You are on page 1of 3

Passing time at airport La Guardia: If you have time to kill at New York's LaGuardia Airport, here are some

unusual things you can do to pass an hour...or two...or three. Turn your next delay into a mini-vacation with our weekly guide to transforming even the worst airport into your very own personal playground! This week, we're visiting New York's LaGuardia Airport; so close to the bright lights of Manhattan, but so very far away. No need to sulk the next time youve got some forced downtime at NYC's little airport that so often can't; not with our guide to what's fun (see Airfarewatchdog's daily list of low fares to and from New YorkLaGuardia): TAKE A HIKE! It's not every day you find an airport you can escape on foot at least not without risking life and limb to run across various highways and boulevards. If you've got some time on your hands, get some exercise by walking along the footpath that leaves from the far end of the Delta terminal; it'll connect you to a paved promenade that runs along Flushing Bay, past the almost-charming World's Fair Marina and on over to the new home of the New York Mets, Citi Field. On the way back, stop at the promenade-adjacent Dunkin Donuts that's a favorite with limo drivers waiting on their airport pickups. GRAB A BURGER There may be better burgers in New York scratch that there are better burgers in New York, way better. But when youre stuck at an airport, nothing says happy like a big old pile of freshly-cut potatoes fried in sizzling peanut oil, or a juicy hamburger topped with cheese, jalapenos, bacon and mushrooms. Or whatever it is you like on top of your Five Guys burger. This relatively-new franchise of the popular Northern Virginia chain is officially the best junk food youll find at the airport; it's located in the Central Terminal food court / shopping area, pre-security (thank goodness). HOP OVER TO ASIA If you're seriously stuck, you shouldn't hang around the airport for too long there's too much close by thats worth seeing. Buy a Metrocard from the vending machines in the Central Terminal (or from the newsstands on arrivals levels of the other terminals) and look for the Q48 bus stop; in 20 minutes or less, youll be in the heart of downtown Flushing, known across the New York area as the most happening of the city's many Chinatowns. Asiatown is a more appropriate way to explain the bustling commercial district, a mix of cultures from across that part of the world, all amounting to a place that can be completely overwhelming even to long-time New Yorkers. Think Times Square, but with a lot less English spoken. And with better restaurants. Remember to allow for a half-hour of travel time on the return, just in case there's traffic. LIKE A LOUNGE, BUT DIFFERENT There arent really any airline lounges at LaGuardia we'd bother to buy or beg our way into if we weren't already granted access with our tickets or

frequent mileage programs; that said, when we are at the wrong end of a long wait at the airport, we always cross our fingers it's at the US Airways terminal. In that case, we usually scuttle off down to the shuttle gates (theyre to the right of security when you come in.) The waiting area around Gates 15-22, catering largely to a crowd that doesn't believe in showing up to the airport much earlier than their departure time, can often be a ghost town; bonus lots of free magazines and newspapers to read while you wait. HAVE A DRINK Fine dining and a decent wine list at an airport? It's not out of the question, and certainly not at LaGuardia, which has quite successfully hosted one of many Todd English restaurants, Figs, for quite some time long enough for many people to even forget that it's there. Don't. Right in the heart of the Central Terminal, on the food court level again, that's pre-security, so everyone can go, Figs is the savior of many a stranded passenger; some Tuscan white bean soup and a nice dry Italian red can make the most interminable wait just a little more bearable. For more about LaGuardia Airport, visit www.panynj.gov. To learn more about New York City, visit www.nycgo.com.

Dubai: If you are traveling with emirates and you have to spend more than 4 hours in the airport you get a meal FOR FREE. They don't advertise or tell you this but there is a sign near the McDonald's. - amy groves "I was on a trip to china and actually chose to get tickets with 'Emirates' (awesome flight with great service and personal tv yet cheap) just to see DBX airport. As everyone else, I had read the review by Sysman (57 likes) and was excited to experience a night (around 12 hours) in DBX. Unfortunately it was not at all that good. The free meal is true though (if you are flying with 'Emirates' and have to be in the airport for more than 4 hours. Go to the 'information' closest to burger king (around gate 202/204). You can get Thai, McD or sandwich/pizza. Wifi sucks but at least you don't have to sign up for anything to get it. In Sysmans review the lounges of the airport are glorified, but there are no free lounges for anybody flying on economy class. The 'quiet lounges' signs that can be found around the airports are lies, the lounges are either being redesigned (the area seems to be under maintenance) or they simply do not exist anymore. It generally seems that other than the actual free meal, there are no free meals in this airport. Sleeping: I've explored the airport pretty thoroughly and this is what I think you should know: The airport is shaped like a gigantic turd. There is really just one street up and down the airport (with some exceptions) and although it seems like there are multiple floors, but they are brief and seem more like optical illusions. This shape means that there practically aren't any corners (no coziness) :( Exceptions: Now in the fanciest part (gates 201-232) there are extra lanes on each side of the main street, and this is where the comfy chairs are situated. There are a lot of them and I'm sure

that if you look around and have a bit of patiens you will find one at least at night time (I got one in a sec). It's actually quite ok and not at all as noisy as on the main lane, but there is no privacy and if you are sometimes a bit of a pussy when it comes to the security of your belongings (like me), you should go to the area around gate 136-150 (like i did). The chairs are not that nice and the floor is hard although there is a rug on it, but this is the only abnormality in the airport (it has corners ^^). It is like a pimple on the turd-shaped (or if I may) penis-shaped airport. It takes you away from all the stress and noise of the airport though you can't avoid the announcements. But in the morning it is just as crowded as the rest of the airport (at least that is how it went for me)."

You might also like