<p>I took a bus from NYC to Boston’s Chinatown last year for $10. Took around 3-4 hours.</p>
<p>It’s not clear from your message whether you are visiting colleges in Manhattan too. If not, you might want to consider flying into Newark. If you do take the train, it stops at the Newark airport. You can go straight to Boston. </p>
<p>If you want to rent a car, you might consider taking MetroNorth (commuter rail from Grand Central) rather than Amtrak (from Penn Station) to a station like Stamford or New Haven and renting a car there. MetroNorth takes a little longer, but it’s definitely cheaper–round trip to New Haven is cheaper than one way on Amtrak. You won’t need to drive in NYC and if your plane is late, you won’t be worried about missing the train. (No reservations on MetroNorth, while most Amtrack trains are all -reserved these days.)</p>
<p>The train from Penn Station in NYC to Boston South is $66.</p>
<p>As someone who uses Amtrak to commute to NYC (I ride the Metroliner, but the Regional train is also very nice and half the fare of the Metroliner) on a weekly basis, I strongly recommend the train over a bus. On a train, you’ll have a dining car (with tables), large bathrooms, fold down trays at your seat for laptop use/games, eating/drinking, access to power via the outlet at your seat, etc.</p>
<p>When/if selecting a Regional train, note the time it will take to get to your destination. Not all Regional trains have the same travel time. I’ve noticed that some NYP (New York) to BOS (Boston South) trains have a difference in travel duration by as much as an hour…4 hrs on the short end…5hrs on the long.</p>
<p>Another alternative is LimoLiner which is a 28-passenger bus that runs between Boston and NYC <a href=“http://www.limoliner.com%5B/url%5D”>www.limoliner.com</a> using downtown Boston/midtown Manhattan hotels as “terminals.” The one-way fare is $78, but you receive a free meal and non-alcoholic beverages plus snacks, DVD movies are shown (bring your own headphones), wireless access is provided for free, and you get to reserve your seat on-line. The bus ride has, on occasion, been just as fast as Acela and much more comfortable. Oh, and did I mention a pillow and blanket, too? Folks whom I’ve persuaded to try LimoLiner have become devout fans especially in light of the Acela problems. And, unlike Acela, trips are not cancelled or delayed. The only time the run took about 15 minutes longer was when the truck hit the bridge on I-95 last year.</p>
<p>Woah!! Thanks for starting this link! My husband and I will be dropping son off in Boston when school starts, and thought we would extend the trip by going to New York for a few days before we go home to the empty nest. Great suggestions! I think hubby and I will take the limoliner, although I could see Son choosing the Chinatown bus. Thanks Little Mother!</p>