possible exception of solo travelers who can't afford their own e-hail car and aren't physically or psychologically able to use public transit). Note that in addition to Uber and Lyft, NYC also has Juno, which is pretty much the same thing but takes a smaller commission from the driver's payout. PM for a referral code if you've never used Juno, then check pricing on all three services and take whichever is cheapest when you arrive.

​​​​​​
I don't think I've ever heard of a Manhattan hotel with a free airport shuttle service. They'll most likely refer you either to an overpriced private car service or to one of those crappy shuttle services.​

Easier for sure and most likely faster (absent bad traffic crossing the East River). But if you want the cheapest and don't mind walking a couple blocks, public transit remains an option. Take the Q70 bus from the airport to Jackson Heights and then transfer to the Manhattan/Brooklyn-bound F train to 47th/50th Rockefeller Center, which will put you at 48th and 6th Ave. It will probably take about 40-50 minutes door to door and all-in cost should be $8.90 for three people. At the airport find the Metrocard vending machines and add $7.90 of credit to a pay-per-ride Metrocard. That will get you $8.30 of credit with the 5% bonus, which is enough for three $2.75 rides. Plus the machine will charge you $1 for the new card (cards are refillable). Then dip that card three times in the ticket machine at the bus stop to get three bus receipts. At the subway station just swipe ONCE and it will automatically unlock the turnstile for three people to pass through.

easy_money

I beg to differ. Different folks, different strokes. I've had all good experiences with taking airport shuttles, NYCExpress, Airporter, Golden Touch, just to name a few. I guess you experienced bad service with airport shuttles. And Public transit better than airport shuttles? Maybe the buses, but you might be the only NY'er that would agree with that. Especially during night times. I do agree though, Juno IME is better than the big 2 Uber/Lyft. There's also Via which is pretty good also.

You're right, no hotels in the city offer free shuttle service. They do charge a fee. I didn't state it was free, but I should have clarified that. Many of the hotels have either contracts, or it's their preferred service provider with discounted prices. I've used them plenty of times. Figure if they do offer it, it's less hassle on the OP. You know they will drop you off at the right location and not have to worry about it that late in the night.

ijgordon

Uber sucks in New York. The drivers never go to the right place to pick you up. Either they don't read their screens, or the app doesn't transmit the location properly, or probably a combination of both. Tell them to pick you up on the upper level (Uber app offers that option, at least at Terminal D), and they'll be sure to be downstairs. Select Pickup Area 2, well you better go find Pickup Area 4, because that's where the driver will be.
I doubt Lyft is much better, but I haven't used that in NYC.

Frankly, taxis are usually the easiest from the airport. But I'm not sure of the latest on the construction and relocation at LGA, particularly if you're arriving into Terminal B. 9pm on Thursday there might be a bit of a wait, though usually the line moves relatively quickly. I think there are digital signs in the terminals as you approach baggage claim giving estimated wait times, like at Disney. You can be sure, however, that if the taxi queue is long, then the rideshare services will be even more of a cluster. Nothing like being assigned a driver heading the wrong way past the airport on the GCP.

Best option really might be pre-reserving with Dial7 or Carmel.

themicah

[QUOTE=easy_money;31003257]I hesitate to recommend Via for airport rides until they fix their stupid bug (which borders on consumer fraud) that currently omits the sales tax and congestion surcharge from their final fare quote. Also, the last few times I've used Via in both NYC and Chicago for highway rides the drivers have gone ridiculously slow on the highway. I suspect Via may actually be requiring their drivers to stay under the speed limit, which can be maddening when you're on a highway where traffic is all whizzing by at 65mph while your driver sticks to the posted 40mph limit.