By Harriet Baskas

Airport essentials In this article: Ground transportation options. Grab a bite for your flight. Do some gift shopping. If you feel an irresistible urge to hit some golf balls when you land at John F. Kennedy International Airport (airport code: JFK), it's probably because the airport was built on the site of Idlewild Golf Course, about 15 miles from New York City. In fact, even though the airport was officially christened New York International Airport when it opened for business in 1948, most folks just called it "Idlewild" until it was officially rededicated as John F. Kennedy Airport on December 24, 1963.

Get oriented Take care of yourself Take care of business Explore the airport Transportation

Get oriented JFK has nine terminals arranged counterclockwise and connected by the free AirTrain service, which also connects to the parking lots and, for a fee, to a subway and train station. Only a few of the terminals are airline-specific, so check the airline locater chart before heading to the airport. Here’s a general rundown: Baggage note Luggage carts cost $3. Find them sprinkled throughout the terminal and out in the parking garages. There are no lockers at JFK, but there are staffed baggage check centers on the arrivals level of Terminals 1 and 4. Terminal 1: Many international airlines, including Lufthansa Terminal 2: Continental, Continental Express, and Song Terminal 3: Delta, Comair, and Sun Country Terminal 4: Northwest, Virgin Atlantic, and many international airlines Terminal 5: Temporarily closed (will be used by JetBlue) Terminal 6: JetBlue Terminal 7: Air Canada, America West, United, British Airways, and others Terminal 8: American Airlines international flights Terminal 9: American Airlines domestic flights To get your bearings, grab a map from an information counter or look for one of the eager "Red Coats," as JFK's customer service agents are known. All Red Coats are either bilingual or multilingual, and the team as a whole is proficient in as many as 30 languages. You can also call ahead to the 24-hour information hotline at 1 (718) 244-4444. Take care of yourself Eat: JFK is big enough that traveling between terminals to eat may not be practical, but each terminal offers dining options ranging from table-service restaurants and bars to coffee shops and delis. Terminals 1 and 4 offer the most pre-security dining options. In Terminal 1, an airy food court overlooks the check-in counters. In Terminal 4, there are close to two-dozen restaurants, cafés, and fast-food outlets, including Au Bon Pain, Sam Adams Celebrates NY, and even a Glatt Kosher Deli. Food note Best bet for a carry-on meal: Grab-and-go meals are offered at food outlets throughout the airport. Best sinful snack: Cannolis or mousse cake from Aunt Butchie’s, post-security in Terminal 6. Highlights elsewhere will usually be found post-security, including the Napa Valley Wine Bar in Terminal 1, Links on Tap in Terminal 2, Sam Adams Brewhouse in Terminal 3, Deep Blue Sushi and the NY Sports Grill in Terminal 6, the Atlantic Bar and Grille in Terminal 7, and Brooklyn National Deli in Terminal 9. Relax and refresh: To escape the hustle and bustle, grab a seat at an unused gate, in a food court area, or perhaps one of the four chapels, located pre-security on the second floor of Terminal 4. The altar and stained-glass windows in one of the chapels were salvaged from other chapels formerly located in different spots at the airport. Need some pampering? Xpress Spa has three branches at JFK offering massages, nail care (manicures and pedicures), skin care, and waxing. There are two branches in Terminal 1 (one in the Arrivals area and one in the Departures area) and one branch in Terminal 4, pre-security by the retail shops. See the Xpress Spa Web site for more information. In Terminal 6, look for Oasis Day Spa post-security. Open daily, the spa offers facials, massages, nail care, waxing, and salon services for men and women. For more information, see the Oasis Day Spa Web site or call 1 (718) 995-9101. A dentist is located in Building 14 (the airport administration building). Call the airport information line at 1 (718) 244-4444 for details and tips on how to get there. Many hotels are located near the airport, including the Ramada Plaza Hotel on airport property, and offer day rates which include access to their exercise and health-club facilities. Sorry, smokers, you’ll need to head outside the terminals to light up. Take care of business Business note Wireless Internet access is free in most parts of Terminal 6. API (Accommodations Plus International) operates Concierge Centers in the baggage claim arrivals area of Terminals 1, 4, and 7. The centers offer hotel reservation assistance, baggage storage (Terminals 1 and 4), cell phone rentals, and fax, mailing, and copy service. The center in Terminal 4 is open 24 hours. For more information, see the API Web site or call 1 (800) 733-7666. Wireless Internet access is available—and free—in most of Terminal 6. Wireless Internet is also available in Terminals 1 and 9, and depending on whom you ask, in other terminals as well. Open your laptop to check if wireless has reached the terminal you’re in. The information desk in the arrivals area of Terminal 4 offers fee-based Internet access at several terminals between 7 AM and midnight. Many telephone banks throughout the airport also have one or two booths with Internet access. Most airlines have club rooms or lounge-access privileges at JFK, so check with your airline. Most clubs are located post-security in the terminals and most offer wireless Internet access. ATM machines and currency exchange kiosk are plentiful throughout the airport. A banking center is located along the retail "mall" pre-security in Terminal 4. Explore the airport Shop: Terminal 4 has the airport’s major pre-security shopping area. In addition to shops selling magazines, books, jewelry, souvenirs, and leather goods, travelers will find Christmas in New York, DKNY, Fossil, Runway Toys, Swarovski, Spellbound Music Express, and a Metropolitan Museum of Art shop. Terminal 8 also has a nice selection of pre-security shops, including Altitunes, Brookstone, Discover New York, Swatch, Bijoux Terner, and others. Terminal 1 offers the best post-security shopping options, with shops selling items made by Coach, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bulgari, Cartier, L’Occitane, Hermes, and Clinique/Estée Lauder. Shopping note Best souvenir under $10: Every newsstand and gift kiosk carries the Statue of Liberty in miniature, Big Apple T-shirts, a raft of patriotic items, and "I Love NY" tote bags and T-shirts. That doesn’t mean you need to keep your wallets packed away in the other terminals. Terminal 3, for example, has more than a dozen shops post-security, including Music & Books and Swarovski. Post-security highlights in Terminal 6 include KidsWorks and Discover New York. Terminal 7 shops include a $10 Boutique (pre-security) and post-security, Mindworks, Discover New York, and Altitunes. And in Terminal 9 (post-security) look for L’Occitane, Airport Wireless (Palm One), Duty Free shops, and Swatch. Sightsee: Although slated to become a JetBlue terminal, JFK's most famous piece of art is Terminal 5, also known as the old TWA Terminal. Designed by noted architect Eero Saarinen in 1959, the building has been featured in dozens of movies and television programs and has been designated a historic landmark. While Terminal 5 has history and tradition on its side, Terminal 4 has modern design on its side. Designed to invoke the spirit of flight, the terminal is bright and airy, with soaring ceilings, great views, and intriguing artwork. The terminal ticketing lobby is home to Alexander Calder’s huge Flight mobile, originally commissioned in 1957 for what was then Idlewild Airport. Additional temporary and permanent artwork is scattered throughout the terminal as well, including several specially-commissioned works that welcome international arriving passengers to New York. And then there's Terminal 8. When the building opened in 1959, the red, white, and blue stained-glass window across the front of the building made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest stained-glass window in the world. Terminal 8 also boasts two vintage murals by Carybe, the Brazilian artist who won the design competition sponsored by the building's original architects. Although a new terminal will be built on this site, airport officials say the artwork will somehow stay intact. Lookout: For great views, head for Terminal 1—it's got lots of glass and was designed to let in natural light. From the mezzanine, look one way to see a wildlife refuge, look the other way to view the Manhattan skyline. Terminal 4 also has great, out of the way spots where you can keep an eye on planes coming and going and catch a glimpse of the city. Play around: Kids will enjoy taking a free ride around the airport on the AirTrain or shopping for toys at Runway Toys (pre-security) in Terminal 4), Kidsworks (post-security) in Terminal 6, or Mindworks (post-security) in Terminal 7. There’s also a small arcade area with five video game machines in the Terminal 4 arrivals hall. Transportation Transportation note If you take a taxi into Manhattan, be sure you get one that is licensed by the city. If you end up in a "gypsy" vehicle, you may get charged an arm and a leg for what should be a $45 trip. A taxi ride into Manhattan can take from a half-hour to more than an hour. The fare is a $45 flat fee (plus tolls and tip and $1 peak time surcharge). The New York Airport Service Express Bus makes the trip to several stops in Midtown Manhattan, including Grant Central Station and Penn Station, and the Port Authority bus terminal, for $15. (1 [718] 875-8200). Shuttle buses make the trip for about $20. For a low-cost New York City adventure, take the AirTrain from the airport to the Howard Beach subway station and take the "A" subway into town. Fare: $5 for the AirTrain, plus $2 subway fare. The AirTrain also links to the Long Island Railroad at Jamaica Station. Fare from here to the city is $12. (All fares subject to change). For more information about transit options into Manhattan and elsewhere, stop at the Ground Transportation Information desk in the baggage claim/arrivals area of each terminal. Or plan ahead by calling 1-800-AIR RIDE. For more information about the airport, call 1 (718) 244-4444.  Guides to more than 65 airports are available online from Expedia's Airport Information page, or buy the whole book, Stuck at the Airport: A Traveler's Survival Guide, at Amazon.com.

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