Getting from La Guardia airport to the Nu Hotel (and our neighborhood)

It sounds like everyone coming in from out of town is going through La Guardia. To get to the hotel from there, I would recommend the cab. From LGA to the Nu Hotel (85 Smith Street @ Atlantic Ave.) should run approx. $25-30, depending on traffic. Tip a bit, maybe $2-$4. Though many cabs do take credit cards, they will often tell you the machine it broken. This is a ruse. But I'd still use cash so you don't have to argue it out with the cabby.

After you get your luggage, find the signs for the taxi stand. There will sometimes be "car services" at the airport, guys standing around and saying "car service" under their breath. That's fine if you know what you're doing and the approx price but I'd recommend finding the yellow cab stand. All cabs in NY are yellow and there may be a big line but it can go quickly. Sometimes 10 min. Breathe in the noxious exhaust fumes of the airport. Soak it up. Then, when it's your turn, a taxi stand guy will direct you to a cab and hand you a sheet with the approximate expenses to different locales in the vicinity.

Tell the cabbie you're going to Atlantic Ave and Smith Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Tell them to take the BQE (Brooklyn Queens Expressway, but everyone calls it the BQE) and get off at the Atlantic Ave. exit (# 27). All cabbies will know Atlantic Ave, it's a major road in Brooklyn. Go east on Atlantic Ave until you hit Smith St., then take a left and promptly stop. It's on the NE corner of Smith and Atlantic. Pretty simple in the end. Depending on traffic, 20-30 min.

Mapquest has different directions which you can print out. Though they're more direct, the Atlantic Ave route is likely quicker because you are not taken through Downtown Brooklyn and there are fewer traffic lights.

I used to take the train to LGA, and sometimes still do if I don't have to carry luggage. But it's a bus ride for about 30-45 min, then about a 1 hr to 1.5 hr subway ride to get to the hotel. Until I'd done it a few times, it was a bit confusing. If you can spare the $25-30something, I would heavily recommend the cab. If you are adventurous and patient, bus/subway.

If you're hungry, take a left out of the hotel, cross Atlantic Ave and walk down Smith Street, away from the tall buildings. There are plenty of restaurants on Smith for, pretty much, whatever you may crave.