Transfer from EWR to Brooklyn is part of TPOL in NYC ongoing Trip Report.
Red-eyes to New York from Puerto Rico are becoming regular as Bachuwa Law continues to grow. Looking to save money last time, I stayed one night in Jamaica, Queens. On this next trip, work took me to Brooklyn where work required me to stay for the evening.
Mistake #1: Flying into EWR
If you’re going to Brooklyn, don’t make the mistake of flying into Newark. The points flight may be cheaper, but you will pay with time or money to make the trek from New Jersey to Brooklyn.
Mistake #2: Not Taking New Jersey Transit
Getting from JFK to Manhattan is manageable (see JFK AirTrain: Why Mess with Uber to Manhattan?). Getting from Newark via New Jersey Transit is dreadful. If you arrive late at night, prepare to wait an hour for the train to come. If you arrive during normal hours, you still have to go to Penn Station and take a subsequent subway to Brooklyn. Still, this beats being stuck in traffic and is probably the only time you will hear anyone say that not taking New Jersey Transit was a mistake.
Not a Mistake #1: Booking a Shared Lyft
Based on Lyft’s estimation, even if I booked a shared Lyft, I would arrive at the Sheraton Brooklyn with plenty of time to spare. I also thought that it was unlikely that I would have to share a ride given that I was arriving at 6:45AM. For $33.33 versus a $70 Uber, I was prepared to take that chance.
Mistake #3: Trusting Lyft’s Estimation
I know there is rush hour traffic, but I assumed that Lyft’s app would factor this in when it provided my estimated arrival time. Wrong. I ended up arriving 45 minutes later than expected. The ride took 1 hour and 20 minutes, which more or less would have been the same as NJT + subway for a cost of $16 + $2.75 respectively.
Overall
I shouldn’t have flown into Newark when I was staying in Brooklyn. I also shouldn’t have trusted Lyft’s estimation of how long it would take. Imagine if I would have shared a ride? I would’ve never made my appointment.
Transfer from EWR to Brooklyn is part of TPOL in NYC ongoing Trip Report.
