Toronto to NYC for new years (first roadtrip)

Hey guys,

A group of friends and I are planning a road trip from Toronto to New York City for new years. There will be 6 of us and we are planning to leave on Tuesday December 29th and come back on the Sunday.

Initially we wanted to rent a car and take a road trip there for the whole experience of taking a road trip, but after talking to people they told us the drive is pretty bad and it might be a better idea to take other means of transportation. Can someone give us advice on transportation? What are the pros and cons of each? (rent a car, train, bus. etc)

Also, we wanted to mainly stay in the city and hopefully experience time square for new years eve. Are there any hotels you guys can recommend? Are there any good spots to stand for times square that isn't too crazy? How long would we have to wait to get a spot?

Some quick background information:

- We are all 21-24 years old
- We are all able to drive
- Money isn't a HUGE issue, but would rather go for the best value.

Anything else we should look into before trying to plan this trip? Any tips? Sorry for all the questions guys but we're just excited and wanted to be well prepared for our first trip together and thought this forum would be a great place to start. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Regards,

Minh

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I'm not at all clear on what these people mean by the drive from Toronto to New York being 'pretty bad'. I've driven several routes between that city pair and found each of them intriguing and enjoyable in different ways. It would be a full day's drive and you might run into some delays while crossing the border, but it's the only method of transportation that will let you stop and see the sights on the way, and the only method that lets you all travel for a (roughly) single price to be split amongst you. Every other way to make the trip will charge per person, which can add up quickly with 6 people. On the other hand, if you rent a car, and you're all under 25 you're going to be paying some substantial 'underage driver' surcharges, and once you're in New York City, the car becomes a liability rather than an asset. In all probability, you would simply be best served by finding someplace safe to park the car for your visit, such as in a monitored parking garage, and use the subway or cabs for getting around town. Among your other choice, you'll pretty much get what you pay for. The bus will probably be cheapest, but would take the longest time, while flying would be fastest but most expensive. The train might offer a reasonable compromise, but you'll have to check for frequency and any connection.

As for places to stay in NYC, you might want to consider one of the other boroughs besides Manhattan. Check the web for a map of the subway system, and look for hotels in Brooklyn or Queens, or even on Staten Island, near a stop. Expect to pay a premium price to be in the city on New Year's Eve. I seriously doubt that there will be anyplace in Times Square that is not totally nuts that night. Make sure that each member of your party knows where and when to join up after midnight, or knows how to get back to your motel on their own.

AZBuck

Thanks for the quick reply!

Actually, 2 of us are 25 if that makes a big difference. Do you have any recommendations on places to stop and see on the way? If there isn't a lot to see on the way then we may look into taking the bus to New York since we won't be driving in NYC anyways.

Thank you so much for your help, expect more questions as we get closer to the date!

Kind Regards,


Minh

Yes, the fact that two of you are 25 would make about a hundred dollars difference in the cost of a rental car over four days, of only the two of your drove. But if you are mainly interested in night life and big cities, then no, there isn't a lot that will interest you between Toronto and New York. Most of the highlights on that trip are scenic or historical.

AZBuck

Hey guys,

A couple of friends and I were looking at a hotel (holiday inn in long island city) . It seems pretty cheap and is in close proximity of major attractions. What do you guys know about this area? Are there other hotels that you guys can suggest?

Kind Regards,


Minh Huynh

Sorry, but we really just don't have the volume of people to be able to be offer much specific advice for motels. (hundreds of hotels in nyc alone, and just a few dozen regular posters here) The odds that anyone here has stayed at any given motel is pretty low.

What I would recommend is taking a look at how close it is to where you want to go by subway, and/or if you'll need to make several transfer just to visit your highest priority attractions. You could also look at any one of the major booking or review sites like tripadvisor, expedia, or hotels.com to get some other opinions of the specific details