u/sk1a_7

need some advice here as a solo 20f traveller from canada. i’m also not a frequent flyer and still pretty new to airports/flying, so bear with me 😭 my most recent flight was to l.a. about a year ago and before that i hadn’t flown in like 10 years.
i have the opportunity to spend about a day in new york because of my flights. i’d land at jfk around 7am and my flight out to the main destination isn’t until 10am the next day (jetblue). since i’m already gonna be there anyways i figured… why not. yolo! realistically i don’t know when i’ll be in new york again so i thought i’d spend the day exploring manhattan on a budget. my problem is accommodation. every hotel i’ve looked at is over $100 usd for one night and i’m really trying to keep this stopover cheap since it’s not the main destination. my thought was to explore the city all day, head back to jfk in the evening, and just stay at the airport overnight until my flight the next morning.
i only have a carry-on and a backpack, no checked bags.
from what i’ve read, i probably won’t be able to get through security until jetblue opens or tsa opens, so i’d most likely be waiting in the public part of the terminal for a few hours before i can actually go through security.
my main questions are:
is this actually a reasonable plan or am i overlooking something?
as a solo 20f, would you feel safe spending the night in the public area of jfk?
around what time would jetblue/tsa actually let me through security for a 10am flight?
if you’ve done this before, what would you recommend?
i’m okay putting myself in slightly awkward or uncomfortable situations if it means getting a cool experience and i usually end up thinking it was worth it afterwards, but i also don’t want to be stupid or unsafe. i’d really appreciate any advice!

hey y’all, just a question for you new yorkers. i’m going on a trip in august, and i have a layover in NYC from 7am to 10am before the next flight. i realized though since i wont get a chance like this again, maybe i could change my flight to nyc to one that’s 24hr earlier, so id land at 7am the day before. this way i could leave and explore the city for a day since im already there and yolo. i could store my luggage (only having a carry on and personal item) and go on and visit maybe Grand Central,
Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square after dark, etc etc. obviously a very rough idea but by the end of the day i’d go back to JFK and spend the night there before the next flight at 10am to save costs. i’m fully aware this would be quite tiring and a lot to do, but i figured since i have no plans to head east again in at least the next 4 years, why not take that opportunity? im going on my 10am flight with a friend as we’re travelling together, but i had the option to leave earlier and spend a day in nyc. obviously if she could do the same she would. i’m a lone f20 so any recommendations or suggestions or second thoughts to this is greatly appreciate! rebooking an earlier flight would be around $90-$150 ish more. do you guys think its worth it for the day or should i leave it?

edit: i’ve realized this is a packed day and ill definitely make some changes to make my life easier but still get the most out of it! still wondering if i could come back to the airport around nighttime like after 9pm if i have a flight out of JFK at 10am the next day?

hey y’all, just a question for you new yorkers. i’m going on a trip in august, and i have a layover in NYC from 7am to 10am before the next flight. i realized though since i wont get a chance like this again, maybe i could change my flight to nyc to one that’s 24hr earlier, so id land at 7am the day before. this way i could leave and explore the city for a day since im already there and yolo. i could store my luggage (only having a carry on and personal item) and go on and visit maybe Grand Central,
Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square after dark, etc etc. obviously a very rough idea but by the end of the day i’d go back to JFK and spend the night there before the next flight at 10am to save costs. i’m fully aware this would be quite tiring and a lot to do, but i figured since i have no plans to head east again in at least the next 4 years, why not take that opportunity? im going on my 10am flight with a friend as we’re travelling together, but i had the option to leave earlier and spend a day in nyc. obviously if she could do the same she would. i’m a lone f20 so any recommendations or suggestions or second thoughts to this is greatly appreciate! rebooking an earlier flight would be around $90-$150 ish more. do you guys think its worth it for the day or should i leave it?