Up The Hudson River ... From California
 

I would appreciate information about the logistics of flying East (JFK?), taking a train to some village/town on the Hudson, renting a car and exploring the Woodstock, western MA area. I really wanted to avoid getting anywhere close to driving in the New York City area and thought that I could possibly get to Grand Central Station (how?), get a train (how?) and get off at beautiful area (where?) , stay at a lovely B&B or spa for a couple of days and then rent a car to leisurely explore the area ... two week total. I don't know this area at all and would really appreciate ideas and information.

The regular bus service from JFK stops at Grand Central. From there, I would recommend a train on the Poughkeepsie-bound Metro North Hudson line to Cold Spring or Beacon. I'm not sure about car rental availability in those two towns. If none is available, then you have to option to take the train to the end of the line in Poughkeepsie, where I'm sure there must be car rental companies. There is at least one Poughkeepsie-bound train an hour.

I can't give you any recommendations for B&Bs or spas up there, but there probably would B&Bs in that area in Cold Spring, Beacon and other village in the area such as Hyde Park and Rhinebeck.

The area is a good central point for exploring the Hudson Valley in New York and the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts. And there certainly is more than enough to see in those two areas over a two-week period.

If you let us know what your interests are, we can get back to you will relevant suggestions of where to go and what to see.

JFK , think you can connect via LIRR to Penn Station..someone else can help with that part, then north
on Amtrak. Several choices of where to get off and rent your car. Train ride along rhe Hudson is beautiful.

Fly to Buffalo. Rent a car there and see Niagara Falls. Bring your passport so that you can go into Canada.
Return the car and then take the Amtrak Lake Shore Limited from Buffalo as far as Albany and go from there. There is no need to go into NYC unless you really want to.

Buffalo is not a valid option for someone wanting to view the Hudson Valley and Western Massachusetts!
I think you're much better off taking the Metro North train from Grand Central rather than Amtrak from Penn Station. (It's also a lot cheaper!)
One key question: What time of the year is this trip planned for?

Flying to Buffalo would be yet another plane change for me .. just a small something I try to avoid if at all possible. I am confused about the train service. Is the Poughkeepsie-bound Merto the same as Amtrack? One from Penn and one from Grand Central? Different routes? Which is better from a tourist point of view? Anyone with recommendations on good B&Bs/Spas? Interests are wide and varied; love both country and city, five star or no star. I rather prefer staying on one place for three or four days than running around every day. I would be interested in a good spa for two days of travel detox and relaxation. But I realize that my time (October) is very popular in that region and availability may be a great issue. I am also exploring the option of renting a small house or apartment for a week in the general area.

MetroNorth Is the commuter train that leaves from Grand Central and heads north (on the Poughkeepsie line). It also goes to Connecticut, but that's not where you're headed. Amtrak is a different train service altogether, more expensive, designed for longer trips (as opposed to commuting). It leaves from Penn Station, and while it may go where you're headed, there is no need for you to spend the extra money it would cost.

This is my thread from last year. We didn't have the luxury of 2 weeks that you have, but there are a few posts that will give you a great idea of how much there is to see and do.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...y-262177-2.cfm

No Amtrak is long distance train service all across the county and quite expensive.

MetroNorth is commuter service in the NY Metro area - but takes you fairly far up the Hudson - certainly to quite a few cute towns - although I'm not sure the best place to rent a car. It's best to take the air port bus direct to Grand Central - where you can pick up Metro North trains.

IMHO flying to Buffalo to visit the Hudson Valley makes no sense at all. It's just that Tom is obsessed by Amtrak and tries to find a way to fit it into every possible trip - even if it's not a good option.

What you do need to know is that once you head into the Hudson valley there is really no public transit - except train into and out of the City. You will need to rent a car as soon as you arrive to reach B&Bs, restaurants and sights.

You could fly to Stewart-Newburg or White Plains airports and be right on the Hudson--no NYC stressing involved.

There are a number of car rental agencies near Beacon, New Hamburg (Fishkill), and Poughkeepsie. Years ago the car rental in Fishkill met us at the New Hamburg station and we rented a car from there. I would call the area rental agencies to check on this service.

Amtrak to Poughkeepsie costs $25, has fewer trains, takes an hour or so, and departs from NY Penn Station
MetroNorth to Poughkeepsie costs $17-$23 based on time of day, has hourly trains, takes 1.5 hours and departs from Grand Central Terminal.

Other airport options:

Fly to Albany, rent a car from the airport, and drive south from there
OR
Fly to Newark, rent a car from the airport, and drive north from there. You will skirt the metro NYC area for the first hour of the drive and then be clear.
OR
Fly to Newark, take the AirTrain and NJ Transit to NY Penn Station, and take Amtrak to Poughkeepsie (the extra cost is worth it to not take a taxi to Grand Central), and rent a car.
OR
Fly to Newark, take the airporter bus to Grand Central, and take MetroNorth to Poughkeepsie (the extra cost is worth it to not take a taxi to Grand Central), and rent a car.

I just realized that you actually have an easier option from JFK: Rent a car there! You pretty much avoid the city when driving from there to the Hudson Valley. It's simple: Go over the Bronx Whitestone Bridge and stay on the Hutchison River Parkway until you get to the Route 287 (the Cross-Westchester Parkway) and follow that. From there you have several choices of going along the Hudson from either side of the river. It'll certainly save you time and be a much easier trip to your destination.



As for flying into another airport, I would assume that your flight from California to JFK is nonstop. I don't think there are any nonstops to either Albany of Stewart

IMHO, the time you'd save by not having to change planes would be offset by the time you'd spend driving from JFK to the Hudson Valley.

What about flying into Bradley in Conn., renting a car there and driving through western MA and on to Hudson River Valley? I think that is about 70 miles to Rhinebeck. I dont think there are any nonstops between SFO and Bradley and i would probably have to change in Chicago Any pros/cons? Any suggestions as to what to see or where to stay? Spas?

Usually flying to Bradley is expensive and there are less options.

Metro North owns some of the tracks that Amtrak runs on. That is why the Acela cannot run high speed until after New Heaven.

The Lake Shore Limited train that I mentioned has stops in Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and Springfield MA.
The reason I suggested Buffalo was solely because it is close to Niagara Falls which I consider a better attraction than the Hudson Valley. I choose to avoid the whole ugly mess of New York City.
There are lots better places for leaf-peeping in the fall.
The other eastern airports that have Amtrak stations attached to them are BWI and EWR (Newark).

Tom, Tom, Tom

The Hudson Valley and the Berkshires are much more varied, historic, beautiful, and interesting than Niagara Falls.

Your train has left the station.

First of all - NYC is not an "ugly mess" but one of the greatest cities in the world. About 100 times more worth seeing than some falling water.

However, that is immaterial.

The OP said they wanted to visit the Hudson Valley - which is both gorgeous and fascinating. (Have you even heard of the Hudson River school???) Why not give them information about seeing what they want?

Another disagreement with the inane critical comments about the Hudson Valley and the NYC area in general. I assume that the poster has no worthwhile experiences in the area.

Meanwhile, back to the original poster.....You still haven't responded to my two questions: 1. What are your interests? 2. When will you be coming here?

From tomorrow's NY Times Travel Section.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/07/28...tml?ref=travel

And NYC is one big mess and that is way I love it. It is an excellent barrier for people with OCD, Tom.