How to Get To JFK Airport in NYC

There are 3 ways I know of to get to New York City’s John. F Kennedy International Airport. 

1. Calmly and giving yourself plenty of time. (I’ve heard this method is possible, but never actually experienced it. It’s possible it’s an urban myth.) Getting on the A or E subway 4 hours before your scheduled departure time so you don’t have to stress about subway delays. How fabulous that in NYC, you can get to the airport for simply the cost of 1 Metrocard swipe ($2.75)!

2. Cutting it CLOSE, but everything SHOULD go okay. You opt to take the LIRR to Jamaica Station because its schedule is much more reliable and direct, making the $7.50 ticket worth it. You don’t need to spend hours on the subway for a good public transportation option, and hopefully you won’t get stuck spending hours on line for TSA.

3. IN A MAD PANIC. This is me basically every time I take a plane out of New York. I leave much later than I should, curse myself, and wonder why the hell do I ALWAYS do this!? I’ll consider taking an uber but then balk at the $50-$80 price tag. I end up on the train, freaking out every time it slows down, praying that one hour will be enough time to make it through TSA. Yes, you can count on me to be the crazy person running through JFK, dragging my carry-on behind me. I’m the girl your punctual mother warned you about, “See? That’s why you leave early!

♦

I am currently writing this from up above the clouds- I miraculously didn’t miss my flight! On my way to New Harbor, Maine to see my family and my beautiful cousin get married! If you want a peek at what visiting the southern coast of Maine is like, check out this blog post: Escape from New York For a Perfect Maine Vacation

Do you have any fun destination weddings coming up this summer? What’s your style for getting to the airport (and going through life in general)? Any tips to stop being in a MAD PANIC whenever it comes to timeliness?

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Does Prospect Lefferts Gardens Have the Greenest Block in Brooklyn?

My neighborhood in Brooklyn is called “Prospect Lefferts Gardens”. You might have heard it mentioned in any one of the dozens of articles that proclaim it “One of the Last Affordable Parts of Brooklyn!” Shut up, shut up, stop spilling our secrets! hiss all my neighbors. A cool bar and brunch place recently opened a block from my place. It might as well be called Sup Gentrification. Realtors haven’t even given this neighb a cutesy, hip name yet. No one calls it “PLG” or “East Prospect Park” even though it is literally directly east of Brooklyn’s massive green space.

“I live in Lefferts Gardens,” I tell most New Yorkers and they look at me cluelessly- where?

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The Best Ice Cream in NYC? Here’s the Scoop on Ample Hills Creamery

The coolest place to be on a summer night in Brooklyn might just be Ample Hills Creamery. I’d heard about this NYC ice cream spot for years but never been until this past weekend. I showed up to their awesome Gowanus location (complete with rooftop seating) at 10pm on a Saturday night expecting to get an easy scoop.  I was shocked to find a line out the door and wrapped all around the ice cream parlor!

Ample Hills Creamery in Gowanus, Brooklyn

 Ample Hills ice cream opened their first shop in Prospect Heights in 2011, you’d think the hype would have died down by now. Nope!  Since then they’ve expanded to 7 other New York locations (I’m counting their Jersey City shop in that number) and become widely regarded as the best ice cream in town. They have grand plans to expand outside the NYC area, but so far to get Ample Hill you must be in New York or Disney’s Epcot in Florida. Yep, this ice cream meets the extremely high standards of both New York and Disney. Read More

[Replay Cliché] Solstice Yoga In Times Square

Originally posted June 2015. One of the best experiences in Times Square ever!

Here’s a New York summer tradition you may not know about. Every summer solstice June 21st, for the past 14 years, a group of people gathers in Times Square to practice yoga. At the start it was just a few friends, just a few mats, just a few sun salutations. This past Sunday, June 21 2015, thousands of people gathered in Times Square for free yoga classes offered nearly every hour from 7AM to 7PM.

yoga-times-square

I was there the entire 12 hours (even longer actually). I spent the entirety of the longest day of the year watching people find zen amid the chaos of aggressive drivers, thralling crowds, flashing lights, and incessant advertisements.

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Saturday Street Art: Rainbow Mural in Queens, Just In Time for NYC Pride

Just in time for NYC Pride, @dirkartnyc has fresh rainbow paint up in Queens!

This street art went up just this week and make the parking lot it borders a lot brighter. It’s far out in Flushing, Queens so (unless your dating my boyfriend) it’s unlikely you’ll see it. That said, it might be visible from the Long Island Expressway, so look out for it when you’re leaving the city this summer!

Everything’s coming up rainbows this week. Grateful for the vibrant cheerfulness in stark contrast to the infuriating and heartbreaking news stories…

For now:

HAPPY PRIDE WEEKEND!

Weekly New York Minutes #23

Every Friday (but this week delayed until Sunday!) I feature some fleeting moments from my week that made me stop and think, “I’m so lucky to live in NYC!” And maybe some that made me think, “Bahaha this city is ridiculous and I love it.” Here we go for this solstice week…

Space is precious in Manhattan. I love how this brownstone in Greenwich Village has made the most of their “shoe box front yard” complete with a garden, tree, and lounge chair. They certainly make the most of what they have! Read More