Hi all, I'm at a loss as to where to begin my search, so I hope I can get some help here.
A group of us from an internship are interested in going to NYC from upstate New York. Trains are currently running around $180/person from our location, so we're looking into driving. If we do that, we'd want a hotel that would be fairly accessible by car, but also be located so that we could reasonably easily access public transit to get into the city. One consideration is that a majority of us possess military IDs, which should be able to get us into most installations/facilities along with our civilian partners.
Any suggestions on what area we should be looking in for hotels?
For how long will you be staying in NYC? And from what part of the state are you starting? $180/person for a roundtrip on Amtrak seems unusually high.
If you are going to drive, but don't want to stay in Manhattan, you should probably look for hotels in Southern Westchester County, or in New Jersey (just over the Hudson) that are close to a commuter rail station. You might also find some tourist-class hotels in the Astoria or Long Island City sections of Queens that would work.
Give us some more details about where you're starting from, when, and how many people, and we can probably come up with some good ideas for you.
For how long will you be staying in NYC? And from what part of the state are you starting? $180/person for a roundtrip on Amtrak seems unusually high.
If you are going to drive, but don't want to stay in Manhattan, you should probably look for hotels in Southern Westchester County, or in New Jersey (just over the Hudson) that are close to a commuter rail station. You might also find some tourist-class hotels in the Astoria or Long Island City sections of Queens that would work.
Give us some more details about where you're starting from, when, and how many people, and we can probably come up with some good ideas for you.
Knew I was forgetting something! We'll be coming in from the Rome area. The plan is to go down over the weekend prior to the 4th of July (depart Friday, return Sunday), for two total nights in the area. Numbers-wise, that's somewhat up in the air right now. I would anticipate 10-15 people, but this is the sort of situation where people don't want to firmly commit before a good plan is presented.
Out of my Element
Jun 4, 12, 5:59 am
If you are concerned about crazy parking costs in the city, there are websites where you can get coupons that will lower overnight (24 hour) parking rates to the $24-29 rate). Yeah, that's alot for Rome, but it's $20 (or more) off regular rates.
I think if you want to visit Manhattan, you should stay in Manhattan. And anywhere you stay in Manhattan will be convenient to transit to get you anywhere else in the city.
Of course Manhattan hotels can be crazy expensive, too, so that might be out of the question for you. What's your budget?
NoName678
Jun 4, 12, 6:51 am
In Queens, you may be able to find reasonable rates in Long Island City or Flushing. Parking may be extra, but you are right near subway stops so can get anywhere in the city for $2.25. Plan out what highways to take and check StreetView to figure out how to go from the highway and you should be OK.
Another possibility is to stay in NJ. (You have to be willing to give up the flexibility to travel to/from the city at all hours and to conveniently/cheaply take extra round trips from the city to the hotel - I don't know how important that flexibility is to you.) If you come down on the Thruway (I-87) you will see signs at the state line for NJ route 17, along which there are motels and a bus route (operated by ShortLine; search for the Bergen County schedule) providing reasonably frequent service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown (once or twice an hour except overnight). There are a few chain motels in Paramus, either near the Century Road stop (which as you can see in the schedule is scheduled at about 25-30 minutes from the PABT) or the Midland Avenue stop (not shown on the schedule; a little farther north).
(In addition to Paramus there are a few more motels in Ramsey, several miles north or Mahwah, a bit north of that; if you happen to get a much better rate it may be worth the additional bus cost and time, if you are on a budget. You are kind of far away from the city by this point though. This area is also served by train although it is probably slower than the bus.)
If you are willing to pay more to stay and park in Manhattan then that is also an option.
Analise
Jun 4, 12, 8:40 am
Knew I was forgetting something! We'll be coming in from the Rome area. The plan is to go down over the weekend prior to the 4th of July (depart Friday, return Sunday), for two total nights in the area. Numbers-wise, that's somewhat up in the air right now. I would anticipate 10-15 people, but this is the sort of situation where people don't want to firmly commit before a good plan is presented.First of all, you can park on the street. Many of us do. :p On the weekends in the summer, it is ESPECIALLY easy to find on-street parking in midtown, UES and UWS. The closer to the Hudson or the East Rivers, the more spots you'll find. Just read the street signs; don't park in diplomatic parking spots.
One warning and it's a big one. Street fairs. They are fun if you're on foot; if you're driving, they are awful. I think you're in luck however. The only one I can see scheduled is one on 60th b/w 5th & Madison from 10am-6pm.
Hi all, I'm at a loss as to where to begin my search, so I hope I can get some help here.
A group of us from an internship are interested in going to NYC from upstate New York. Trains are currently running around $180/person from our location, so we're looking into driving. If we do that, we'd want a hotel that would be fairly accessible by car, but also be located so that we could reasonably easily access public transit to get into the city. One consideration is that a majority of us possess military IDs, which should be able to get us into most installations/facilities along with our civilian partners.
Any suggestions on what area we should be looking in for hotels?
You may have thought about this already but rather than driving all the way down how about taking Megabus down into the city. It's not that much longer than an upstate train and you don't have the hassle of driving yourselves.
dhammer53
Jun 4, 12, 8:46 am
A group of us from an internship are interested in going to NYC from upstate New York. Trains are currently running around $180/person from our location, so we're looking into driving. If we do that, we'd want a hotel that would be fairly accessible by car, but also be located so that we could reasonably easily access public transit to get into the city. One consideration is that a majority of us possess military IDs, which should be able to get us into most installations/facilities along with our civilian partners.
Any suggestions on what area we should be looking in for hotels?
Have you thought about driving from Rome to Hudson? You can train it from there.
There are lots of hotels in Westchester County ie. White Plains, Rye, Tarrytown. You'll be a 5 - 10 minute ride to the Metro North RR station, then ~35 - 40 minute ride into Grand Central Terminal on 42nd street.
Hoboken NJ, just across the Hudson from downtown Manhattan is another suggestion. You can take the PATH train in to the city.
peersteve
Jun 4, 12, 9:02 am
Some thoughts...... if you are going to rent a van or large car for the drive from Rome, then Hertz, Avis, etc have many offices in Manhattan, so you could drop the vehicle at an office near your hotel, then rent a new one when you leave to save on parking costs. (But likely the round-trip rental cost is lower than two one-ways, but maybe not......)
Staying in Manhattan is always best for convenience and the NYC experience..... but if that's costly, perhaps look at hotels in the Newark Airport area--all should have shuttles to the airport, where you can catch frequent express buses to Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal, or use the airport's tram system to catch NJ Transit trains to New York Penn Station (which do run at very late hours back to airport--but check holiday schedule at njtransit.com)
It's a complex equation bewteen hotel costs and transit costs and an enjoyable visit!
"if you are going to rent a van or large car for the drive from Rome, then Hertz, Avis, etc have many offices in Manhattan, so you could drop the vehicle at an office near your hotel, then rent a new one when you leave to save on parking costs. (But likely the round-trip rental cost is lower than two one-ways, but maybe not......)"
I expect that a Friday-Monday three-day weekend rental from an upstate car-rental location would cost substantially less than two one-ways. And if this offer is still valid, a Hertz rental vehicle can be parked at select Hertz Manhattan locations for only $14 per 24-hour period:
Thanks all for the input. Current Megabus prices from the area are around $70/person, so that option is not that high on the list. With the work week beginning, everyone's more focused on research, so planning is going on hiatus until the weekend. Any comments between now and then are welcome. Again, thanks for all the input.
Thanks all for the input. Current Megabus prices from the area are around $70/person, so that option is not that high on the list. With the work week beginning, everyone's more focused on research, so planning is going on hiatus until the weekend. Any comments between now and then are welcome. Again, thanks for all the input.
If you drive from Rome to the Albany/Rensselaer Amtrak Station, a roundtrip from there to Manhattan on Megabus should comes to less than $30/person.
Note: That $30/person roundtrip fare on Megabus was an average, based on a group of eight; if your traveling party is larger, the average cost per passenger will likely be higher.
RooseveltL
Jun 4, 12, 5:18 pm
If you decide on driving check the Secaucus or Rutherford, NJ area as abundant economical hotels and multiple bus ride public transportation to mid-town Manhattan.
If you wish to save on parking the above is your best however, if traveling with 10-15 people - you may just want to drive in and park in Manhattan on the street as others have described. Just pay careful attention to street signs (including night regulation) as nothing sucks more than waking up to find your vehicle is towed and you were planning to leave at 10am.
Note: That $30/person roundtrip fare on Megabus was an average, based on a group of eight; if your traveling party is larger, the average cost per passenger will likely be higher.
Note: That $30/person roundtrip fare on Megabus was an average, based on a group of eight; if your traveling party is larger, the average cost per passenger will likely be higher.It's just 10-15 people. If each person goes on to the Megabus website now, he/she can get tickets for those dates for $9 to NYC and either $3, $8, or $19 back to Albany depending on the time of day.
Since Megabus has no volume discount, each person should buy individual tickets for a VERY CHEAP PRICE between Albany and NYC.
cmn.jcs, you need to do this as soon as possible.
Who needs a car in Manhattan? This is a GREAT idea!
Note: That $30/person roundtrip fare on Megabus was an average, based on a group of eight; if your traveling party is larger, the average cost per passenger will likely be higher.It's just 10-15 people. If each person goes on to the Megabus website now, he/she can get tickets for those dates for $9 to NYC and either $3, $8, or $19 back to Albany depending on the time of day.
Since Megabus has no volume discount, each person should buy individual tickets for a VERY CHEAP PRICE between Albany and NYC.
cmn.jcs, you need to do this as soon as possible.
Who needs a car in Manhattan? This is a GREAT idea!
Sorry, Analise; that's not how Megabus works. It sells seats on a "bucket" system, just like Amtrak and the airlines do. When the first few "cheap" seats are snatched up, the next passengers to book will each pay higher fares. If you specify a group of eight, megabus.com will allot the lowest available fare bucket to the first of the eight, and give each succeeding member of the group the lowest remaining fare bucket. But it will display a total price for the group of eight.
NoName678
Jun 4, 12, 5:49 pm
Of course, with Megabus from Albany, they still have to get from Rome to Albany (100 miles each way)...
Anyway, now that we've told OP he should stay in Manhattan, in Queens, in Bergen County, near the Lincoln Tunnel, in the Hoboken area, in the Newark Airport area, and in Westchester, I'm sure everything is clearer now.
magiciansampras
Jun 4, 12, 5:55 pm
Anyway, now that we've told OP he should stay in Manhattan, in Queens, in Bergen County, near the Lincoln Tunnel, in the Hoboken area, in the Newark Airport area, and in Westchester, I'm sure everything is clearer now.
Don't forget Connecticut!
Analise
Jun 4, 12, 6:48 pm
Sorry, Analise; that's not how Megabus works. It sells seats on a "bucket" system, just like Amtrak and the airlines do. When the first few "cheap" seats are snatched up, the next passengers to book will each pay higher fares. If you specify a group of eight, megabus.com will allot the lowest available fare bucket to the first of the eight, and give each succeeding member of the group the lowest remaining fare bucket. But it will display a total price for the group of eight.I assumed it is like the airlines. That's why I suggested grabbing them ASAP.
Anyway, now that we've told OP he should stay in Manhattan, in Queens, in Bergen County, near the Lincoln Tunnel, in the Hoboken area, in the Newark Airport area, and in Westchester, I'm sure everything is clearer now.You ask a group of people; you really expect the same answer? :D Lots of choices!
peersteve
Jun 5, 12, 7:24 am
.....and to add to the mix......if outlet shopping is attractive to the group.....look at hotels adjacent to the secaucus, nj area outlet malls..... there are express buses to manhattan and option of train to penn station (for both, do check weekend/holiday schedules)......website below has info on outlet mall, and at bottom, bus and hotel info
.....and to add to the mix......if outlet shopping is attractive to the group.....look at hotels adjacent to the secaucus, nj area outlet malls..... there are express buses to manhattan and option of train to penn station (for both, do check weekend/holiday schedules)......website below has info on outlet mall, and at bottom, bus and hotel info
If outlet shopping is desire - stop at Woodbury Commons (BIGGEST in area) which is 1hr+ north of NYC (before you get here) or Jersey Gardens (near EWR airport).
Harmon Meadow simply sucks and not worth the effort unless seeking a specific retailer there. Even if I stayed in Secaucus I wouldn't visit Harmon Meadow.
cmn.jcs
Jun 11, 12, 7:08 pm
Again, I appreciate all the input everyone has given in response to my question. Unfortunately, it looks like this trip might not happen. The polling of my fellow interns shows a fairly lackluster interest in driving down over the long weekend. Opinion may change as we get closer to the weekend (and prices rise :(), but until I see that happen I'm not putting any effort into planning a trip. Again, thanks, and if we do end up going I'm sure we'll make use of this info.
Analise
Jun 12, 12, 7:55 am
Opinion may change as we get closer to the weekend (and prices rise :(), but until I see that happen I'm not putting any effort into planning a trip. Again, thanks, and if we do end up going I'm sure we'll make use of this info.If you've got a bunch of dour people, the heck with them. You should still come to the city and have a great time. Must it be 10-15 or nothing?
cmn.jcs
Jun 12, 12, 10:15 am
If you've got a bunch of dour people, the heck with them. You should still come to the city and have a great time. Must it be 10-15 or nothing?
I don't possess a vehicle, so I'd be training or planing it down (from SYR, costs are roughly equal). Also, one person versus several/many means greater hotel costs. Finally, I go to school in Boston. If I had to pick between a trip by myself now, or a trip with some friends from school, I'd opt for the latter. Who knows, maybe once we get closer people will have a change of heart.
cmn.jcs
Jun 24, 12, 11:05 pm
Well, we're matching the stereotype of putting it off as long as we can. Plans have finally been set to drive to Poughkeepsie, and train it in Thursday night. We'll stay a couple nights, then retrace our path back to Rome. I looked on the Metro North website. It looks like trains will be about hourly, but still be running by the time we get to Poughkeepsie. We'll be getting to the city a bit later than I think we'd like, but at least we'll have all Friday and some of Saturday to explore.
Anyone have any particular considerations you think we should be aware of? I'll report back after the trip here with any details that might be helpful to others in the future.
peersteve
Jun 25, 12, 8:11 am
Do consider Amtrak for Pough to NYC and back, especially if Penn Station is much closer to your hotel than Grand Central.....
Amtrak costs about $10 more, but should be a more comfortable ride with fewer stops for napping....only about 15 min faster than MetroNorth
Looks like last Amtrak from Pough leaves 7:05pm.....but could be running late, so check when you get to Pough station
Esapecially for heading back from NYC Penn Stn to Pough.... on Amtrak there's an 8:50pm (ar 10:15pm at Pough) and 11:50pm (ar 1:15am at Pough) for a full day and dinner in NYC!
Enjoy!
cmn.jcs
Jul 4, 12, 4:13 pm
And it was off. :( About two days prior to departure, participants started dropping out, and it pretty quickly reached the point of no go. I ended up lying in one of my previous posts; I went on my own (totally worth it, I ended up getting bumped on my return flight for a $500 voucher and a night at the Waldorf=Astoria :D).
I do appreciate all the input folks offered here. It may be useful next summer if I return to this location.