jewellsmommy Posted May 16, 2017 Author Share Posted May 16, 2017 You know it's not really a "quick excursion" from Boston to Manhattan? It's a four hour drive, one way. There's an Amtrak train that you could take, and then use the subway. :lol: Yes, I realize this. However, I am speaking of when we leave Boston to return home to VA. NY is in our path. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewellsmommy Posted May 16, 2017 Author Share Posted May 16, 2017 Thank you everyone for helping me see all the angles! I appreciate all the perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 If you live out of state, you can get a free library card to the NYC public library for three months. To renew it you have to go back to the library. The beauty of it is that you can borrow Kindle books and audio books using the Overdrive app, and you don't need to visit the library for that. So even if you can only go the once, that means free summer reading for the whole family until mid-August! They let you check out 12 books per card, IIRC. You need an ID to get the card. In-state folks can get a card for longer. I have library cards from several other large cities, and their e-book collections are nowhere near as extensive as the NYPL. How did I not know this?!?! Looks like I have to add another stop when we head in to the MET. :thumbup1: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 https://www.panynj.gov/path/maps-schedules.html If you decide to take "the train" from NJ, take the PATH. Here's a link that shows you where it goes (closest to the library is either the yellow or blue lines that end at 33rd and then you walk a little). There is a "fares" tab so you can figure out the ticket prices. Depending on the number of people you have, it could be pretty much the same price to take the PATH and walk as it would be to pay for tolls into the city plus parking. It could even be cheaper. Jersey people: Which PATH station would be easiest in this situation? (parking, easy to get to from the highway, etc.) The few times I've done the PATH it's been from Hoboken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 I am a rather timid driver who has driven in/through Manhattan. One time, it was in a 12-passenger van towing a small trailer. I would suggest that you figure out where you want to park and develop a plan from there. You can "virtually" drive the route using Google Earth, figure out what lane you need to be in going through and out of the Lincoln tunnel (or whichever route you are going) and it should be pretty smooth sailing. Have a couple of parking options & routes in mind in and out of the city. Remember that you will need money to get through or over any tunnel or bridge. I have found police and the general population to be quite helpful when I get in a jam. Don't let pushy drivers bother you and take it slow. I would not park outside and take the train in simply because it will eat up most of your day and probably cost quite a bit more (at least, this is my experience from Long Island). Free tours are given at the library at 11am and 2pm. A couple blocks walk from the library is Grand Central Station - might be worth a peek if you have time. Have a great time! Dh, dd18, and I will be in Manhattan all next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 We would do it. It really isn't worse than many big cities especially on Sunday. Some people aren't up to driving in big cities. We are adventurous and have driven in many big cities including NYC, London, Brussels, Paris, Rome, etc, etc. Can it be harrowing? Yes. (Particularly if you turn into a street that is supposed to be the way to get to parking lot and it turns out that you are driving right through an North African street market in Paris and this was only a few years after 9/11). But we made it out alive. The nuttiest driving I have ever seen is in California on the Tejon Pass where I saw a person driving on the wrong side of the freeway and also in Italy , where I saw a person backing up on a freeway to get to an exit (and this was near Rome). NYC on a Sunday should be fairly innocuous driving. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 The few times I've done the PATH it's been from Hoboken. My commuter neighbors avoid path...too long, not enough parking. They bus in from amore remote, free parking lot. Cheaper and faster to drive in on a Sunday. Could be fun to take the ferry from Jersey though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underthebridge Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 (edited) Hi there, I live in manhattan and drive regularly. It's really not that bad. If you can't find street parking, it will cost you. Sunday traffic is usually fine except - when there are street closures due to parades/demonstrations/races/visiting president. The NYPL is in the heart of midtown. - when city residents are all streaming back into the city after a long weekend or some summer weekends. This especially pertains to OP, since many New Yorkers spend the wkd in CT and drive back down on Sunday. I would plan out two or three routes, use waze, check if there will be any road closures, and note the location of one or two parking garages if you can't find street parking. Read all parking signs and when in doubt, opt for a garage. If there are significant road closures on your day, I would reconsider driving. The library is so close to multiple train lines and it's easy to take the path or mta into the city. Use your turn signal, yield to buses and trucks because they won't yield to you, keep an eye out for pedestrians and bikers, and enjoy! Edited to add that the ferry from Hoboken or jersey city is a really nice to see the city if you enjoy boats. Edited May 16, 2017 by underthebridge 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 My commuter neighbors avoid path...too long, not enough parking. They bus in from amore remote, free parking lot. Cheaper and faster to drive in on a Sunday. Could be fun to take the ferry from Jersey though. Yeah, the path is pretty far down on my list of ways to go. If I'm going to train, I do it from closer to home. If I'm driving as far as Hoboken, I may as well drive the rest of the way in. I had a friend that was a big fan of the Path for some reason, so took it a couple times with her. I do want to take the kids on the ferry at some point. I think that would be fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 If you park in Riverdale near the Henry Hudson Parkway, you can park in a fairly nice neighborhood and take the subway or the train in to the city. It won't take you long. Just make sure you observe the signs for alternate-side parking rules. I think the closest train stop is Spuyten Duyvil, just above Manhattan. It's worth doing it that way to avoid the traffic. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 For weekends (and coming into NYC from out of state), we've had consistently good success with Icon Parking - it's cheap (like $15-20), it's reserved / guaranteed, and it's almost always been valet-secured. The only thing is that most garages consider minivans "oversize vehicles" and charge a $10 surcharge, but - again, coming from Boston - that's been worth it to us to have a reserved spot. Have had similar good success in Chicago (but it's called something different, I forget now), but have not ever been able to find anything similar in Boston (except for the single 3-4am hour :lol: ). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan in SC Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 If you want to take the path, you can always go from Newark. The Hilton has a parking garage beside it and you can go through the hotel to get to the station. I think it's $10 roundtrip. I'm not sure how much daily parking is, but I think about $25ish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan in SC Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Some of the smaller towns have much cheaper parking, but you get stuck in Penn Station if you miss your train. Several lines run through Newark. I don't know anything about Newark except the hotel and parking area, but I went with a friend and we took four of our kids and always felt safe. I wouldn't mind driving in the city on a Sunday either. The only Sunday traffic that is awful is getting stuck with people coming back to the city from the beach. - sorry I didn't put my thoughts in one post- it's late and I'm tired Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 If you park in Riverdale near the Henry Hudson Parkway, you can park in a fairly nice neighborhood and take the subway or the train in to the city. It won't take you long. Just make sure you observe the signs for alternate-side parking rules. I think the closest train stop is Spuyten Duyvil, just above Manhattan. It's worth doing it that way to avoid the traffic. Susan I wouldn't take the subway in from Riverdale. The express no longer runs and so it will take an hour to get down to Mid-town and an hour back. PLUS, on the way home, you still have to drive *out* of the city in the evening when everyone is coming back from their weekend. OP would drive south from Riverdale down the Henry Hudson Parkway (either to the George Washington bridge or the Lincoln Tunnel) -- major traffic down the Henry Hudson Parkway at that time on a Sunday (as a previous poster warned, Sunday evenings can be full of "returning" traffic). *if* I was going to take the train and head south for home in the evening, I'd DEFINITELY do it from the Jersey side and take the PATH (which ends up pretty close to the NYPL) both ways. That way you avoid driving out of the city in the evening and also avoid paying tolls. If I was going to drive, I'd go the prearranged garage route. OP should keep in mind that there may be heavy road traffic on the way out of the city in the evening. Either way could work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Edited to add that the ferry from Hoboken or jersey city is a really nice to see the city if you enjoy boats. Oooh, the ferry! Now there's an idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I don't think you need to be fearful about serious traffic accidents in NYC. But driving there can be stressful, and parking is often difficult/expensive. And bumps and scrapes can happen. I think you'll be okay whether your dh drives, or whether you choose to park outside the city and take other transport in. Each has its own stresses and expenses. In terms of danger I've been aware of a lot more fatal or serious traffic injury accidents where I now live in country than when I lived in NYC (at least for people in vehicles...I knew more than one person in NYC killed as pedestrians--so do be cautious when crossing streets). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 PS going in by ferry sounds like a great idea if that were possible! I always wanted to take Staten Island Ferry just to see what it was like, but never did it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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