Time/Distance to Midtown Manhattan is roughly the same. If you take a cab, the fare is a flat rate, about the same from either airport. It think it's about $35 plus tolls. I can't remember exactly. If you arrive in Newark it will cost a couple more $'s in tolls to get to Midtown than it will from Kennedy. That's the only real difference. I've flown in to both airports a couple of times each, and IMHO, there isn't really any difference. Just use the one with the cheapest flights :-)
Thanks, Steve. I'd not heard of Newark and had visions of some place Ryanair might fly, many miles from the city, or somewhere of the high quality of Luton.
I went through NYC's JFK last month and it took me over an hour just to get through immigration. If you have a connecting flight, make sure that you don't have to go through La Guardia airport. I wouldn't recommend the NY Airport bus service much either.
If you have the time, Fred, take the helicopter service from Newark to La Guardia. It is one of the most amazing sights in the world, as it flies low over the canyons of Manhattan. Also, if you hire a car in Newark and drive fifty miles in any direction you will see another amazing sight, the vivid, vivid colours of the fall.