4 Day Visit to the Northeast....NEED HELP!

Parents Forum
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<p>Hi Everyone...</p>

<p>We are taking our daughter up to Brown for the summer program and she has to be there on June 21. We are leaving on June 16, flying into Boston. She wants to see Harvard again and wants to see Princeton. Our younger daughter wants to see a show in NYC. The only travel arrangements we have made is the airline tickets. We really only have Wed, Thurs, Fri, & Sat...so maybe it all too much. I hate to leave younger daughter's wishes on the side, but the purpose of this trip was to visit colleges...and then the NYC visit came up. I am pretty clueless to time distance between NE cities. They look close on the map, but I am smart enough to know that is not life..lol. We are open to renting a car (maybe a nightmare in NYC) and we would love to take some trains...but it seems so confusing I have become a bit overwhelmed. Anyone familiar with that area willing to share some tips so I can start getting some arrangements underway? My husband thinks it is important for older D to see if she like traveling by train, public transportation, etc before deciding on "big city schools."</p>

<p>Thanks...CS</p>

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<p>My opinion: no show in NYC this trip. You could do it but I think it would be very hard to fit in with Harvard, Princeton, eating, and sleeping. </p>

<p>See something non-college related but cool in the Boston area - maybe let your younger daughter help choose - and save NYC for another trip.</p>

<p>some ideas:
[Mystery</a> Cafe presents The Mobfather - Boston.com](<a href=“http://calendar.boston.com/boston-ma/events/show/86786625-mystery-cafe-presents-the-mobfather]Mystery”>http://calendar.boston.com/boston-ma/events/show/86786625-mystery-cafe-presents-the-mobfather)
[Segway</a> tours of the Freedom Trail](<a href=“http://www.segwaygolfconnection.com/boston.html]Segway”>http://www.segwaygolfconnection.com/boston.html)
[Boston</a> Red Sox vs. Atlanta Braves Tickets at Fenway Park](<a href=“http://calendar.boston.com/boston-ma/events/show/86731856-boston-red-sox-vs-atlanta-braves]Boston”>http://calendar.boston.com/boston-ma/events/show/86731856-boston-red-sox-vs-atlanta-braves)
[New</a> England Aquarium whale watch](<a href=“http://www.neaq.org/visit_planning/whale_watch/index.php]New”>http://www.neaq.org/visit_planning/whale_watch/index.php)</p>

<p>Use whatever transportation is most convenient for your family.</p>

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<p>There’s also a lot of theater going on in Boston.</p>

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<p>Is it possible to rent a car and stay in a hotel “outside” NYC that is a bit more driver friendly and then take a train into the city for a day trip? If yes, what would be the best city to that in. Older daughter would like to see Columbia although as a college choice, it is one I am personally against, so I admit I selfishly don’t want to go for that reason…lol. But we don’t mind pushing it hard…it is how we live…work hard, play hard…</p>

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<p>This is totally doable but I would see if you can switch your ticket to fly into NY and out of Boston. If Manhattan hotel prices are doable I’d stay in Manhattan the first 2 nights. I’d take the train to Princeton the morning after you arrive and take in the show that evening. Rent a car and drive to Boston the next day to see Harvard, overnight there and then on to RI the following day. NYC to Boston is the longest haul at about 2 and one-half hours. Not a bad trip at all.</p>

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<p>Depends what time you are flying in to Boston. It should be possible to do it all if you rent a car, have a GPS, avoid rush hours, and generally plan out your travel beforehand so you don’t waste time getting lost. Keep a lot of quarters with you and/or be willing to pay a lot for parking everywhere. Good luck!</p>

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<p>It is tight but you can definitely do all that in 4 days. NYC is about 4 hours drive from Boston and Princeton is about 1 hour drive south of NYC barring bad traffic. Here’s what I would do. Since you are already in Boston on Tuesday, I would book a hotel room, rent a car and visit Harvard on Wed. Drive down to Princeton after you are done with Harvard in the afternoon, and book a hotel somewhere in Princeton. It takes about 5+ hours from Boston and try to drive around NYC if you can. I always take Tappen Zee Bridge to Garden State Parkway and avoid the city. Traffic could be nightmarish if you follow what most GPS suggest and go into the city and take George Washington Bridge. The distance is longer but you will save a lot of time especially around rush hour. Visit Princeton on Thursday and you can drive into the city that same afternoon. If you can rent a car one way and able to ditch the car somewhere in the city would really be good. Book hotel for Thurs and Friday night in NYC. Do whatever you want to do in NYC until Saturday when you can catch a train from NYC back to Boston. You probably need to rent a car again to drive to Brown in Providence which is about 1 hour drive from Boston on Sunday.</p>

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<p>I agree with ttparent about the route from Boston to Princeton. Avoid I-95 and avoid the GWB. One way to do it is to go west, then get on I-84, past Hartford, then go down via Brewster to I-287W to Tappan Zee bridge.</p>

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<p>Yes, staying outside of NYC is a good option, you save a lot in hotel cost and parking is usually free in the suburb. For example you can stay somewhere in Westchester county and take the train or bus into the city. Also on weekend, it is much easier to drive into the city and there are a lot of parking lots where you can park all day for a very reasonable price on weekend. Use taxi while in the city and take the car back when you are done. There is a website that shows you all the parking lots and price in the city (nycbestparking.com). I would not drive into the city on weekdays but weekend is quite doable. Personally, I would rent the car for the whole time and not use the train. Car gives you a lot of flexibility and is less costly than train for a big family.</p>

<p>Edit: you definitely need a GPS if you are driving. Buy any reasonably priced portable GPS if you don’t have one, it is well worth it for something like this.</p>

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<p>VicariousParent suggested the best route from Boston to NY. You can stay on 287 south to 206 to Princeton but I’d give it more than 5 hours. I agree w/ those who say try to make it 2 separate trips or fly into NY and out of Logan.</p>

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<p>Posts # 7 and 8 have the best advice (and other posters are right on as well). Remember that rush hour is often 2 hours long or so, anywhere around NYC or around Boston as well. 4–7 Pm, anywhere in there can be terrible. And on the weekends everyone is leaving NYC for everywhere, or going from Boston out and up to Maine and wherever. Just have a lot of snacks in the car. I would also vote for the train for some of those legs–it really is not THAT much more convenient to have a car, and time for us Americans to start thinking and living like Europeans, taking public transportation. </p>

<p>If you have any interest, stop and see Yale, easy by train or car if you are on 95 and going between Brown and NYC. Half a mile off the highway, or less, a 15 minute walk from the train station, New Haven has a gorgeous New England Green and the freshman part of Yale (as well as much of the rest of it) is contiguous to the Green. It is gorgeous this time of year–fit another college in, why not?</p>

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<p>DO NOT rent a car to visit Harvard. There’s nowhere to park it, and driving in Cambridge is not for newbies. You’ll see what I mean when you get there. Harvard has it’s own stop on the red line - take the T from Logan Airport or from your hotel to the campus, then go back to rent a car at the airport or in town. Time your approach to NYC carefully - if you’re going thru Connecticut in mid-afternoon, you’re likely to be sitting still on I-95 and may not get anywhere near the city by nightfall.</p>

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<p>Wed: Enjoy Harvard and stay overnight there.
Thu: Rent a car, drive down to New Haven in the morning and drop the car(2hr-). Have a tour at the Yale. Take the New Haven Line train into the City(1hr+). Enjoy a show.
Fri: Take the train to Princeton(1hr). And enjoy another show at the City.
Sat: Take the train to New Haven. Rent a car, drive back to Boston and drop your daughter at Brown on the way. </p>

<p>No need of GPS. No stress of driving around the City. </p>

<p>If you can fly into the City and out of Boston as hmom5 suggests, you have more time at colleges.</p>

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<p>How about if you leave visiting Princeton until you pick your daughter up from Brown? Seeing it in August isn’t that much different than seeing it in June - classes are out anyway and kids are gone. That way you can do NY and get back to Boston with a lot less stress.</p>

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<p>Let me see if I can confuse you some more. It’s cheaper, I’ve found, to fly into Philadelphia rather than NY. It’s an easy drive from the Philly airport to Princeton. From there, you can drive anywhere and the scenery will be prettier than starting from any of the NY area airports. It is, though, longer in miles. My H had business to do in the Princeton area for a few years and we were always struck by how much better the trip was coming from PA instead of NJ/NY both in terms of $ and stress.</p>

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<p>Having spent many years driving from NJ to Mass, I would not be too jazzed to include Princeton in this trip. Traffic can be brutal, even if you do choose to stay off I95 and take the Tappan Zee…it isn’t a stretch to assume you will spend a lot of your time stuck in traffic snarls ( I have lived in NYC, Mass and NJ )
You don’t have a lot of time. If it was my family on this trip, I would concentrate on Boston and Brown and leave the rest for another time. There are plenty of things to do in Boston , including theatre. You can take the MBTA train right down to Providence for about $12 per person, so you could skip the car rental if you choose.
Hotels are a bit more affordable in Boston and just outside too.</p>

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<p>If you want your daughter to experience public transportation, prices on Amtrak can be quite inexpensive if you book in advance. Our family has been using Bolt buses from NYC to Boston and there is also a line between NYC and Phillie. Cost is $20, with guaranteed seating if you book online (then print out your ticket).</p>

<p>If you are doing Princeton, why not stay in NJ, see Princeton, then drive or take train or bus to Boston/Cambridge. Brown is only 45 minutes south from Boston on a good traffic day.</p>

<p>The NYC show sounds fun, but will complicate matters. I agree with a previous poster that there are some good shows in Boston, or Cambridge, and going to those would have the added appeal of giving your college-seeking daughter more of an exposure to the area.</p>

<p>Rushing around on these trips is unpleasant. I would try to make things simple and leisurely.</p>

<p>In Cambridge, you could either stay at a hotel in the Square area (Harvard Hotel, Sheraton Commander, Charles) or a bed and breakfast (check out the Irving House and their other two b & b’s, forget the names but they are all on the same site).</p>

<p>I think you might remind your daughter that a whole different set of people are in the Harvard area in the summer, and it is not really typical of the vibe. Same would be true at Princeton or Yale.</p>

<p>It may not be possible, but visiting these schools while in session, to get the vibe, and visiting classes, can really make a difference. I’m sure you know this, and since you will be on the East Coast, visiting makes sense, but there is a danger of your daughter misjudging a bit.</p>

<p>Have fun!</p>

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<p>Certainly. I like HMom’s itinerary but would stay on the outskirts, not in Manhattan.</p>

<p>I’ve had enjoyable stays in the Jersey City Hyatt and the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott.
Both these hotels are right on the outskirts of Manhattan with easy train access. Connecting by car between Jersey City and elsewhere in NJ (or Philadelphia) is straightforward. Connecting between Brooklyn and points in New England is a little less so, but still manageable. </p>

<p>My preference would be to make Jersey City your first staging area for Princeton and NYC, then depart from there by car or train for a second staging area in Boston/Cambridge (or Providence). The Cambridge Marriott Residence Inn is a good option for an entire family. </p>

<p>Imagine, (best Lisa Simpson voice), you’ll be traveling through the heart of America’s pedagogical Holy Land. Wear your mortar boards on the car drives, your kids will just love that. Be awe-struck, be reverent, have fun.</p>

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<p>Flatland sounds like someone who knows the terrain. I like his/her concept of car rental between the cities and trains/subways into the cities.</p>

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<p>Lots of construction right now on 95 in Ct, so if you decide to travel between Brown and Princeton via a stop at Yale, take the Merritt / William Cross parkways between Yale and the GW bridge and not 95. We just picked S2 up from Yale on Tuesday, left New Haven at 2 and drove to see S1 at Princeton and traffic was heavy, but not too bad. We don’t find that going north to the TZ bridge saves any time, even later in the day. </p>

<p>If you’re driving, invest in an EZPass. It’s worth every penny!!!</p>