<p>Will rental companies allow you to take a car at your age (not sure how old you are)?</p>
<p>Wow! I got a lot of responses! Thank you for all the great suggestions! I wanted to respond to a few questions.</p>
<p>I am a she, not a he 
- I know, there is no way to know from posts.
I am NOT a student any more (I know, screen name is misleading, but I got it when I was), and I am over 24, so no issues with renting a car.
I am actually going to a suburb of Boston, so I am not going to be parking in the city itself, so it’s not an issue.</p>
<p>I realize it may just end up having to be expensive, and that’s what it’s going to have to be, but I figured I would look around for cheaper options first. I am a pretty seasoned traveler, so I don’t mind going a bit out of my way or doing a few transfers, etc. I have also traveled with my dog before, by both car and train, just never the route from NYC to Boston.</p>
<p>I am also looking at some car share options.</p>
<p>I will definitely be looking into all your suggestions. Keep them coming!</p>
<p>I feel for you. Whenever I have to travel to the Boston area from Maine, it costs a lot and is frustrating!</p>
<p>MaineLonghorn, have you ever taken the bus to South Station from Portland? It’s a breeze. There’s a movie and wifi. IIRC it’s $30 round trip. A lot cheaper than driving and parking.</p>
<p>OP, I don’t think it is going to cost you over $100 in gas unless you rent a gas guzzler. I drive roundtrip from Southern ME to southern Fairfield County regularly–a longer trip–and it doesn’t cost me quite that much.</p>
<p>This may be an extreme longshot, but does your college alumni facebook/website allow for posting an inquiry about an alum needing a ride to/from Boston with your dog?</p>
<p>ShoreLine East connects with MetroNorth – and if they allow dogs, you are now in New London. </p>
<p>But there’s no train connection on from New London, as far as I can tell. OP, is this a one-way trip, or round trip?</p>
<p>If you know anyone who does dog sports (agility, flyball, etc.), ask them to tell you which Yahoo group caters to people like you who need a ride somewhere and post to that group. (In the Pacific Northwest, it’s the Yahoo Group Northwest Dog Activities, for example.) You might be able to pick up a ride with someone going to a flyball tournament or agility event (for example, I regularly drive Portland to Seattle with my dogs and have given rides to unaccompanied dogs and accompanied people,…). </p>