laugh if you want, but you can go from downtown Raleigh to downtown NYC on Amtrak for about half the cost and half the aggravation.

5/29/2006 2:14:41 AM

and double the time

5/29/2006 2:24:12 AM

Depends if you wanna spend an extra 4 hours on a train or an extra $300 for a plane. Its worth it to me. I would also rather end up at Madison Square Garden then at some airport out of Manhattan. Plus you can use laptops to watch DVDs and you can bring your own beer.

[Edited on May 29, 2006 at 2:30 AM. Reason : .]

5/29/2006 2:29:44 AM

a plane ticket to new york doesn't even cost $300


In fact, the price difference is only $100, which is worth 4 hours. (if you are a student, i guess your time isn't worth that much)


[Edited on May 29, 2006 at 2:42 AM. Reason : nvm that amtrak is even less reliable than planes]

5/29/2006 2:36:53 AM

depending on what month/day you travel....round trip can be around $150...last time i went i drove....i won't do that again....it may have been a little bit cheaper(not much) but its just not worth it

i think i would still do driving over amtrak

as far as places to stay...ive got friends and an aunt that live in lower manhattan so its never been a big deal

i plan on visiting agian towards the end of summer...i will definitely fly this time

5/29/2006 3:01:06 AM

Quote :

"like in soho"

I woke up in a Soho doorway
A policeman knew my name
He said "You can go sleep at home tonight
If you can get up and walk away"

5/29/2006 3:31:29 AM

Here's what I'm seeing with Trains vs Plane vs Driving

Amtrak:

($155+$98)= $253


Delta Airlines:

$298.84


Driving:

[(525 miles / ~20 miles per gallon) * ~$3 per gallon] *2 = $157.5
this does not include parking and tolls

5/29/2006 9:42:27 AM

Quote :

"Where are the cheapest places to stay where we won't get shot? The hotels are super expensive there from what I've seen. I had a friend go on Craig's List and found a couple that allowed her to stay at their apartment for really cheap for the weekend...but that sounds kind of sketchy."

as far as crime/being shot, just don't stay in certain areas of the Bronx or certain areas in Brooklyn. Crime is very, very low these days here.

regarding those craigslist things, yes, they can be questionable, and they can also fall through on you and stuff - i wouldn't plan a trip around a situation like that.

-ZiP!-

5/29/2006 9:57:20 AM

the last time I was there I stayed at a Hilton downtown

the previous time it was at the apartment of an art dealer on the upper east side

5/29/2006 9:59:30 AM

^haha, did you know the person?

-ZiP!-

[Edited on May 29, 2006 at 10:05 AM. Reason : UES can be so bougie sometimes]

5/29/2006 10:04:09 AM

my ex girlfriend was the art dealer's nanny
the art dealer's husband was a textiles tycoon (and a State alum) named Morris Evans or something

it was a two story apartment
mad nice

when my ex drove their kids around to soccer practice and violin lessons she did so in a Porche
the ex just graduated and they gave her a car

5/29/2006 10:08:09 AM

should have held on to that.


oh and drive up to jersery and then get on a train from there as someone pointed out. The train ride only costs around ten bucks depending where you get on and takes about an hour to get into penn station.

5/29/2006 10:20:42 AM

yeah I miss that girl
she's totally self made too - no worthwhile parents at all

I hope she gets this job in Chapel Hill so I can be closer to her

5/29/2006 10:22:17 AM

^^the PATH train? true, that could be an option, but you still have to live with the fact that you're staying in Jersey

-ZiP!-

5/29/2006 10:23:44 AM

I'm going to NY to do some photo shoots that I can't get done here. I would rather not go all the way up there for a couple of shoots but oh well. I figured while I'm up there I might as well sight-see(at least for my BF's sake because I'm dragging him up there). I think we are definately going with Amtrak.

5/29/2006 11:02:09 AM

this past semester my friend (the same exgf actually) took Amtrak from Penn Station to Raleigh

took 18 hours... it was 4 hours late

be prepared for some bullshit
trains in America suck

5/29/2006 11:05:15 AM

when i was 13 i took amtrak to dc

it took 12 hours

5/29/2006 11:13:33 AM

the hotels arent THAT expensive. you can stay in a nice (not something like the waldorf or marquiese) for somwhere between 100-150/night in the heart of manhattan. during the big east tourney i was a block away from times square for like 115 a night in a nice hotel. just expedia manhattan and find it.

when i drive i always stop in dc for a night that way its only 4 hour drives and i can enjoy dc for a night

5/29/2006 12:27:01 PM

a sat to sat round trip flight in july is 193 right now on expedia

5/29/2006 12:28:34 PM

she won't fly because she's irrationally scared of flying

I'm sure it has something to do with 9/11

5/29/2006 12:33:26 PM

Rachel, I just searched the easyhotel.com site for hotels in NYC at the end of june (had to pick a date...sorry ) and for three nights, $425, Latham. $736, Midtown. $747, Times Square.

Sometimes when I was bored at work, I'd plan trips for fun on both my budget and what my bf could afford to spend. For mine, I checked out hostels. I don't know if that would suit your needs, or if you need to be able to spread your stuff out and leave it.

5/29/2006 12:52:36 PM

Quote :

"wow you're fucking crazy I mean... I'm diagnosably ill but you're just nuts"

haha next post after i put "haha wow"

5/29/2006 3:01:10 PM

man fuck this thread i'm just gonna get some frequent flyer miles from my stepdad

5/29/2006 3:05:39 PM

Quote :

"Where are the cheapest places to stay where we won't get shot? The hotels are super expensive there from what I've seen. I had a friend go on Craig's List and found a couple that allowed her to stay at their apartment for really cheap for the weekend...but that sounds kind of sketchy."

http://www.portlandsquarehotel.com/

portland square hotel. ive staying there before...its about a block away from times square, and probably the least expensive hotel around...a little over $100 a nite. the rooms are small, but if you're in nyc, you probably wont be spending much time in your room. i recommend it.

if you're just going to be there for the weekend, just park your car on the street. there are tons of spots in manhatten that are free on the weekends. if your comfortable with driving in the city, its pretty easy to find a spot....friday afternoon is the best. get a metered spot, pay a couple bucks for a couple of hours until 6, and then leave it for the weekend for free.

[Edited on May 29, 2006 at 3:37 PM. Reason : df]

5/29/2006 3:35:44 PM

Quote :

"if you're just going to be there for the weekend, just park your car on the street."

that is really really a hit or miss situation. i've been there a lot. sometimes i've found parking within minutes, and sometimes its taken me hours.

if it gets nightmarish, park at the Port Authority decks near Penn Station or by the Lincoln Tunnel, and leave the car there all weekend.

5/29/2006 3:49:47 PM

i dont think the meters are free on the weekends.

5/29/2006 5:07:36 PM

quick word of advice- nothing is free in this world

5/29/2006 5:15:47 PM

Go to CheapHotels.com. You can find plenty of places for $100 or so a night. Some places in Manhattan you can get for about $60 a night, but those places typically have shared bathrooms. But if you don't mind that it isn't a bad deal. Plently of places in Queens are available and most all of them are safe. Even the "sketchy" looking neighborhoods most times you find that people ignore you and there is almost always a subway station near by.

5/29/2006 6:18:58 PM

Quote :

"I'm sure it has something to do with 9/11"

I stopped flying way before 9/11...I think it's actually safer to fly now than it was before 9/11.

5/29/2006 8:54:52 PM

youth. hostel.

they're really quite decent and very cheap.

http://www.hostels.com/en/availability.php/HostelNumber.1850

$32/night for 3 blocks from central park.

and que the jokes involving robberies, crazy people and such.

5/29/2006 9:37:54 PM

a train from raleigh to nyc will probably take about 14-15hrs and they are very uncomfortable... not easy to sleep on an amtrak at all. add 4 hrs to whatever the schedule says. i had an 8.5 hr trip from raleigh to philly that ended up being +12 hrs.

street parking is free on sunday and 7pm-7am in most places in manhattan. if you find a place that is free parking anytime, make sure you know what days to move you car for street cleaning (the parking sign will have a broom on it if the is alternate side parking). you'll get towed if your parked on the side that gets cleaned that morning.

or just park it in a deck and leave it there for your whole stay. the cheapest decks are about $20-25/day and are usually closer to the river.

or as already stated, you can park in jersey at a deck or at the newark airport and take njtransit into the city.



[Edited on May 29, 2006 at 10:31 PM. Reason : []

5/29/2006 10:29:14 PM

Quote :

"i dont think the meters are free on the weekends."

many of them are. every time ive gone up for the weekend, ive parked on the side of the street for free.....including new years eve weekend.

5/30/2006 11:18:20 AM

OHBUTILOVETRAVELINGTONYC

-ZiP!-

6/1/2006 12:26:47 AM

driving up tomorrow, if anyone is going up and wants split gas and tolls, ill drive you anywhere in manhattan and north jersey.

6/1/2006 11:25:30 AM

Quote :

" I stopped flying way before 9/11...I think it's actually safer to fly now than it was before 9/11"

hahahahahahahahahaha

[Edited on June 1, 2006 at 11:34 PM. Reason : hahahahahahha]

6/1/2006 11:34:21 PM

Quote :

"ill drive you anywhere in manhattan and north jersey."

will you drive me home from work - from times square to queens?

-ZiP!-

6/2/2006 1:34:50 AM

Marko and I stayed in the American Dreams Hostel when we went to NYC in March...it was cheap and we just used the room for sleeping so it was ok that it was tiny.

here's the room:

6/2/2006 9:34:20 AM

only sleeping?

and also: hi2u!

-ZiP!-

6/2/2006 10:30:18 AM