Amtrak Guest Rewards - Local Transport Advice: Poughkeepsie, NY

Greetings FlyerTalkers,

I'm planning a trip to a college friend's wedding November 28-December 3, 2012 in New Windsor, NY 12553. Since I have plenty of vacation time to burn off at work, I thought I'd turn this into a full blown vacation and take the train from Memphis, TN via Chicago, giving me two days (coming and going) to tour Chicago, a Saturday in NYC, and the Monday after the wedding to visit historic sites along the Hudson River valley.

The trip planning has been smooth sailing until I started working on a rental vehicle. Train 48, the Lake Shore Limited, isn't scheduled to arrive in POU until 4:51 p.m. and the closest rental agency, Enterprise, closes at 6:00 p.m., which I think is too close to rely on it.

I called the local Enterprise agency and they were not very helpful in offering a solution. I talked to the hotel and the clerk recommended taking a taxi from POU to one of the Stewart Airport (SWF) rental agencies.

I simply don't have a clue which direction to proceed. In my home area, taxis don't make 35-40 mile trips, so this is out of my league. I'm hoping someone from the area reads this board and can offer some advice.

Thanks in advance,
Timbeaux.

I think Stewart Airport is your best bet. It's under 25 miles from POU and I think you will find that taxis in that area are quite used to trips of that distance. Many people in that area fly out of SWF. Can't say the taxi will be cheap but you will get there.

All of the other major rental companies have offices in Poughkeepsie but none appear to be open later than Enterprise.

POU is also the terminus of the Metro North commuter railway that goes into NYC. It's possible that one of the stations (http://www.mta.info/mnr/html/mnrmap.htm) between there and NYC has a car rental office nearby. I know there is a Hertz at North White Plains that I used to use frequently when I lived in Manhattan, but that is on the wrong Metro North line for you. You would have to travel all the way into Grand Central on the Hudson line and then back out on the Harlem line.

I would make reservations at both the Enterprise at POU and at an agency at SWF as a backup if you don't make it into POU in time.

I have no idea if this is accurate, but this website (http://www.worldtaximeter.com/new-york/Poughkeepsie%2C+NY%2C+USA/stewart+international+airport/4-25) estimates a taxi from POU to Newburgh to be $62. Seems a bit high to me, but what do I know?

OTOH...you can transfer in POU to a Metro-North commuter train and ride it two stops to Beacon, which is right across the river from Newburgh. Trains leave POU hourly (http://www.mta.info/mnr/html/planning/schedules/pdf/HUD%20MF%20APR%201%202012.pdf) so even if the Lake Shore is late, you won't have a terribly long connection. Fare is $3.25

Once you detrain in Beacon, you can catch a local bus (http://www.leprechaunlines.com/commuter_newburghbeacon.asp) to Stewart Airport for $1, and the bus runs hourly. Obviously this double-connection will eat up a lot of time compared to a taxi, but it would appear to be much cheaper. The advice of making an Enterprise reservation with a back-up res at the airport is a good one. That said, Enterprise's lack of helpfulness would certainly encourage me to explore the alternatives.

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I would probably ride Amtrak just to Albany/Rensselaer station, and rent a car from there. Hertz (at the Crowne Plaza Hotel), Enterprise (in downtown Albany), and Avis (at Colonie Center Mall) will all pick up from the train station.

See if Hertz can coordinate leaving a car at POU airport for you to pick up. Its much closer than SWF and they might be able to coordinate an off-hours pick up.

Yeah, SWF is far away from the station. You should just talk to the rental companies and see if they'll leave the car somewhere for you.

What you should do is get off at Albany and then try and see about renting a car up there.

Yeah, SWF is far away from the station. You should just talk to the rental companies and see if they'll leave the car somewhere for you.

What you should do is get off at Albany and then try and see about renting a car up there.

I would think that a lot depends on whether you're travelling roundtrip by train, or are flying home. If roundtrip by train, then renting in Albany provides you lots of opportunity to enjoy the sights along the Hudson (the NY State Thruway is fast but not very scenic). However if you're planning to fly home from a NYC airport, I'd recommend renting close to a Metro-North stop (perhaps further south than Poughkeepsie) or from where you intend to pick up an airport limo.