pooley

My friend, daughter and i are traveling to the us from england in april we have booked through priceline a stay at the boston park plaza for 3 nights ,then we are going to new york for 2 nights (we are going to try priceline again ) . What is the best way to get to nyc ? amtrak ? is it safe ? we thought about hiring a car but i think the T and the nyc (tubes) should take us where we need to go when in the city .any advice on the above would be much appreciated .

sistahlou

amtrak is wonderful and safe. There are also a few buslines that may be even more affordable and one luxury bussline. I would not risk the chinatown busses, as they have a poor safety and breakdown record. I'd google bus lines to NYC. Great plan, they are 2 amazing cities Do not hire a car.

Celticharper

You'll find Amtrak to be safe and comfortable. You might also want to consider the suggestion of the bus as well. The buses run from the center of Boston and will deliver you to the center of NY city, very convenient. It's about a 4 1/2 hour ride on the bus and very economical choice.

Hiring a car is not a realistic option, driving on the wrong side of the road in either of these cities would be a nightmare, most Americans wouldn't even consider driving in either New York or Boston. They'd think it would be suicidal. . Just as I would never consider driving in London, I'd be a menace.
Both cities also have killer parking fees, it would not be unusual at all to pay upwards of $35 in Boston and $45 per day for parking in NY, those may be older figures, it may be higher now.

I hope that you have a great time, you've chosen two great cities to visit, Boston is a lovely walkable city and NY is beautiful and exciting, both very different, I think you'll enjoy the contrast.

williamscb13

You can fly cheaper than taking the Amtrak and it takes less time. You can take the T in Boston right to the airport. In New York if you fly into JFK you can take the subway into the city, but if you fly into La Guardia, a taxi is probably easiest.
I used to be a huge fan of Amtrak, but have had delays and bad trips the last two times I have ridden the train.

Krista

I haven't used the luxury bus line that runs between the two cities, but it's on my list to try next time we go. Cheaper than Acela and nicer than the Chinatown or down-scale bus lines.

See website: http://www.limoliner.com

r/Krista

Anonymous

Flying involves much ground-level hassles, extra expense, and time, so my vote goes to the buses, which will take you from one city center to the other with a minimum of fuss. Greyhound and other "mainstream" bus lines often have prices that are competitive with the ultra-cheap Chinatown bus fares. IIRC, the fares vary with time and day of travel.

JoyceL

Either fly, take a train, or take a bus. But do not drive! It's an unpleasant drive even for people who are familiar with American driving and roads. There is no interesting scenery, and a lot of horrendous traffic. I drove this route once, and swore "never again".

My preference is to fly into either LaGuardia or Newark Airport, and then take a bus into Manhattan. The train takes a little longer, but goes directly into Manhattan. There are also buses that go between Boston and New York.

nytraveler

Don't rent a car just to drive between cities - as europeans you'll have expensive insurance to pay and probably a drop-off charge. (You can check to see rates for car rental but I think the $ won;tmake sense.) And no, the car doesn;tmake anysense at all in either city - since there is NO place to park and garges are big $. Take the T or subway - both perfectly safe.

Take Amtrak (NOT Acela - which is much more $ and very little faster) between cities. Flying will take just as long and cost more. You can check the bus if you want - but the train shoud be much more comfortable.

pooley

Many thanks to all the replies, its much appreciated .I must admit driving on the wrong (right!)and driving on the left hand side of the car is a little daunting ! Looks like the train for us ,but the limoliner looks ..cool ! Once again thanks for the great advice .

AJPeabody

Flying would not be my choice. Any time savings w0ould be eaten up by security checks and baggage claim and getting into NYC from either airport.

The train is marginally more comfortable than the bus, but takes about the same time due to the anti-railroad mindset of the government leading to rail routes and track conditions that would be laughable in Europe.

Busses are reliable (does not apply to the so-called chinatown vans). Your choice betwwen rail and bus will all depend on your schedule and those of the trains and busses.

No one in his right mind would rent a car for this trip.

travelgirl2

Slightly off the topic, but... careful of Priceline in New York City, if you are looking for 1 room for 3 people. They only guarantee a room for 2 people and this can be a problem in NYC, London, etc.

pooley

We are going to go by amtrak to boston i hear its best to book early ? we are going to book via priceline or another booking agent for hotels in new york for 2 nights stay any advice ? also we plan on hiring a car from new york for ten days then leaving the car at boston o'hare for our trip home . We have no plans for the ten days apart from trying to get some sun and driving to places of historic interest and some nightlife any advice like the great stuff already posted would be appreciated ?

nytraveler

Well - in April you'l have trouble finding sun anywhere between Boston and NYC. This is early spring for us - you will have early flowers - but trees won;t be in leaf - and snow is still possible.

For beach weather at that time of year you will need to go to Florida - and a 10 day drive to and fro doesn;t really make sense. If you really want to do the beach you should fly to Fl - get really cheap airfares ASAP.

If you want to do historic you can do Philadlephia, DC, Williamsburg, Monticello etc - but it will be alot of travel - and still early spring everywhere you go - although VA will probably be 15 degrees or so warmer than Boston.