New York City Travel Forum

Hi everyone.

I am looking into flying into JFK and staying at the YMCA in Flushing, Queens. The nearest station is Flushing/Main St on the 7 and LIRR.

I have looked at the subway map and it looks a bit of a nightmare to get there, 2 changes in total at Jamaica and Woodside. Can anyone suggest better way.

The alternative is to fly into Newark, catch the Airtrain to Penn Station then go on the 7 to Flushing/Main St at the end of the line.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Clare

Take a taxi.

Take a Taxi is the easiest route.
If you really want the cheapest way, it will take you some time but the cheapest.
Take Bus Q3 from JFK Terminal 4. $2 (change only) & ask for bus transfers. Schedule as below :
http://www.mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/queens/q003cur.pdf

Then get off in 179 St & Hillside Ave, use the same transfer to take Q17 towards Flushing-MAin St direction. You still have to walk another 10 mins to YMCA on NOrthern Blvd.

Or You take Airtran to Jamaica station & tansfer to Q25 bus to Flushing. They have Limited stops or the local stops. Limited don't stop on Northern Blvd & Main st. So take the local bus is better & try to ask driver to drop you off near Northern Blvd.
http://www.mta.info/busco/schedules/q025cur.pdf

Taxi will save you a lot of hassle :)
If you have more questions about using public transportation from JFK to Flushin, you can email to MTA

http://mta-nyc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/mta_nyc.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php

compromise - airtrain to Jamaica, taxi to Flushing.

Yeah, its a bit chaotic on the street level on that Jamaica LIRR station :)

If I have a few people traveling together, I would have take taxi from JFK to save all that headache

Not bad for the walk from Main St bus station, but its very hard to look for Q25 at Jamaica Airtran station

I agree that finding the bus from the AirTrain might not be as "in your face" as you might expect.. but it's not too bad.. and that is surely the best public transportation route to take..
Also keep in mind that there are buses other than the 25... There is the 34 (which runs along with the 25) , the 44, the 65 and the 20a/b.. They all run from the AirTrain to Main Street.. and the simple 5 minute walk from Main St. to the Flushing YMCA is really easy.. walk one block north to union st. make a left two blocks to Northern blvd. make a right one block to the YMCA.

If you want to avoid buses all together, you can get on the LIRR at the AirTrain terminal.. take it to Woodside, then cross to the east-bound "Port Washington" track and take the next train to Main Street... This however will cost an additional $5.25 ($3.25 on weekends/ $7.25 6-10am 4-9pm weekdays)... by the time you add that up, you're talking a third of what a taxi would cost.

PS Clare~ IF you take the Newark option, which I can't really suggest.. but anyway, if you do, when you get to Penn Station it's MUCH easier to just take the LIRR to Flushing-Main St. from there~

P.P.S.
WELCOME TO FLUSHING!

a Vter who stayed at Flushing YMCA told me its nice there.
Enjoy the trip & prepare to have plenty of chinese or Korean food in that area :)
Its a crowded place ....

I actually worked there one summer during high school~It's changed much since then but I still go there about once a year to use the pool and gym on a guest pass~
As far as sleeping there goes, It's not bad~ Typical short-term SRO~ But a nicer crowd then those you'd find elsewhere in America for sure~ or even NY for that matter.. Access to the YMCA facilities are a big plus too~ And since the brand new swimming pool just opening in flushing meadow park, I'm sure the YMCA will be considerably less crowded! The main draw back of the place was the crowds in the pool, steam room and gym~ I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay!

And as Pam said, get ready for some good East Asian eats!
Chinese and Korean in every manifestation.. as well as formitable Vietnamese and Malay~
One immediate tip~ "Kum Gang San" which is practically next-door to the YMCA, is the staple benchmark Korean restaurant of New York City.. The food is reliable and delicious~ plus the prices (particularly lunch specials) are friendly...another note, it's open 24hours!

If you need any specifics feel free to PM me!

Pam maybe it is time we start that Queens page you talked about! (And called my bluff on!) hahah
VT is one of the only lifestyle/social sites that gets through my company's www filter ~ and my industry is about as slow as it gets these past few weeks so I'll start ASAP! :)! We're definately going to be the top 5ive'ers! Everybody look out!

I hope people interested in Queens....ha....

"Kum Gang San" is good & this one in Flushing is better than their other one in Manhattan.
Sometimes they have people playing paino & korean instrument there...as I remember there is a waterfall in the back too.
Very good korean bbq & Sushi rolls.
Also try a smaller but very popular & famous Shanghai restaurant in Flushing. Joe's Shanghai Restaurant at 136-21 37 ave, flushing, ny 11354. Their steam soup dumplings are fabulous & famous. just 5 min walk from YMCA.
Enjoy !

^I second that! Joe's Shanghai is THE spot in NY for soup dumplings~ My grandmother even used to go there! It's a must~
And if you're really serious about Korean food, then "San Soo Kap San" [across from the parking lot, next to Cafe-de-Paris, on Union street along the walk from Main St.to the YMCA] is actually the spot I eat Korean food in most often.. It's the most authentic, the highest quality and definately good prices.. It's also open 24hrs~ Look for Koryodang bakery near the Q28,13&16 bus stops and it'll be diagonaly across the intersection~ Top spot!
Queens is a microcosm! It has 2million people and the whole world stuffed into it's 300sq. km's~ Why would'nt people be interested?!!

Sure, I will start to write about Queens....
A lot to write though :)

Thanks everyone for your replies.

The flights are out now and i will be flying into JFK. According to the YMCA a cab will cost around $26 so i might just got for that option as after a 7 hour flight from the UK i don't think i can be bothered to argue with buses and trains.

As for your suggestions of restaurants please note that i am vegetarian. I have found a this restaurant nearby that is fully vegetarian, Buddha Bodai on Main St, can you recommend? Please also let me know of any other good restaurants nearby that serve vegetarian food, i love Chinese food and have travelled to Asia (Singapore) and loved the food!!

I am coming to New York to watch the US Open, do you know how long the walk will be from the YMCA, it looks about 15 minutes on the map?

Once again your help is greatly appreciated.

Regards

Clare

Buddha Bodai at 4296 Main Street, Flushing ? It is good. Its been a while I did not eat there but I used to go there for dinner. I remembered their vegetarian taro duck & pumplin soup was so good.
I think they have vegetarian dim sum in weekends too, usually crowded & its a sign that its a good restaurant.

I think its 15 min walk. If you walk at night, you will have to be careful since its dark. If you have unlimited subway pass, you can take one stop to shea stadium and walk from there is closer. Or - You can also use unlimited pass on bus & take Q48 from Main St

http://www.mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/queens/q048cur.pdf

US OPEN next year ?

Yes the US Open next September, i have tickets for the final week.

Buddha Bodai is a cool spot and one worth trying~ Like Pam, I have'nt been there in a while, but I used to live two streets away so I have been there many times~ But for vegetarian I would definately recommend you going to Happy Buddha~ It's more creative, with a nice atmosphere and a lot closer to where you're staying~ (37th avenue)~ I'm sure you can find something online about it!

You will have little trouble finding good veg. eats in FLushing.. As long as you carefully read the menu, it is easy to avoid meat in Korean food.. We also have some nice South Asian restaurants a bit off the beaten-path that even specialize in vegetarian~ If you're a self-caterer, then it's even better. Flushing has some of the best markets anywhere in this city..

As for walking to the open, no problem.. The route you could take will lead you past the Happy Buddha and even Buddha Bodai! haha
Walk south down main street until you hit "Franklin Ave" (Duane Reade on your right).. make a right, bear left where it splits on to "Avery Ave".. follow that down two blocks into the park (you will pass College Point Blvd. and Home Depot)... Once in the park, follow the crowds past the aquatic center (looks like a boat) over the small bridge (passing the golf center) and you're 100yards from the entrance to the US Open! As said, a 15 minute walk~

At night however, best to take the bus or even the subway one stop to Main Street and walk it back from there~ Not particularly dangerous at all, but can be a bit unsettlingly quiet of a walk after seeing how busy it is during the day..

US Open final week! Nice!