From the airport
JFK to Manhattan is the AirTrain to Jamaica, then the subway or the Long Island Rail Road. The train is immune to the traffic a cab is not.
A cab from JFK is a flat fare to Manhattan plus tolls and tip, and it can take twice as long as the train at rush hour.
Paying for the subway
Tap the same contactless card or phone at the gate. The fare caps itself after a number of rides in a week.
A foreign card works. You do not need a MetroCard any more.
Between side events
The week spreads across Manhattan and Brooklyn, and a crossing between the two is the thing that eats an evening. Group events by borough.
The main stage is two days, but the week around it is where the meetings happen, and they are spread across the city.
