ClueByFour

edited

cpx

IMO
taking the cab all the way would be the best if you have luggage.
Switching to mass transit wouldnt be a great idea at this hour
with luggage.

cab fare should be fixed to any destination within manhattan.

http://www.panynj.com/
airport -> LGA -> ground transportation.

let the cab driver pick the route.

Calcifer

LGA is a fixed fare?

cpx

thats what i thought... I think you are correct.. its not!

Blumie

LGA to Manhattan is NOT a fixed fare. Expect to pay $25-$30 plus toll (if any) plus tip.

If I were driving, I'd get on the BQE and stick with it all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge as long as it was moving reasonably well. You can always bail and take the Manhattan Bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge or the LIE to the Midtown Tunnel if the BQE looks like its bogging down.

Analise

Take the cab to the Millenium but I would avoid the Williamsburg bridge because it only puts you on Delancy. I agree with those who recommend the Brooklyn Bridge. Ask the driver to put on traffic reports: 880AM for traffic on the 8s, 1010AM for traffic on the 1s and 1150 for traffic on the 5s. Listen while you're on the BQE. If the Brooklyn Bridge is bad, take the Manhattan Bridge. If one of these bridges can put you on the FDR South (to the Battery Underpass) do that. You'll then find yourself on West St on the West Side and much closer to the Millenium.

The cab fare is metered, not fixed.

BDLORD

I just did this but it was 6 AM on the 5th from the Millenium also.
I used the hotels car service $69 including tip and tolls, nice to sit back in a town car and relax.
I asked the driver what he did in rush hour and he said FDR to 59th St bridge or FDR to Midtown tunnel.
You could take 4 or 5 train to GCT and Metro North to 125th St and grab the bus but that could take a while also. It would be the cheapest though.
Oops missed the luggage bit

Blumie

I just don't see how this makes sense during rush hour from downtown.

As you saw, the OP is not interested in public transportation, but if you were going to do this it makes no sense to get off the 4/5 at GCT; you'd just stay on the 4/5 all the way to 125th Street and grab the bus there. Or you'd take the E (which I think is closer to the hotel) to Jackson Heights for the Q33 bus.

nytango

not only doesnt route make sense but spending 69$ doesnt either... He did this at 6am,,, cab would have been faster and around 25$ but I guess he liked town car.


Follow Blumies advice above bqe to brooklyn bridge

EWR2AUS

Even for a town car, that was way too much. At 6am, I think one of the usual car services would have been only $35 or $40.

As a general rule, public transit from LGA can be a nightmare - esp for the tourist. I often suggest that my friends who are on a tight budget fly into EWR or JFK if they are looking for budget transportation into the city. The benefit of LGA is its proximity to Manhattan, but that is often only appreciated if you are in a cab or a car service.

ijgordon

No respectable hotel would put a guest in one of the "usual" car services. The nicer car services are a bit more...and $69 doesn't sound that far off to me.

russmeyergirl

Not OT enough for a new thread ( )...

I have a 8pm flight out of LGA on a weekday so wondering best/most time efficient option as it seems this will mean I need to live NYC during peakhour. Any ideas?

themicah

Where exactly are you leaving from? Public transit will be more reliable in terms of how long it will take, but is likely to be very crowded, making it difficult if you have significant luggage. Taxis can get caught in traffic, so if you go the taxi route, you'll want to leave more time than usual to get to the airport.

russmeyergirl

Left out important info didn't I

The Village (Bleeker near the A/E subway stop 14th st/8 ave) Have caught subway to JFK countless times but LGA is a whole new deal and I am anticipating too much luggage to try and be clever.

themicah

If you want to avoid traffic and/or be cheap (like me), you can take the E train to Roosevelt Ave in Jackson Heights, Queens and avoid the bridge-and-tunnel traffic bottlenecks. From Roosevelt Ave, you can either transfer to the Q33 bus or get a car to LGA.

The subway + bus with metrocard is $2 total and shouldn't take much more than 75 minutes total. Subway + car is $2 for the subway portion and $12 for the car and shouldn't take more than an hour total. There aren't many yellowcabs in that part of Queens, but you can easily flag down a TownCar. As long as they have T&LC license plates it's perfectly legal for them to pick you up out there. Just be sure to negotiate the fare with the driver before you start going, as those cars don't have meters. It should be $12.

If you can manage your luggage, this is the best route from the west village. While the E train will probably get crowded at that hour, you should be able to get a seat since W14th is only the 4th or 5th stop on the line. If you don't want to deal with the subway with luggage, however, just take a taxi and allow yourself at least 60-90 minutes to get there. It may get there much faster, but you never know at that hour with traffic. Expect to pay roughly $30 with toll and tips.