<p>i'm going to be a freshman this fall, coming from california. I plan to visit a friend in new york city and a friend at cornell (ithaca). what's the best way to get to these places from penn? thanks</p>
<p>To NYC… Best way: Amtrak (preferably Acela!) NE Corridor Line
Cheapest way: Bolt Bus or Mega Bus (between a dollar and fifteen bucks)
Best compromise (in my eyes): SEPTA Regional Rail Trenton Line (formerly R7 Trenton) to Trenton, then NJ Transit NE Corridor Line to NY Penn Station (total cost is $24, give or take a few cents)</p>
<p>Though the bus is nice, if you need to get to NYC by a certain time, take a train or two so you can have a guaranteed arrival time and not worry about traffic. If you feel adventurous, you can take the Market Frankford El to 8th Street Station, transfer to the PATCO Speedline Eastbound to Broadway Station in Camden, transfer to the River LINE to Trenton, then the NE Corridor line</p>
<p>To Ithaca</p>
<p>You can fly for around $400 round trip… if you do a layover, you’ll save up to a hundred bucks round trip and you would transfer in Boston. If you go nonstop, it takes just over an hour from Philly to Ithaca.
You can also take a Greyhound from 8th and Market in Philly direct to Ithaca… much more economical but much longer trip and less comfortable than an airplane</p>
<p>That sounds like the worst adventure ever.</p>
<p>I always take Bolt or MegaBus, but if you can afford Amtrak, go for it!</p>
<p>To NYC, Bolt Bus or Megabus is definitely the way to go (try yo avoid getting there during rush hour). Just give yourself an extra 15-30 minutes in case of traffic. Another way to Ithaca would be to take the bus to NYC and then take the Weill-Cornell shuttle bus to Ithaca (Cornell’s medical school is in NYC). This bus makes less stops than Greyhound, but it may not be any faster because of the transfer in NYC.</p>
<p>Hey, it saves me 13 bucks round-trip to take a bunch of rapid transit up to Trenton instead of regional rail… only takes 25 minutes longer too!</p>