A pastrami sandwich on a plate at Katz's Delicatessen in New York.

Layover guideNew York · JFK

Eating near the crew hotels in New York

Food halls are the crew move — one roof, many vendors, long hours; Chelsea Market runs 7am-10pm daily.

City Foodsters / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

The city's official tourism board's food-hall guide lists Urbanspace Vanderbilt and Great Northern Food Hall by/inside Grand Central, City Kitchen at Times Square, Gotham West Market near the Javits Center, Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place, The Market Line under Essex Market (Lower East Side) and Time Out Market in Dumbo.

Chelsea Market (75 Ninth Ave, Chelsea) is open daily 7:00am-10:00pm per its operator; individual vendor hours inside vary.

For a cheap solo meal, the tourism board flags Koreatown's Food Gallery 32 (cafeteria seating) and the Garment District and Times Square halls.

NYC Tourism + Conventions (official tourism board) · checked 2026-08-18
Chelsea Market (operator) · checked 2026-08-18

The rest of New York

The whole guide

Getting out of the airportYellow cabs run to Manhattan on a published flat rate from official stands at every terminal, and the AirTrain links the terminals to the subway and the Long Island Rail Road.Ride-hailingUber and Lyft operate at JFK, but the pickup point is not always the kerb: Terminals 5 and 7 send you out to Howard Beach on the AirTrain.Local laws that catch crew outTwo legal systems apply at once, and cannabis is the trap: legal to buy in New York State, illegal to take out of the state or the country.Staying connectedFree unlimited wifi at all Port Authority airports, no time limit.WeatherFour real seasons: 30C summers, snowy sub-zero winters, rain possible any month; hurricane season peaks Sep.What to buyClothing and shoes under $110 per item are completely tax-free in NYC; most everything else adds 8.875% at the register.TippingTip 18-20% at restaurants (not included in the bill), $1+/drink at bars, 15-20% in taxis — it is wages, not extra.