i'm going to NYC in 2 wks: which airport should i fly into?

[cheapie]

JFK or LGA? i'm staying at the hotel pennsylvania
401 Seventh Avenue (at 33rd St.)

is this midtown? if there's any way to take my bike, how close it it to central park or other cool places to ride?

also, anyone want to meet up for dinner?

[mechmike0034]

Hope the Hotel Pennsylvania is better than it was when I stayed there (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60763-d214197-Reviews-Hotel_Pennsylvania_New_York-New_York_City_New_York.html) a couple of years back. I got stranded due to weather trying to get out of Newark on a Friday night and wound up taking a train into NYC as there were no vacancies near EWR. The room was so filthy I slept in my clothes. I should have just slept in the airport.
Three "never agains" for me courtesy of that trip - The Hotel Pennsylvania, Newark Airport, and Continental Airlines...

[cheapie]

yikes!

[Memo]

I usually choose JFK over LGA.

You should be able to take the AirTrain from JFK to Jamaica Station in Queens and then transfer to the LIRR which will take you to Penn Station. From the looks of it, Pennsylvania Hotel is right next to Penn Station so this should be convenient for you. If that sounds like a hassle there is a $45 flat rate for taxi rides from JFK to Manhattan locations.

You're about 25 blocks away from Central Park. I have not biked around the city but it's definitely doable. At worst you can take your bike on the Subway up to Central Park and then bike around. Again, I have not biked in the park but I know there is a bike route as I see people riding on it often.

[cheapie]

company is paying so it will be taxi. thanks!

[ArkiStan]

Yes, Hotel Penn is considered midtown. If there are convenient flight options for you, definitely try to fly into LGA. Its a bit closer and it's a smaller airport, so there will just be less crap to deal with to get out of there. In the end, you're looking at 30 minutes vs. 45 minutes by cab, so not too big of a difference.

Central Park starts on 59th and stretches north. To give you a rough sense, one NYC block (N-S, the short way) is about 1 minutes walking distance, so central park is approx 25-30 mintues walking-distance, but traffic can get pretty crazy downtown so ride with caution. Once you get to central park though, it's an awesome place to ride. Another suggestion is to ride down the bike trail which starts in riverside park (west side of manhattan) around 120th St., down along the hudson river waterfront, all the way down to the South tip of Manhattan (Battery Park).

Wish I could meet up, but i'll be in seattle in two weeks. Have fun! I don't know if you're coming with your family, but let me know if you want any restaurant suggestions. Check out the free concerts/events in the park while you're here.
http://www.summerstage.org/
:cheers:

[cheapie]

i'll be there july 7-10. that when you'll be gone?

[ArkiStan]

i'll be there july 7-10. that when you'll be gone?

yup coming back to NY on the 13th. so what's the occasion? business trip?

[Sirrich3]

Jfk....

[cheapie]

yup coming back to NY on the 13th. so what's the occasion? business trip?

going to the faster freight, cleaner air east coast conference (http://www.ffcaeastcoast.com/). we're a pretty big player in the "green" industry so i'll be there supporting our product. actually, our product in a customer's vehicle.

hopefully 4 hours of work/day with lots of time leftover to explore the city.