Travel
Map with links to hotel, restaurant, and Metropolitan Museum
By air: Several airports serve New York City, which makes it easier to find reasonable airfares, but please take note of whether you're arriving at LaGuardia Airport (LGA), John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK), or Newark Airport (EWR). The hotel does not provide shuttle service to and from the airports, and public transportation is still inconvenient to the city’s east side, where the conference hotel is located at 410 East 92 Street near First Avenue; so the fastest way to get to the hotel (or Museum) from an airport is by taxi, which costs a flat rate of under $60 from JFK, including tolls and tip, an amount divisible among up to four passengers. The cost is slightly lower from La Guardia airport (LGA), but the charge is metered and therefore varies with the time of day and the amount of traffic. Newark airport (EWR) is furthest, and the trip into Manhattan from there will cost between $50 and $75 on the meter, including tolls. For those interested in reserving a shared ride directly to the hotel with a less expensive van service like Super Shuttle, click here. Be aware that the Super-Shuttle van might spend as much as two hours dropping off individual passengers at various locations on the way to the hotel. Alternatively, one can take an Airtrain from JFK (with a change to the Long Island Railroad at Jamaica, Queens) or Newark (each for approximately $12 one way) into Penn Station (at West 34th Street) and then either a taxi or public transportation to the hotel (see below; click here for details about the JFK airtrain and its connections into the city). Public transportation from LGA is provided by the M60 bus, which stops at Second Avenue and 125th Street as soon as it crosses the bridge into Manhattan, and from there it’s a short taxi ride to the hotel on East 92nd Street and First Avenue, or board the M15 bus down Second Avenue to East 89th Street. (If you’re going directly to the Museum—but see the note below about not bringing suitcases to the Museum—stay on the bus as it crosses 125th Street until the stop at Fifth Avenue; then take the #1 bus or a taxi to the Museum, which is on Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street.) At the airports there are designated cab stands, but once in town, you can flag down a taxicab with a wave of the hand; unoccupied cabs will have their numbers lit up on their rooftops.
By land: If you are arriving by rail (into Grand Central or Penn Station) or by bus (into the Port Authority Bus Terminal), the easiest thing to do is hail a cab. The hotel website provides a map and driving instructions, but know that parking a car at the hotel will cost $45 a day. However, no information is given on its website for getting to the hotel by public transportation. For those determined to do just that, the main north-south routes on the east side (as when traveling from LGA on the M60 bus) are the Second Avenue bus or the Lexington Avenue subway (#6 train) in the downtown direction; on the west side (as when traveling from Port Authority Bus Terminal or Penn Station), take the #1, 2, or 3 train uptown to 96th Street and then the 96th-Street crosstown bus to First Avenue. (The city’s reliable public transportation website is http://mta.info.)
More about public transportation: Some might prefer to walk from the hotel to the Museum—approximately 1.2 miles. Otherwise, the nearest east-west route between hotel and Museum is the bus that goes across 86th Street (M86). The stop closest to the hotel is at 92nd Street (sic) and First Avenue. The stop nearest the Museum is at 86th Street and Fifth Avenue. The registration form provides the option of purchasing a $20 Metrocard, which is good for nine one-way rides (or more if you show a Medicare card to the station clerk) on any form of public transportation, subway or bus) anywhere in the city. However, it will only be available with your registration packet. For your initial ride, if you choose not to take a taxi from your arrival location, you will probably need to buy a Metrocard (available at any subway station or at Hudson News stores at the airports) or drop nine quarters into the bus fare-box. Those who spend more time in NY on either side of the conference might consider buying a dated, one-week Metrocard for $29; it’s cost-effective if you use it between 14 and 20 times. (However, these may not be purchased in advance on the registration form.) Note that any type of Metrocard may be used by as many as four people at once at the same turnstile.
Another helpful website regarding transportation is About.com's New York City Travel page.
ONE LAST NOTE: You will be able to pick up your registration packets at the hotel on Thursday afternoon and subsequently, beginning Friday morning, at the Museum. The entrance to the Museum for registrants will be a small door at street level on Fifth Avenue at 81st Street. If you are planning to arrive on Friday, please be aware that the Museum does not permit suitcases to be brought in, nor to be left in the coat check room.
