From NYC La Guardia to Manhattan... M60 and then subway, one ticket or two?

Question

I'll land in La Guardia and have to go to Central Park. Thought abuot taking the M60 bus to Astoria and then take the subway to Central Park.

Do I need to buy one ticket for the bus and one ticket for the subway or what? Thanks!!!

Answer 1

NYC Fan is absolutely correct on all counts, but there is another option.

Instead of taking the #60 bus to Harlem to get the train, you can take the #33 to the last stop, Roosevelt Avenue and get the E train to 53rd and Lexington for Central Park on the East side.  Transfer there to the number 6 train for points in Central park farther up and down town OR stay on the E until 50th Street and transfer to the A train for Central Park on the West side.

I take the number #60 into Manhattan on occasion to get to work and many times, the bus is over-congested with too many people coming out of the airport with tons of luggage (especially Thursday and Friday).  It takes forever because people are barraging the driver with questions on how to get where they're going and overall, it's just a longer, more unpleasant ride into Manhattan.

Very few travelers use the #33 bus and it's usually a much more comfortable, shorter ride if your destination is the in the 50th street to 72nd street range of the Central Park area.

Answer 2

A transfer from the bus if you pay with coins can NOT be used on the subway; it can only be used on another bus.  Note that if you use one of these transfers obtained on the bus, the slip actually reads "Bus Transfer."

MetroCard solves this problem!

At LGA, go to a Hudson News stand within the airport.  Get a $4 MetroCard.  Use that card on the bus, and then use it again to get on the subway.  The free transfer will count, and you'll have $2 remaining on it.

As you board the subway in Astoria, find a MetroCard vending machine to either refill your current card, or buy a new one.  For maximum value, buy at least $7 worth of card, and it will add a 15% bonus.  For example, paying $20 will give you a $23 card.  $40 will give you a $46 card.  Anything less than $40 is annoying because you'll have that pesky $1 balance left unless you use a $5 express bus along the way.  Nice way for the MTA to get people to not bother using their whole cards, and make a little extra cash off of it.

You can also buy an unlimited-ride MetroCard; one-day, seven-day, or 30-day.  These cannot be used on express buses, but that likely won't matter for you; it's still a great idea if you'll be using mass transit to any significant degree.

If you're going right back to LGA without doing anything else in New York, then don't bother with the new card.

Hope this helps!

EDIT: Yes, good call by Chanteuse_ar on the Q33 to the E train.  Depending on what part of Central Park you're going to, you'd either get the 6 at Lexington Avenue, the B/D at 7th Avenue, or the A/C at 42nd Street.  Watch the time of day, and which trains are running local and express.  Check the subway map for this information; the .pdf version includes additional info for the time-of-day changes.

Subway map:

http://mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm

Answer 3

There is one free transfer allowed between a bus and the subway system, or from one bus to another. (Once you are inside the subway system, you can transfer freely from train to train.)

The easiest way to do this is with a metrocard, as the card keeps track of whether or not you have a free transfer.

However, it may be hard for you to get a metrocard if you are just arriving at the airport and hopping on a bus.

My advice to you is to pay for the bus with cash - exact change required, no bills, all coins. It costs $2 to get on. When you pay, ask the driver for a transfer. He will print up this little card for you. You use this card in the subway just the way a person would use a metrocard, except it's only good for one use. You have up to 2 hours from the time it is printed to use it.

Once you are inside the subway system you can change trains as much as you want as long as  you don't exit a station.