MA to NYC public transit (Milford: cost, train station, cheapest)

[massnative71]

I don't recall EVER not getting stuck somewhere on 95 in CT. When heading south, it's gotten to the point where I'll take 84W all the way to 87S just to avoid the NYC mess entirely. Traffic apps won't help you much because by the time you head one way and something new comes up, it's already too late to turn back...

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by massnative71

I don't recall EVER not getting stuck somewhere on 95 in CT. When heading south, it's gotten to the point where I'll take 84W all the way to 87S just to avoid the NYC mess entirely. Traffic apps won't help you much because by the time you head one way and something new comes up, it's already too late to turn back...

Even when I've driven back at 2am I'm not making it that fast. Done it more than I'd like after a show.


There are always slowdowns, or accidents, or construction. I think the best time I've even had from Providence is over 3.5 hrs.


I know some people routinely do 20 over on the highway, but yeah, that's not me. So maybe that's it.


Last time I had to drive it (unfortunately) for a show at St Vitus Bar (Brooklyn) a boat fell off a trailer in traffic! That was a 5.5 hr or so trip. Hell.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Even when I've driven back at 2am I'm not making it that fast. Done it more than I'd like after a show.


There are always slowdowns, or accidents, or construction. I think the best time I've even had from Providence is over 3.5 hrs.


I know some people routinely do 20 over on the highway, but yeah, that's not me. So maybe that's it.


Last time I had to drive it (unfortunately) for a show at St Vitus Bar (Brooklyn) a boat fell off a trailer in traffic! That was a 5.5 hr or so trip. Hell.

I'll do up to 9 mph over the speed limit when traffic allows, but even that is a very rare day (without doing dangerous weaving or anything). On a good day MAYBE 3 hours and 15 to the top of the Bronx.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by massnative71

I don't recall EVER not getting stuck somewhere on 95 in CT. When heading south, it's gotten to the point where I'll take 84W all the way to 87S just to avoid the NYC mess entirely. Traffic apps won't help you much because by the time you head one way and something new comes up, it's already too late to turn back...

I've never taken 95 down. I usually hit traffic on 84/91 in Hartford to around Bristol.
Or I'll take Merrit Parkway into Rye Brook and White Plains.

Although one day, middle of the night it was raining cats and dogs, and google sent me down US-9 along the Hudson and through the Holland Tunnel. That was odd, but it was the middle of the night so I ran into no traffic anywhere.

If I avoid the traffic jamb in Hartford, I can get to the casino in Yonkers in 3 hours from Worcester.
If it's a good time, it's another 5 minutes to the Bronx

Originally Posted by Louisville Slugger

$35.50 roundtrip for the Metro North and $18 for overnight parking. Then of course there's the cost of driving 214 miles roundtrip and the tolls on the Pike.

If you get on a 495 and get off at 84, that's 95 cents . If you get on on one of the 3 Worcester exits, it's a big half dollar.

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by scorpio516

I've never taken 95 down. I usually hit traffic on 84/91 in Hartford to around Bristol.
Or I'll take Merrit Parkway into Rye Brook and White Plains.

Although one day, middle of the night it was raining cats and dogs, and google sent me down US-9 along the Hudson and through the Holland Tunnel. That was odd, but it was the middle of the night so I ran into no traffic anywhere.

If I avoid the traffic jamb in Hartford, I can get to the casino in Yonkers in 3 hours from Worcester.
If it's a good time, it's another 5 minutes to the Bronx



If you get on a 495 and get off at 84, that's 95 cents . If you get on on one of the 3 Worcester exits, it's a big half dollar.

I've never taken I-95 from Boston to NYC. Always been 90 to 84/91 and then whatever Waze tells me, which is some combo of the Merritt Parkway and some other parkways. It's confusing, but it works, and there are several different possibilities that Waze might give me.

Originally Posted by Louisville Slugger

I have a car so I wouldn't need to rent one. I have the option of staying at someone's place in NYC. Doing all that driving in one day would suck, but if I crash at someone's place this makes it easier. I am thinking I might just drive to New Haven to pick up the Metro North and take that into Grand Central. If I take a half day off work on April 5 I should be able to get there by 3 PM if I leave by 1 PM. I get on the 3:23 PM train from New Haven and make it to Grand Central by 5:17 PM. So a little over 4 hours by combination of car and train.

$35.50 roundtrip for the Metro North and $18 for overnight parking. Then of course there's the cost of driving 214 miles roundtrip and the tolls on the Pike.

This should work. I've almost done this a few times but for various reasons did not. But this is always in our consideration set.

[Louisville Slugger]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

I've never taken I-95 from Boston to NYC. Always been 90 to 84/91 and then whatever Waze tells me, which is some combo of the Merritt Parkway and some other parkways. It's confusing, but it works, and there are several different possibilities that Waze might give me.

95% of the time Waze tells us to go this way when I visit my extended family in New Rochelle.

[GeoffD]

I made it from West Hartford CT to the GW bridge in 90 minutes on a drive from my girlfriend's place to Philly. Wilbur Cross, Merritt, Sawmill. Out the door at 4:30am. I was in Philly before 8am.



I used to work a lot on Long Island. I never had any problem getting from the South Coast to the Throgs Neck Bridge and then back out the LIE 10 miles. I'd pick up a Hertz rental car at 8am and would reliably be there by 11:30. Headed home, I never had a lot of problems if I could get rolling by 12:30.



Just like Boston, it's all about the time of day. 10:00 to 2:00 midweek is usually OK.

[AtkinsonDan]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Everything is clicking PERFECTLTY for you then. No traffic jams, no construction, no accidents, at all. I've literally never had that all come together that well in dozens of trips over the years.

Ha! Getting all those optimal conditions at once driving through Connecticut would have the same frequency as Haley's Comet sightings! I agree driving to NYC is one of the worst options.

[mdovell]

Just to note Google maps does have traffic predictions based on time of day and days.

[Louisville Slugger]

So I ended up driving to Union Station in New Haven, CT Friday afternoon and took the Metro North to Grand Central. I didn't hit traffic on the way down to CT and the train ride was pretty smooth. I got to Grand Central around 5:30 PM so the NYC subway was packed, but I found my way around eventually. The friend I was staying with was on the upper east side so it was a short ride from the 4,5,6 train uptown.

I found out that Milford, CT has free parking on the weekends although it's first come, first serve.

Milford Transit District Train Station Parking Might be a better option next time.