Comments on: Take the train from the plane http://www.davosnewbies.com/2006/03/20/take-the-train-from-the-plane/ A year-round Davos of the mind, written since 1999 by Lance Knobel Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:38:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dwayne http://www.davosnewbies.com/2006/03/20/take-the-train-from-the-plane/comment-page-1/#comment-6585 Dwayne Fri, 14 Apr 2006 05:40:41 +0000 http://www.davosnewbies.com/2006/03/20/take-the-train-from-the-plane/#comment-6585 I'm going to Harlem from JFK next week and this JFK-Jamaica-subway to midtown sounds like a really confusing trip. I don't travel to NYC often. Will I be confused? I'm only in town for two days and I'm trying to save money but this sounds like it's infrequent and confusing. I’m going to Harlem from JFK next week and this JFK-Jamaica-subway to midtown sounds like a really confusing trip. I don’t travel to NYC often. Will I be confused? I’m only in town for two days and I’m trying to save money but this sounds like it’s infrequent and confusing.

]]> By: Maria http://www.davosnewbies.com/2006/03/20/take-the-train-from-the-plane/comment-page-1/#comment-5975 Maria Thu, 23 Mar 2006 13:47:35 +0000 http://www.davosnewbies.com/2006/03/20/take-the-train-from-the-plane/#comment-5975 I don't know where you're going in Manhattan, but taking the LIRR from penn station to Jamaica is a bit faster than the subway (about 15-20 mins from Penn to Jamaica, and the frequency is fairly high). I don’t know where you’re going in Manhattan, but taking the LIRR from penn station to Jamaica is a bit faster than the subway (about 15-20 mins from Penn to Jamaica, and the frequency is fairly high).

]]> By: Ed Costello http://www.davosnewbies.com/2006/03/20/take-the-train-from-the-plane/comment-page-1/#comment-5944 Ed Costello Tue, 21 Mar 2006 14:12:01 +0000 http://www.davosnewbies.com/2006/03/20/take-the-train-from-the-plane/#comment-5944 The Airtrain was built primarily to connect Long Island RR users to JFK, not NYC. They chose a different gauge than used by NYC transit so that there's no chance of interconnecting the systems. I don't know that it would be any faster, but an A train to Howard Beach (Far Rockaway line) ($2.00) followed by the Airtrain ($5.00) might be more logical if you're going to/from Lower Manhattan. The Airtrain was built primarily to connect Long Island RR users to JFK, not NYC. They chose a different gauge than used by NYC transit so that there’s no chance of interconnecting the systems.

I don’t know that it would be any faster, but an A train to Howard Beach (Far Rockaway line) ($2.00) followed by the Airtrain ($5.00) might be more logical if you’re going to/from Lower Manhattan.

]]> By: Lance Knobel http://www.davosnewbies.com/2006/03/20/take-the-train-from-the-plane/comment-page-1/#comment-5943 Lance Knobel Tue, 21 Mar 2006 11:09:23 +0000 http://www.davosnewbies.com/2006/03/20/take-the-train-from-the-plane/#comment-5943 I kind of knew that post would be a red rag to Felix's bull. I haven't yet experienced the reverse trip, Manhattan to JFK, but I guess I'll now expect the worst on Wednesday. I kind of knew that post would be a red rag to Felix’s bull. I haven’t yet experienced the reverse trip, Manhattan to JFK, but I guess I’ll now expect the worst on Wednesday.

]]> By: Felix http://www.davosnewbies.com/2006/03/20/take-the-train-from-the-plane/comment-page-1/#comment-5921 Felix Tue, 21 Mar 2006 04:29:09 +0000 http://www.davosnewbies.com/2006/03/20/take-the-train-from-the-plane/#comment-5921 The Airtrain is a fiasco. You neglect to mention that the change at Jamaica is pretty nasty, especially in the opposite direction (subway to Airtrain), entailing the dragging of luggage up many flights of stairs and along ill-lit streets. And the signage at the airport is pretty gruesome too: nothing bothering to tell you which escalator takes you to arrivals and which to departures, for instance. There's still a vague hope for a JFK-Lower Manhattan rail link, but no one really seems to believe it will happen. At the moment, the closest equivalent to what we've got is to imagine arriving at Heathrow and then having to spend $10 to take a monorail to the far end of the Picadilly Line. In other words, it's worse than what London had <em>before</em> it built its fast rail link into Paddington. I don't take the Airtrain all that much, I have to admit: basically only when (a) there's a fair amount of traffic -- ie I'm not on an early-morning flight out of JFK, when you can get there in a cab in 20 minutes -- and (b) when I don't have much luggage. Getting off a 10-hour flight from Buenos Aires and then having to schlep your bags around rail terminals in Jamaica -- not to mention getting from the subway to your final destination once you get into Manhattan -- is no one's idea of fun. The Airtrain is a fiasco. You neglect to mention that the change at Jamaica is pretty nasty, especially in the opposite direction (subway to Airtrain), entailing the dragging of luggage up many flights of stairs and along ill-lit streets. And the signage at the airport is pretty gruesome too: nothing bothering to tell you which escalator takes you to arrivals and which to departures, for instance.

There’s still a vague hope for a JFK-Lower Manhattan rail link, but no one really seems to believe it will happen. At the moment, the closest equivalent to what we’ve got is to imagine arriving at Heathrow and then having to spend $10 to take a monorail to the far end of the Picadilly Line. In other words, it’s worse than what London had before it built its fast rail link into Paddington.

I don’t take the Airtrain all that much, I have to admit: basically only when (a) there’s a fair amount of traffic — ie I’m not on an early-morning flight out of JFK, when you can get there in a cab in 20 minutes — and (b) when I don’t have much luggage. Getting off a 10-hour flight from Buenos Aires and then having to schlep your bags around rail terminals in Jamaica — not to mention getting from the subway to your final destination once you get into Manhattan — is no one’s idea of fun.

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