<p>Parents Forum advice has been incredibly valuable in planning our Princeton and Columbia visits, so here I go again...</p>
<p>Our primary objective on this whirlwind tour is to visit strong academic schools that have Division I fencing programs. To the extent possible, we would also like to get a couple of quick looks at some good LACs.</p>
<p>Here's the preliminary itinerary:</p>
<p>Day 1 - Arrive Boston, visit Harvard, drive to Providence
Day 2 - Visit Brown, drive to New Haven
Day 3 - Visit Yale, fly, drive, or take a train to Philadelphia
Day 4 - Visit UPenn and Haverford
Day 5 - Fly home</p>
<p>I'm pretty unfamiliar with travel in the northeast, and would really appreciate any logistical advice, for example places to stay, best time of day to drive particular routes, best mode of transportation from New Haven to Philadelphia, etc. </p>
<p>Would the traffic patterns be better if we reversed the trip, beginning in Philadelphia?</p>
<p>Also, suggestions of other colleges to visit along this route would be great.</p>
<p>I can't really help too much, but I drove from Philly to Boston and back to look at schools. The one thing I can say is flying from Yale to Philly is not worth it. I remember it being around a 3 1/2 hour drive, or somewhere in that area. If it's possible, I would definitely do that in a car. You'll drive right past NYC too which is cool if you've never seen it before.</p>
<p>You can easily take trains the whole way instead of driving and that might be good if the kid won't have a car in college. I have been in way more traffic jams going from Philly to Boston, so your way sounds good! Tufts, Wesleyan and Swarthmore aren't too far out of the way. Not sure if you have a girl or boy, if girl look at Wellesley and Bryn Mawr.</p>
<p>The New Haven to Philadelphia leg is much better done by train (Amtrak) or car than by flying. It's about 3 hours by train and 4 by car, depending on the traffic. In fact, you can do the whole trip via Amtrak, although in the end that will probably be more expensive than renting a car. </p>
<p>As for traffic patterns, it doesn't matter which direction you go, but it helps if you're not travelling on major highways during rush hour: the congestion on certain roads can be monumental. My best advice for that last leg is to take Rte. 15 (the Merritt Parkway) rather than I-95 for much of the way in CT.</p>
<p>I agree that Amtrak is your friend here. I was at Harvard when my best friend was at Penn; I took the train to visit her, and the train was practically designed to be a college tour. Went from Harvard, Brown, and Yale through Columbia and Princeton and on to Penn and Georgetown.</p>
<p>What time of year were you planning to do this? If during the winter, I would definitely consider Amtrak, with either public transportation (Boston), cabs (definitely New Haven and possibly Philadelphia and Providence) or rental cars (possibly Haverford--I believe there's a train to Swarthmore) for local transportation. </p>
<p>At other times of the year, I would still definitely take a train from New Haven to Philadelphia, at the very least. When you consider the amount of time it takes to get to and from--not to mention through--airports, it makes more sense than flying.</p>
<p>Be aware that the cost of Amtrak trains can vary WIDELY, and that they do sell out, especially the more reasonably-priced ones. You can buy tickets online, and it is wise to do so. This summer, I checked availability on a train from Boston to Norwalk, CT. No problem. By the time I got to South Station in Boston a couple of hours later, ALL of the regular trains were sold out for the entire day and I had to buy a ticket that cost over $100 and get off in New Haven instead, which wasn't wildly convenient for those meeting me. (That said, it was a very nice train. <g>)</g></p>
<p>In fact, Amtrak has a deal for students doing college trips with their parents, but I'm not sure if it applies after December. You'll probably need to call Amtrak to find out, but here's the deal: Campus</a> Visit -- Amtrak 2 for 1 Deal</p>
<p>And there are commuter trains from Philadelphia to both Haverford and Swarthmore.</p>
<p>Everything takes longer in winter, so as it is, the itinerary seems tight to me.
But if there was more time, I would suggest visiting Tufts when in Boston, and also Wellesley if the student is female.
If visiting Brown and Yale, I would also suggest making a detour to Wesleyan. There are lots of students who apply to both Wes and Brown. </p>
<p>If visiting Haverford, I would strongly suggest visiting Swarthmore as well.</p>
<p>If you don't like to drive in cities, you DON'T want to start the trip renting a car at Logan and driving to Harvard. The subway is really easy; I think that's a huge attraction of going to school in Boston.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the thoughtful replies. It will be my son and I, so no women's colleges. The trip will be in February, so as marite pointed out, everything will take longer and the days will be short as well.</p>
<p>I like the idea of the train, but on the other hand a car gives a a place to store our bags and gives us the freedom to pick up and move on our own schedule.</p>
<p>If I drive I'm concerned about the New Haven to Philadelphia segment. We'd leave Yale early on a Thursday afternoon for a 185 mile drive through or around NYC to Philadelphia. I've never taken that drive, but it can't be good.</p>
<p>Maybe I'll rent a car in Boston, drop it in New Haven, take a train to Philly and rent another car there.</p>
<p>Any more thoughts?</p>
<p>Thanks again. You people are incredibly helpful.</p>
<p>
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We'd leave Yale early on a Thursday afternoon for a 185 mile drive through or around NYC to Philadelphia. I've never taken that drive, but it can't be good.
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</p>
<p>Having done this a number of times, I can tell you that sometimes it's a breeze, and sometimes it's a nightmare (although I-95 near New Haven is <em>always</em> slow). There's really no way of knowing ahead of time. But once you're nearing NYC, make sure to tune in to the local AM news station, 1010 WINS, which will give you a traffic report every 10 minutes and let you know which crossings to NJ are best avoided.</p>
<p>The more I think about it, the more I'm inclined to tell you to take the train. H and I are originally from New York, so we know our way around and can easily do alternate routes if our favorite way is jammed. But absent a GPS system (or perhaps your S is a whiz with a map?), it can be difficult for a novice!</p>
<p>Penn and Haverford in one day seems like a bad idea to me--if you're at all serious about Haverford. Visiting Haverford takes time. And it's not really close to Penn.</p>
<p>Mind you, when I did this with my D, we did two-a-days and saw 11 colleges in five days, but she had a pretty good idea what she wanted to begin with. Still, we were three and a half hours at Haverford--and ten minutes at Bryn Mawr, one hour at Swarthmore.</p>
<p>The Yale to Penn drive isn't that bad - it's just not much fun. I'd just head down 95 and NJ Turnpike. Listen to 880 and 1010 for traffic reports, there are some alternate routes, but 95 and NJT is usually still the easiest. I've driven to Philadelphia from north of the city in 1.5 hours on a Sunday morning, but it's usually a little slower than that! Train is definitely doable and might well be more relaxing.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The drive from New Haven to Philadelphia really isn't that bad. You are on well-marked superhighways the whole way. There can be traffic, but so what? Nevertheless, Amtrak is a great option. Penn is four blocks from the station -- if the weather isn't bad, you don't even need the cab.</p></li>
<li><p>Haverford is tiny and compact. You don't have to spend three plus hours there if you don't want to. Of course, you can spend three days there if you do want to, but if you are pressed for time and just want to see it, a couple of hours is fine.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I agree that Amtrak is the way to go...I believe you can buy a 30 day pass that allows unlimited travel...</p>
<p>But, if you drive, do NOT take I-95 from New Haven UNLESS you want to visit NYC, since I-95 makes you go over the George Washington Bridge to get to NJ. Instead, take the Merrit Parkway which leads you to the western side of the Hudson River directly into the Garden State Parkway and then you can either get off Exit 130 (Route 1 South to Princeton is 30 minutes) or (at Exit 129 go onto the Turnpike directly to Penn and avoid Princeton).</p>
<p>Assuming you are staying at hotels, you can leave your bags at the hotel when you check out and pick them up later. Driving the route from Boston to Yale is fine, unless you catch bad NE weather, in which case it is a nightmare. In the winter, it could be a nightmare. Look at the New England storm of a couple of days ago. </p>
<p>Yale to Phila is much easier by train. Simply get on board and have a nice relaxing trip, with ability to talk about the visits, read, sleep, etc. Then you are a few blocks from Penn. If you want, there is a commuter train that will take you from the train station to the Penn campus.</p>
<p>You can also use public transportation or cabs to get to and from Haverford from downtown Phila. Once in Phila renting a car may be even easier, since that will let you get to H and back to the airport on your schedule. </p>
<p>Does Swarthmore have fencing? I assume you know that Haverford, and Swarthmore, are not D1 schools.</p>
<p>Taking I-95 through NYC across the George Washington Bridge can be crummy, but it isn't life-threatening or anything like that. Sometimes it just takes a little longer than expected. It's like driving anywhere in Los Angeles, except less pretty (except when you are ON the GWB, when it's prettier) and with worse weather.</p>
<p>If you don't want to rent a car in Philly, you don't have to. If your hotel is on the Penn campus, there is plenty to do/see within walking distance or easy bus or subway for a short visit. Both Swarthmore and Haverford essentially have SEPTA (commuter train) stations on their campuses, or next door, so you can take a train there easily from 30th Street (the main station, not far from Penn). Cabs are also doable, although you will have to call in advance to get one back into the city from the burbs. (Or you could cab out and train back.)</p>