New York City help

[sadiebug]

We will be traveling to King of Prussia, Pennsylvania next summer with my daughter's youth group. We are planning on extending our trip and spending some time in NYC or even trying to do some things in NYC on days when she does not have to attend youth group meetings, etc. Is there a train or bus that is reasonably priced that goes from King of Prussia to NYC? We will have a car, however, I really prefer not to drive into NYC unless we have to. Any info is appreciated!!

 

[Lynne M]

No trains directly from KoP. There are Septa train stations in the area (Norristown, Strafford, etc); you could take regional rail into 30th Street Station in Philadelphia and then get Amtrak up to NYC. Whether it's reasonably priced or not depends on your definition of reasonable. I haven't done Amtrak from PHL to NYC in awhile, but I'd guesstimate about $40-60 per person, round trip, plus whatever the Septa fare is. Check the Septa and Amtrak sites for fares and schedules.

Alternatively, you could drive to Trenton NJ (45-60 min), and take the NJ Transit train up to NYC. That would be cheaper than Amtrak.

I'm not familiar with bus services, but I'd be surprised if there weren't buses running from Philly into NYC.

I think NYC would be a little hectic as a day trip, it'll take you a few hours just to get there from KoP. if you're looking for something to do on her off days, there is a ton of stuff to do in Philadelphia, and it's an easy 25 minute drive. Heck, the KoP malls alone would take up a day.

 

[Mom2DDs]

I have to agree with Lynne M...it's going to be a long trip in from there. But if you decide to do it, I would not recommend that you park in Trenton even if it's the closest station to KoP, it's not a great place at night. You could drive up to New Brunswick and take Mid-town Express. There is a parking garage across the street and the train will take you directly into Penn Station. Another option for you would be to drive-in and park at the Port Authority, it would still be a 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive from KoP, depending on traffic and the Lincoln Tunnel.

Philly is a great place to go for a day trip.

I'm lucky that I live equal distance to both cities so we drive to both frequently. I'm more of a drive into the City because I'm always able to find coupons for cheaper parking.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I have taken the Amtrak train from NY to Philadelphia and vice versa. As pp said, you'd have to get from King Of Prussia to downtown Philadelphia via train, bus, or car.

The ride on Amtrak to NY is about an an hour and a half. A bus from Philly to NY will be less expensive but will take longer, possibly much longer in heavy traffic, depending on day and time.

 

[sadiebug]

Well, darn. I was hoping there was an easier way to get there! LOL! When we were in Baltimore a few years ago we found a decently priced train that would take us straight into DC and so we did that when we had extra time after meetings and competitions. I was hoping that would be the case with NYC too.

I guess we will skip the day trips to NYC and just plan to spend a couple days there. We are doing an extended trip, just trying to fit as much into the time we have as possible. We already have plans to go to Gettysburg one day, Philadelphia one day and then spend part of a day at Valley Forge. We're also planning on going into Baltimore to Fort McHenry and then spend some time in DC as well. We're planning a 2 week trip out there.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

NYC is pretty out of the way from King of Prussia. Assuming you mean the mall, as others have said you'd have to take regional transit (SEPTA) to 30th Street Station and then a train to NYC. it could be a 2.5 - 3 hour trip one way

 

[HulaHoopy]

some other day trip ideas from KofP:
- Hershey, PA - 1hr 15
- Lancaster, PA - 45min
- Jersey shore - 2 hrs

I live 15 min from KofP, so let me know if you have any other questions about the area!

 

[Lynne M]

Baltimore is only something like 40 miles from DC, and NYC is about 100 miles away from King of Prussia. Plus,you get much better transportation options between two large cities than you do between a little suburban town and a big city in another state.

Just be aware, also, that Gettysburg will be a very long day trip. It's about 150 miles from KoP, around a 2.5 hour drive. I think if you look in the immediate Philadelphia area, you'll find more than enough to do to fill 3 days. Just in center city alone, there's the Independence Hall/Constitution Center stuff, Reading Terminal Market, and boatloads of assorted historical things to do. The Philadelphia Zoo is world-class, and is about a half-hour from King of Prussia. So is the art museum, and the Franklin Institute. The Adventure Aquarium is in Camden, you can go to Penn's Landing and get a boat across the river.

If you're into theme parks, Dorney Park in Allentown is about an hour and a half away, and as a PP mentioned, there's Hershey, too. Peddler's Village is lovely on a nice day, with dozens of shops and great eateries, and is about an hour from King of Prussia.