The wife and I are on our way to South Africa next week. We're flying through JFK both ways, and have longish layovers: 17 hours on the way there, and 1 1/2 days on the way back. On the way back, we'll take the AirTrain in to Manhattan and stay there.
On the way there, I am trying to figure out what to do with the 17 hour overnighter. I don't think its enough time to get into Manhattan (don't want to pay the ginormous cab fares or be stuck in traffic), so am looking for alternatives on Long Island. I also don't want to just hunker down at a hotel by the airport for the night. I could rent a car and drive somewhere on Long Island. I've been there a few times, but don't know much about it, honestly. Assuming we will be arriving when its almost dark, and departing very early in the morning, is this worth it? Are there any GREAT destinations within an hour or so of JFK that we could drive to and are worth spending the evening exploring?
Gotham Helicopters can get us into Manhattan in 6 minutes for $200 each way, but I'm not that much of a baller
Thanks mucho, again!