NYC For The Day
 

My sister and I, and her daughter, are planning on spending a week in Connecticut in May. My niece is in her 50's and my sister and I are 62 and above. We'd like to spend 1 day in NYC, going to Ground Zero and the Statue of Liberty, Any suggestions on how to get there and back, from Danbury Connecticut, in 1 day? We'd like to use the train but have no clue as to how to do it. We will have to leave our rental car in Danbury. We are unwilling to drive all the way in. So we thought the train would be a good alternative. Any thoughts or suggestions?

There are limited trains from Danbury to Grand Central. (see URL below)

And if you go to the Statue and the World Trade Museum, that will take all day and you need to reserve tickets for both.
The trip by train each way will take about 2 hours.

To rent a car and park in Manhattan costs a small fortune and can be inconvenient.

http://as0.mta.info/mnr/schedules/sched_form.cfm

If you would be willing to drive 45 minutes or so to Greenwich you could use Metro North to the city which has lots of trains.

Have you looked into taking a bus to/from the Port Authority?

Consider taking Interstate 84 to Beacon, NY and taking the Metro North train from there. A much easier drive than Greenwich.

The problem with driving to other MetroNorth stations is whether you can get a metered spot as most spots are assigned to daily commuters. Saturday and Sunday are much easier to get spots

The closest and best other station for you is Southeast, more trains. It is approximately 15 minutes from Danbury and right off Route 84.

There are buses from Danbury but they are once an hour and the traffic can be brutal. They also take from 90 minutes to two hours,

>>There are buses from Danbury but they are once an hour <<

That's a bad thing?

>> the traffic can be brutal<<

How is a passenger affected by that?

>>They also take from 90 minutes to two hours,<<

That's a bad thing? Wouldn't the train from Danbury take an hour, plus drive time?

Driving from Danbury to the Southeast station to take MetroNorth is exactly what many commuters to NYC do every day. The station is reached easily from Route 84 and the parking lot is large. Trains from Southeast are much more frequent than from Danbury or other points north.

MetroNorth will take you to Grand Central Station in midtown (42nd St and Park Ave).

At Grand Central, you can take the subway--the 4 or 5 train--to Bowling Green. This stop is right at the northeast corner of Battery Park, from where you can see or get a ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty. If you plan to take a ferry to the statue, book tickets ahead of time.

Or you can walk south along State Street to the Staten Island Ferry terminal and take the free ferry across the harbor and back--trip 1-1.5 hours.

From Battery Park, you can walk north on West Street to the 9/11 Memorial, or walk north through the series of parks along the Hudson River and then walk through the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place and cross West Street to the memorial.

Walking a little east and north from the memorial, you can visit St Paul's Chapel, George Washington's church and a place where 9/11 rescue workers rested. Just north on Broadway from there is City Hall. The entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge is across the street from City Hall. Right there by the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge under the arches of the Municipal Building, you can catch a 4, 5, or 6 train north to Grand Central station.

Thank You, SO SOOO much for all of your replies. This helps a lot! I'll let you know how it goes for us, when we return from our trip.

Since you only have one day in the city, I'd stay in a hotel for the night before or after (or both). It's going to take 2-3 hours each way from Danbury. Your wish list is at the far south if the city so you'll need to take the subway down to the Statue of Liberty from Grand Central - the 5 train goes to Bowling Green. Don't stay on too long, you'll wind up in Brooklyn and have to double back. Then walk north to the World Trade Center (no longer Ground Zero). Then walk by Chelsea Piers to the Highline for a very pleasant walk. Stop when you're tired. Chelsea Market is a good stop for shopping, food, rest rooms. It's one of my favorite NYC days. If you can fit in Governors Island, if it's open yet, It's a great way to spend a few hours. In the city yet so far away.

You can park in a private lot at most Metro a North train stations for $8 for the day.

I'd also recommend driving from Danbury to another station. I don't know the parking situation in Brewster, but the train schedule from there into Grand Central is more favorable. There are trains every half-hour in the mornings, and they take about 90 minutes. But there's also a shuttle from Danbury to Brewster.

If you wish to visit both the 9/11 Memorial and the Statue of Liberty, then be sure to reserve your ferry time for the statue far in advance. It is already too late in all likelihood to get a crown ticket, but you may still be able to get into the base.

Having that timed ticket will let you know how much additional time you'll have to do the rest of your intended visit. A visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island takes at least 3 to 4 hours if you want to see any of the museum. I'd add an additional hour for time to check in, pick up your tickets, and get through security before your ferry time. If you don't buy your timed tickets in advance, then you will have to add a minimum of 2 hours of waiting and possibly longer.

The 9/11 Memorial is a plaza open to the public, but you'll need a separate timed ticket if you wish to visit the museum, and you'll need to allow at least 2 or 3 hours for that. As you can see this is a long day, but it's doable if you plan carefully. There are trains back to Brewster or Southeast until after 9pm.

During the week, the last train from Grand Central to Southeast is at 2 AM.

Unless things have changed at Brewster station, parking is chaotic. And at Southeast, during the week, 99% of the spots are for monthly vehicles and the daily slots go early.

Southeast is one stop north of Brewster--it used to be called Brewster North--and has the same schedule as Brewster.