Four hour layover at JFK

This thread has been done before but it%26#39;s been a while and the circumstances are a little different. My younger sister is traveling from US Virgin Islands (St Thomas) and has a 4 hour layover at JFK on their way back to Oklahoma. This will be her first time ';in'; the NYC vicinity so she wants to see something - anything!

As it%26#39;s a domestic flight on the same airline, so I don%26#39;t think they%26#39;ll need to worry about a ton of extra time re-checking bags or dealing with customs. There will be 4 of them (2 adults and 2 18 y/o).

She realizes they won%26#39;t be able to ';do'; anything so just ';seeing'; something would be enough. What would be the quintessential ';thing'; if you only had a minute in the city? Are there any quickie tours they could hire or maybe just ask a cabbie if they%26#39;d drive them around for X time? A place to go just for a quick view? I don%26#39;t think anyone in their party has been in NYC at all so pretty much anything would be cool.

Four hour layover at JFK

IF things run on time and IF they don%26#39;t have to pick up/re-check bags, and IF they%26#39;re content to really just have time to ';see'; something, it CAN be done.

But you have to measure out the time -- be back to check-in at least an hour before. That knocks us down to 3 hours.

Count on an hour each way at least from the security checkpoint to your destination. That takes us down to 1 hour.

Now this is very important -- WHEN and WHAT ROUTE they take to their destination will make a big difference on whether she winds up opening up a whole extra hour to be there, or whether she winds up frantically racing back to the airport. A rush hour taxi/limo ride could take as much as an hour or more. Taking the AirTrain/Subway to Times Square any time would likely take about an hour and 15 minutes (maybe an hour if you%26#39;re lucky).

I%26#39;d recommend taking a taxi or car service. Lord knows people can take a while to learn how to use the subways here, much less sucessfully navigate them, and the last thing we want is your sister winding up in the Bronx or something before she realizes she%26#39;s not on the right train!

There%26#39;s a bunch of stuff to do out in Brooklyn and Queens that are a little closer, but I think -- again, if its not rush hour and everything%26#39;s running on time, they can get to Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and/or Central Park. Those are all pretty close to one another, are major iconic tourist spots, and aren%26#39;t too far from the Midtown Tunnel (which, by the way, is always my reccomendation for going to the airports. Do NOT take the friggin%26#39; Belt Parkway. Hate that drive.)

Four hour layover at JFK

For 4 hours, I don%26#39;t recommend this. (Sorry, I know it%26#39;s not what you want to hear.)

As Dave said, you have to be back at the airport an hour before the flight. Therefore there is 3 hours. Traveling to and from Manhattan takes an hour each way - unless it%26#39;s peak hour, in which case, it can take up to an hour and a half. This leaves anything from Nil time --%26gt; 1 hour. Less if the flight arrives late, or they get stuck in a cab line, or there are subway problems if they choose that route.

It would just be cut too close.

If she has her baggage checked through on the same airline, while I think it is not a great idea, they could do the following:

Take the Air Train to Jamaica.

At Jamaica, go down into the subway and take the E subway.

Get off the E at Fifth Avenue. If they exit near the front of the train, they will come out on West 53rd Street, across the street from St. Thomas Church, about 100 feet from the corner of Fifth Avenue. Turn right along 53rd Street to Fifth Avenue, and then right/south/with the flow of the cars on Fifth Avenue to 50th Street. Turn right on 50th Street to the side entrance of the GE building, and go up to Top of the Rock. To get back to the airport, they can do that in reverse, or else take a taxi to Penn Station for a train to Jamaica.

If I were dong this, I could manage this in less than two hours, although it would be so rushed that it would not be pleasant, and I don%26#39;t know how long the security line is at JFK. For someone who is not intimately familiar with the subway system and the streets of midtown Manhattan, though, I think it is an open invitation to missing your flight. If they get stranded at JFK, don%26#39;t blame me, because I think its a lousy idea.

What about something a little closer with just a good view of the city? Something in Brooklyn so she could say she saw the Brooklyn Bridge?

Brooklyn is closer to JFK as the crow flies. The problem is, they aren%26#39;t crows.

So should I be asking for ways to kill 4 hours at JFK? I%26#39;ve read there%26#39;s a spa in one terminal? Any movie theaters?

You%26#39;ll find a list of terminals and what they contain here:

panynj.gov/CommutingTravel/鈥ennedy.html

I would NOT leave airport. By the time your first flight lands, and allowing for checkin for next flight, she wont have all that much time.

She%26#39;ll want ot make sure the bag(s) are che cked thru to final destination and check whether she need to collect bags, and recheck at JFK (likely not).

There is an AIRTRAIN that stays WITHIN JFK - goes around to all the terminals. But likely to get to the good stuff in the terminals she will have to go thru security at any terminal to get to, for instance, the mini-spa at Jet Blue.

Sorry, but all she%26#39;s gonna see (or should see given time limitations) is WITHIN JFK.

I%26#39;d go to Flushing Meadows Corona Park for a stroll. That%26#39;d leave plenty of time to get back to JFK. No rush.

Having just arrived back from the US where I took a large number of domestic flights, I strongly recommend staying in the airport. Everytime you leave the secure part of the terminal you need to clear TSA to get back in. That can mean long lines and can take considerable time. The more people in your party the longer it takes - even if they are all adults. It%26#39;s a shame, but I wouldn%26#39;t risk it.