going out in Manhattan at night from Westchester Co - feasible? Nightlife in Westchester? (Yonkers: home)
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If we were to live in Westchester Co (say around scarsdale, rye, larchmont etc), is it feasible to enjoy the live music and theatre scene in Manhattan. I see that the trains run until 2am but are they too scary for a solo traveller? Could you catch the occasional taxi or is the fare just way too much?
How is the nightlife in Westchester County? We're way passed nightclubbing but would appreciate bars, movies, live music, good restaurants and theatre.
It is definitely possible to go to theater in Manhattan and come home to Westchester by yourself on the train; I do it all the time. Most shows get out around 10:30--earlier if you go to one of the Tuesday night shows that start at 7--so you would have plenty of time to get to Grand Central for the train home. Metro-North trains are extremely safe, not scary at all. Your only issue might be that the trains run less frequently later at night and if you don't time it right, you might have a bit of a wait in Grand Central before your train. You can wait in the area in the Station Master's office which is supervised and safe.
I'm sure you could find a taxi to take you to Westchester but the fare would be pretty steep--I've never done it so I can't give you a quote. But there'd be no reason to do that unless you missed the last train home.
As far as nightlife in Westchester, it's certainly not like NYC, but in general I think it depends on the town. There are definitely bars, movies, restaurants in White Plains, and maybe some of the other larger towns. Other towns like Scarsdale pretty much shut down at night. There's certainly nothing like the B'way theatre scene in Westchester, but there is Westchester Broadway Theatre in Elmsford and http://wppac.com/ in White Plains.
I wouldn't worry about safety too much. I grew up in Westchester and never felt unsafe in GC or the trains. I haven't taken a cab back to westchester in years, but i want to say it was about $70. Of course, at 2:30 and beyond in the morning, you're not thinking too much about the cost of getting home to bed
You can go on-line and get an advance reservation at NYC parking lots, all you do is print out your reservation and give it to the parking lot attendant. I do it all the time when I go to NYC during the day and the price I have on my reservation is always honored by the parking lot attendant, I usually pay about $14.00 which is cheaper than a few people taking Metro North back and forth to NYC, and I have the convenience of my car and no worries about traveling on the train and/or subway. Usually the closer to 5th Ave. or Broadway the more expensive the lot, but I usually pick a parking lot a few blocks away from these areas to get a better rate.
I actually just moved to White Plains from NYC with my girlfriend. We are both in our mid-20s and have gone into NYC by train to meet up with friends to go to bars/clubs/events. Here are a few observations so far:
- On the weekends, the trains mostly run local. So rather than a 35 minute ride, it now takes 50 minutes. Adding the time it takes to get from the bar in NYC to Grand Central and then from the train to your home, it's now over an hour. This is a bit of a pain. If I want to leave the bar at 2am, I know I won't be home until 3am. So far, I'm finding that I end up leaving much earlier in the night in order to get home at a decent time.
- No issues about safety / security. The crowd riding the train at 2am is much different than my morning commute crowd, but it's not a risk.
- We moved to White Plains b/c it is one of the most urban areas, along with New Rochelle and Yonkers. I wanted to move to a place that has its own nightlife. WP is nice because it has several bars / clubs / restaurants in close proximity. It reminds me of where I grew up, where everyone goes to a handful of bars on Main St. and you always run into friends. The other aspect of this is being able to walk to these bars / restaurants and not drive. I got the sense looking at other towns in Westchester that walking to the "main drag" wasn't as much of an option, although taxis are probably available.
- Nightlife / options aren't comparable to NYC, but its not bad. I think if I hadn't lived in NYC for my college years and beyond, I would love the nightlife in White Plains. So far, I do really like it, but it just can't compare to NYC.
I lived in Bronxville from my mid20's to early 30's. I have traveled home at night on the last train plenty of times and have never felt unsafe. A cab is not that bad either if you miss the train. Just be sure to negotiate with the cab driver before getting in. I would tell them I was going to Yonkers, and asked them to use the meter. It is the regular meter price until you hit the Westchester line, then 2x the meter from the line to your destination. At that time of night, there is generally no traffic, so the ride is quick and fairly inexpensive.
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