I was just beginning to plan a family trip to Washington D.C. and New York City. I just found out there is now going to be a family wedding in Binghampton so now I need to include this in the trip. Origionally I thought we would fly into D.C. and then take the train to New York and back and then fly out of D.C. I am very unfamiliar with New York. Where can we go to rent a car to drive to and from Binghampton that would would not require us to have a car in the city? Thanks for any help.

There are car rental places all over the city. Once you know what hotel you'll be at you can look for the closest one. Driving in the city is NOT as difficult as people think. Traffic moves very slowly, streets are mostly one way and it's a basic square grid.

You could also rent a car at any of the airports but I'd only do that if there was a big price saving which is sometimes the case in the summer on weekends when NYers want a car to get away.

Do look into flying out of NYC, instead of training back to DC. Saves time, backtracking, and might work out better money-wise, because the train isn't very cheap.

You also might want to consider renting a car outside of NYC (or maybe taking another form of transportation to Binghampton) since NYC has the highest rental car rates, and even more so if it's a one way rental! Also, how long do you plan on spending in each place? You can easily get a flight between NYC and DC for about $120 RT. I live in NYC and travel to DC, and you can fly, take the bus or the train, all take 4 hours or less.

Unless it's too big of a hassle, I agree that you should take the train out of NYC to rent a car. You can take Metro-North to White Plains or other suburban locations and rent a car from there. In the summer, car rentals in Manhattan are around $100 per day for weekends!

You would also need to book that rental in advance. A lot of the cheaper cars sell out months before the summer, especially on a holiday weekend. I suggest flying to DC, taking Amtrak to NY (drops you right at Penn Station in the heart of the city vs landing in an airport and having to spend $40 or $50 on transport, plus another hour). Rent the car in NYC, despite the higher rate. I don't think it is practical to keep schlepping on all different modes of transportation, especially with luggage & more than 2 people. Get a Hertz rental with NeverLost system that would cover the Binghamton area. Fly home from NY, not DC and save time and yet another transit.

Here are my suggestions:

1. Get a map of New York State and see where Binghamton is in relation to NYC. (Pretty far.) www.maps.com is a good start. You have spelled it "Binghampton" in your message, but I assume you are referring to Binghamton, which is north west of the Poughkeepsie area.

2. You can fly to Binghamton from DC (Reagan Airport) non-stop on United in about an hour. You can also fly on Delta, Northwest, Continental or US Air. These flights require a connection through Detroit, Philadelphia or another city, and it would take 4-5 hours. Depending on where you are coming from, you might want to attend the wedding at the start of your vacation by flying from your home to Binghamton. You could then rent a car or take one of the options below to get to NYC, or you could fly to DC from Binghamton.

3. Speak to a family member in Binghamton about transportation options from NYC. They may be willing to drive into NYC or a suburban NY train station to pick you up, or they may recommend taking a limousine or van service from NYC to the area.

4. You can take Amtrak from NYC to Poughkeepsie and rent a car there, or your relatives may be willing to pick you up in Poughkeepsie. The train take 2 hours. The drive from there would take 1-2 hours. However, this would save you the hassle of renting and driving out of NYC and possible traffic congestion in the NYC area. The ride would be pretty, along the Hudson for parts. Take a look at Amtrak.com. You can rent from Avis in Poughkeepsie (not sure how you would get to the Avis location, maybe give them a call):

Avis
28 IBM Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY 12602
845-462-7400

5. If you do decide to drive, it would be about 3-4 hours from NYC, without traffic. I agree that driving in NYC is not difficult, but parking is expensive so rent a car the day you are leaving the city. I heartily second the recommendation that you consider taking a train to a suburban location up along the Hudson and renting a car locally, as you could probably rent much more cheaply. Talk to your relatives about this option. The ideal would be to rent in a suburban location and return to a NYC area airport, this may not be possible. The website for Avis, Hertz and Budget can give you suburban rental locations (often gas stations). Take a look at www.mta.nyc.ny.us for suburban NY state train schedules. (Click on "Metro-North" on the left column, or under "schedule" at the top; you want lines East of the Hudson)

Thank you all so much for your help. I will review and then decide. I love this board. How can anyone travel without it?