So my daughter was offered a last minute externship in NYC next Friday. She has to be in NYC by 11am. I know megabus or Bolt are cheapest, but would you risk taking the bus? What if there is an accident or traffic delay? I looked at train prices, but I can honestly fly her there cheaper than the train tickets.
The advantage of the bus or train is that it takes you right into Manhattan.
Getting from any of the NY area airports into the city is time-consuming.
Train. It doesn’t get stuck in traffic, and timing is about the same when you factor in getting to/from the airports and security.
Definitely train. Without question. I know from hard, personal experience as a bus traveler coming in through the Lincoln Tunnel that when it’s bad, its VERY bad and multi-hour delays can and do happen.
My kids take the bus frequently, but the timing is unpredictable. I wouldn’t risk it if she wants to leave the same day and get there for sure by 11:00. I agree that the train is the way to go.
If I wanted to ensure she was in NYC by 11AM, and rested and relaxed on top of that, I’d arrive the night before.
Im trying to convince her to go the night before but she says that isnt possible. She definitely has a place to crash if she goes up the night before.
So I just found out hubby has enough ff miles for free plane ticket. Would you still recommend the train?
Definitely the train because her timeframe is so tight and the consequences for lateness could be very unpleasant. The train is the most reliable and least prone to major disruptions. In order to be absolutely sure she could get there on time if she flew, she would have to fly super-early to avoid the rush hour in getting into Manhattan and then hang around somewhere for hours.
I’d go by train. As others have said, the airports won’t leave her in Manhattan the way the train will. S2 has taken the train often between DC and CT. The trip to NYC is the easiest part of the trip. The train usually bogs down from NYC to New Haven.
Another vote for train. It’s the best end-to-end option. Flying isn’t quicker because you have to get from the airport to wherever you want to go in Manhatten.
the last 2 times my kids took Amtrack ( DC to NYC or vice versa) there were major delays.
if you are looking for a bus, I highly recommend Vamoose which she can take from Bethesda or Arlington.
@FallGirl arghh…I am going to try to convince her again that she needs to go up the night before. This extern opportunity is too important to miss.
Second going up the night before. There’s something to be said for being able to wake up refreshed in accomodations likely to be much more comfortable and relaxing than sleeping on a cramped bus or train for hours.
Well, it depends on the accommodations. The OP’s daughter said she had someone to stay with, but that might mean sleeping on the floor in a noisy apartment or dorm room filled with people who don’t go to bed until 4 a.m.
There are some pretty early trains–like 4:00 am. I’d be pretty confident those would get her there on time, and the fare is $88 one way.
Tough call. My son took one of the buses between DC and Philadelphia recently and it was delayed by over an hour. Trains and planes can also be delayed. Only option for sure is to go the night before. Maybe she has a class she can’t miss? Good luck!
Amtrak’s Acela has been struggling a bit with on-time performance lately. For many years it ran around 90% on-time. In the last couple of years it’s been more like 75%-80%. Some of that was due to unusually bad winter weather in 2013-14, some due to construction projects that created bottlenecks in Maryland and New Jersey. But it doesn’t seem to have improved much. For September 2015, Amtrak reports 77.4% on-time performance on its Acela trains, though that includes the New York-Boston segment where delays tend to be more frequent. My guess is that for trains originating in DC and traveling as far as New York, on-time performance is probably somewhat higher, but I haven’t been able to completely confirm that. (If you look at on-time performance for particular early morning Acela trains leaving DC, however, it looks like most of the delays are for track and signal problems on Metro North tracks, which is the segment from New York to New Haven; that shouldn’t affect on-time performance traveling from Washington to New York, though it would affect on-time performance in the opposite direct because trains would be late by the time they arrived in New York).
That said, Acela’s on-time performance is at least comparable to that of the airlines. For example, for Aug 15-Oct 15, 2015, US Airways shows a 77% on-time performance for its Washington-New York service, with the average delayed flight coming in 28 minutes late, a maximum delay of 176 minutes, and 5% of the flights cancelled entirely. On the other hand, across all airlines, service between DC and New York seems to be more reliable for early morning flights (6am-9am departures 92% on-time) than later in the day (74% on-time 3-6pm, 75% on-time 6-9pm, and 64% on-time 9pm-midnight). I don’t have data on on-time performance by the bus companies, but given the challenges of driving in that corridor, my guess is it’s much worse than either Amtrak or the airlines.
When I lived in New York and traveled to DC frequently, I always figured total travel time on Acela or by air was usually pretty comparable, given travel time to/from airports and the need to arrive at the airport early enough to get through security. But if I flew, the potential for being stuck in bad traffic coming in from the airport was much higher, especially on the New York end. With Amtrak I could just hop on the subway at Penn Station and be home in 15 minutes. I also found Acela more comfortable and relaxing: more spacious and comfortable seating, much more leg and shoulder room, the ability to get up and walk around or go to the cafe car, electrical outlets for my computer, etc.
If the externship is that important, she should go up to NY the night before and you should pop for a hotel room in Manhattan so she can get a good night’s sleep. She’d need to get on an Acela train in DC at 6:55 am, arriving at Penn Station at 9:48 am, to have time to get to her destination by 11. On that schedule, she could even tolerate a delay of up to 30 minutes or so, and still get a cab to her destination. But there’s still some risk of a longer delay. If she’s willing to risk being late by traveling in the morning, then it seems pretty clear the externship isn’t that important to her.
I don’t see any reason to take an Acela train over a regular Northeast Corridor train, unless cost doesn’t matter. It’s not all that much faster between DC and NY, and it’s not really much more comfortable, either. Both are a lot more comfortable than flying.
If she can go the night before, the bus would be fine, but I would go with the train if she insists on going in the morning. My daughter just moved up to NYC from DC and took the bolt/mega bus(I get them mixed up) or Amtrak numerous times. She was only late when she took the bus. Planes are problematic because you are still taking another form of public transportation from the airport. Buses and trains go right into Manhattan.
She definitely wouldnt be relegated to a floor or noisy students. She has had internships in New York for the past two summers, so she could probably stay with the lady that houses her over the summer. If not I have friends in Brooklyn that would put her up. This is important to her, but she also has school obligations that are important as well, so if she tells me she cant go up the night before then I take her at her word.
I am still waiting for her to call me, so that she can explain why she cant go up the night before. In looking at the flights I dont see where its much difference in getting to the airport and going by train, on the front end. The metro goes straight to DCA in about 15-20 minutes. Also, she doesnt have to be there until 12:30(I just re-read the email), but I want to make sure she has travel cushion baked in. I do see where it would be SO much easier to be dropped off at Penn Station, as the company is about 10 mins from Penn Stn.
I know the train is probably best but a free plane ticket is hard to pass up.