New York City

Thinking of taking a trip to the big apple, maybe next spring (April 15th weekend), maybe November. Thinking of going on a weekend and spending 2 nights. Travel city via subway. Don't want to drive, just see some sights Any advice as to best way to travel (I'm thinking bus looks like best option, relatively cheap and relatively fast). Buss goes to Penn Station and I assume there is a subway there as well. Never been there and want to see it before I move back west. Budget trip if possible. Any advice about what to see would be cool too.
 

dilligaf.

Member
Thinking of taking a trip to the big apple, maybe next spring (April 15th weekend), maybe November. Thinking of going on a weekend and spending 2 nights. Travel city via subway. Don't want to drive, just see some sights Any advice as to best way to travel (I'm thinking bus looks like best option, relatively cheap and relatively fast). Buss goes to Penn Station and I assume there is a subway there as well. Never been there and want to see it before I move back west. Budget trip if possible. Any advice about what to see would be cool too.

If you really want to do it cheap - sign up for one of the day trips that Calvert County Parks & Recs has. Leave early in the morning and come back the same day $56.
 
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BernieP

Resident PIA
You can catch Amtrak at BWI and save the hassle of going into DC for either the bus or train. I think parking might be free at the BWI Amtrak station - check on that.
 
There are buses that leave DC and go directly into Manhattan. It would save a lot of time going to Penn to NYC, and a subway ride into NYC with your bags isn't a lot of fun. There will be plenty of time to explore the subway once you have a real destination.
https://www.boltbus.com/
If you're lucky, you can get a $1 seat. There are other buses, I just happened to know about this one.
 

FED_UP

Well-Known Member
If you really want to do it cheap - sign up for one of the day trips that Calvert County Parks & Recs has. Leave early in the morning and come back the same day $56.

The subway can be a little confusing, just ask people if your not sure. I stayed at the Navy lodge on Staten Island, and took the ferry over to NYC. Subway cost was about 2 bucks one way trip and make sure you plan out what you want to do or see. Subway route system is online too. You purchase a card for the subway in the station, so its prepaid and you can refill it. We did not do any busses. One thing for sure I won't ever go back to NYC, to fuggen crowded.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
I think Im_Me and I took Megabus and it was $25 each way or something. Not a bad ride, especially for the money. We caught it right by Penn Station in B'more and it dumped us out in Chelsea.

Depending on what you do, you may not even see the subway. Manhattan is highly walkable and you can cover a couple miles without realizing you did it. Plus cabs are fairly cheap.
 

Beta

Smile!
You can catch Amtrak at BWI and save the hassle of going into DC for either the bus or train. I think parking might be free at the BWI Amtrak station - check on that.

The parking is cheap at the BWI Amtrak station (compared to airport parking), but it's not free. The train is very convenient and takes you into Penn Station as well. And yes, there is a subway in Penn station. The bus is surely cheaper and probably doesn't take much longer unless there's traffic, which is a wildcard considering you're driving into NYC.

The subway in NYC is a bit more confusing than the Metro in DC (far more routes), but it's not bad as long as you can figure out the maps. Like vrai said, most of Manhattan is also very walkable so that's another option once you're in town.
 

BigBlue

New Member
Get an itinerary now so if you need tickets for anything you will have them.Empire State Building you can get on line the New Freedom Tower I know nothing about .I would start up town around Central Park West check out the Dakota were John lennon was shot and then across the street to Strawberry fields in the park head across the park and hit the Museum and go down 5th Ave St.Patricks ,Rockefeller center ,Empire State,then downtown towards the World Trade center memorial and the New Freedom Tower and then back up to Times Square that should fill you up .
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Get an itinerary now so if you need tickets for anything you will have them.Empire State Building you can get on line the New Freedom Tower I know nothing about .I would start up town around Central Park West check out the Dakota were John lennon was shot and then across the street to Strawberry fields in the park head across the park and hit the Museum and go down 5th Ave St.Patricks ,Rockefeller center ,Empire State,then downtown towards the World Trade center memorial and the New Freedom Tower and then back up to Times Square that should fill you up .

On this note, your sightseeing will most likely be between lower Central Park and Battery Park - unlikely you will venture north to Harlem unless you (like me) want to eat everything amazing that you can't get at home. If you stay in Chelsea vicinity you'll be centrally located so that day one you can head north, then the next day head south, and cover a lot of ground.
 

tastycake

Member
We took Amtrak from New Carrollton to Penn Station and that puts you right in the middle of the city. We stumbled across a really cool shop/store called Eataly in midtown and loved it! We went to see the Eagles at MSG but really enjoyed our entire trip and are ready to return! Not as overwhelming as we thought it would be either
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
We stumbled across a really cool shop/store called Eataly in midtown and loved it!

I need to go back just so I can hit up Eataly. Last time I was in the city we stayed literally one block from there and for some reason I spaced it off and didn't go. :banghead:
 

beamher

Well-Known Member
megabus is definitely a great way to go; of the 3 buses I've used from DC, the most cleanest & have WiFI. it also puts you right in Manhattan.

Amtrak is my next choice; book early for better fares.

Hotels seem to have been more expensive but if you know someone who works at a hotel, ask to use their friends/family discount.
 

vince77

Active Member
Figure on about $300 a night for lodging. I usually stay at the Row hotel (formerly Milford Plaza) on 8th Ave, between 44th and 45 th street. Great location near Times Square, subway 100 feet away. Get on their mailing list for specials. NYC has high taxes on hotel rooms. The bus is the cheapest means to travel to and from.
 
H

Hodr

Guest
You can catch Amtrak at BWI and save the hassle of going into DC for either the bus or train. I think parking might be free at the BWI Amtrak station - check on that.

Parking garage at that station charges, I think it's the same as the airport (like $8 a day). Acela to grand central nonstop several times a day, fairly expensive though.
 

lovinmaryland

Well-Known Member
My son just went to New York for a week. He took Amtrak and he said it was fantastic. Very easy smooth ride. Plus it was affordable. It was $130 round trip w/ AAA discount. He's only 17 so I was a bit hesitant and worried (mom problems :lol:) but he did great! I'm definitely considering going up there that way now. I've been putting off going there for a long weekend because parking rates are soooo expensive so this seems to be an affordable solution.
 

slowlane

Member
Here's a list of NYC's most popular attractions IN ORDER of most to least favorite, with thousands of visitor reviews about each one.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60763-Activities-New_York_City_New_York.html

Here is a list of NYC hotels, with star-ratings, and hundreds of visitor comments about each one. You can also sort the list according to price range. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels

One of the newer attractions is the "High Line" elevated walkway which extends a couple of miles and is decorated with flowers - go early in the day to avoid crowds. The "Circle Line' boat tour, giving you a choice of halfway, or all the way around Manhattan Island, has been a favorite for generations. Also, I believe the Met Art Museum and the Natural History museum are free of charge, and among the world's best. And there's the United Nations Tour, and Lower East Side Tenement Museum. I will never forget the young acrobat break-dancing, for tips, in Times Square to a boom-box playing Michael Jackson (soon after Michael died). And all the Orthodox men standing in beards and black hats, asking to buy your jewelry in the "Diamond District." In recent years, Brooklyn has become very popular (at least the part that's closest to the bridge) and there are even bus tours of that borough too, where hundreds of celebrities and other luminaries were born.
 
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vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
I will never forget the young acrobat break-dancing, for tips, in Times Square to a boom-box playing Michael Jackson (soon after Michael died).

My mother's name is Billie Jeanne and it happened that it was her birthday the day we saw them. I tipped them $20 to play that for her when I called and everyone in the vicinity yelled "Happy birthday, Billie Jeanne" afterward.

Good times.
 
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