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I need advice on what is the best way to get to Yale University from JFK airport. I will be traveling with two baseball hopefuls (teenagers) to visit Yale? We will be coming into JFK around 6:00 pm on a Thursday night and need to spend the night in New Haven. Any suggestions on a car service? And is there a hotel like a Holiday Inn Express type close to campus? I could drive but and I am concerned about traffic and not knowing our way around. We then need to leave Yale in the afternoon and head to Princeton. What is the driving time JFK - New Haven, New Haven- Princeton and Princeton- JFK? I don't think a subway, train will work as we will have luggage , baseball gear etc.. and I think it will be hard dragging it all around. Any insight would help. Thank you.
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Yesterday 11:41 PM
brow4228
I need advice on itinerary JFK to New Haven
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I need advice on what is the best way to get to Yale University from JFK airport. I will be traveling with two baseball hopefuls (teenagers) to visit Yale? We will be coming into JFK around 6:00 pm on a Thursday night and need to spend the night in New Haven. Any suggestions on a car service? And is there a hotel like a Holiday Inn Express type close to campus? I could drive but and I am concerned about traffic and not knowing our way around. We then need to leave Yale in the afternoon and head to Princeton. What is the driving time JFK - New Haven, New Haven- Princeton and Princeton- JFK? I don't think a subway, train will work as we will have luggage , baseball gear etc.. and I think it will be hard dragging it all around. Any insight would help. Thank you
**A car service would be extremely costly to go that distance. The directions are easy--take the Van Wyck Expy to the Whitestone bridge and head onto I 95 north. From here the Ct line is about 20 miles. Take exit 47 on the Conn Turnpike (I 95) for Yale. The driving time would probably take between 90-120 minutes by the time you get out of the airport.
Unfortunately i don't know exactly where Princeton is or how many miles it is from New Haven or The G Washington bridge. I do know New Haven is about 70 miles from the GWB so if you found out from another poster who knows you can add that mileage to it
You can get to Princeton by getting to Penn Station in Manhattan. From there you can take the NJ Transit train (check for the Northeast corridor schedule online) to Princeton Junction. From Princeton Junction the Dinky, a free train, will take you the five minutes to Princeton.
It looks like we will be going the plane, trains and automobile route. Thanks so much!
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Topic Review (Newest First)
Yesterday 11:41 PM
brow4228
I need advice on itinerary JFK to New Haven
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I need advice on what is the best way to get to Yale University from JFK airport. I will be traveling with two baseball hopefuls (teenagers) to visit Yale? We will be coming into JFK around 6:00 pm on a Thursday night and need to spend the night in New Haven. Any suggestions on a car service? And is there a hotel like a Holiday Inn Express type close to campus? I could drive but and I am concerned about traffic and not knowing our way around. We then need to leave Yale in the afternoon and head to Princeton. What is the driving time JFK - New Haven, New Haven- Princeton and Princeton- JFK? I don't think a subway, train will work as we will have luggage , baseball gear etc.. and I think it will be hard dragging it all around. Any insight would help. Thank you
**A car service would be extremely costly to go that distance. The directions are easy--take the Van Wyck Expy to the Whitestone bridge and head onto I 95 north. From here the Ct line is about 20 miles. Take exit 47 on the Conn Turnpike (I 95) for Yale. The driving time would probably take between 90-120 minutes by the time you get out of the airport.
Unfortunately i don't know exactly where Princeton is or how many miles it is from New Haven or The G Washington bridge. I do know New Haven is about 70 miles from the GWB so if you found out from another poster who knows you can add that mileage to it[/quote]
Thank You So Much! I will look at the train situation then.
Unless you have a tremendous amount of time....FORGET THE TRAIN......you are coming in at night...6PM...so by the time you get your luggage...take the Tram to the Train...find your way to Grand Central Station...it will be well after 10PM...couple this with there will probably be no trains out until the next day...you could find yourselves sitting in Grand Central Station over night......and this is assuming...everything is running on time.....
Instead....RENT a car...there are several on line sites you can check...and if you do not know them...IM me and I'll send them to you...this way...you can take the Tram to the vehicle rental locations and have a nice drive to New Haven....by the time you will be leaving...traffic should have broken and you should have a smooth ride...
After picking up your vehicle...take the Belt Parkway...should be east bound...but signs might say North...either way...look for the signs to the Throgs Neck Bridge...the Belt Parkway turns into the Cross Island Parkway...just stay in the middle lane and you will have no problems..after crossing the bridge...stay to your right and follow the signs to I-95 North Bound......have fun...
I'm hoping the OP knows that Yale and Princeton are in OPPOSITE directions.
I wouldn't drive to Princeton for all the tea in China- I did it every day for a year and it was major torture having to deal with Route 1. Getting the train from Penn Station (not Grand Central) is easier, less stress.
And I wouldn't wish I-95 on anyone, either. It's crammed with trucks, vacation traffic and LOTS of delays. Again, the train is overall less stress.
I'm hoping the OP knows that Yale and Princeton are in OPPOSITE directions.
I wouldn't drive to Princeton for all the tea in China- I did it every day for a year and it was major torture having to deal with Route 1. Getting the train from Penn Station (not Grand Central) is easier, less stress.
And I wouldn't wish I-95 on anyone, either. It's crammed with trucks, vacation traffic and LOTS of delays. Again, the train is overall less stress.
...I might agree with you under different circumstances....but if you consider the luggage issue...traveling time - driving vs. train/bus...distance between locations...total miles covered...(roughly 275)...driving is the only way to go......
Repeating myself...if the plane lands on time...and their luggage is placed on the conveyor belt in the usual time frame...20 to 30 minutes...by the time they get to the Tram and rent a vehicle...an hour or more will have passed...at 7 PM the traffic is basically over...and their drive to New Haven (80 miles) should take 1 1/2 to 2 hours...
The next days drive is 130 miles...that's roughly 2 to 2 1/2 hours of driving by vehicle...by bus...if they can find one...who knows how much time they will have to alot......additionally...if they have to take a bus...they are restricted to the bus time schedule which might conflict with the games they have to play...then there is the trip from Princeton back to JFK....another 65 miles...
All in all...if they were going to just one place....I would agree that perhaps the bus might be the best idea...but when you consider the different areas they are going to...renting a vehicle is the only way to go...
Pkwy kind of go in a loop(east then north, then swings over west) near Nassau County, whereas the Van Wyck is more of a straight, northbound drive into the Whitestone Bridge. May be out of the way? They can pick up I 95 after they pay the toll on the Whitestone
From JFK to New Haven, I would take the Van Wyck (678) to the Whitestone Bridge, and then instead of taking I-95N, I would take the Hutchinson Parkway to the Merritt Parkway (CT 15 N) since there are no trucks on it. Once over the bridge and on the Hutchinson Parkway, it turns into the Merritt in Connecticut. The Merritt parallels I-95 in Connecticut, but a little to the north, and is a more pleasant drive, which adds maybe 5-10 minutes to the trip, overall. In New Haven, to get to Yale, you want to take the Derby Avenue exit east, which is Exit 57. I don't know of a HI Express nearby, but there is a Courtyard Marriott on Whalley, which I think is actually known as the Courtyard Marriott at Yale. From JFK, this trip should take about 1.5-1.75 hours.
From Yale to Princeton, I would recommend taking the Merritt Back toward New York City, assuming that you will be headed to NJ on Friday, since I-95 can be terrible. I-95 from New Haven to New York is not so bad, but once in NY and following it to the GW Bridge, that can be a study in aggravation. An alternative to avoid a delay on I-95 and the Cross Bronx to get to the GW Bridge would be to follow the Merritt to the Hutchinson, get off at the Cross County Parkway in Westchester, and follow the Cross County to the Saw Mill Parkway South. When you cross into NYC, you will be on the Henry Hudson Parkway, it's the same road. Follow that to the West Side Highway in Manhattan, which again is the same road under a different name. Now, you could rejoin the GW Bridge and take the NJ Turnpike toward Princeton, or you can take one of the tunnels. If you are going the tunnel route, take the Holland Tunnel as it saves a lot of aggravation on the Turnpike in New Jersey. You would follow the West Side Highway all the way through Manhattan, along the river, to the point where it changes to West Street, and you will see signs for the Holland Tunnel on the left. Take the tunnel, and then follow signs for the NJ Turnpike South, once across the river, and proceed south toward Princeton.
Another, somewhat longer, route would be to take the Merritt to the Cross Westschester Expressway (I-287) west, cross the Tappan Zee Bridge and follow that through Rockland County into New Jersey, taking I-287 south. You would follow I-287S until you get to Route 202S/206S, and can take that into Princeton. The Tappan Zee and I-287 to the New Jersey Border can be a pain with traffic, but you avoid much of the NYC traffic. It adds about 20-30 minutes to the drive overall to go this route, not counting a traffic backup. This would take about three hours or so from New Haven.
Whatever route you choose will depend upon the time of day, and unfortunately Fridays are not always the best headed across the Hudson.
Coming back from Princeton to JFK, I would say to take the Turnpike North, take the exit for I-278E, cross the bridge into New York, to the Belt Parkway, follow the signs to the Van Wyck on the Nassau Expressway, and then take the Van Wyck to JFK. This would allow you to miss NYC and would give you a good, direct route back, though there can be traffic here as well. This might take about an hour and a half, perhaps slightly longer.
I hope that some of this helps, since it's a complex trip to plot, even for someone familiar with the area, due to traffic on the crossings mainly.
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JFK is about an 80 mile ride by car from Yale.
Forget the Train!!!
...you are coming in at night...6PM...so by the time you get your luggage...take the Tram to the Train...find your way to Grand Central Station...it will be well after 10PM...couple this with there will probably be no trains out until the next day...you could find yourselves sitting in Grand Central Station over night...
...and this is assuming...everything is running on time.....
...have fun...
No Choice But To Drive???
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