emd

We will be in NYC btwn. Christmas and New Yrs. We have no desire to do Times Square on New Yrs Eve. We are staying at the Affinia Manhattan at 371 7th Ave, below Times Square.

We would like to use Dec 31 as a day to go to Grand Central, get on the Metro North and go to see my aunt who lives in Hyde Park, then return to the city that evening around dinner time and go back to our hotel. We would leave on the 1st.

Will it be too nuts to try to use Grand Central that day? Too nuts to walk or otherwise get from the station to the hotel that evening (around 5-7 pm- we could come back earlier if that woudl make it doable)?

Thanks in advance.

andrewmlin

I definitely think it's doable. Grand Central is built for that kind of heavy traffic and since it is on the East side (and Times Square is on the west) I actually don't think it will be much more busy than it is during an everyday rush-hour. At 5-7pm most of the Times Square visitors are already locked in their holding pens It's actually fairly organized...I wouldn't change your travel plans.

Andrew
TripTie.com

emd

Thank you for the input.

Anyone traveled into NYC from metro north on New Yrs Eve? It won't be a problem getting seats on a train from Hyde Park area to NYC that evening? What about getting from Grand Central to 7th and 31st where the hotel is?

lisettemac

I don't think you'll have a problem. The city doesn't really start to rev up on NYE until after 9 or so. Take the subway from Grand Central to your hotel and you'll be fine. Take the shuttle to Times Square and then switch to the 1, 2, 3 or 9 to Penn Station.

mclaurie

Dec. 31 falls on Sunday this year. I don't know how that will affect things, but I'd guess it will mean MORE people coming into Manhattan and FEWER trains running, prob. on a holiday schedule. I don't think you'd have any problems leaving NYC, but I wouldn't come back later than 5 or so.

ellenem

For Hyde Park, take Metro North to Poughkeepsie, the last stop on that line. It will be a weekend/holiday schedule, which means trains about once an hour in either direction. The trip is about 1 hr 45 mins each way.

emd

Hi mclaurie I am interested in your comment about timing on the way back. Why wouldn't you come back after 5 pm or so? Because the streets will be too crazy after that? Or because the trains might be full coming back?

Thanks, ellenem (I want to say "O-P" after your screen name) for that info; we've done the trip before but truth be told, I can't ever spell Poughkeepsie without looking it up first and that's why I said "Hyde Park area" quot;>

and thanks to listtemac for that info on getting to the hotel