Question about a day trip to New York

[mommy22gurlz]

Hi!!
My daughter and I are taking a trip to New Hampshire next week. I lived there as a child and always wanted to visit again, we live in Texas. We are visitng a couple of friends, going to the mountains, visitng Salem and Boston. Anyway, I am thinking about a day trip to New York....it's about 250 miles one way from our hotel, so I was thinking we could leave about 5am, arrive there no later than 10am...see the Statue of Liberty and Time Square, and head back early that evening.

What do you think? I've never been to New York, and this is probably once in a lifetime thing for us to go together, just her and I. Is it possible to do those few things in one day? I know it'll be alot of driving for one day, but worse case scenario, we're going to pack for an overnight stay, just in case it gets too late and I'm tired, we can stop at a hotel on the way back.

Thanks for the input!!

 

[Swank]

You can do both on the same day but it will be tight. The Statue of Liberty will take a long time, and if you do plan to do the statue make sure you go online way beforehand if you want to go into the statue itself, you can not just show up an expect to go inside. You will need a reservation for a specific time.

You also may want to consider the Double Decker tour buses who will give you a nice tour and you can get off and on the bus at different locations, including the ferry for the Statue of Liberty.

Another tip would be to look for prepaid parking on the Web, with a reservation it will be much cheaper.

Also note if you plan to go on top of the Empire State Building prepaid on line tickets are available that will save you at least an hour in line.

 

[mtemm]

you can do it if you don't mind a lot of driving in a day. honestly, though, I would skip the statue of liberty...it just takes too much time, and there is so much else to see in nyc!

 

[mhsjax]

I think it sound like a great idea, but I am not sure I would advise driving in NYC.

 

[mommy22gurlz]

Thank you for the replies!!

mhsjax- Do you know a place that you think might be a good idea to park? Someone I work with said park at Union Station and the subway will take us anywhere.

Swank- The double decker buses sounds like a great idea!! I think that would be so cool...so again, any parking ideas, someplace where I could catch these buses?

Thanks!! Y'all are a huge help, NYC is like a foreign country to me. ....any advice would be great.

Tammy

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

We visited Hershey over the summer and did a day trip to NYC. We did the double decker bus. We got to see alot of the highlights and went up in the rockafeller center.

 

[chabs]

If you want to see the Statue of Liberty-you have to book ahead of time at Statuecruises.com. Be sure to go there first because, the later in the day, the more crowded/longer it will take to get through security. You can also go to Ellis Island if you book that package too. I highly recommend Ellis Island-it was really interesting to see. The Statue is not that exciting to tell you the truth.

I would find a place to park and then take the subway. If you are staying at a hotel (DoubleTree in Times Square or the one near Penn Station is nice), they can help you out with the subway maps. It's surprisingly easy once you get the hang of it.

 

[ckay87]

If you want to use the subway, all you need is a general understanding of the layout of NYC. That will help you read the subway maps (in most stations) and know if you need to travel uptown vs downtown.

With respect to the Statue of Liberty....if you just want to see it, simply lay eyes on it, you can take a spin on the Staten Island Ferry for free. Take the subway to the South Ferry/Whitehall station which dumps you right onto the Ferry station. Get on the right hand side of the boat, btw. Ride to Staten Island, disembark quickly and jump back on (you can't stay on). Great views of the statue, I'd never pay to see it.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I don't live in the area but would be concerned about allowing 5 hours for the drive in. Everytime I go through CT, I get into traffic jams. Maybe someone in the area can comment on the drive time. I hope I am wrong.

Could you drive into CT and take a commuter train?

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

10 hours in the car is a LOT. But if you think it's worth it, it might be. I wouldn't go near Times Square OR the Statue of Liberty, but that's just me.

 

[java]

Personally I wouldn't do it. It's not enough time to really have fun. I live locally and even I am disappointed if we can't spend at least 8 hours there and I've been most places already.

I think a weekend in NYC would be more fun.

 

[punkin]

I do not think this is a good idea. 5 hours for 250 miles is a very optimistic estimate. NYC traffic is murder going into the City. You are just not close enough to make it a day trip. Actually anything over 100 miles would not work for me as a day trip into NYC.

 

[clori]

If you are going to NYC from Boston I would take megabus or boltbus rather than drive. They both drop off/pick up from South Station in Boston and near Penn Station in NYC. Personally getting to NYC at 10am then going to the Statue of Liberty seems like a very late start due to the long long lines for the security, ferry etc.

If you just want to see the Statue of Liberty without going inside or doing Ellis Island I would take the free ferry ride to Staten Island and back. You get a good view of the Statue of Liberty but don't stop. Oh when my friend drives from NJ to NYC she usually parks at Port Authority.

Have fun visiting NH. I mostly grew up there too - moved from just outside of Boston at 5.

 

[ChristaDeVil]

We actually did this one year when we were in PA visiting family. We drove over, hopped a ferry, hit Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, Times Square, and the Empire State Building. It was a busy day, but it was so much fun! I would recommend not totally visiting the Statue of Liberty site, but doing what a PP recommended and riding the ferry around it. If you have a particular place in Times Square that you actually want to see, get the street address and location ahead of time because you'll totally get overwhelmed when you get there, especially if it's your first time. I can't wait to go back for a longer trip!

 

[MouseMomx2]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it is going to take a lot longer than 5 hours for the drive. From 7:00am to 9:30-10:00am you will encounter heavy traffic from just north of New Haven, CT through the CT/NY border and then again once you get into the city.

If you really want to make this trip, my advice would be to drive to New Haven and take MetroNorth comuter rail into NYC. Not only will it shorten your time in the car, but you'll make much better time than you would by driving. The trains will be crowded, but manageable and the cost won't be any more than the gas/parking you would encounter by driving.

MetroNorth drops you off at Grand Central Station which is located in the heart of Manhattan at 42nd and Lexington. From there you can easily catch a taxi or subway. Google MetroNorth for their website if you are interested.

 

[mommy22gurlz]

Thanks for all of the information! It's very helpful. So....the info about traffic in New Haven kind of makes me worry about time. If I could for sure know I could get there in back in 10 hours, I would be fine with that...we often do quick road trips. BUT- if traffic is going to be a big issue...then I don't know.

Now, Here is another idea, what if we leave around 6 or 7 pm from Manchester, drive to Bridgeport, Ct (190 miles), get a hotel there, leave early the next morning and drive the remaining 60 miles to NYC. Do you think that would work?

Thanks!!

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Thanks for all of the information! It's very helpful. So....the info about traffic in New Haven kind of makes me worry about time. If I could for sure know I could get there in back in 10 hours, I would be fine with that...we often do quick road trips. BUT- if traffic is going to be a big issue...then I don't know.

Now, Here is another idea, what if we leave around 6 or 7 pm from Manchester, drive to Bridgeport, Ct (190 miles), get a hotel there, leave early the next morning and drive the remaining 60 miles to NYC. Do you think that would work?

Thanks!!

That's probably a better idea, but if you haven't ever been to NYC, I would plan on spending at least 24 hours in the city.

 

[scrapquitler]

mhsjax- Do you know a place that you think might be a good idea to park? Someone I work with said park at Union Station and the subway will take us anywhere.

I would suggest parking at the train station in New Haven and taking metro north into Grand Central Station. It will take about 1hr 45 minutes and costs about $35 round trip. You can buy a metro card for the subway at the same time as you buy your MetroNorth ticket. Trains run about every hour non-peak and a little more often during peak commute times. When you park in New Haven it costs $13 for 24 hours, not sure what it is for shorter times.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I would suggest parking at the train station in New Haven and taking metro north into Grand Central Station. It will take about 1hr 45 minutes and costs about $35 round trip. You can buy a metro card for the subway at the same time as you buy your MetroNorth ticket. Trains run about every hour non-peak and a little more often during peak commute times. When you park in New Haven it costs $13 for 24 hours, not sure what it is for shorter times.

This is a good idea.

 

[kacaju]

Hi!!
My daughter and I are taking a trip to New Hampshire next week. I lived there as a child and always wanted to visit again, we live in Texas. We are visitng a couple of friends, going to the mountains, visitng Salem and Boston. Anyway, I am thinking about a day trip to New York....it's about 250 miles one way from our hotel, so I was thinking we could leave about 5am, arrive there no later than 10am...see the Statue of Liberty and Time Square, and head back early that evening.

What do you think? I've never been to New York, and this is probably once in a lifetime thing for us to go together, just her and I. Is it possible to do those few things in one day? I know it'll be alot of driving for one day, but worse case scenario, we're going to pack for an overnight stay, just in case it gets too late and I'm tired, we can stop at a hotel on the way back.

Thanks for the input!!

can you just plan on staying over? It seems a shame to drive all that way for a day trip. Stay overnight and really take the time to enjoy the city