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Short version: How long will it take to get from White Plains to JFK, leaving at 4:30pm on a Friday?
Long version:
My girlfriend and I have an (international) flight out of JFK leaving at 8:15pm on Friday. We have to check bags, unfortunately.
She works in White Plains - Google Maps says that it should take 46 minutes (34 miles) from her office, going over the Whitestone Bridge.
She can't leave work earlier than 4:30pm, which doesn't give her enough time to take public transportation (Metro North to Grand Central, then Penn Station to JFK).
I work in Manhattan and can leave whenever, so the current plan is for me to leave around 3pm, rent a car, pick her up at 4:30, and drive to JFK. We'll have to return the car and take the AirTrain to our Terminal. (In case you're wondering, this costs about 1/3 of the price of a taxi.)
Is this feasible? How long should we expect the trip to JFK to take? Is giving ourselves 1.5 hours enough time? I've never driven this route before (actually I've never even driven to the airport before) and have no idea what to expect in terms of traffic, both in Westchester and in Queens. For anyone familiar, are there any roads to take or avoid at this time?
Alternatively, is there some other option for her to get there that I'm not thinking of?
Thanks! I wasn't able to find a shuttle option that would go door-to-door (others picked up at hotels in Westchester).
Unfortunately, their times don't seem to be accurate - they say it will take 2.5 hours to get there, no matter what time of day it is (even leaving at 2:30am). So I don't think there's much information that I can get from that...
That commute is going to suck! Going JFK is a pain as is, but now you're doing it during rush hour, on a Friday? Man, that's going to be rough. You may however luck out hit the roads with no traffic.
Haha, tell me about it. I don't know if we'll "luck out", but do you have any idea what worst case scenario might be? Is this something that could take 2.5 or 3 hours instead of the normal 45 min? Or would "really bad" traffic means it takes double (i.e. 1.5 hours)?
I'd say two hours. You may be able to cut off some time if you don't get on the Van WyckGo Clearview Expressway over Throgs Neck to GCP East to Cross Island South to Belt West to JFK. Avoid the Van Wyck at all costs.
Thanks! I wasn't able to find a shuttle option that would go door-to-door (others picked up at hotels in Westchester).
Unfortunately, their times don't seem to be accurate - they say it will take 2.5 hours to get there, no matter what time of day it is (even leaving at 2:30am). So I don't think there's much information that I can get from that...
I suggest calling ShuttleMe and asking them what they estimate.
Short version: How long will it take to get from White Plains to JFK, leaving at 4:30pm on a Friday?
Long version:
My girlfriend and I have an (international) flight out of JFK leaving at 8:15pm on Friday. We have to check bags, unfortunately.
She works in White Plains - Google Maps says that it should take 46 minutes (34 miles) from her office, going over the Whitestone Bridge.
She can't leave work earlier than 4:30pm, which doesn't give her enough time to take public transportation (Metro North to Grand Central, then Penn Station to JFK).
I work in Manhattan and can leave whenever, so the current plan is for me to leave around 3pm, rent a car, pick her up at 4:30, and drive to JFK. We'll have to return the car and take the AirTrain to our Terminal. (In case you're wondering, this costs about 1/3 of the price of a taxi.)
Is this feasible? How long should we expect the trip to JFK to take? Is giving ourselves 1.5 hours enough time? I've never driven this route before (actually I've never even driven to the airport before) and have no idea what to expect in terms of traffic, both in Westchester and in Queens. For anyone familiar, are there any roads to take or avoid at this time?
Alternatively, is there some other option for her to get there that I'm not thinking of?
Thanks!
Up to 3 hours. 2 hours of which will be spent on the Van Wyck. No sh1t. Quite frequently it has taken me longer to get home to Westchester from JFK than it has to fly to JFK from FL or TX. Traffic both ways is a HORRORSHOW on Fridays.
Forget the pick up a car, pick up your girl friend,return the car, get on Air Train, etc. You'll never make it. Traffic is just too bad and you have too many steps involved in it. .
Have your friend get a car service as soon as she leaves work and have it take her to JFK. You meet her there. Or you meet your girl friend at her job, you both take the car service and wind up at JFK, hopefully with enough time to spare. It's worth every penny of the cost.
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