Venues · Lincoln Center

Lincoln Center & Opera Car Service

The strictest houses in the city for latecomers — planned to the house-opening, not the curtain, with a Columbus Avenue plaza drop.

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Lincoln Center and opera car service from Manhattan Chauffeur Co. plans to the house-opening rather than the curtain, because the Metropolitan Opera seats no latecomers until intermission and opens the house 45 minutes early. We drop at the Columbus Avenue plaza between 63rd and 65th, above 60th Street and outside the congestion zone, and hold for a curtain that can fall late on a full opera.

Arrival & drop-off

  • Plan to the house-opening — the Met seats no latecomers until intermission.
  • House opens 45 min early at the Met Opera.
  • Drop — the Columbus Avenue plaza, W 63rd–65th.
  • Above 60th St — outside the congestion zone.

Updated July 2026

The houses

Where the car drops

Metropolitan Opera

Lincoln Center · house opens 45 min early; no late seating until intermission.

Drop: Lincoln Center plaza, Columbus Ave at W 63rd–64th.

David Geffen Hall

NY Philharmonic · arrive ~30 min; seated only at a break.

Drop: Lincoln Center plaza, Columbus Ave at W 65th.

Metropolitan Opera (matinee)

Weekend matinees seat heavy; allow the same 45-min lead.

Drop: Columbus Ave plaza; expect a fuller curb midday.

The comparison

Is a car to Lincoln Center & the Opera cheaper than Uber?

On a quiet off-peak trip a chauffeur and Uber Black run close, but a booked flat rate never moves while rideshare multiplies. Add flight tracking, a held pickup, and meet-and-greet, and a chauffeur wins the nights that matter.

Manhattan Chauffeur Co. vs rideshare & cab
FeatureManhattan Chauffeur Co.Uber BlackYellow Cab
PricingFlat, all-inDynamicMetered
Surge riskNoneHighLow
Flight trackingYesNoNo
Meet & greetYesNoNo
Held pickup / waitYesNoNo
DriverProfessional chauffeurGig driverLicensed hack

Surge in Manhattan: a flat rate holds while Uber Black typically runs ~1.6–2.2× in weekday rush, ~2–3× in rain or snow, ~1× on a quiet Sunday, and ~2.5–3.5× at a Friday/Saturday Broadway curtain-out. Our rate is the rate.

From the program

Questions at the box office

How early do I need to arrive at the Met Opera?

Plan to be dropped in time for the 45-minute house-opening, not the curtain — the Metropolitan Opera seats no latecomers until intermission, so arriving late can mean standing until the first break. We build the lead time around that rule.

Where does the car drop off at Lincoln Center?

At the Columbus Avenue plaza between roughly 63rd and 65th Street, the main entrance for the Met Opera and David Geffen Hall. It sits above 60th Street, so it is outside the congestion zone.

Do you wait through a long opera?

Yes. Operas run long and curtains fall late, so the chauffeur holds and stages the pickup at the plaza for when you actually come out, not a guessed time.

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