SATURDAY MAY 12th AT 3PM
ST. GEORGE’S CHURCH • 7 RUTHERFORD PLACE, NEW YORK, NY 10003
TRAVEL
AIRPORTS
There are three major airports in the New York City area.
We’d recommend against renting a car if you fly in. Public transportation is quite cheap (subway/bus rides are $2.75 for as far as you want to go), runs frequently, and continues overnight.
You can take cabs from any of the airports, but they’re pretty expensive. Flat rates to Manhattan that can top $60 and passengers have to pay the tolls. To catch a cab, follow the signs and to one of the cab lines and get a slip from an attendant, who will direct you to a cab.
Update 3.11: Uber and other ride sharing apps do pickup from these airports. Check the prices on the app before you book, but our tests indicate a general cost of 30%-40% less than taxis. Each airport has a specific ride-share pickup location, check the local signs.
EWR - Newark International.
This airport in actually in Newark, NJ, about 10 miles from Midtown NYC. Flying in here will cost about $12 extra per person to get into town. Once you arrive at the airport, follow signs to “Airtrain/Public Transportation” and catch the little monorail or air train. Take it to its final stop, the NJ Transit Railway Station. Buy a ticket at a machine for “New York - Penn Station” before leaving the little turnstiles. This ticket serves two functions: it will get you out of the air train (by inserting it into the turnstiles) and then the conductor will ask to see it once you’re on board the NJ Transit train to Penn Station. Check the train times on the screens; trains to Penn Station run about every 15-20 minutes during the day (note: there are no trains from 2am-5am). If you have any questions, there are friendly people in red vests at the air train exit who can answer all of your questions (they want to make you feel very good about spending your $12 on their trains). You’ll end up at Penn Station, which is at 34th Street and 8th Ave. From there you can connect to the subway system, which will get you anywhere you want to go.
LGA - LaGuardia Airport.
Though this airport was lovingly referred to as “A Third World Country” by Joe Biden, it has a special place in our hearts. Elsa and Matt mostly flew in and out of this airport during their long-distance courtship. Getting to Manhattan from LaGuardia via public transportation takes about an hour. From the terminal, follow signs to “Public Transportation / MTA Buses.” Before you board a bus, buy a yellow metro card from one of the MTA vending machines. A one way ride costs $2.75 (do some math and put some extra money on it for your return trip and any additional sightseeing). Once you have the card, pay for the bus before boarding at the curbside bus ticket machines (you’ll get a little slip to show the driver). Take the M60 bus for about 25 minutes to the 31st Street / Astoria Blvd. It’ll be the stop where everyone gets off, and you can see the elevated subway overhead. It’s a free transfer using your card. Take any of the trains there toward “Manhattan” (one of the two directions the trains go). These trains will take you to downtown. The stop closest to the church is “Union Square.”
If you want to skip the bus section of this trip, take a cab to 31st st/Astoria Blvd, which will cost you about $10-15 and save a bit of time. Make sure you tell the cab line attendant you’re going to “Queens” and not “Manhattan.”
Although all of this sounds confusing on first read, feel free to ask people for directions, and they’ll bluntly and briskly point you in the right direction.
JFK - John F Kennedy Airport
Like EWR, flying into JFK will cost about $12 extra per person to get into town via public transportation. Once you arrive at the airport, follow signs to “Air Train / Public Transportation” and catch the little monorail or air train. Take it to its final stop, Jamaica Station. You’ll have to buy a metro card at a machine for at least $5 to get you out of the air train portion of the station. If you plan on taking public transportation more during your trip, throw some extra money on the card. Trips cost $2.75 per ride, with no distance limitations. Insert the metro card into the turnstiles to leave the air train. Follow signs to “Jamaica Station / LIRR.” It’s about a 3 minute walk, and you’ll have to take an escalator. Go to one of the ticket machines and buy a ticket to “Penn Station.” (Peak tickets are only necessary for 6am-10am; otherwise, buy an OFF PEAK ticket.) Off peak tickets should cost about $6. Check the train times on the screens; trains to Penn Station run about every 15-20 minutes during the day. You’ll end up at Penn Station, which is at 34th Street and 8th Ave. From there you can connect to the subway system, which will get you anywhere you want to go.
DIRECTIONS FROM UNION SQUARE
From the Union Square subway station, walk 3 blocks east down 16th Street. Turn left on Rutherford Place (half way between 2nd and 3rd Avenues). The entrance to St. George’s Church faces Stuyvesant Square.
DRIVING TO NEW YORK
If you’re driving into the city, you phone’s GPS is probably the best way to go. Like most major metro areas, it gets incredibly congested approaching the rush hour of 4-7 pm. If you can avoid those times all the better. Coming from the west, the tunnels and bridges all have tolls. If you have the EZ-Pass auto toll detector, bring it along, as there’s a healthy discount with it. If approaching from Long Island, take the Queensboro Bridge or 278W to the Williamsburg Bridge (both of which are free) or the Midtown Tunnel (the $8.50 toll can save you at least 15 minutes during busy traffic times).
ACCOMMODATIONS
Accommodations in New York City can be expensive and in short supply, especially since we're just a few weeks out from the wedding. Public transportation on the other hand is cheap and frequent. That is all to say, if you have a friend in town, or find an Airbnb on the outskirts of the city, it’s an easy commute to our wedding location.
Elsa and Matt, being of likeminded frugality, wouldn’t want to suggest anywhere too expensive, so here are a few options for accommodations. We don’t have any “official” wedding hotel, or blocks of rooms booked, so you won’t be missing out on anything if you find somewhere else to stay. In dealing with these hotels, we’ve found that it’s much cheaper to book through a site like Expedia than to call the hotel directly. If you don’t care about paying a lot, just book a hotel from a map search, but if you want something more affordable, here are a few.
The Chelsea Inn is your typical small-ish NYC hotel. It's small, has free wifi, hairdryers, and even air conditioning in public spaces. Some say it's a deal at $195 a night. If you agree... check them out here.
For a more traditional hotel experience that’s not too far away, try the Hilton Doubletree on 51st Street. A cab ride from here to the wedding will cost around $15. The subway (4 or 6 line) or bus (M101 M102 M103) takes about 15 minutes and costs $2.75.
Some family are staying at the Hampton Inn on 24th. It's a 20 minute walk to the church, or a 5 minute cab ride. You also get free breakfast with your room.
If you’re looking for somewhere less expensive to stay, try finding an Airbnb off of one of the subway lines. We’d recommend doing a search in the Astoria area of Queens. It has a more chill neighborhood feel, with a ton of (white) ethnic enclaves and fantastic food from around the world. There’s a train line here (N, R, Q trains) that will get you into Manhattan to the wedding location in about 35 minutes. We found a handful of options here for $40-100 per night.