Getting to New York City

So you’ve decided to come to Citi Field to meet the Mets, huh? Well, before you can come to Citi Field you have to come to New York – a concrete jungle where travel and transit can be an adventure all their own. But whether you’re flying, driving, on a train, or on a bus, we’ve got the info you need to figure out how to get it done.

In this chapter, we’ll cover which airport you should fly into, how to get to New York City once you’ve arrived, and getting to the city by train, by bus, and by car.

Flying to New York

There are three main airports in the New York area:

• LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
• Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

If you’re planning to fly to New York, the airport you should select will depend on several factors:

• Where you are coming from
• What airline you are flying
• Where you are planning to stay
• How you are getting around while in New York
• What your game schedule is

You may have your choice of airports, or your choice might be made for you, depending on where you’re coming from. Regardless, there’s one thing we can tell you: you can make any of these airports work for a Citi Field weekend if you need to. But each one comes with its own nuances, hassles, and inconveniences, and your specific circumstances will factor heavily into which airport you should choose. 

Let’s go through each airport and figure out which one is right for you.

The closest airport to Citi Field: LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

Seriously … if Citi Field and LaGuardia Airport were any closer, they might stop by each other’s houses to borrow eggs or sugar. It’s a 1.3 mile car ride from Citi Field to LaGuardia, which means that Citi Field is closer to an airport than any other MLB ballpark (of course 1.3 miles at rush hour in New York could take six hours to drive, so distance isn’t everything). 

But does that make LaGuardia the obvious choice for you to fly into? Well, that depends – specifically on where you plan to stay during your trip, and what your game schedule is. 

If you’re going to stay in Flushing, which is the part of Queens where Citi Field is located, then without question LaGuardia would be your best choice for an airport. You could leave Citi Field after a Sunday 1:40 game, jump on the subway for one stop back to your hotel, grab your luggage, hop in a rideshare, and very likely be on a 7pm flight without breaking a sweat. 

And the same goes even if you are considering staying in Manhattan, because there is a baggage storage service right in the parking lot of Citi Field. So you could bring your bags with you on Sunday morning, check them right outside the ballpark, grab them after the game, and head directly to the airport via rideshare. If you can get to LaGuardia by 4:45/5:00, you could even make a flight as early as 6pm if you aren’t checking a bag (and get a little lucky with airport security). The luggage storage service is a game-changer when it comes to getting to stay for Sunday baseball and still getting back home that night.

So… if you’re going to try to catch an afternoon game and then fly out that night, there’s no question that LaGuardia is clearly your best airport option.

But if you aren’t planning on a post-afternoon game departure, then your best choice of airport will be based on where you choose to stay. We’ll break down our recommended hotel zones in the Lodging chapter, but in general, if you’re planning to stay on the Upper East Side, in Midtown, or in Long Island City, LaGuardia will still be your best option. Without traffic you’ll be about 20-30 minutes from LaGuardia from these locations. 

LaGuardia is a hub for both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, and is the only airport of the three that Southwest Airlines flies to anymore (they used to service Newark but left the airport in 2020). So if any of these are your airlines of choice, you may find that LaGuardia ends up being your most convenient option based on flight choices as well.

TSI side note: a travel wrinkle that you are unlikely to be affected by but should take into account when considering flying into LaGuardia is this: due to its location next to a dense urban neighborhood, flights to and from LaGuardia are subject to several travel restrictions, the most significant being a seasonal curfew between the hours of 12am and 6am during the warm months of the year … which also happens to be during the MLB season! And while that might not seem like a big deal if you’ve got an 8pm departure, consider this: if your flight gets delayed past midnight, you may not be flying out until the next morning because of that flight curfew. But the odds of your 8pm flight being affected by this are low, so it’s not something that we’d obsess about when making plans. We just wanted you to be aware.

Advantages of flying into LGA

• It’s right next door to Citi Field.
• Easiest to catch a game on the same day you arrive or leave
• Taxi / rideshare cost will be cheaper than going to JFK or EWR.
• If you’re a Delta flier, the airline just completed a fantastic renovation of its terminal.

Disadvantages of flying into LGA

• It is the least convenient in terms of public transportation. You can take an express bus to the subway, and then take the subway into the city. But even though that works, it’s not the experience that most visitors to New York are looking for.
• It’s really spread out. It takes 15 mins to walk from one terminal to another, or you have to wait for airport shuttles to take you between terminals.
• Ongoing construction causes delays getting in and out of the airport.
• The flight curfew could impact your plans.

You should fly into LaGuardia Airport if…

• You want to fly out of New York on the same day that you’re seeing a game.
• You are staying in Flushing, on the east side of Manhattan, or in Long Island City. (You can certainly fly into LGA and stay on the west side of Manhattan, but you’ll spend 15-30 more minutes on that trip, depending on your mode of transit.)
• You can find a non-stop flight from your origin airport.

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

JFK is the largest and busiest airport serving New York, and is located in the neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens, which is on the southern end of Long Island, as opposed to Citi Field and LaGuardia, which are on the north end of Long Island. But while it may only be 16 miles away from Midtown, in real terms those 16 miles will often take about 90 minutes to drive because of absolutely insane traffic. Oh, and then there’s the cost: upwards of about $100 for a rideshare after tolls and tip.

There is a legit public transportation option to go from JFK to/from Manhattan, and it will usually take 60-90 minutes as well. But it involves taking the subway and connecting to the AirTrain, so it has some moving pieces to it. But it’s only about $11/person, so it’s definitely a much more affordable option if you don’t mind the shuffling through transit stations.

In terms of getting from JFK to/from Citi Field, the distance is only 10 miles between the two. But once again, traffic on this route can be horrible, especially during the week. But on the weekends, and specifically after a 1:40pm Sunday game, you could jump in a taxi or rideshare and be at JFK in as little as 30 minutes, and probably no more than an hour. Which means you can probably make a 7:30pm flight if you check your bags at the ballpark, hustle after the game, and don’t encounter too much of a delay at JFK security. So if LGA is not an option for you, JFK is going to be the next best option.

There’s also a public transit option from Citi Field/Flushing to JFK, but it involves taking a subway to another subway to the AirTrain. Total trip time: 75-90 minutes if everything runs smoothly. If not, perhaps a little more. So for a 1:40pm game, we’d say shoot for nothing earlier than an 7:30/8:00 flight out of JFK.

Advantages of flying into JFK

• Flight Selection: JFK offers the largest selection and variety of domestic and international flights out of the three main airports.
• Cost: You can often catch cheaper flights relative to the other airports depending on point of origin, primarily due to the sheer supply of daily flights.
• Public Transportation: You can take AirTrain JFK that connects to the airport with the New York City Subway and with the Long Island Rail Road. So if you want to stick to public transportation, you can do it from JFK.
• Rideshare / Taxi: It’s fairly seamless to order an Uber or Lyft. They have an easy to find designated pickup area. You can also take a taxi – just follow the signs.

JFK to the city

Disadvantages of JFK

• Location/traffic: JFK is the farthest of the three airports from Manhattan. Transport to and from JFK easily takes at least an hour (and oftentimes much, much longer than that). Unless you’re arriving / departing between the hours of 1:00-5:30am, you’re going to fight traffic to get to and from the airport.
• Long wait times for departure: JFK offers long wait times for pretty much every aspect of departure. The airport is also massive and takes time to get to your gate.
• Rideshare / Taxi: You’re going to pay at least $85, and quite often around $100 to get to your hotel if you’re staying anywhere in Midtown Manhattan (around Times Square) or Lower Manhattan (around Tribeca). The cost depends on traffic and surge pricing. Punch it up on your app right now – you’ll see.
• Construction: $19 billion dollars is being used to upgrade the airport and there is heavy construction happening, which can lead to unpredictable inconveniences. 

The biggest thing JFK has going for it is the convenience of flight options. No matter where you are in the country or the world you should be able to find a wide range of flights to get you to and from JFK, and most of them are direct.

You should fly into JFK if…

• You are staying in Flushing, Long Island City, or on the east side of Manhattan: East Village, Murray Hill, Midtown East, Upper East Side or Brooklyn. (You can fly into JFK no matter where you’re staying, but it’s particularly convenient if you’re staying on the east side, since your commute will be 15-30 minutes shorter than if you’re crossing Manhattan to the west side to places like Times Square, Penn Station/MSG, Soho, the Upper West Side).
• A direct flight is a must, and you cannot find a direct flight option to any of the other airports.
• Cost is a top priority, and you cannot find a cheaper flight to LaGuardia.
• You plan on using public transportation and want to take advantage of cheaper transport options like AirTrain, Long Island Railroad (LIRR), or the subway.

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

Newark Liberty International Airport is located in Newark, New Jersey, nine miles west/southwest of Manhattan. It’s the second-busiest airport in the New York airport system, behind JFK, but far ahead of LaGuardia Airport. If you fly United Airlines frequently then this may be your preferred airport, since it’s a United hub.

While Newark is the most convenient airport for staying in typical tourist areas like Times Square and near Penn Station, it is, without question, the farthest airport from Citi Field, and an absolute haul to get to from there. If you’re going by car, you’ll be going through some combination of bridges and tunnels (and at the wrong time, there’s nothing worse than bridges and tunnels), and several of those routes will take you right through Manhattan, which is never a fun commute.

But … Newark is going to be most effective for those who are staying in Manhattan (either Times Square, Penn Station, or Midtown), and who aren’t going to fly out following an afternoon game.

If you are going to fly into Newark and stay in Manhattan, you can either take a rideshare/taxi, or take the AirTrain from Newark to the New Jersey Transit Rail, which goes right into Penn Station. The whole trip takes about 45 minutes, but seriously – if you know New York, then you know that this is about the easiest airport-to-city transit method we have. 

TSI TIP: Download the NJ Transit app and buy a ticket online ahead of time to skip the ticket line. 

Advantages of flying into Newark

• It has the fastest and easiest public transit options of the three airports. 
• It’s a United hub, and if you’re a United flyer, it will be more convenient. It also happens to have a very nice (and new) United Club, if you’re into that sort of thing.
• It’s not under construction, unlike JFK, so you won’t have to deal with unpredictable delays.

Disadvantages of flying into Newark

• It’s absolutely the farthest airport from Citi Field, so if you’re trying to go directly to/from Citi Field to the airport, you won’t want to be flying from Newark.
• If you opt for a taxi or rideshare, you’ll be experiencing the Lincoln or Holland tunnels into the city, which can be traffic nightmares.

You should fly into Newark Airport if…

• You are NOT flying out of New York following an afternoon Mets game.
• You are staying on the west side of Manhattan: Times Square, Madison Square Garden/Penn Station, the Upper West Side, Battery Park. (It’s fine to fly into Newark if you’re staying on the east side of the island, but it’s particularly convenient if you’re staying on the west side of the island).
• You can find a non-stop flight from your origin airport.
• You want the option of taking public transportation instead of rideshare or taxi.

Getting to NYC by Amtrak

The Northeast Corridor Amtrak is the best option for those traveling from regional locations, including Boston, Washington DC, Providence, New Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore. It will drop you off at Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. This is, without question, the most convenient way to enter the city. No traffic, no tunnels, no bridges – you get off the train in the middle of the city, and from there you can easily (and relatively quickly) get to your hotel, even if that hotel is in Queens in Long Island City or Flushing. For New Yorkers, if they can take the train, they take the train.

Just to clear things up, there are three major train stations that serve the New York metro area, including, confusingly, two that are named “Penn Station.”

Meanwhile, there’s another “Penn Station” in Newark, NJ. But that will always be referred to as Newark Penn Station so as to not confuse people with New York Penn Station.

Trust us: you’re going to want to keep this very clear, because if you end up at the one in New Jersey rather than the one in New York, your trip will be off to a very wrong start.

Getting to NYC by bus

Wait… a bus, you say? How 1970s of you! But no, we mean it – the bus is actually a viable mode of transit into and out of NYC. If you’re coming from within the region, taking a bus is a cheap and simple, albeit hardly glamorous, way to get to NYC. Depending on the bus company, you’ll be dropped off either in Midtown at Port Authority station, the Javits Convention Center, or Lower Manhattan in Chinatown. From there, you can take the subway or a taxi/rideshare to get to your hotel, or even the subway directly to the game (and back) if you’re just coming for the day. Check out Megabus or Greyhound – both are well-known and often used options.

Should I rent a car?

Oh Good Lord, NO!!!!! Seriously… driving in New York is horrible, and that’s how we’d describe it for locals. But for visitors who are used to the wide open highways of Dallas or Kansas City or Tampa or St. Louis, driving in New York is absolutely hellish. You will hate every moment of it. You’ll hate figuring out how to navigate the bridges and tunnels. You’ll hate paying for all of the tolls. You’ll hate the car to the left of you, and the car to the right of you, and the car right on your tail behind you. You’ll hate the honking, you’ll hate the bus lane, you’ll hate finding a gas station. And you’ll absolutely hate paying for parking in New York, no matter where you’re staying.

Having said all of that, if you are driving to New York to see a game at Citi Field, you might be surprised that the ballpark does have a huge parking lot. It’s $40 to park there (cashless), and we would recommend buying your parking pass early. There’s no reason to risk a sellout, and we would not recommend parking anywhere other than the official team lots. It will take you forever to find a local spot, and for what – to save $10? Absolutely not. This is New York. It’s going to be expensive, and parking is not the place to try to save a buck.

Bottom Line

New York is a complicated and confusing place to travel to. But hopefully we’ve made it a little easier for you. When picking an airport, focus on your game schedule, and what else you’d like to do while you’re here, which will partially dictate where you decide to stay.

If you’re trying to fly out after a day game, then you’ll want to stick to LaGuardia first, and JFK second. If you’re just here for baseball and are staying near Citi Field, it’s LaGuardia again, followed by JFK. If you want to spend time exploring NYC, are staying in Manhattan, and aren’t going to try to fly out on the same day that you’re seeing a game, Newark becomes your top option for public transit, and LaGuardia is fine for ridesharing.