I’ll be going to NYC for a few days next week but I’m a little concerned about the expense. I was wondering if anyone could tell me about cab fares or alternatives in NYC.
It looks like I’ll be taking a cab from LAguardia airport to Hotel Alexander on 306 W 94th st. That’s about a 9 mile ride. Any ideas on what that might run? Here in Nashville a 3 1/2 mile ride to the airport cost me $20 with tip. Will I drop $60 for a cab ride? More?
Are their good alternatives? Maybe the Hotel has some kind of shuttle service? Probably not. Is the subway a big money saver? Safe?
Any help appreciated.
You might look for a hotel shuttle rather than a cab. We did that last year and it was around $30 from LaGuardia to 41st and Park Ave. With the bonus of an intentional fender-bender during a logjam near the tunnel, complete with drivers jumping out of vehicles, yelling at each other, then getting back in and driving on.
The cab fare back was around $40, IIRC (mid-day, Sunday). It definitely wasn’t $60.
(Edit) - the shuttle was a generic type, not specific to the hotel, so it made several stops along the way. There are also buses into the city as well.
If you’re really strapped for cash, you can take the M60 bus into Manhattan to West 116th & Broadway, hop onto the #1 subway downtown right at W116th and take it to West 96th, then walk the rest of the way. Getting off the bus at W116th rather than W106th (the end of the M60 line) saves you some walking around with luggage trailing, since the closest subway stop to W106th is at W103rd. The bus ride and subway ride will be $2 each. It’s been ages since I was on a bus, but you’ll probably have to buy a MetroCard at the airport first. Subway and NYC Transit maps and schedules are available at http://www.mta.info. Tourist info is here : Home | MTA.
A cab directly from LGA shouldn’t cost you much more than about $40 plus tolls. Using a limo service (those guys that stand around holding a sign with your name at baggage claim) will be about the same, since you’re headed into Manhattan; they will quote you the price in advance, and sometimes you can pay by credit card too.
If you book a place on SuperShuttle (http://www.supershuttle.com), they quote the shared van fare (which means you share the ride with others getting off at various places) from LGA to your hotel at $16, which is a pretty good deal and usually doesn’t take that much longer than a cab ride by yourself. You have to make a reservation, though (can do it online). And don’t forget to tip the driver a buck or two for handling your baggage.
Oh, meant to add - if you took the M60/subway combo and switch at W116th, you’re right next to the Columbia University main campus. The place is crawling with people at most hours, and you’ll be pretty safe. The #1 subway in general is pretty good w/r/t safety, and you’ll be on the Upper West Side/Morningside Heights part of Manhattan anyway, which isn’t a bad area overall. Some evenings the biggest problem is noisy undergrads.
A cab ride to/from LGA to that area of the Upper West Side in non-rush hour (and assuming no unusual traffic) should cost about $20 in fare, $5.00 in tolls and $5.00 in tip, or less. I live about 20 blocks lower on the West Side, and the cab is a pretty good way to go for LaGuardia.
My daughter is there so once I get to the hotel I’m set. I’ve been there before and seen the Empire State, Statue of Liberty, and some touristy stuff. Any recommendations?
btw, that’s some good info and thanks. The super shuttle sounds great. From the airport and then back to on Friday I hope.
Comparing the time and cost of taking the bus/subway versus a cab depends entirely on when your flight will be arriving: weekday/weekend, time of day, etc.
The bus/train should be quite safe, and likely a good way to get a taste of the “real” New York City, but going from LGA to the Upper West Side will take a while by mass transit. You can take the M60 bus from end-to-end (about 1 hour), from LGA to the Upper West Side at Broadway and 106th St., and then walk the 12 blocks to 94th St. Or get out further uptown (like at Broadway/116th St. at Columbia University), and take a free transfer to the subway (the 1 train) for a few stops to 96th St. to get a taste of life in the tunnels.
Taking a cab will likely be quicker, but not necessarily by much – it’ll still be at least a half hour ride, and depending on traffic, it could take up to an hour or even longer. (Of course the bus ride, being surface transit, is subject to the same potential traffic delays, though to a slightly lesser degree due to the occasional stretches of “bus lanes” during the day on weekdays.) The cab fare from LGA to West 94th St. will be around $25-30 all told, more if you end up stuck in traffic for a long time.
For future reference, JFK airport connects up to the subway via AirTrain ($5). Although it is a looong ride to upper Manhattan, economizing travelers should probably prefer JFK for this reason.
Yeah, but depending on where you’re flying in from, the cost of the plane ticket into JFK could be a lot more than the difference between a $5 AirTrain ride and a $16 ride on the SuperShuttle.
cosmosdan, if your daughter is meeting up with you, you’re golden. Weather is supposed to be cool this week (low 60s, unlike last week’s return to August) with some rain by midweek, so if you’re thinking of doing anything that calls for walking, you might want to do it by Wednesday. Despite living here I don’t have many good ideas for things to do beyond the usual touristy stuff, which you seem to have done already. You might want to try Time Out New York (Time Out New York | New York Events and Things To Do All Year) for some ideas, see if anything grabs you.
If I had plenty of time and was strapped for cash, I’d take the M60 from LaGuardia, get off at 116th, then flag a cab down for the rest of the way. It costs a little more than the subway (I’d guess it’s around five bucks), but it’s worth avoiding the hassle of going down and up subway stairs with luggage.
That part of the UWS is generally very safe, as is the subway. Subway fare, btw, is $2.00. They used to offer a 7-day unlimited ride pass, but I’m not sure that they still do.
True. I intended to imply, “all other things being equal…” In my experience the two airports are usually comparably priced. I looked up flights from Chicago, for instance, and the price difference is $5. From San Francisco, the cheapest direct flights are to JFK. Of course there can be circumstances where this is not the case.