Newark Airport to Queens

n97 mini wrote: »

Haven't done this trip before, so just to make sure I have it right.

I want to buy a 7-Day Unlimited Pass ($32) for the metro anyway, so am I correct in saying the best way to do it is buy a ticket from Newark Liberty International Airport Station to Penn Station, and buy the 7-day ticket at Penn for the rest of the journey?

Yeah, that would be correct, I did similar two months ago but just bought a metro card and kept topping it up and it cost me more than the $32 so the 7 day pass is the best way to go.

Do you intend to carry much luggage? Because the New York Subway is extremely outdated and there might be one lift serving a station between platforms and there will be a queue for it with some obese people, disability scooters or women with prams, old people etc. after several minutes I got sick of waiting and dragged my luggage down several flights of stairs.

Alot of stations in Queens have no lift at all. Going the reverse back to Newark is even worse as you have to drag luggage uphill and Penn station is chaotic and I was there in peak rush hour signage was poor and track announcements of where to go farcical and a mad rush to get on the train, and don't expect to get a seat in Rush hour leaving Penn Station. Going to Queens by Subway will probably necessitate a change at Times Square to the number 7 train.

An uber is like $80-90 each way so public transport between Newark and Queens is far more economical, but if there was two or more people I'd definitely go for a cab. Flying to JFK would be a far better option and when you consider taxi/uber prices and/or the torture of the subway what you might save with United into Newark you'll spend getting to Queens versus going Aer Lingus to JFK in the first place.

Public transport just doesn't work in America and New York is third world due to the Subway not seeing investment in 50-60+ years and this has the best public transport in the country.

This is what you will have to endure:

• Step 1: Ride ancient monorail from Airport to Airport station (1kms away), 5 to 7 mins, standing most likely.
• Step 2: Board train to New York Penn Station (Not Newark Penn Station), Newark and New York sounding similar confuses people especially non English speakers.
• Step 3: Navigate from New York Penn to the Subway, a maze and very poor signage not helped by openly hostile rude thick disinterested staff.
• Step 4: Navigate Subway with one or two changes to Queens, trying to get luggage on in Rush hour is a frigging nightmare. I left 6 hours before my flight time from Queens and it took me like 2.5hrs to get to Newark Airport. Between the huge queues for self-service checkin and the rude security, there wasn't much time spent killing time where I could read a book etc.

People complain about Ryanair etc. you aint seen nothing until you experience domestic flying in America and the way you are treated and staff who are not just rude, they are openly hostile and clearly racist because of the colour or lack thereof in your skin. It may sound like a rant, but I flew into New York for the first time in a decade or more and was shocked by what I saw and experienced, compared to other countries, we even complain about Dublin Airport not having a Rail link but you can at least find a bus service to almost every county in Ireland direct from the Airport itself.