driving from JFK to Hawthorne?
 

We have downloaded some maps but they make the route look confusing. What is the Best route to get us from JFK airport to the Comfort Inn & Suites in HAWTHORNE new york.

We are British so the roads will be a bit daunting at 1st, we anticipate leaving ny about 4.pm. ish on a monday night.

If you go to Yahoo maps it will give you the most direct route - though it is kind of complicated. But - since you're going to be caught in commuting traffic leaving the city you should plan on the trip taking at least 1.5 hours if not longer.

Also, be aware that in the New York area there are a number of roads - called parkways - that are for passenger cars only - no buses or trucks. The reason is that these were picturesque roads, often alongside pretty streams, built in the 1920's for the typical Sunday afternoon family drive.

And though they have been upgraded somewhat they generally have very narrow lanes, small or no shoulders and are very twisty/winding with low stone bridges over them. But - since there is so much traffic around NYC they are very heavily used - and people used to driving on them typically have no problem doing 70 or more (they were built for 35 and limit is usually 50 now). They're typically 4 lanes - 2 in each direction - and sometimes have a very narrow divider between directions.

A couple of these are really the best roads for your route - but stay in the right lane and don;t let yourself be rushed - since driving on them can be tricky if you're not used to them.

I can't give the specific route on Long Island near the airport, but you want to go over the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge and then follow the Hutchison River Parkway to Route 287 West (Cross Westchester Parkway). Follow 287 to Exit 2 (Route 9A). Take a right off the exit and follow 9A for about 3 or 4 miles to the Comfort Inn. For a landmark, there's a Home Depot on the left less than a mile before the Comfort Inn on the right.

HowardR has given you the easiest to follow directions.

There is a route that I take that is slightly shorter, but exits are not as obvious.

A couple of hints.

From JFK you will take I678/Van Wyck Expressway North. Make sure you get good directions from rental car onto the freeway.

The 1st 5miles of I678/Van Wyck can be backed up horribly. This will be the worst part of the drive and there really aren't any alternatives. Just be patient and it'll pass.

You will follow I678 across the Whitestone Bridge in ~10miles, but you will need to take 2 RIGHT exits along the way. Keep your eyes open for the signs. The 1st one is less obvious. The 2nd one will be on a new stretch of freeway with about 2 miles notice. No need to get in the right lane right away - it's a 2 lane exit and harder to miss.

After The Whitestone Bridge is a $4.50 toll. Cash. Make sure you have $US in hand. After the toll there are several different ways to go. Stay to the far left and watch for signs for the Hutchinson River Parkway. Just follow the 'Hutch' until it merges into I684, then follow the signs for I287 as in Howard's directions.

After that go about 7miles to Exit 2 for RT-9A toward Elmsford. Turn right and you'll be on Saw Mill River Rd. which leads directly to the hotel in 2miles.

While nytraveler has given you very good information about the parkways, at 4pm on a Monday you will be in the beginning of rush hour traffic and less likely to see cars going 70mph. And while no one likes stop and go traffic, the benefit to you is that <i>everyone</i> will be going slower, which should help you adjust. And with congestion, there is significantly less lane-switching going on, which of course can be harrowing when the traffic is going faster.

The Van Wyck is an interstate and not a parkway: cars and trucks are allowed on it. The Hutch is a parkway, so no trucks and a bit curvier roadway.

Interstate roadways are identified by blue and red signs, both standalone on the right side of the road, and as part of the green directional signage, often overhead. http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...sign&amp;gbv=2

A tip about interstates: on the east coast, all major interstates are two digits, i.e., I-95. Odd numbers indicate a north/south thruway, and even ones indicate east/west. Secondary &quot;interstates&quot; supplement the main roadways, all of which have 3 digits, such as I-684. All exit numbering restarts when you cross a state line, with low numbered exits to the west or north and increasing from there.

Here's a thorough &quot;manual of traffic signs&quot;! www.trafficsign.us/index.html

Ann
I'm assuming you are still planning on Mon Oct 22, on your way to CT.

If you wish, I will give you my cell phone # which you can call en-route from JFK to your hotel (if you have need real time directions or get lost I can try to help you out over the phone)

Please send me an email at j62ny at yahoo dot com.

j62

J62 is probably closer to the mark in saying that the Comfort Inn in Hawthorne is about two miles along Route 9A from the 287 exit.

J62, Howard &amp; everyone,
Your comments are all really appreciated, I must admit we are not looking forward to this part of our holiday at all.
We have changed our 1st nights accom a few times based on info on fodor's etc.

Am wondering if there is a more 'British' visitor friendly route, thats more direct (than the one i've picked). Want something off the motorways and not down little roads as it might be dark and we might get lost. Whats Armonk like? Hubby does not want to be more than 1 hour from JFK. So are there better places to stay on our 1st night that are easier to get to.

J62 thats a really nice offer, may take you up on it if we can't find accom thats easy to get to.

If you take the Saw Mill River Parkway be careful in getting off the exit, I hate that exit (I would take 9A). At the light at the end of the exit go straight up the hill and you will be there.

There is a diner and an Applebee right there (a Wendys down the street).

Good luck.

The location of the hotel you've picked is just fine.

Really the only part of the drive that can be difficult is actually getting out of NYC, and you have to do that regardless of where you decide to stay.

A good map with turn-by-turn directions and you will be just fine. If you take a wrong turn you'll have to recover of course.

Assuming you are coming within the next month or so, you don't have to be concerned with driving at night. No matter how much traffic there is, you will arrive at the Comfort Inn in daylight.
As far as alternate direction, do NOT consider using the side roads. Trust us, we have given you the best route!
Now, as for your question of an alternate place to stay, what is your ultimate destination? I was wondering why you had picked that Comfort Inn. Don't get me wrong, it's a most decent place, but it's an odd choice unless you had a specific reason for staying there. There are plenty of alternative options. To avoid going out of your way, let us know what your ultimate destination is.

Good advice HOward

Agree not to even consider side roads. You need to stay on the major highways to get across the various bridges - and not get lost in some neighborhoods you definitely don;t want to be in.

Also - when you get to Westchester roads are often very twisty and winding - and don't end up where you expect them to. And there are several parkways with only a few roads that go over them. You could be lost for an extended period if you try to head cross country.

Agree - that this seems a slightly odd place to stop.

If you tell us your final objective perhaps we can make things easier.

I checked the sunrise/sunset times for October 22nd and sunset is 17:05 (5:05 pm), so don't dilly-dally on your departure time or you will be driving in the dark!

What is your ultimate destination? What's in Armonk? (I can't think of where you might stay there) Armonk will be more dark and desolate than Hawthorne (deer will be out at dusk -- be careful).

As for landmarks, The Home Depot is tucked away down the hill, so it might be difficult to see if you don't know where it is. Applebee's and Wendy's are more easily recognizable.

Again, thanks for imput.

This is our 1st nights stay, based on being within 1 hour (ish) of JFK and near motorway, booked hotel based on good price $136 pn and fact restaurant on site as we do not want to drive or walk (in strange area) to our evening meal.

2nd day is driving up through Litchfield county stopping at nice place and leaf peeping, arriving at Lenox MA for our 2nd night 3 rd night is in Wilmington Vermont for 2 nights and onto RI for 2 nights and then back to JFK stopping in Norwalk for our last night.

We know it will take us about 3/5 hours to get to lenox, but this will be scenic drive so its ok.
Maybe White Plains might be better, if it was you coming from Uk where would you stop bearing in mind our itinery.
Thanks

I personally think staying in Armonk is easier and nicer than Hawthorne. Armonk is IBM country so there are quite a few places to stay just off of I 684 exit 3.

Rather than take the narrow parkways, take I95 north and then get on I287 west and onto I684 north. That will have traffic, but it won't have curvy roads where cars go faster than they should.

White Plains will work too, but be aware it is a pretty good sized city with varying neighborhoods. Ask us about specific hotel before booking.
Debi

I just looked at tripadvisor and the only place they show in Armonk is LaQuinta that gets horrible reviews.

White Plains is a good bet, as is Armonk. (Incidentally, there is an IBM research facility in Hawthorne, and my friend works there and she says they put up execs there often for convenience at that hotel is fine/nice and new). Oh, when you drive up to Lenox, Mass, I hope you take the Taconic Parkway all the way up, the scenery should still be nice, and it's a lovely drive!

oh, an incidentally, I game my friend from Scotland directions the reverse way...287 to hutch etc., because he was heading out to Long Island to go to South Hampton, and he made it just fine, said it was no problem at all (and he's a UK driver!). There is a bit of road construction on 287, so it can get a little congested through some bits as you pass White Plains, but just be carefull and you'll do fine,

Oh, to add one more location for a convenient place to stay...Tarrytown. It's right directly off of 287 (feeds into the local route 119), and there is a Marriott (called the Westchester Marriott, but it's in Tarrytown, on Route 119 aka White Plains Road), and a brand new Sheraton Hotel there which is quite nice. I also think there is a Courtyard by Marriott there (and right up the road on 119 towards Elmsford, there is a Hampton Inn as well). They're all really conveniently located to main highways and parkways, etc. The more I think of it, I do feel Tarrytown is very convenient, but Hawthorne is fine. (Oh, the Westchester Marriott has two onsite restaurants, one is Ruth's Chris the good steak house chain)

Thanks for tips,
We are now re-thinking our 1st night and am looking at all your suggestions.

What has made us think is a gentleman mentioned it will be going dark around 5pm, and we anticipate leaving airport around 4pm ish(being our flights on time and luggage/car hire all go smoothly)so we do not fancy driving around the NY road system in the dark!!

I welcome all your feedback

I don't want to disagree with my friend, Debi, but there isn't anything to see in Armonk in the dark. And the only accomodation gets horrible reviews (IBM is not what it used to be either).

Additionally, you WILL hit rush hour on 684 and perhaps you won't like it because cars travel 65/70 mph -- I should know, I take it every day on my commute.

The directions Howard gave are good. I'm heading for PT near Comfort Inn and if I can I'll pop in and check it out for you.

I thnk Tarrytown is the better choice too. There is a 3 Marriots and a new Sheaton, also a Hampton Inn, all with easy access to the Highways.

Ann,
I think there is NO need to change your plans.

As you know when you post on Fodors lots of good suggestions will continue to flow ad infinitum. We all mean to be helpful, but at some point enough info is enough. Keep what you have so you can take care of all the rest of the planning you want to look forward to.


1. HOTEL:
Your hotel - both choice and location are just fine. The price is great too. You will not find anything better for that price range. Several posters mention Tarrytown. For all intents and purposes there is NO difference in location between Hawthorne and Tarrytown. You can drive between any of those hotels mentioned and yours in 5min or less. All the other hotels are more expensive - in some cases much more expensive than the Comfort Inn. I check last night and even used special local corporate rates and found nothing comparable $.

2. DRIVING:
Sunset on Oct 22 is after 6pm. You will be driving the whole route in daylight. The route from Howard is just fine. Don't worry about the comments about winding parkways. These roads are no different from anything you've driven on at home. Busy with traffic, yes, but all going the same direction, divided highways. If you forget you are in the US and drive in the left lane as you would at home nobody will care as long as you don't dawdle and block traffic.

regards,
J62

Correction to my time...I believe the table I used did not take into account daylight savings time ending later this year. You should have enough daylight to find your way.

I agree with the statement that there is no difference between Tarrytown and Hawthorne (other than hotel prices being higher in Tarrytown).

stw - you are correct; I was working on outdate memories. I did post a bit further down to skip Armonk.

Debi

AnnRiley, please don't worry so much about the driving! :) As others have said, you will still have daylight when you are driving from JFK to your hotel. The roads are well-traveled by many commuters every day, and IMO the parkways are preferable to other roadways because you don't have to deal with trucks, just cars.

I suggest going to maps.google.com and typing in &quot;hutchinson river parkway&quot; so you can see what the roadway looks like. (You can do this for your entire route by clicking &quot;Get directions&quot;.) Use the + and - to zoom in and out.

Also FYI, there is a decent rest area on the Hutch shortly before you get to I-287, with a gas station, small market, and rest rooms. You could pull off here and kind of catch your breath and congratulate yourselves on having successfully driven out of NYC. :) The ramp for the rest area is on the left side of the roadway. Once you get onto I-287, it's a wide, well-marked road.

No worries! :)

First of all, the rate you got at the Comfort Inn is a really good one. I know that Comfort Inn very well and think you'll have trouble matching that at another place of equal quality. I agree with some of the other posters that you should keep that reservation.
Incidentally, it has an indoor swimming pool, if that's of any interest.
As for dining, the motel is right inbetween a diner and an Appleby's.
As for your driving to Lenox, it'll take you less than 3 hours from Hawthorne. As previously suggested, drive there on the Taconic State Parkway, which is fairly easy to access from the Comfort Inn.

Ooh, my edits didn't show up (so many smiley faces!). I wanted to add that with the Google maps, click on the Satellite button to get an idea of the actual lay of the land! (I think the photos for that area were taken in early spring - there aren't any leaves on the trees...)

Many thanks for all your answers, we decided to err on side of caution (as hubby is really nervous at thought of driving thru peak hour new york traffic) to stay at the Marriot Residence inn in New Rochelle this looks at lot nearer and the route looks a lot easier.

We have had to pay more &pound;&pound;&pound; but, for peace of mind hubby thinks its worth it.

Again, many thanks to all who replied

Oh. That is too bad.

I just checked the room at the Comfort Inn and it is very nice and clean. Lovely pool, within walking distance to the dinner, Applebees, onsite laundry. Easy on off of the highway enroute to your final destination.

I don't understand why you would want to stay in New Rochelle (dodgy area and from the outside the Marriott residence does not look as nice as the CI). Will you have to pay additional to park your car?

Just so you're aware - New Rochelle is being gentrified - and some areas are fine. But some areas are not pleasant and there can be crime issues - esp as related to cars.

I'm with those who say you should stick to your original plans.
As for your husband's concern about &quot;driving through peak hour new york traffic,&quot; he's not avoiding the trickiest part by staying in New Rochelle. Relatively speaking, the trickiest part is BEFORE you get to the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge (or any other bridge) to leave that area. And, you've still have to cross that bridge for either destination! Once you're over the bridge, it's not that much more complex to get to Hawthorne than it is to New Rochelle. All the roads and the exits on that side of the bridge are clearly marked if you follow the directions given above.

Our UK visitors usually arrive weary but are raring to go very early the following morning (EARLY). I would suggest you consider spending the night at a JFK airport and then starting bright and early the following day. I've also been reading the reviews of that CI in Hawthorne and there are complaints about the comfort of the beds.

Poster NeoPatrick stayed at the Courtyard JFK a few months ago and wrote:

<i>By the way, our room at Courtyard at JFK was VERY nice, newly done, and they have fantastic new beds -- super comfortable, and rain showers in the bathrooms. I was very impressed with the place for an airport hotel, and their shuttle service was great in picking us up yesterday at the rental car return and bringing us to JFK this morning.</i>

This was in the thread titled NeoPatrick's month in NYC. He also talks about spending an hour in traffic to go 10 miles at 5 pm (granted not in the same direction as you'd be going, but still...). Get off the plane, get the car, go to a nearby hotel, have a bite and get a good night's sleep and start early in the morning. That's my 2 penneth.

God my heads spinning... Have not cancelled CI in hawthorne yet, as i want to keep my options open. On the Map we have in Uk Hawthorne looks miles from New Rochelle but, you all say its not that far/or difficult.

You are right about us Brits being up with the lark the 1st day of our hols, time difference etc. I normally wake about 5am on the 1st day, so we always get an early start to our hols in us.

Again, lots to think about, booking the rest of the hol was a breeze, its just the NY area frightens the bejusus out of us as it sounds like a mad house.

Ann,
I remember your first post a few mo ago when you originally planned to stay right at JFK. I was one of the many who chimed in then that it did not make sense, since you were arriving at 2pm, to stay right at JFK for the night. Staying at JFK makes sense when you have a very early am flight out the next day, not when you arrive, in my opinion. Same holds true when I fly Europe or Asia.

I drive the exact route you've planned about once a month (well, not the final few miles to the hotel, of course).

I stick by my 1st recommendation head out of NYC for the 1st night - it's only 4pm NY, 9pm London. Full daylight.

If you want some hand holding along the way email me and I'll help out.

Sleep on it, get some rest to stop the spinning.

j62

As I think I implied before but maybe didn't state clearly enough: as HowardR says, the worst of the driving is <i>before</i> you get to the mainland. So IMO, your options are (a)stay at JFK, or (b)<i>any</i> of the other options are equal as far as driving is concerned.

FWIW, my sister stayed at the Residence Inn (Marriott) in New Rochelle. The amount of security guards at the place scared the bejesus out of her - though she said once in the room, her stay was quite pleasant. (I don't know what in particular caused there to be so many security guards on the premises.)

Staying at the airport would be a fine, if somewhat uninspiring start to your holiday. If you decide to stay elsewhere, have confidence! There's no problem staying in one lane and taking it slow. And the entire trip to Hawthorne could be as brief as 45 minutes!

Good luck with your decision!

Comfort inn It is... Just get over the Hutchinson Parkway and sounds like all will be ok.

Thanks to everyone for imput.

You know Ann, I completely understand how you feel. We are faced with having my husband rent a car at Heathrow on Christmas Eve and drive, lol. I've just decided to take some drugs and sleep through it all. ;)

Everything will be fine and you will have a fabulous trip. I hope the bed at CI will be fine -- I didn't have the nerve to test it out. :D

Ann, I think you made a most sensible decision. Staying at JFK would only mean getting a late start the next morning, since you'd have to wait until at least 9:30-10 in the morning before leaving because of the heavy morning commuter traffic.....and there would probably still be a lot of traffic then!