Maybe going by car from Boston to New York

[Robbedoes]

Hi, my name is Rob and i'm from the Netherlands and going with a friend to Falmouth (south of Boston) to stay with a friend for three weeks. We have booked a hotel, our first choice was Carter hotel, but after reading the great review here, we took our second choice the Radisson Lexington Hotel(i hope it was the right choice).

We want to rent a car probably by Enterprice near the govern centre for three weeks. We were thinking of going by car to New York, but we don't know anything about parking in New York, accept that it is a problem for anybody in New York with a car. Does anyone know a good a cheap(or free parkingspace) near 48th street/Lexington Ave (probably a stupid question) or another place where it is easy to go from there to 48th street/Lexington Ave? Is it possible that we can park the car without a lot of problems by another Enterprice (in New York), because it is the same company? We found out that the carparking $40 is at the hotel. Is there a cheaper parking space(that isn't to risky) or is there a cheap and easy way to traffel from Falmouth to New York? Like taking a bus or train or maybe it is better to go to another point with the car and then take a bus or train? What is your advice? We stay for 6 days and don't need the car in New York, but we have to go from Falmouth to New York.

Greatings :D

[BrooklynRider]

I would look at the cost of driving the rental car to NYC from Boston and, then, I would look at the cost of train tickets for you and your friend. You could take the train (Amtrak) to New York from Boston.

Choose the cheaper way to go. If you do drive, I would simply return the car to an Enterprise outlet in NYC. There is no reason to have a car in NYC. The combination of rental and parking costs would be high and unnecessary.

I am not familiar with the Radisson Hotel, but the Carter Hotel is definitely not recommended. Be aware that Radisson is a higher quality brand in Europe than it is in the U.S. However, I do think you can depend on a decent level of basic services.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Make sure the car rental company offers one-way drop off rates. Some don't. I'm not sure, but I think Enterprise only offers it within a state, or within a metropolitan area.

One-way rates are significantly higher than round-trip, and some companies also add on a surcharge. Make sure you ask about that.

[stache]

Enterprise is a horrible company. Check your car very carefully before you leave the lot to make sure there is no damage to it.

[ablarc]

Don't rent a car; it's useless in New York.

Take the Chinatown bus (http://www.chinatown-bus.org/) from Boston; MUCH cheaper than the train!

[lofter1]

Take the bus (or bus / train -- see below for info).

Don't bother to rent a car. When you add in all the fees (gas, insurance, taxes, drop off and other assorted charges) that will cost you way too much (unless you plan to take a sdie trip along the way that you consider a necessary part of your trip). Plus it's just a hassle all around -- and not the best way to enter NYC.

Peter Pan Bus Lines (http://www.peterpanbus.com/tickets/schedules-and-fares.php) has bus service from Falmouth ((Bonanza Bus Terminal, Depot Avenue) > NYC (Port Authority Bus Terminal / Eighth Avenue & West 42nd): $73 / one way per person. The trip is ~ 6 hours. At the PPBL link enter Falmouth / NYC for detailed info.

PPBL also has a bus from Falmouth (Bonanza Bus Terminal, Depot Avenue) > Providence, RI (Peter Pan Bus Terminal / One Bonanza Way) where you could get on the train to NYC / PEnn Station (not sure of the proximity of the bus station to the train station in Providnece -- Google it). That fare is $29 / one way per person and takes ~ 2 hours.

AMTRAK (http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage) offers service from Providence > NYC / Penn Station (http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak/FareFinder?_tripType=OneWay&_origin=Providence%2C+RI+%28PVD%29&_depmonthyear=2009-06&_depday=17&_dephourmin=&_destination=New+York+-+Penn+Station%2C+NY+%28NYP%29&_retmonthyear=&_retday=&_rethourmin=&_adults=1&_children=0&_infants=0&_searchBy=schedule&x=18&y=17) for as low as $54 / one per person on the slower Regional line (~ 3.5 hours). On the same route AMTRAK ACELA Express costs $133 / per person one way (~ 3 hours); it's more comfy but hardly seems worth the extra cost.

The train ride from Providence will definitely be more scenic (it goes along the coast of Rhode Island / Connecticut for long stretches) than the bus ride would be.

[stache]

Amtrak is very pretty, especially this time of year. :)

[Ninjahedge]

BTW, Providence is nice. You MAY want to look at stopping at several places along the way if you can. (look at where the train or bus stops, or how you will be getting through).

Providence may only be worth a quick stop, same with Hartford CT.

IF you are driving, you may want to start looking at leaving the car OUTSIDE the city and taking a subway or Amtrack train in. I am not familiar with the places where you would be able to do something like that, but bringing your car all the way in will cost you a good bit of money.

If you really ARE on a budget, the Chinatown Bus is still your best bet.


Just FYI, best time from Boston area (speeding, but not race-car driving) is about 3.5 hours with no traffic. I believe it is about 250miles, which would be about 25 gallons of gas. Gas alone will cost you about $3 a gallon in most of NE (taxes) so the gas price would range from about 6$60 to $75 one way.

Unless you want to see the countryside (take the Merrit Parkway if you can, NOT route 95) I would not recommend RENTING a car to drive to NYC......


GL!
HF!

[Robbedoes]

Thanks for the advice so far.

First we need to go from Boston to Falmouth (stay a week in Falmouth)
Then we go to NewYork for 6 days
Then we go back to Falmouth for another week.
After that we go to Boston so we can go to the Netherlands.

If we don't rent a car in Boston, then we need to go by bus or train to Falmouth, that is probably like $40 per person, then we have to go to newyork and back that is probably at least $60 to $80 per person to NY and back. Then we have to go from falmouth to Boston that is like $40 per person (i don't know the real prices). That would be like $360 for two persons. Renting a car is a little over $670 for three weeks by Enterprice (if you rent it somewhere in Boston that isn't near the airport). So if we rent it two times for a week, a week before and a week after New York, then the cost will be over $800 (renting car $440(excl. gas) + train/bus $360). If we choice for renting a car for three weeks, that is $670. If i calculate the gas that i would use instead of taking train/bus, then that will be around $80. That would make a total of $750. So it is $50 under the price if we go by car Boston-Falmouth-NY-Falmouth-Boston, instead of doing this by bus/train and only hire two times a car for a week in Falmouth. The only problem is that we have to leave the car near NY and do the rest by bus or train. That would problably be $10 per person (one way) so that would be like $40 for two persons (both ways, if i'm right). Then hiring a car for a total of three weeks would be like $10 cheaper if the calculations are right.

So maybe you guys are right. To just take the bus/train and avoid any kind of car problems on the way to NY. But then we have to know what the best way is to go from the airport in Boston to Falmouth and back. Does anyone know that?

[Robbedoes]

Just FYI, best time from Boston area (speeding, but not race-car driving) is about 3.5 hours with no traffic. I believe it is about 250miles, which would be about 25 gallons of gas. Gas alone will cost you about $3 a gallon in most of NE (taxes) so the gas price would range from about 6$60 to $75 one way.

We probably drive a Chevrolet Aveo, so i think 250miles would be more like $40 if the gas is as low as you say (Sorry, we pay in the Netherlands $7,87 for a gallon). Wouldn't a car like that drive 50 miles on one Gallon?

[Alonzo-ny]

Parking in the city will cost alot.

[stache]

Don't let your Dutch thrift ruin your vacation. Google 'falmouth boston logan transportation'.

[lofter1]

We probably drive a Chevrolet Aveo ... Wouldn't a car like that drive 50 miles on one Gallon?


I don't know waht kind of mileage an Aveo would get, but I'd be surprised if it gets near that much on Freeway driving.

Driving around back roads by car in America can be a great experience, you'll see things that way that you won't otherwise. That works best if you take some time. But if you plan just to go from point A (Falmouth) to point B (NYC) then renting a care when good publictransportation with no hidden costs is really the way to go.

PS: The signage on roads leading in to NYC is terrible. Getting somewhat lost is normal for firsttimers.

[normaldude]

You could consider parking at the NJ Transit train station in Metropark, NJ, then taking the train into NYC. Parking at Metropark NJ is $9/day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropark_(NJT_station)

http://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TrainStationLookupTo

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=metropark+08830

But overall, I think the Chinatown Bus from Boston to NYC (mentioned above) is probably the cheapest way.

[ablarc]

First we need to go from Boston to Falmouth (stay a week in Falmouth)
Then we go to NewYork for 6 days
Then we go back to Falmouth for another week.
After that we go to Boston so we can go to the Netherlands.
You will need access to a car in Falmouth.

[NYatKNIGHT]

You could park right across the river in Weehawken for $8/day and take the ferry to Manhattan. Ferry costs $7.75 each way, and their bus is free in Manhattan.

Port Imperial / Weehawken (http://www.nywaterway.com/Home/RidetheFerry/Terminals/Terminal/tabid/131/Default.aspx?ID=11)

Schedule (http://Schedule)

[718Bound]

Like others have suggested, take the bus, it will a fraction of the price and you don't have to worry about getting lost. A couple of other choices are BoltBus (boltbus.com) and MegaBus (megabus.com) You'll probably pay 15-20 for a one way, sit back relax, bring your laptop and take advantage of the free wi fi.