<p>I hate, hate, hate the Tappan Zee bridge, they’ve got new metal plates covering the holes which are supposedly better than the old ones, but I never use it unless the alternatives make no sense at all. We were on the GW bridge at 6 pm on Tues going north (or east) and traffic was fine it was fine on Monday morning going south as well. I agree EZ pass will save loads of time at the tolls.</p>
<p>Going to Boston from northern NJ on 287 I prefer to stay north on the NYS Thruway to the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge and connect with I 84. The driving distance is a few miles longer but you avoid the Tappan Zee Bridge and the Cross Westchester Expressway. I’ve been doing that for years. </p>
<p>I still think OP should consider not combining Princeton visit with Brown. Appreciate each school for what it offers and do them at the beginning and end of the summer program.</p>
<p>I agree with the EZ Pass suggestion. Every time I use mine I am SO appreciative of time saved at the tollbooths.</p>
<p>I agree with all of post number 22…avoid the Tappan Zee altogether by going to Newburgh. It’s really an easier trip. </p>
<p>I agree that adding Princeton to this leg of the trip will be a stretch. It’s only a four day trip, and you really want to give each of these schools a good “look see”, not a look when everyone is tired of traveling in the car (or on the train or plane). </p>
<p>In addition, I do appreciate that the younger sib wants to do “something” that is not college related…but really, there are PLENTY of things to do in Boston. Jersey Boys will be at the Shubert this summer end of July/beginning of August and it is terrific.</p>
<p>Another thought is to skip Boston entirely, and concentrate on Princeton, Yale (or other, non-reachy schools). While she is at Brown for the summer, couldn’t she take the train up to Boston and check out Harvard and other Boston schools? The Providence train station is an easy walking distance from campus, and the commuter line costs less than $10 between Providence and Boston.</p>
<p>While theater in Boston is great, there really is nothing like Broadway.</p>
<p>If you do decide to skip a NYC show (and I don’t think the hassle of a detour to NYC is worth the trouble for a show), see the Blue Man Group in Boston. Very entertaining, not remotely educational, younger daughter will love you for it and older daughter will benefit from enjoying some total silliness before plunging into her summer program.</p>
<p>You can’t count on traffic (or road construction), so the time estimates are a bit random. The average may be 5 or some more, but for you a big delay can mess everything up. I agree, forget NY, do it another time, lots in Boston.</p>
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<p>As most kids live on campus (at least the first year) or find apartments close enough that they can walk to classes from - this doesn’t seem pertinent to me. </p>
<p>Overall, there have been some good suggestions, particularly the part about not overdoing things. Nothing ruins a good time like the stress around a tight schedule, with little time to chill. </p>
<p>If you can change your tickets without a major expense, I’d fly into Philly or Newark, N.J. rent a car and see Princeton, do NYC, Yale, Harvard and end up in Providence and fly out of Providence. If changing your tickets is not a reasonable option for you, I would have fun in the Boston area, see local colleges of interest and call it a trip. Going down to Princeton only to go back to Boston makes little sense to me. It’s a day down and a day back and both ways fighting traffic in the tri-state area.</p>
<p>Don’t know which program she’s doing, but if she’s there for longer than a week, then she’ll have several opportunities to go up to Boston to visit—either on the scheduled field trips with bus transportation just for the Summer@Brown students on some of the weekends, or just with a couple friends on the commuter rail. Boston and back on the same day is very doable as a fun day-trip over the summer.</p>
<p>You are visiting lots of my haunts and I would advise taking the train if you can. I have lived in NJ, Manhattan, Princeton and Cambridge, traveled from Cambridge to NJ and NJ to Princeton, Princeton to NY, Cambridge to Providence many times and to New Haven a number of times. I would consider taking the train everywhere. It may be a little longer, but there will be little stress. You can take Amtrak from Boston to Providence, Providence to New Haven, New Haven to NY (all these are Amtrak’s core route and you can even take the Acela Express, though this is only worth it if you are doing the whole trip). You can take a train from NY to Princeton Junction and the “dinky” to Princeton or a bus to Princeton from Grand Central. There’s really nothing to be gained by driving except stress. Cars are unhelpful in all the locations you are visiting.</p>
<p>compmom’s point is valid. Harvard and Brown do summer sessions. Lots of giggling HS students in Harvard Yard during its summer session. I don’t know if Princeton has such a session, but when I was there, the summer was just folks doing research – some undergrads but largely grad students. Not sure about Yale. Generally, you won’t get a feel of the student body. Visiting during the year would be ideal, but you will get a feel about the type of campus, approach to education, etc. The schools you are looking at are different.</p>
<p>Oh and theater in Boston? Discretion is the better part of valor. I go to NY for theater unless we are supporting our local HS kids. Some Boston theater is mediocre, some is bad, and some is terrible. I can only think of one terrific performance over many years, though I now go so infrequently as to be a bad judge. There are better things to do in Boston. Walk the freedom trail, go to the Mount Auburn cemetery, watch the street performers in Harvard Square, go to Herrell’s for ice cream, etc.</p>
<p>I think we have decided to take Princeton off the trip. This way we can focus on some other LAC that we might not want to be a “destination” visit, like Princeton will be. Since it is currently her top choice, it probably deserves an “in-session” visit, so we will do a four day in the fall or maybe better the winter so this warm weather bird can see the winter Northeast!</p>
<p>good idea. There are plenty of LACs in Massachusetts and Connecticut that are worth seeing.</p>
<p>Also a good idea to visit the northeast in the winter…if that is not the climate you’re used to. I would suggest February. If she likes the dreary atmosphere in February, she’ll like it ANYTIME.</p>