New Haven for college visit without a car? (to rent, hotels)

kvando · 01-10-2012, 03:27 AM

Hi,

I am flying into JFk with my daughter and planning to take the metro north to New Haven. What affordable hotels can I get to without a car?

Thanks,

Kelli

kidyankee764 · 01-10-2012, 05:38 AM

Hi Kelli.

First, I'm not sure if you know how to get to Metro North from New Haven but I'll tell you anyway...

You have to get on the AirTrain at JFK to the Jamaica station, and from there, take either the E train or LIRR (a little pricier) to Penn Station. From Penn, you can either walk, cab or take the Subway to Grand Central, where you'll pick up Metro North to New Haven (New Haven is the last stop in Connecticut).

Once you get off the train, there will be plenty of cabs waiting for passengers. They generally charge a flat rate of $4 plus $2 per mile. Cab ride is about 8 bucks to downtown.

As for hotels, Omni is the nicest and in the best location. It can be pricey, but it's the best option IMO.

Honestly, it's probably easier to just rent a car at JFK and drive to New Haven. You'll be charged to park at the hotel but if it were me, I'd choose renting a car for ease.

inetlom · 01-10-2012, 07:42 AM

New Haven Hotel is not too much further away from the Omni and also within walking distance of the train station. The Study would be another option.

If you want affordable in the non-New Haven sense (all of the hotels above are at least $140+/night), the La Quinta on Sargent Drive might work. It is pretty far from everything except IKEA, but they do have a shuttle service that will take you to and pick you up from downtown locations.

If you are visiting a school in New Haven other than Yale, you may want to reassess whether you will need a car. There is not a lot of public transportation outside of the downtown and Yale student areas.

JayCT · 01-10-2012, 07:44 AM

THe only hotels I know of near Yale would be the OMni on Temple Street; the New Haven Hotel on George; the Study on Chapel; and the Courtyard on Whalley. I do not think that any of these are cheap. The cheaper hotels are not really near where Yale is located. There may be a couple of smaller places in the area but I do not know much about them. Jay

Stylo · 01-10-2012, 09:01 AM

What school? University of New Haven, for instance, isn't even in New Haven.

Omni, New Haven Hotel and Study are all very nice. Don't know if I'd call any of them affordable, but at least they aren't NYC priced.

JayCT · 01-10-2012, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stylo

What school? University of New Haven, for instance, isn't even in New Haven.

Omni, New Haven Hotel and Study are all very nice. Don't know if I'd call any of them affordable, but at least they aren't NYC priced.

Excellent point. For some reason I thought the OP mentioned Yale but they did not. Also note that the OP could take Connecticut Limo from the airport to New Haven. I think it is around $125 person round trip. Jay

Stylo · 01-10-2012, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayCT

Excellent point. For some reason I thought the OP mentioned Yale but they did not. Also note that the OP could take Connecticut Limo from the airport to New Haven. I think it is around $125 person round trip. Jay

Yep, something like that would be a little more than an hour's trip, whereas with trains it's going to take forever.

kidyankee764 · 01-10-2012, 10:12 AM

The OP's posting in the NYC forum said they are visiting Yale.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stylo

Yep, something like that would be a little more than an hour's trip, whereas with trains it's going to take forever.

I wouldn't recommend CT Limo. For the price of a one way, you could rent a car for two days.

kvando · 01-10-2012, 11:14 AM

Thanks for the information. I am happy to rent a car and drive. Is it a reasonable idea? I wasn't thinking about getting out of the airport when I booked our tickets. It was a direct flight and the one to hartford had a stop so I thought this would be better. But I wasn't thinking about it being in the middle of a big city.

Thanks,

Kelli

kidyankee764 · 01-10-2012, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kvando

Thanks for the information. I am happy to rent a car and drive. Is it a reasonable idea? I wasn't thinking about getting out of the airport when I booked our tickets. It was a direct flight and the one to hartford had a stop so I thought this would be better. But I wasn't thinking about it being in the middle of a big city.

Thanks,

Kelli

Driving would be easier. You will likely hit a lot of traffic on your way to New Haven, but I don't think it will take you longer than public transit.