Travel To NYC ....Amtrak or Bus

I had a question to see if anyone could help me out. I am planning on going to NYC in the next 2 weeks or so so that I can get some information on a college project with the FDNY..mostly 3 Truck in Manhattan. Since im a poor college student..lol I want to keep the transportation far (bus or train) and 1 nights hotel..Below 150.. Can anyone help me out on this

You're asking train people?

Ok, since I take it you're from New Hampshire, then the Vermonter or Ethan Allen might be your best choice. Both trains take you into the heart of Manhattan (Penn station). Check amtrak.com for fares. As for the bus, you arrive at the zoo called Port Authority Bus terminal, you get what you pay for.

I can't tell exactly where you'd be boarding Amtrak from your post. Whether Amtrak or a bus is cheaper, you'd have to look on the web. If you do take a train, you might look to see if it would save you any money to take Amtrak to New Haven and then take Metro North to New York City. Incidentally, the Port Authority Bus Terminal has been cleaned up and is no longer a zoo.
Your biggest problem will be a cheap hotel in NYC. Here's a link to a webpage of hostels. The one on Amsterdam Ave (about 103 st) is cheap and decent. I don't know if they have vacancies. You don't say when you are traveling. Here's the link:
Hostels in New York City

I would suggest rail, but keeping in mind your tight budget, bus is probably cheaper. Like the last post said, it's true, you do "get what you pay for".

If you take a bus (Concord Trailways or C&J Trailways) from New Hampshire to Boston's South Station, you will be able to connect to Amtrak or other bus lines. Although Peter Pan & Greyhound offer specials (sometimes roundtrip to NYC for around $50), there is an even cheaper bus around the corner in Chinatown. It's Fung-Wah Bus lines, which takes you from Chinatown in Boston, which is one or two blocks from South Station, to Chinatown in NYC. Fares are usually $20. r/t by van or mini-bus, and $32. r/t by motor coach.

Here's a link for the cheapest option LOL
http://www.fungwahbus.com/ticket/

I wouldn't give those Chinatown bus "operators" my business.

Also, I suggest asking here if you are really inquiring about buses...because I personally would recommend you taking Amtrak over any bus.

I would prefer rail also, but I was just trying to help him because of the finances.

Also, I took a look at the link for Fung Wa, and they are in South Station now, which makes it even more convenient.

If you take the Vermonter or the Ethan Allen, the fare will be less than if you take the train from Boston. If you take Metro North from Poughkeepsie or New Haven, the sum of the Amtrak fare to New Haven and the Metro North fare to Grand Central will most likely be a couple of bucks less than the Amtrak fare to NYP. (We aren't allowed to post fares here.) However, you would have to change trains, and Amtrak trains are more comfortable than commuter trains.
I would certainly agree with Irish that you will have a more pleasant trip on Amtrak than on a bus. But you can probably find a bus that's cheaper than Amtrak. Depends how broke you are, which choice you make. If you manage to get space in a hostel, you might have extra money for a more comfortable ride to NYC.

Best bets for the buck:

http://www.peterpanbus.com/

http://www.vermonttransit.com/

Don't know of any good cheap hotels.....Good luck on that one!

I really should not "touch" this Topic, but obviously I would suggest Amtrak for travel to New York.

For "those of us' from flyover country and our 'one a day" (if that) to come out to the Corridor, as I did last week, and see people riding trains to get somewhere around their schedule, and knowing they will get there "more or less' when advertised, as distinct from embarking on a "rail adventure" that will "get there when it (or if as in the case of the Sunset) gets there", is truly an "awesome' pleasure.

Regarding lodging, not all Manhattan hotels are The Carlyle. $200 per night, should do you at any of a number of commercial grade hotels. The Pennsylvania, adjacent to Penn Station, can get you in for that, or close to it. Oh, and Glenn Miller fans will "JUST LOVE" their phone number. I briefly "laid eyes" on that property last week; the exterior at least has had a "makeover".

Many other hotels, all in the Midtown Theatre District, that cater to tour party business can accomodate you at around that rate. Any of the web travel sites represent them.

All told, you don't have to "do New York' as does Donald Trump and his protoges' ("The Apprentice"), but I do think that $150 for an overnoight stay, transportation from "somewhere in New England", and meals is a bit unreasonable. I, for one, would not consider such with less that $400 in my pocket (or I guess nowadays "available credit" on the plastic).

.

Unfortunately, it looks like the bus would be the cheapest option for the OP. Using the location the OP lists as his location, the nearest Amtrak station would be White River Junction, which is quite a haul away. The nearest bus station is Concord (possibly closer), and pricing bus fares for random dates (I won't post the fares for each, but you know where to get the Amtrak fares and Greyhound posts pretty much every busline fare), it is considerably cheaper on the bus.

As Mr. Norman said, New York hotels are not that cheap. I did a quick price search for a few weeks from now, there are a couple of cheap, but poor service hotels available. If you want anything special, plan on paying through the roof.

Jeff

My suggestion, take Amtrak to New York at all costs. The bus has too
much to deal with especially getting into New York.
For a hotel, I would suggest you try someting outside of Manhattan.
Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken and maybe other New Jersey places would
likely have accomodations that would be decent and not too expensive.
Yes, it might cost you a little more to get over there but Path is not very
expensive and has 24 hour service and there are bus lines all over the
place if NJT trains can't get you there.
Go to a book store and get your self a travel guide and read through it,
should help you somewhat.
I doubt if there are any hotel deals in southern Westchester or Connecticut
but New Jersey might offer something.
You might also try something in Brooklyn or Queens, not sure about that
one though.
I am not too sure about the area around Amsterdam Avenue and 103rd
Street, might be a marginal area at best.
If you have a car, you might consider driving to Albany, New York and
staying overnight there, it would be quite a bit cheaper and there is very
good Amtrak train service between there and New York City with the first
train getting you into the big city at 7:30AM and the last train out is not
until quite late in the evening.
Finally, I think you might need to up your cost a little bit, I don't think
$150.00 for round trip transportation plus overnight is realistic at least not
in New York City which is one of the most expensive places to stay over-
night anywhere.
Noel Weaver

I actually recommend taking the MBTA Orange Line Rapid Transit Subway train from Oak Grove (North Malden) and get off at Back Bay, where there's Amtrak Service to NYP. The cheapest recommendation would be unreserved coach in a conventional train. Acela Express Service would be too expensive for you, so I recommend a regional with coach class.

I think the original poster would be best served by checking the fares at the respective websites (http://www.amtrak.com and http://www.greyhound.com for example) and making his/her own decision on what the best option is. Try priceline.com or some other website for hotels. Also consider staying outside of New York City and taking Metro-North, NJT, LIRR, Path, etc., to NY, as that may cost less.

The neighborhood of the cheap hostel I suggested, 103 st and Amsterdam, used to be a marginal area, but with the gentrification of the Upper West Side it has become quite safe and fashionable.

For cheap lodging in NY you should consider Priceline. Check biddingfortravel.com for lot's of tips. Look particularly in the NY Airport section for the Hyatt in Jersey City. It's directly above the PATH station and regularly goes for $37.

Regards,

Bob