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Recently moved to the Saratoga Springs area and we are planning to visit NYC for the first time. I am getting conflicting opinions on the best way to get there.. Cheapest, fastest and most convenient?
1. Drive to train station, Take train from Albany to Penn station. I read something about this also requiring a cab ride from the parking lot to actually get to the albany amtrak station?
2. Drive to city neighboring NYC, take train in from there. That would of course cost us in gas and tolls, but less on train fare?
3. Drive all the way in - if we have a hotel, is driving in, parking at the hotel and cabbing it while we are there also feasible?
Most people I talk to definitely insist on taking the train, but are split on just where to pick it up.. it's for my birthday so I am trying to pre-plan to not end up figuring it out at the last moment!
FEATHER-I recommend the train from Albany. There are some trains that start there and that means they are more likely to be on time. The ride down the Hudson is awesome and I recommend sitting on the river side. The Albany train station is fairly new and you don't need a cab to get there.
There is parking there but I understand there were construction plans so you might call ahead.
On the other hand picking up the train in SS would be much more convenient. You can park at your hotel ( assuming they have parking) but I paid $40.00 a night and that was five years ago!!
I had thought about picking up the train in SS also, but my neighbor (who commutes to the city each week) recommended against it. No specific reason why, so that's also on the table.
1) I included a link below to parking options/costs at the train station. I believe the cheapest option is a bit of a walk (haven't been there since they redid it a few years ago so can't safe for sure.
The train ride down is quite nice and this is probably the easiest, but most expensive option.
2) I've driven to the White Plains station a couple of time; parked in the garage and taken the Metro North into either Penn or Grand Central (can't remember which one). This is the most time consuming, but fairly inexpensive.
3) Driving into NYC and parking at your hotel or a nearby garage. Probably $30-$40 a day for parking. If you can avoid rush hour traffic, this may be the quickest and most direct way, but not everyone is comfortable driving in Manhattan. I did it when I was 19 or 20 and it wasn't that bad.
Thanks for the advice. I think I'll definitely take a train - we'll try driving the second time after we see what it's like. I've driven in all areas of los angeles before, but I think Manhattan will be a new experience. I'll check times to see if I should go from saratoga or drive to albany.
I'd go from Albany if you're going to take the train. I currently live in Connecticut but grew up in Saratoga Springs, and I've found that the train schedules to and from NYC are not particularly convenient as there are fewer trains that go past Albany and up to Saratoga. Amtrak's website also reflects this.
I usually drive to Poughkeepsie and take Metro North from there. MUCH cheaper than Amtrak. The drive to Po'k isn't bad and parking at the train station is free on the weekends. The Amtrak roundtrip fare is $72-$102 depending on the time and Metro North is $26.50-$35.50 non-peak vs. peak.
Metro-North from Poughkeepsie is the best bet - you avoid Amtrak's exorbitant fares (almost $100 for a round trip now) and you get to pull into Grand Central Terminal, which is worlds more beautiful than the dingy, uninviting basement that is Pennsylvania Station. Another thing I sometimes do if I'm in NYC for a quick baseball game or other is drive to a PATH subway station in Jersey City across the river and take that train in. I'm not sure what their overnight parking fees are, though.
Another thing, and this is mainly just me preaching my pro-transit party line: don't take cabs. New York is blessed with the BEST subway system in the country. It's clean, safe, gets you just about everywhere and is much cheaper than sometimes double-digit cab fares. It's also a historical gem and a quintessential New York experience.
Hotel parking for $30 to $40 would be modest. We were in NYC in early May and most of the hotels were getting $50 a night with no in/out. Your trip will be much more relaxing to take the train - just go from the station that is nearest to you into Penn or GC. We were amazed at how walkable the city is, at least Manhattan. The city bus system is very easy to use. We stayed on E. 53rd and Third Ave. and took the bus to the Metropolitan Museum of Art one day and another day we took it from 1st Avenue in the other direction down to the South Street Seaport area. Other than that we mostly walked. Times Square area was only a 20 minute walk from our hotel, and the 59th street end of Central Park was only about 10 minutes. Enjoy your visit - it is a fun City!
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Cheapest, fastest and most convenient?
