This question is for those Dopers who are familiar with the area near JFK Airport in NYC.
A dear friend has a four-hour layover at JFK this Friday afternoon (7/18), so I’m going out there to hang out with him. We’d like to find someplace where we can grab a few drinks. Easy, right? The thing is, we’d like to have a few smokes with our drinks, and since you can’t smoke inside establishments in NYC anymore, I’d like to find someplace that has outside seating (it’s forecast to be a nice day that day) where we can hang out for a couple of hours.
I’ll either drive, or we’ll take a cab, so I’d say that the ideal place would be within a 15-minute drive from the airport, give or take. And if the place is a restaurant/bar, the cuisine isn’t important. If we’re hungry enough, I’m sure that we’ll be able to find something on the menu to nosh on.
Oh, and we’re not looking for anything high-end. Cheap would be great, and moderately-priced would be doable, but I’ll take high-end suggestions if you have them. Hell, he makes more than I do (maybe I should’ve gone into the Marines!), so perhaps he’ll pay for it.
Honestly? There’s a McDonalds on Rockaway Blvd. that might have outdoor seating. But southern Queens hasn’t got a lot to offer.
Four hours in an airport isn’t a lot; and there’s plenty of places to hang out in your friend’s terminal. And if you want a smoke, you can always go curbside.
BTW, to “go curbside” means a long walk out of the gate area, through the concourse(s), outside, then back in, stand in line (again) through security. Every time. I don’t know the alternative, though.
Yeah, but we really would prefer to grab some drinks if possible. Even taking the ability to smoke out of the equation, I checked the Port Authority’s website for JFK, and they don’t even have Terminal 9 (my friend is flying American domestic, and they use Terminal 9) listed in terms of any establishments, drinking or non (they have only Terminals 1 through 8 listed). And at most of the other terminals, drinking establishments are located beyond the security checkpoint, where I, not being a ticketed passenger, won’t be able to go. Terminal 4, though, has a few places pre-security, so we can always go there if I can’t figure anything else out by Friday.
