Laguardia - Uber or Long Term Parking
We did train to penn station, then e train to Roosevelt ave/flushing in queens, then q70 bus to airport last week and it worked really well for us and was quick (even though it sounds like it wouldn't be). I liked that we crossed the two rivers on train and avoided potential tunnel traffic.
An hour and 24 minutes by train and bus. Seems like it would run about 20 bucks for one-way to Penn on NJT, one-way on LIRR, and MTA bus.
See below.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/NJ+Transit+Rail+Station,+145+Dunnell+Rd,+Maplewood,+NJ+07040/LaGuardia+Airport,+NY/@40.7504178,-74.2365075,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m18!4m17!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c3ac5b40d3e2f7:0x958ef528f0f219f7!2m2!1d-74.27549!2d40.730864!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c25f8983424db5:0x772fc4660e9666b3!2m2!1d-73.873966!2d40.776927!2m3!6e1!7e2!8j1431599400!3e3
We took the M60 to LGA on a recent trip. Coming back, we took the Q70. They were both OK. I think I liked the Q70 a little better.
You have to buy a ticket for the bus first, and you can do that at the kiosk at the bus stop. It's weird, because the driver doesn't necessarily check that you have it. NYC running an honors system? Wow.
Anither issue is that this locomotive was pulling a set of 1970s vintage Amfleet coaches. The safety and technology behind passenger railcars has increased in the sam way that it has for automobiles. Newer passenger cars will be more likely to stay upright and preserve their structural integrity upon impact, in that same way modern day automoblies will in an accident. So being in one of those Amfleet passenger cars in a crash is like being in a 1970's Chevy Nova; lots of shiney metalic features, not a lot of safety. If Amtrak had been given the capital budget it needed, these 30-40 year old Amfleet coaches would have been replaced by modern cars that would have been less likely to derail and more likely to stay upright. And lets not even talk about the track.
Does anyone know the cost of either a car service or Uber to LGA? I am looking at a trip in April and the airfare difference from LGA vs EWR is mind-boggling (roughly $500-600 for the three of us). It might make a lot of economic sense to go to LGA, spend the money on a car and realize a net savings.
(Like I said in the other thread, if you know who I am don't mention this to my lovely wife. Yes, I am planning to take her. No, she doesn't know about it).
Long-term parking is about $20/day at nearby LGA hotels, plus tolls over the GW Bridge. Annoying that EWR airfares are generally the highest (by far) of the three NYC airports. Negates the benefits for us of living 20 minutes from the airport. High gate fees and monopoly by United Airlines.
I give people rides to the airport all the time. I haven't driven out to LGA running Uber so I don't know what it would cost but like I said, I do people favors like this all the time.
Well I'm looking at a very early flight on a Sunday from LGA. I would probably feel more comfortable having a reserved car pick us up with a pre-fixed price. I know some people would happily trust Über for this but I'm not convinced.
Although it could be cheaper to drive ourselves and park. Or rent a car here latr Saturday and return it at the airport.
So to close the circle, here's another option I like.
The hotels around the major airports often will allow you to leave your car parked there for several days if you stay overnight. Plus they provide free airport transfers. So if I decide to book an early flight out of JFK or LGA we could stay in a hotel the night before and leave our car at the hotel while we're away. Hotel rates around JFK are in the 160-170 range. That seems comparable to paying for a car service or Uber round trip. And I wouldn't have to worry about not being able to sleep the night before worrying that the car would be on time. We would just drive out the night before.
i paid $101 to go from maplewood to jfk to catch a 5:50am flight the other morning. I used dial7. The car was booked for 3:30am and it showed up at 3:07am and we left shortly thereafter. Newish lincoln nothing spectacular. Ride was fine arrived with tons of time to get through security.
I use dial7 all the time and they are typically 15-20 minutes early every time.
Freeway thanks for the specifics about dial7. I see their cars a lot so it's good to get some information from someone who has used them.
It also helps me compare the price of a car vs the hotel parking deal.
The other piece of the puzzle for us is the young child factor. Staying over the night before five minutes from the airport would probably heighten our chances of successfully making a 7 a.m. flight on time.
If you are driving, we find parking at the laguardia marriot to be the best option. You can prepay to cut the cost down a little, the shuttles run frequently and if you are traveling with a parter, one can wait with the kids in the hotel lobby (with decent bathrooms) while the other fetches and loads the car.
We recently did a 7am flight and it was a breeze. Dress the kids in their traveling cloths before going to bed, preload the car and then at 5am away you go.
Heading out of town for 5 days. Economically what makes more sense an Uber to Laguardia or long term parking need to be there by about 10:30 am tomorrow coming from Maplewood