Strategically, I would normally try to stay as close to campus as possible, to soak up the adjacent area + minimize transportation issues before the tour. Not sure if a hotel in the Bronx is ideal, though…
Manhattan would be “more fun” than the Bronx, but it is much more expensive. I don’t know how safe the hotels in the Bronx are.
We tour Fordham on a Saturday morning, SLC on a Monday morning, then immediately start the long drive home.
If we stay in Manhattan, are we setting ourselves up for failure, re: making the tours on time? If we stay near one or more colleges, would we soak up more atmosphere, or be stranded? The nearest hotel to SLC appears to be in Yonkers…
I’m also on the fence as to how much to make the trip about the schools vs how much general fun to throw in.
This is tricky - because you’re not just staying for the night.
Frankly, hotel choices in the Bronx can be hit&miss - very much depends on how lucky you are with your room and how “flexible” you are with your expectations (although safety would not be a big worry for me). One problem is lack of available parking, no matter WHAT they promise.
Given that you’ll be exploring NYC on Sat afternoon (maybe Zoo or Botanical Garden if you’re already next door?) and all day Sunday, you will have more choices/consistent results in Manhattan. If you take a look at the subway map, you could plan a hotel near the same lines that go up to Fordham on Saturday.
And on Monday you’ll just have to plan to get an early start to get out of the city for Sarah Lawrence.
Many people choose to stay in Manhattan near Grand Central Terminal and commute up to Rose Hill on the North Metro (takes about 20-30 minutes) for the tour. Then after the tour spend the day in the Bronx around the campus; eating on Arthur Ave, visiting the botanical gardens etc, before returning to Manhattan. You might also take the opportunity to swing by the Fordham Lincoln Center campus, as many Rose Hill students take classes there at some point.
Another option would be to stay in Yonkers the whole time, driving down for Rose Hill and up for SLC.
I was also going to recommend staying near Grand Central Station in Manhattan. You can take Metro North to both Fordham and Bronxville (for Sarah Lawrence). Metro North runs on a schedule so you should be able to plan things out in advance and get to the tours on a timely basis.
If you prefer to stay in lower Westchester (ex. White Plains) you can rent a car and drive to both schools.
We stayed close to Times Square and took the train to the Bronx from Grand Central. Pretty easy. We also took the Ram shuttle to Lincoln Center Campus and back to Rose Hill. Lunch in Little Italy was great.
If you are ultimately driving home from SLC after your visit in your own car, then the suburban hotel options are likely a better bet than taking your car to a hotel in Manhattan.
The drive out of the City to SLC on Monday am will likely take longer than you think.
New Haven and Harlem line Metro North train lines both stop at Fordham, so you can look at places on those lines.
New Haven line - New Rochelle, Rye & Greenwich the best likely options for a hotel.
Harlem line - White Plains
If you are touring Rose Hill on Saturday am, try Arthur Avenue for lunch afterwards. If you are an old school “red sauce” Italian restaurant fan, no place better than Dominick’s. Just be prepared, no menus and no bill at the end of the meal. They tell you how much you owe and cash only. The phrase to remember to ask your waiter is “what’s good today?”
There really isn’t any Amtrak service in the NY metro area other than Penn Station in Manhattan or Stamford. A handful of Amtrak regional trains stop in New Rochelle and the trains to Albany and beyond stop in Poughkeepsie.
Metro North to Bronxville is very doable. A 30-35 minute trip from Grand Central. Round trip off peak ticket about $20 per person.
Metro North has a new Train Time app that has all kinds of info. You can plan your trip in advance and buy tickets on it.
Sorry I wasn’t clear! We’d take Amtrak from our state to Penn station, get ourselves to a hotel, then take Metro North on the appointed date to the schools.
Yes - feasible to get to both Fordham and Bronxville via Metro North from Grand Central.
Just as an FYI - Grand Central (Metro North service) is located at 42nd & Park. Penn Station/Moynihan Train Hall (Amtrak Service) located at 34th & 8th.
Follow up - we stayed at Grand Hyatt right beside Grand Central and took Metro North to each school. We got breakfast downstairs at the hotel market shop, then zipped in for the tours.
Hi- I toured both the Manhattan and Rose Hill Fordham campuses last year and I would recommend staying in the city. You can take the subway to the rose hill campus easily so I wouldn’t worry about being late etc. When I was there, I also looked at NYU and Columbia since its so easy to see a lot of schools as they are all close by. My mom and I were able to make it a fun trip as well and went to a broadway show and went shopping. While the campus of the rose hill location was beautiful, the neighborhood did turn me away a bit, so definitely something to consider.
If you are a NY style pizza fan visiting Rose Hill, you have to stop at Pugsley’s on E. 191st right across the street from Walsh Hall. Sal the owner is a character. His original shop in the 80s was at 194th & Valentine and he’s still going strong. Ask to ring the gong.
I think under the circumstances, I would do everything the same - except - note that the Fordham bookstore closed earlier than I expected. We arrived at 2:17pm, 17 minutes past closing time that day. D24 absolutely fell in love with the school and was bummed she couldn’t get a sweatshirt!