Where to stay first night
 

Hi Everyone:
We will be flying into Newark in October. On the night we arrive, I would like to stay along the coast in Connecticut. I looked at Greenwich, but the lodging was a little pricy. Also, I'm not sure how much there is to do in that area. Are there any towns along the coast that you could recommend?
Thanks.

This is te beginning of a New ENgland Trip, right> An I assume you;re renting a car since getting from Newark to Connecticiut woiukd be difficult and expensive without one.

Greenwich is a wealthy suburb of NYC, but not really a tourist destination There are probably some pricey B&Bs nearby and chain hotels there and in Stamford that cater to corporate visitors, The B&Bs would be cheaper during the week, and the hotels will be cheaper on the weekends. But in general it's not an expensive resort area so you need to let us know what you are finding that's so expensive and we'll see if we can suggest something better. But if Greenwich is seeming expensive you'll be shocked at some of the other places you plan to see especially on short notice for foliage season

While someone could certainly find stuff to do in the area, you might just want to do the overnight and then head out on the rest of your trip. It depends how late in the day you're arriving and how much driving you want to do that first day

Yes, we're renting a car around 5:00pm, so there won't be much (if any) daylight. We were hoping to pay around $100/night and we will be staying at different destinations on the coast and inland for FIFTEEN DAYS!!!
If we were to stay in Stamford, what area (streets) should we avoid? Or would we be better off to drive a couple of hours and stay at a more touristy destination?
Thanks.

Stamford is a major corporate headquarters and prices will be high. Look at Norwalk. You will not have an easy drive from EWR, lots of traffic at that rime of day. Amybe stay at EWR and startbyour drive in the morning?

I should also probably that we don't have to stay in Connecticut that first night if there is someplace around the Newark Airport that is more interest. As long as it's not too far out of the way of Highway 1.

I'm afraid that $100 is a low rate for a decent hotel in the northeast, even on weekends, Corporate hotels are more like $200 on the weekdays, and inns will be much more in any of the areas you've mentioned on your other posts. You might find some less expensive motels like Econlodge at those rates.

The chain hotels in most parts of Connecticut are on or near highways, near corporate office parks so you're not really taking about city streets . Yes, hotels in Norwalk might be a little cheaper since they aren't as close to the big corporate offices in the Stamford area.

I think you mentioned on your other thread that you just want to wing it, but I suggest you at least look at hotels in a few of the areas you're considering to see if you can fit them into your budget or if you need to rethink some things. I think it will be very tough. One possibility is to try Priceline for at least some nights that you book in advance. You'd need to do some homework in order to get good deals, and it can be time consuming so I don't recommend trying to do it last minute every day.

Also, staying near Newark is not a good idea, There's not much to see in the area and many of the hotels in your budget are not in good areas. You will have traffic getting from Newark to Connecticut no matter when you travel. I would rather do a couple hours drive after arriving and be able to leave early the next mroning to get a start on the real part of the trip. If you leave Newark Airport the morning after you arrive, you'll have just as much traffic if not more!

You need to adjust your expectation of $100.00 per night for a hotel/motel in the NorthEast.

Milford, CT, has budget motels like Holiday Inn Express and Hampton Inn, but they will be in the $135-$150 range. It is 2-3 hours east of Newark Airport and is about as far as you can expect to get after a 5 PM arrival. It will take you at least half an hour (up to an hour and a half if you are coming from abroad) to get to and pick up your car. This is not bad because the traffic will be better after 7 than it will be at 5-6.

1030 on the AM band will give you excellent traffic reports every ten minutes, if you figure out the places they are referring to. This is one of the most heavily traveled corridors in the United States, so I hope you won't be too jet-lagged. It is fortunately almost impossible to get lost. You leave the airport for I-95 north bound and stay on it until New Haven or Boston. Yes, there are better ways, but you won't know them and don't want to find them in the dark.

Since you have 15 days to tour you're not in a huge hurry. Arrival at 5 means you'd be in a rental car about 6:30. Peak rush hour in the hugely congested NJ/NY/CT area.

I would not recommend driving I95 into and then out of NYC at evening rush hour.

You could consider driving just a little bit north to the NJ/NY border and stay in a hotel there the first night. Somewhere like Mahwah, NJ, or Suffern or Nyack NY. These are not tourist destination, just suburbs/business park area with highways passing through with your range of chain hotels. That way you could get an early start the next day across the Tappan Zee bridge and take I287 straight over to the CT coast in daylight.

Agree that $100 per night in this area in leaf season is really not gong to get you anything. This will be high season and even budget motels will be more than that. Inns will be much more.

Also you seem to be thinking that you want to drive up route 1. This is NOT a good idea. This is a local road the whole way - with traffic lights, shopping centers etc and will take forever to get anywhere. And you seem to think it follows the coast line - it doesn't. This was the main highway before the major interstates were built - so it;s filled with towns. there are a few areas where you might be in sight of the water - but much of the way it's a mile or more inland and you'll be looking at nothing but row after row of strip malls and shopping centers of every town in the area.

And it is 1010 not 1030 for traffic reports. 1030 is in Boston. Sorry.

Thanks everyone. I was afraid that everyplace would be booked, so I booked a room in New Haven that first night. Was I wrong to do that? I can still cancel.

There is no right or wrong. I like to get miles under my belt on my travel day, then take it easy the rest of the trip.

Just be prepared that it'll take you a while to get to New Haven from Newark at evening rush hour. Hard to say exactly how long, but if you get your rental car at 6:30, assume you'd not arrive at your hotel until about 9 or 9:30. If there's a game at the Stadium that night you might get stuck in a tie up through the Bronx (if you went across the George Washington Bridge (GWB)).

New Haven is imo MUCH too far to go. From where are you flying in (trying to get an idea of your bodyclock and length of flight.). Why not consider heading some place on the first night by train? $100/night is not going to work in the northeast.

The time estimated above to get from EWR to New Haven - which I also think is way too far - is based on your using highways.

If you try to use Route 1 - it will take forever to get there.

Newark to New Haven is too far!

Try Cos Cob.

http://www.coscobinn.com/firstmates.html

Newark to New Haven is too far!

Try Cos Cob, CT.

http://www.coscobinn.com/firstmates.html

Lol, sorry for the duplicate post!

Sorry -

Not sure where you have booked - but there are areas of New Haven that are not particularly pleasant. OK I guess if you park right at the motel, go inside and stay off the streets. But there are definitely areas of the city that are less pleasant. Have you looked at hotel reviews on tripadvisor?