If you’d rather not pay the $45 taxi fare each way, here are your best bets for transportation to and from JFK airport.
Bus Lines
NYC Airporter
Depart: Grand Central, Port Authority, Penn Station, LGA Airport, Newark Airport, & midtown hotels. Runs every 30 minutes from 5:00am-11:30pm
Arrive: JFK Airport.
Duration: From 1 hour to 1.5 hours.
Cost: $16 one-way, $32 round-trip.
Notes: Make a reservation online at www.nycairporter.com or call 718.777.5111. Free Wifi with power plugs on their hybrid coach buses!
Go to Bus
Depart: Grand Central, Penn Station and Port Authority every hour 5am-10pm.
Arrive: JFK Airport, all terminals.
Duration: about 40 minutes.
Cost: $15
Notes: Purchase tickets at gotobus.com. Free Wifi with power plugs!
Trains
Long Island Railroad & Air Train
Depart: Penn Station
Arrive: Jamaica, Queens. Take AirTrain to JFK.
Duration: 35 minutes in total.
Cost: $8 Peak. $5.75 off-peak for LIRR. $5 for AirTrain.
Shuttle
Go Airlink Shuttle
Depart: Anywhere between Battery Park and 125th St.
Arrive: All terminals.
Duration: 1-1.5 hours.
Cost: Starts at $18 for 1 person, $64 for 3, $79 for 6 and $133 for 11.
Notes: Call 877.599.8200 24 hours in advance, go to goairlinkshuttle.com or visit the Ground Transportation desk near baggage. Runs 24/7.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
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Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram