Have you seen this website? http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/directions.asp?id=7
Have a fun trip. Would it be cheaper to stay in a hotel out of the city?

As for driving, two comments:
1. You won't encounter that much traffic on a Saturday morning.
2. If you decide to drive, make sure you go early. Often after 11 a.m., it's tough finding a parking space on a Saturday at Woodbury Common.

I would never spend my NYC time on Factory Outlets. Because they are not factory outlets.

There was a time when we actually had factories in the US. I loved going to the actual Fieldcrest factory outlet. I still have the second Missoni sheets I bought there for 2 bucks. They are the best.

Thanks!

@suewoo: For me coming from Germany, the offer and prices of Woodbury shops are a lot better than what I can get here. Last time I've been there I found a lot of nice stuff and saved much compared to German "outlet" prices. So I'm certainly going to get there this time, too. On my second day I'll get to the city and see the shops there.

@tomfuller: I stay in the city and pay nothing for that, I had some reward miles from the airline and could book a hotel with those "for free".

Any experience with bus

Any experience with buses to WC? Thanks!

I've never taken the bus to Woodbury Common, but a lot of people do. It's going to be a slog to get to your hotel, drop off your bags, and get back to the Port Authority, so allow at least 3 hours. If you are short on time, take a taxi directly to your hotel from JFK. Early on a Saturday morning, there won't be much traffic, and you won't have to wait for the train, which doesn't run as often on the weekends. This could save you at least an hour.

I'll disagree (strongly) with SusieWoo. Woodbury Common is one of the best outlet malls in the U.S., and it's a true outlet, particularly for high-end designer goods. There are very few Prada outlets in the U.S., and one of them is there. But prices aren't cheap, and the lower-end stuff is grade-B manufactured especially for the outlet or in the case of places like Guess exactly what you'll find at the same prices in stores, but the upscale stuff is true outlet quality and a bargain.

Now the bad part. Saturday will be one of the worst of all possible days for traffic, so expect the trip to take a long time and expect crowds at the mall to be crushing. But since you are coming from Europe, you'll find plenty of bargains.

My only suggestion: If at all possible change your hotel to something in Midtown that will be more convenient, even if it's a lower-class hotel. You'll be very thankful for that if there are any other options at all (I"m assume you're using miles). If you are staying at the Millennium Hilton, you may experience extreme noise from the construction. People are always complaining about that there. I'd opt for the huge Hilton in Midtown even though it's not as nice a hotel.

Yes, I'm Standing at the Millenium Hilton, I can't change the hotel anymore because I booked it with miles, but I''ll try to get a room on the upper floors....

So if I start at JFK at 8 AM, is this going to be too late regarding the traffic?

Thanks!

If you leave JFK in a rental car at 8am you will not have any issues with traffic or parking. It's only about 60miles from JFK to Woodbury Commons.

J62 is correct. You should encounter little traffic and should be at Woodbury Common before 10 a.m., which means you'll have no problem finding a parking space there.

But what about returning? When would be the best time for that in order to avoid major traffic?

I also have to fill up the car before returning it. How / where can I find a gas station? I can't remember seeing any in the city...

It's Saturday - don't worry about traffic back to NYC.

If you're going to Millenium Hilton, then you could gas up in NJ before passing through the Lincoln Tunnel. Easiest may be the Vince Lombardi Service area on I-95. Gas in NJ is far cheaper in NJ than NY.

Saturday traffic isn't anywhere near as bad as Sunday traffic, but I don't think it's realistic to say "no problems". The OP should definitely try to get back to the city by dark, particularly if she is not familiar with the route. So I'd say leave no later that 4pm. That should be enough shopping for one day.

Gas stations in Manhattan are few and far between. There is a gas station on 10th Avenue around 45th Street (sorry I don't know the exact corner, but there's a building under construction immediately behind it). There are also some stations uptown in Harlem.

I'm not saying no problems, but rather don't worry about it.

There will be normal congestion on all of the crossings - either GW Bridge or Lincoln tunnel. It'll be what it'll be, and it's not something one can guess at to work around.

It'll be far less than a weekday or Sunday.

Sunset at the end of April is close to 8pm. Plenty of time to get back to NY by sunset even if they leave by 6pm.

My opinion on enough shopping is arrive at 11am and leave by noon. YMMV.

Of course both options have their pros and cons, but I think the advantages of a car outweigh taking the bus: you'll be able to go directly to WC without schlepping into Manhattan first, and IMO very importantly, you'll be able to use the car's trunk to periodically drop off purchases during the day! (That's always a huge benefit for me when I go to outlets.) JFK to WC is straightforward, and starting off outside of Manhattan can be a good thing.

Driving in the city is always hit or miss, though I agree that a Saturday is easier than most other days. Personally, I would not take the Lincoln Tunnel back in! I-87 (Tappan Zee toll is southbound only; $5) to the Cross County Parkway to the Henry Hudson Parkway to the West Side Highway works for me, but check out a couple of routes on Google Maps and decide for yourself.

While of course the WTC area is still under construction, it feels a lot smoother than it did a few years ago, with less rerouting and tie-ups. However, they change the traffic pattern as they progress, so again check it out on Google Maps ahead of time so that you're familiar with what's going on down there.

IMO, the biggest issue you'll have is what you'll do with the car while bringing your things into the Millenium Hotel. Parking options are terrible down there! Though Saturdays are slightly better than weekdays...

As for gassing up in Manhattan, it's going to be a pricey proposition. As Doug said, there are few of them - and they get scarcer every year as the real estate gets taken for other ventures! There's a station on the corner of the West Side Highway and Canal Street, and I'm always amazed at how much they get away with charging. Again, Google Maps will help you find any other stations in the vicinity. Fill the tank before you leave Harriman and you shouldn't have to add too much before drop-off. You also instead could take the car rental option of returning not full and paying the difference that way for peace of mind... FYI, last weekend the cheapest gas prices just north of the city were $3.85/gallon, and here in Brooklyn right now it's just under $4.

Lastly, I don't know which car rental agency you're using, but I know Avis and maybe others have offices in Battery Park as well as Greenwich Village, so maybe you don't have to go that far to drop off. Confirm with the agency that they won't charge you extra to drop off in the city - they usually don't, but again it's good peace of mind!

I would rent from Avis, just like last time, it was ok. I can only hope I'll also get a GPS, my husband did the driving back then and I read the maps.

Thanks to J62 for the information about gas being cheaper in NJ, I'll remember that! Anyway, even NY prices are cheaper than German ones, last week I had to pay around $8,11 for a gallon!!!

I found an Avis station on 68E 11st street, it shouldn't be so far from the hotel. I could ask the doorman to let me park in front of the hotel to drop off my bags. I could also drive directly to the Avis station, but, as I stated earlier, I don't know if there are elevators at the subway stations, so I don't have to carry my heavy bags on normal stairs.

As an alternative, I just found a bus company which pick you up at your Manhattan hotel at 8 am and deliver you and your shoppings back at the hotel, but I would have to be in Manhattan before 8 and I'm not quite happy with that idea.

So I presume I'll take a car...

68 E 11th is quite far from the hotel. Really far, so by no means choose this one. You want a facility in the financial district or in Battery Park City, not in the East Village, which is on the opposite site of Manhattan from where you're staying. Failing that, it would be easier to drop off the car in West Midtown and then just take a taxi down. There are a LOT of car-rental places west of Times Square in the 40s west of 8th Avenue. Look for one in that general area, and then you can hop in a cab.

But you'd be better off with a rental location in Chelsea or the far West Village or even Tribeca; all those are more convenient to your hotel.

Some subway stations have elevators, but not that many of them. Most have only stairs. If you want a lot of bags, you just want to take a taxi.

And as for your route back into the city, take the George Washington Bridge and then head down the West Side Highway (called the Henry Hudson Parkway further uptown where you exit off the bridge). That will take you all the way down to the Financial District, and it's by far the most direct route from Harriman. Navigating down by the WTC site is more difficult, but your hotel skirts the westernmost edge of the construction site and is in a really congested area (it's close to Century 21, our famous discount clothing store).

Thanks Doug!
I found an Avis station at 153 West 54th Street, which is quite ok when coming from the G.W. Bridge and the West Side Highway. I'll take a cab from there to the hotel.

P.S. what's the usual tip I would give a cab driver? Would a hotel shuttle bus driver expect one, too?

Hotel Shuttles usually expect a dollar, but I only give it to them if they actually help me by picking up and loading the suitcase. If I have to do everything myself, then no tip.

Taxi drivers expect about 15% or at least $1 if the fare is more than $5. My rule of thumb in the city is to give at least a dollar. If the fare is $10.30, then I round up to $12; if the fare were $10.80, I might also give just $12, but I might also round up to $13. You just give the drive a $20 and ask for the amount of change you want. If you pay by credit card, then there are shortcuts with percentages to just add something to the fare, or you can type in a total manually. I usually use the short-cuts and usually overtip to at least 20% because the drivers lose something on every credit-card transaction (about 5%).

Coming from the airport is a different story. I usually tip at least $9 from JFK (on the $45 base fare) or $6 from LGA (on the metered fare). That works for where I live on the east side.

I'm not sure I agree with Doug on a couple of counts: I've used the Avis on 11th Street, and it's not "all the way across town", but rather just off Broadway (though not at all close to your hotel). The hotel isn't on the westernmost edge of the WTC site, but rather the easternmost. And there's no advantage to going into NJ from Harriman to the city; google maps and others will send you that way, but my friends who commute daily go as I directed you, not least because of the perennial traffic coming over the GW Bridge. If you want, listen to the traffic reports when you start to head back to the city and make your decision then.

Some more info:
* On the AM radio band, there are regional traffic reports every ten minutes. On 1010AM, they're "on the 1's", e.g., 9:01, 9:11, 9:21... On 820AM, they're "on the 8's" (9:08, 9:18, etc.). You'll want to know what the wait is at the crossing of your choice; they'll also mention tie-ups on the highways you're traveling on.

* The cash toll for the eastbound GW Bridge is $12. (If you have EZ Pass, it's lower, but don't let the car rental agency talk you into renting one; it's not worth the fee they charge unless you really want to save the time in the toll line.) The toll for the southbound Tappan Zee is $5. Unlike the Holland Tunnel, there are no convenient gas stations leading up to the GW Bridge. Also, any gas you get in that area will still need to be topped off if you drop off the car south of midtown. Note the cash toll in each direction for the Whitestone, Triboro or Throgs Neck bridges (when you leave the airport) is $6.50.

* If you do want to take the route through NJ, I would not go over the GW Bridge, but rather go farther south to the Holland Tunnel. (To get there, you can take I-95 South/NJ Turnpike on the NJ side, which is a toll but not much.) There are a lot of gas stations right on the roadway immediately before the Holland Tunnel toll booths, and that particular crossing will put you closest to the financial district/your hotel, as well as to the Avis location at 11th Street. This way, you won't have to top off the gas in Manhattan before returning the car. (Holland Tunnel toll is the same as GW Bridge: $12 cash.)

* Because the Millenium Hilton is at the edge of the construction zone, there is zero parking there, even for a few minutes: one side of the street is blocked off for construction, and the other is lined with the hotel, Century 21, St. Paul's church, and the subway entrance. You can get a good idea of it on google street view...

* For the car rental, I still think your best bet is getting a car you can return to the financial district. It looks like Avis doesn't have a location there, but Hertz does (a comparable agency). However, it's still a walk from their location in Battery Park City to the Millenium Hotel: about 7 blocks, or a third of a mile, and you have to cross the highway on a pedestrian bridge and skirt the WTC construction site - you and a slew of camera-toting tourists.

* The Avis location at 11th Street would be good without bags, because it's very close to the Union Square/14th Street subway station, where you can hop either the downtown R train to Cortlandt Street station adjacent to the hotel, or the downtown 4 or 5 train to the Fulton Street station within three blocks of the hotel. (It wouldn't be too terrible with bags, since both are major stations with elevators, though Fulton Street is under renovation.)

To that end, I think you could consider a couple of options:
- Contact the Millenium Hilton and ask them how to handle coming in with a car and lots of bags. Make sure to tell them you won't be parking the car with them overnight.
- If it seems feasible to bring the car down there, drive to the hotel first, then return the car. In that case, you could return to any of the rental offices.
- Otherwise, I would concur with your suggestion to return to midtown and take a taxi. I would probably go for the Avis location on West 43rd Street, since it's closest to the West Side Highway for ease of access, as well as one block from the busy streets 42nd Street and 10th Ave, where you shouldn't have a problem getting a cab. You could also catch the downtown A, C or E subway at 43rd and 8th Avenue: the A/C goes to the aforementioned Fulton Street station, and the E at World Trade Center is 1/2 block from your hotel (no elevator, but only 1 flight of stairs). Additionally, there is a gas station right there at West 44th Street and 10th Avenue.
- My least preferred car rental return location would be the one on 54th Street, since it's smack in the middle of midtown, neither near the highway nor amenable for driving conditions... However, were you to do so, the 53rd Street subway station one block away enables you to take the downtown E as described above.

* You can look up elevator locations and status on the MTA website, http://mta.info. However, please be aware that even if a station has an elevator listed, it's not always functioning! They do provide status updates on the website, so you'd know in advance whether an elevator is working or not.

Hi,
Thank you so much for your very detailed answers, I appreciate your time! Sorry for answering so late, I've been sick, and then the kids too...

Anyway, I am looking forward to my trip, I'm sure it'll be nice.

Best regards!

niona: I see you haven't left for your trip yet. I had an idea that you might consider:

Instead of going to Woodbury on Saturday, and having to consider all the things you mentioned, why not go on Sunday and take the bus?

That way, you can shop in NYC on Saturday, when many many more things are open, and go to Woodbury by bus on Sunday, with no worries.

Even if Sunday traffic is bad, you will be sitting on the bus and can nap on the way back.

I would rather be in NYC on Saturday than on Sunday. I notice that you said you would go to shops in the city on your second day, which would be Sunday. I suggest you flip this and you can save a lot of money on a car rental.

I've been at Woodbury and seen the many tourists that take the bus from NYC. I always think it's a brilliant idea.

I'm not even a shopper and I like Woodbury. We always get a lot of kid's things and some other good buys, and I'm spending US money!

Personally, I think you'd be crazy to try and drive through Manhattan to WC. I've done it from Westchester lots of times and it's no big deal, but having to go through Manhattan is a challenge, not impossible but it is a challenge. Why spend needless time and energy getting a car? Check into the busses that are available and you'll have maximum flexibility and peace of mind.

tuscanlifeedit, I agree that's a very good idea! Also makes the travel logistics much more straightforward, eliminating the issues with checking into the hotel post-WC. And even if niona still rents a car, driving out of Manhattan on a Sunday morning is a breeze!

(CYESQ, no one is suggesting she drive through Manhattan from the airport to WC. With the plan as she's stated, she would drive directly from the airport to WC, nowhere near Manhattan...)