Ground Transportation from LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

The most expensive, most convenient, and fastest option is taxi. Taxi fare to midtown hotels runs $38-50 with fees and tolls depending on time of day and traffic. And taxi fare is a legitimate expense on your government travel claim.

Shared-ride vans are much less expensive, but you sacrifice convenience and time. NYC Airporter is the public transportation van from LGA to Manhattan. You can buy tickets online, and the one-way fare is $13. The service operates from 0500 to 2330 daily. Vans holding up to 31 passengers depart every 30 minutes. The travel time is about 60 minutes. Vans have free Wi-Fi. The drawback is that this is not a direct-to-hotel service. The van makes three stops in Manhattan: Grand Central Station, Penn Station, and Port Authority Bus Terminal. Many hotels are within walking distance of one of these stops. Buying a round-trip ticket, however, allows you to transfer free to an smaller van once in Manhattan for a trip to your hotel. You need to see if your hotel is on the list for this service and alert the driver as you board. Private transportation companies provide shared-ride vans with direct-to-hotel service for a little more money. These companies operate 24/7, offer online ticket purchase, and vans seat up to 11 passengers. Airlink charges $19.60 with online discount, and SuperShuttle is $15.

The cheapest option is a combination of bus and subway. The fare is $2.50. I'm not going to discuss this option, because anyone frugal and intrepid enough to choose it will derive pleasure from looking it up.

I also am not discussing ground transportation from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). But express bus service similar to NYC Airporter is available for $16 at each airport with travel time about 90 minutes. JFK has flat rate taxi service to Manhattan for $52 base fare. MacArthur Airport Long Island (ISP) connects to the Long Island Railroad which delivers you to Penn Station.