We are considering a trip to Iceland this summer, but due to the return flight time of the group tour flight, we would need to spend the night in NYC before returning home, so we figure if we time our return flight correctly the next day, we might have time to visit the 9/11 Memorial and the One World tower observation area (my husband loves going up high towers around the world). We visited NYC extensively prior to 9/11, thus the more narrow focus this time, just focusing on the Memorial and the new tower.
So, here is the question: What would be the best (prioritizing safety and cost) way to reach the 9/11 Memorial from the JFK airport (train, subway, shuttle, taxi?) We would arrive at JFK around 7pm from Iceland, and we would try to catch an 8pm flight home the next day...so one night and the bulk of the next day, allowing return time to JFK.
Best place to overnight close to the airport, or better to overnight near the Memorial? Recommendations on reasonable, yet clean, nice places (not 5-star, maybe similar to a Hampton, etc.) where we would expect to experience a clean room with basic creature comforts and feel safe, etc.