Triangle Trip

One of the most efficient and economical ways to get to LaGuardia Airport (LGA) from below 57th street Manhattan is via MTA’s R, N or Q train. Total cost for a one way trip will be less than US$3.00, which includes a transfer from the train to the bus. If you’re in NYC for a few days, consider reading my article on how to maximize the value of the unlimited MTA Metrocard.

The R, N and Q trains run north-south along Broadway and through the center of Manhattan island to Queens. Once you get to Queens, hop on the M60 bus for about 20 minutes max and you’ll be at a LGA terminal.

Here are the step by step directions to get to LaGuardia Airport LGA from Manhattan.

1a. Get on the Q when you are at an interchange station because the Q runs express vs the N and R.

2. Get off the N or Q train when you’re at Astoria Boulevard – which is 6 stops after you have arrived to Queens (you’ll know when the train moves onto elevated tracks).

3. Exit Astoria Boulevard station and stay on your right hand side. Look for signs that read M60 bus and display an airplane.

5. The M60 bus will be coming off the bridge from Manhattan. Jump on the M60 and it will take you straight to all the LGA terminals.

You can pick up the same bus from LGA if you’re arriving into NYC. However, there are no vending machines in LGA for you to get a Metrocard. You’ll need to have US$2.25 in change, or you’re out of luck. For NYC visitors, you may want to check out my NYC Visitor’s Guide.

For your convenience, here are links on how to get from Manhattan to Newark (How to get to NYC from Newark) and JFK (How to take NYC public transportation to/from JFK).

Chicago has the best public transportation system to get from the airport to the City. Regardless if you’re traveling from Midway (MDW) or O’Hare (ORD – which is one of the Top 5 airports in the US), Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) can get you from the airport to downtown Chicago in about 45 minutes or less. No other major metropolitan area in the US has such an efficient public transportation system connecting airports to the City’s business district.

The CTA blue line is directly connected to ORD’s Terminal 2 and within walking distance from Terminals 1 and 3. The O’Hare terminal train station is clean, and has clear signs directing you to the next train departing from the station. Taking the blue line is the most efficient and fastest way to get you to downtown Chicago as I-90/I-94 traffic is horrendous. See map below for reference:

At MDW, there are clear signs and walkway from baggage claim that directly connects Midway Airport to the orange line Midway train station. The Midway train station is by the main garage of Midway Airport. You can get to Chicago’s downtown loop from Midway in under 30 minutes.

The only downside to the Chicago CTA is they don’t run 24×7. Trains stop at midnight or 1:00am and restart at about 4:30am. Regardless, you can’t beat the speed; I still remember taking the 5:00am train from the city to midway for a 6:30am flight with plenty of time to spare.

I don’t think there’s any other major city in the world where you only spend US$2.25 to go from the airport to downtown in less than 45 minutes. Taking a cab from ORD or MDW to downtown would cost you at least US$50, and the ride would be significantly slower with all of that traffic.