Trains to New York?
delays are averaging 15- 30 minutes so yes, I would go in at least one train earlier than normal.
Agreed. Last Thursday I took the 4:40-something into Penn station and it was 30 minutes late.
mikescott said:
delays are averaging 15- 30 minutes so yes, I would go in at least one train earlier than normal.
How important is the presentation ? Delays may average 30 minutes, but there is no guarantee that on that particular day it wont be a lot worse. I would drive in. Depending on where you will be in Manhattan I would leave between 4:30 and 5 PM. That will give you plenty of time to get to where you need to be and to park. It may take longer than the train, or you could get there waay early - but at least you know you will be able to get in.
Unfortunately I really need to attend. Annoying even if trains were running well. Friday night driving in sounds bad too.
Thanks everyone.
I've only had to to drive into the city during the late afternoon a few times the past few years and it's never been bad and usually been insanely easy and quick - just over 30 minutes, about as good as it could realistically be. So it really depends on how much driving you have to do once you get into Manhattan.
gerryl said:
Unfortunately I really need to attend. Annoying even if trains were running well. Friday night driving in sounds bad too.
Thanks everyone.
I would not drive in on a friday afternoon, and then pay $50.00 to park my car, and then fight traffic to get home. So go in two trains earlier, I have never missed a meeting in the city due to the trains and yes, I always allow an extra 30 minutes. and have been commuting over 25 years.
I am with the driving in crowd. Regardless of where presentation is, avoid the Theater District and park on the west side somewhere, perhaps downtown. Whoever wrote it would be $50 to park doesn't know about after 6 PM street parking and/or Bestparking.com and then subway to your presentation.
Like I was saying, that sounds bad. But it hasn't been my experience. Usually I sail in, I can often find street parking (depends where) - if not garage would be $25-40 (depends where) and trip home is usually a relative breeze. Sometimes a trip home gets a slight delay from construction - but usually not that bad. (There's a cost for a tunnel/bridge one way as well, and probably Turnpike tolls.) It's certainly not the cheapest route, but unless you have a monthly ticket that you've already purchased for commuting then it's not like NJT is free by any means.
When you add up the time to get to Penn Station from wherever I am + waiting for a train + time to take the train + getting home, it's hard to have an off hour trip home add up to more than just getting in the car and driving directly home. The last time my wife and I went to a show on Broadway we were home 40 minutes after we got our car out of the garage. And since the show let out 10 minutes before the train would have left there was no chance in hell we would have made it. So we would have had to wait 45 minutes for the next one and that would have been a 40+ minute ride. There's plenty of times when driving is the sane thing to do.
mikescott said:
I would not drive in on a friday afternoon, and then pay $50.00 to park my car, and then fight traffic to get home. So go in two trains earlier, I have never missed a meeting in the city due to the trains and yes, I always allow an extra 30 minutes. and have been commuting over 25 years.
I have often experienced 45-60 minute delays driving into the city on a Friday evening. Every now and then I get lucky and sail through, like the biblical opening of the Red Sea.
An alternative is parking at Secaucus and taking any train from there into Penn. Saves the tunnel toll and gives you flexibility on trains.
Uber?
I'd probably go early (using whatever method) and plan to grab a bite to eat nearby before the presentation. Otherwise, I would be stressing if I would arrive on time.
I find Friday after-work traffic tends to be worse than other days.
Friday evening is the absolute worst time to drive into Manhattan. I have done it frequently. When driving during rush hour on a Friday allow 2 hours. You may get there early, but you might get there just in timeStill door to door when traveling by train would probably take as long. And driving would be more reliable. You would be sitting comfortably in your car, in your own space, not in a packed train. And the drive home will be EASY.
j_r said:
An alternative is parking at Secaucus and taking any train from there into Penn. Saves the tunnel toll and gives you flexibility on trains.
If I didn't want to catch a train hours early, this would be my plan, too. Park after 5 and it's $10 (or it was when I did this a few times in the fall). Added bonus: When you're back at Penn to head home, you can take the next NJT train out and don't have to wait for a Midtown Direct.
I think I'll take the 5:39. I'm taking my chances that if I'm late for a 7pm presentation, I won't be more than 10minutes late. The presentation will be near Columbus Circle. I haven't driven into the City on a busy evening in a long time. Doesn't sound appealing. Sigh!
I need to go to NYC for presentation Friday night that begins at 7pm. How bad is the train service these days? Do I need to choose a very early train?