Well it was an education today about moving around in a snowbound city. Checked out of the Edison Hotel around 11.30. Paid $2.25 each for the subway from 50th St to Penn Station on 34th to try to catch the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) to Jamaica and then the Air Train to JFK. Well...the LIRR was completely closed. So, consulted the wifi MTA maps and found that the 'A' subway train line goes to Howard Beach from where we could still get the Air Train. So we jump on after waiting 20 mins (there are way fewer trains running). Why not just catch a cab? Because there are only 15% of normal services running so basically there are none to be had. Halfway out to Howard beach they announce they are not going to Howard Beach because of snow. Consult MTA wifi again and find if we get off at Broadway Junction and catch a 'J' train we can still get to Jamaica to catch an Air Train to JFK. Another young girl has joined our troupe and comes with us too with big bags. So...we exit the 'A' subway and go and stand in the freezing cold outside for 30 mins waiting for a 'J' train. Helped the young girl carry her bags - lots of steps transiting from 'A' subway to 'J' subway above ground.
Ok - still with me? It's now 2 hours since the hotel and we're about halfway to JFK! (usually a 30 minute trip).
The 'J' train was 13 stops to Jamaica except there was a 20 minute delay at the 9th stop because of a fire on the track! Finally got into Jamaica at 2.45pm to find that the Air Train to JFK had closed and not likely to reopen today. Went outside to look for a bus or taxi at what was a huge train station but there were none to be had. We waited out on the road in the snow and a guy pulls up in a pickup truck and says he'll take us to the airport for $40 each...I fight off the other waiting travellers and say yes. Our young girl comes too - at $40 a head the guy made a fortune from us but we made it! We only had to push another guys car off the road so we could get past the boys made it to the terminal 7 on time.
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