Navigating NYC

Hey everyone. I'll be up in NYC tomorrow for the day. I'm flying B6 1302 up and 1315 back. I had a couple of questions, though, as I want to hit Times Square as well as get some good photo action in.

1) How easy is it to get from JFK to Times Square using public transportation? Which option is best, and what is the estimated cost?

2) How easy is it to get from Times Square to the mounds? Seeing as how the mounds seem like the best location for getting photos of the major international arrivals, I'm choosing that as my photo spot. Also, what is the best time to get to the mounds to catch those arrivals?

3) Is it easy to get right from the mounds back to JFK using public transportation? Again, which options are best, and how much time should I allot to get from the mounds to the airport?

4) This pertains somewhat to question 2, but is the mounds really the best place for the major international arrivals? If not, what other location would be better?

Thank you so much for any information you all might have on this. I'm pretty pumped about getting some cool JFK action in, as well as experiencing B6 for the first time.

Hello!

I take it you may not have really looked at a map of the city much but JFK is a few miles outside of the city and it will take forever to go from JFK to Manhattan back to JFK on public transportation.

1. To get from JFK to Times Square
Take the Airtrain to Jamaica Center($5)
Get on the E Subway Train($2) and take it to 42nd St. Port Authority.
Walk in the underground tunnel toward the Times Square Subway Stations
When you get to Times Square, Exit the Subway and there you go.

2.Times Square to the Mounds
Enter the Times Square subway and walk towards the signs for the E Train
Get on the E train uptown and Take it to the last stop, Jamaica Center
Ask a subway agent where the Q113 bus stop is, they will point you in the right direction
Tell the Q113 bus driver to let you know when you get to 230th St.
When you get to 230th St, Walk one block in the direction that the bus is going, and turn right down 230th Place.
Walk to the end and you will see a soccer field with a big mound on one side, go up the path and enjoy!

To the two of you who responded to my questions (via public post and PM), thank you very much for the info. Getting around was not too difficult thanks to you, and I really appreciate it.

As for photography, it seems today that they were using the 4's rather than the 22's, so I was only able to get a small handful of shots (I was going for the European arrivals, and thus chose the Mounds). I'd have tried some other spots, but I was in Times Square much longer than anticipated, and therefore had to stick with the one spot (also, I didn't have much cash left on the MTA card to catch a bus to anywhere but Jamaica Station). As such, it looks like I'll need to make another attempt to get photos.

Sorry for throwing out so many questions, but I have a few more.

1) If the 4's are in use, do the international flights use 31L for arrivals, or do they go with the 4's?

2) A repeat of an earlier question, but is there any specific time to show up at a photo spot for the heavy arrivals, or can you pretty much be there at any time of day to catch 'em?

Also, with reference to the mounds, I didn't really see any. I'm pretty sure I was in the right spot, but I just noticed that the soccer field was basically surrounded by hedges. Are those hedges the mounds, or were there separate dirt mounds that were used?

Thanks again for all the help. I enjoyed today's trip, and I hope to make another one soon, hopefully with a little more to show to it.

1 - If the 4s are active, all the traffic will land there. You will see a split between the 13s and 22s, but otherwise they normally use one set of runways (When 22L/R are in use, you may get some departures off 31L).

2 - The big wave of arrivals begins around 3pm and lasts until dark these days.

3 - If you were at the soccer field (facing the field at the street side) there is a hill on the left side of the field, covered in weeds/bushes/etc - those are The Mounds. There is a path up the hill and along the top of it.