John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

Newark International Airport (EWK) 

Car Rentals
Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, and National feature a huge selection of cars, but they are quickly consumed during major shows at Jacob Javits Convention Center.

Taxis:
They are numerous and the trip to downtown Newark costs about $12. Taxis are plentiful at all three airports. A taxi ride to Midtown Manhattan will cost you $25 to $40 and limousine will cost you $50 to $75.

Shuttles and Limos: Super Saver Shuttle (800-924-9954), Westchester Express (800-910-5466), and Classic Limousine (800-666-4949) are available from JFK and LGA.  Go to the ground transportation desk at each airport to catch a Gray Line Express bus to Grand Central Station for only $12 from JFK or $14 from La Guardia. Express buses run from 7am to midnight.

EWR-Newark-Manhattan Rail Connections AirTrain Newark automated people mover whisks you between terminals and connects to NJ Transit trains that commute to downtown Newark and Penn Station in Manhattan. The cost is ~$12 and the commute is 30 minutes. On your return, purchase tickets from the Penn Station vending machine and catch any NJ Transit train marked “EWR” on the schedule.

JFK-Brooklyn-Manhattan Rail Connections
Take AirTrain JFK light rail to the Howard Beach Station and transfer to the A subway train. It costs under $10 (AirTrain + MTA subway) and rides last 50-70 minutes to various Manhattan stations

JFK-Queens-Manhattan Rail Connections
Take AirTrain JFK to the modernized Jamaica Station, transfer to a LIRR express train to Penn Station.  LIRR Express Train costs $12 ($7 LIRR peak commute fare + $5 AirTrain) for the 35-minute ride. On your return, purchase tickets from a Penn Station vending machine and catch any LIRR express train marked “Jamaica” on the schedule. AirTrain JFK runs 24/7, just like the subways.

Penn Station always busy and located at Madison Square Garden, is home to:

Amtrak Acela: DC-Baltimore-Philadelphia-NYC-Providence-Boston
Amtrak Adirondack: NYC-Albany-Montreal
Amtrak Crescent: NYC-Philadelphia-Baltimore-DC-Charlotte-Atlanta-New Orleans
Amtrak Empire: NYC-Albany-Syracuse-Rochester-Buffalo-Niagara Falls
Amtrak Palmetto/Silver: NYC-Philadelphia-Baltimore-DC-Jacksonville-Miami
Amtrak Carolinian: NYC-Philadelphia-Baltimore-DC-Richmond-Raleigh-Charlotte
Amtrak Cardinal: NYC-Philadelphia-Baltimore-DC-Cincinnati-Indy-Chicago
Amtrak Keystone: NYC-Philadelphia-Harrisburg
Amtrak Vermonter: St Albans-Burlington-NYC-Philadelphia-Baltimore-DC
Amtrak Lakeshore Limited: NYC-Albany-Buffalo-Cleveland-Toledo-Chicago
Long Island Railroad (LIRR) regional commuter trains

These trains collectively arrive/depart every 5-10 minutes, making Penn Station a beehive of activity that supports shops and cafes 19-20 hours a day. Taxis await you 24/7 on the 33rd Street side of Penn Station.

Grand Central Terminal serves over 500,000 daily passengers and is a joy to visit. Enter from Lexington Ave to get a jaw-dropping view of the Main Concourse with its vaulted ceiling and monuments. It has nearly 30 restaurants/cafes, including the classy Michael Jordan Steakhouse. Shoppers also appreciate the many upscale boutiques. Visitors may contact the Municipal Art Society at (212-935-3960) for a Wednesday tour or the Grand Central Partnership at (212-883-2420 for a Friday tour of Grand Central. Civil engineers marvel at the multi-layered network of train tracks underneath the terminal that support so many trains. While at Grand Central, check out the New York City Transit Museum’s free gallery annex and store. Metro-North Rail Road and several subway lines stop here, including a line connecting to the A, C, and E north-south lines that go to Penn Station. Catch taxis at the Upper Concourse and the New York Airport Express bus to LaGuardia or JFK airport just across 42nd Street.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority: a vast network of subways, buses, and railroads link the diverse parts of New York, enabling residents and visitors to get where they want to go swiftly and at reasonable cost. Within MTA/New York City Transit (MTA/NYCT), there are 26 subway lines that travel to 468 stations over 660 miles of track. More than 4,000 buses travel on 207 local and 36 express routes citywide. A subway or bus ride costs $2, regardless of trip length, and MetroCard is how all fares are paid. Visit MetroCard Promotions (http://www.mta.info/metrocard) to access money-saving MetroCard Deals for reduced admission to museums and attractions, or discounts at stores and restaurants that participate in the program.

The Arts for Transit initiative is designed to enhance the travel experience of subway riders by adding the beauty of art and culture to their trips. The initiative’s Music Under New York (MUNY) program provides riders with a variety of musical performances at select subway stations.

Subways and buses, though at times noisy and hard-seated, are an efficient marvel that both run 24/7. Many subway stations have been and are being refurbished and newer trains are continuously added. Only New York City runs local and express subway trains on separate tracks, speeding commuters from Uptown to Midtown to Downtown in minutes. Most stations have been or are being refurbished and the 4, 5 & 6 have newer trains. Many north-south subway lines through Manhattan have express and local service. Express trains skip 3-4 stations (20-30 blocks) between each stop. So ask a MTA/NYCT station agent for a free subway map and confirm that an express train stops at your station before boarding. If you know your train to catch, use the MetroCard Vending Machines, which accept cash and debit or credit cards for faster service. The subway lines are:

A  8th Avenue Express
B  6th Avenue Express
C  8th Avenue Local
D  6th Avenue Express
E  8th Avenue Local
F  6th Avenue Local
G  Brooklyn-Queens Crosstown Local
J   Nassau Street Express
L  14th Street-Carnesie Local
M  Nassau Street Local
N  Broadway Express
Q  6th Avenue Express
R  Broadway Local
S  Rockaway Park Shuttle
S  42nd Street Shuttle
S  Franklin Ave-Prospect Park Shuttle
V  6th Avenue Local
W Broadway Local
Z  Nassau Street Express
1  Broadway/7th Avenue Local
2  7th Avenue Express
3  7th Avenue Express
4  Lexington Avenue Express
5  Lexington Avenue Express
6  Lexington Avenue Local
7  Flushing Local

MTA Staten Island Railway (SIR) service runs 24 hours daily between the St. George and Tottenville stations. At the St. George station, customers can make connections with Staten Island Ferry service.

Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) trains connect Newark, Jersey City and Hoboken, New Jersey to New York City’s World Trade Center and Penn Station. PATH service is frequent and popular between 5am and 11pm daily. It takes less time to get from Newark to Downtown Manhattan via PATH than it does to reach parts of Brooklyn and Queens on the New York City MTA subway. PATH service will benefit greatly from the new World Trade Center train station when it reopens.

New Jersey Rail Transit: Newark is rich with public transit options. It has a streetcar line and new downtown light rail. There are two major New Jersey Transit commuter rail stations, Broad Street Station and Newark Pennsylvania Station. Newark’s Penn Station is the best-connected train station in New Jersey. There are also rail transit connections between Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken and other New Jersey cities.

New York Freeway, Tollway, Bridge and Tunnel Network: As extensive and as it is expensive for such short distances traveled.  Keep at least $10 handy drive to/from Manhattan.  The freeways, tollways, bridges and tunnels are for most part, old crowded and in varying states of repair, so expect congestion, even at off-commute hours.  Several other tollways and parkways via bridge or tunnel enter the city from New Jersey or the New York boroughs:

         FDR Drive becomes Harlem River Drive
9A     Henry Hudson Parkway
         Williamsburgh Bridge
         Manhattan Bridge
         Brooklyn Bridge
         Queens-Midtown Tunnel
         Queensboro Bridge
         Triborough Bridge
  78    Holland Tunnel
  95    Cross Bronx Expressway/George Washington Bridge
478    Brooklyn Battery Tunnel
495    Lincoln Tunnel
          Garden State Parkway
    1    US Route
    3    State Route (Essex and Passaic counties)
479    US Route
  21    State Route
  24    State Route
  78    Holland Tunnel
  80    Interstate
   2     New Jersey Turnpike/George Washington Bridge
278    Interstate/Goethals Bridge
280    Interstate
287    Interstate
495    State Route/Lincoln Tunnel