i'm thinking about going to NY for fall break. cheapest plane tickets i can find at the moment are around $193 or so. just wondering if this is any cheaper than driving there and splitting gas between about 3 people or if anyone else has other suggestions of getting there.

8/25/2006 1:02:49 AM

meh, id jump on it, flying is cheaper than busses/trains assuming you book far enough in advance, at least in my experience. dependingon what part of NY you're heading to, theres always a chance you'll catch a flight for $100 provided its on sale, but i wouldnt drag ass too much, ive seen prices go up $100 in a month for the same destination.

8/25/2006 1:05:58 AM

yea just fly up there. $193 is cheap

8/25/2006 1:15:42 AM

doesnt that jetblue or whatever off really cheap flights from rdu to nyc

8/25/2006 1:40:40 AM

definitely fly....other than gas, those tolls will be a bitch

and the drive sucks, especially through new jersey

8/25/2006 7:05:27 AM

i don't know what website you use to find your tix, but i use http://www.kayak.com .. i'd recommend flying instead of driving. it's not a fun or pretty drive. you could also take the train, but i'm not sure how much cheaper that is than flying. i think jetblue only goes into JFK airport.

8/25/2006 7:12:44 AM

walking. it's not the fastest, though.

8/25/2006 8:26:35 AM

you won't get there any cheaper

8/25/2006 10:08:11 AM

If you're in the DC area, I hear there is a bus that goes from DC's Chinatown to NY's Chinatown for about $30. Hard to beat that if you don't mind taking a bus.

8/25/2006 10:12:45 AM

there's one from Boston's to NY's as well

8/25/2006 10:13:40 AM

hop a train

8/25/2006 10:28:46 AM

^^^ that's the one-way price, but yeah.

nevermind it's 35 round trip, but it depends which company you go with.

Amtrack is just as expensive as a plane and as long as driving in the NEC

http://www.staticleap.com/chinatownbus/

[Edited on August 25, 2006 at 10:54 AM. Reason : link]

8/25/2006 10:47:43 AM

check out studentuniverse.com for plane tickets as well. I'm not sure about domestic flights but they have good deals on international flights (I miss student discounts).

8/25/2006 10:56:52 AM

if nothing more than to beat sitting in traffic in dc, baltimore, etc on the way up there, and then having to find a place to park your car ($$$)... i would fly in a heartbeat at that price.

what airport are you flying into? newark has a tram thing that can take you to the train station. you can then take a train to penn station. --> much faster, cheaper and less scary than a cab ride!

~skip

8/25/2006 11:08:44 AM

I was about to post the exact same thing that 30thAnnZ said.

8/25/2006 11:14:54 AM

Quote :

"doesnt that jetblue or whatever off really cheap flights from rdu to nyc"

Jet Blue's price is $85 one way. Multiply that by two and add taxes and thats right around $193~198. Jet Blue only flies into JFK, which is far out from Manhattan. Taxis are $$$, but you can take the AirTran ($5) and Subway to wherever you want to go. LGA is closer to Manhattan, but doesn't hook up with the subway, but it does the bus. Newark is the fatherest out, and a one way train ticket into Manhattan from there is $14.

If you have a lot of time (which you don't) then I'd drive at night. Since you don't, flying is your best option. If you're spending most of your time in Manhattan anyway then having a car up here in NYC is more of a hindrence than convenience.

8/25/2006 1:19:33 PM

I like the train just because I can get on in Cary or downtown Raleigh and get dropped off in Times Square. No huge security screening, no empty your shampoo bottles, and no having to pay for a cab from Laguardia.

[Edited on August 25, 2006 at 2:41 PM. Reason : .]

8/25/2006 2:41:11 PM

Absolutely - Any trip under 8 hours by train and I bag the airline. By the time you add up the freedom searches, finding lost luggage (the ladyfriend just lost 2 bags coming in from LA. They eventually turned up 3 days later), and all the other bullshit it's almost a wash. Plus you get to walk around, eat, and see the country.

Throw a liquour bottle in that hip pocket, then hop on the train my friend.

8/25/2006 2:45:47 PM

would it be cheaper to fly out of charlotte vs raleigh if you are going to NY?

8/25/2006 2:46:50 PM

Hitchhike?

8/25/2006 2:51:42 PM

definitely raleigh

8/25/2006 2:52:12 PM

Quote :

"Throw a liquour bottle in that hip pocket, then hop on the train my friend."

They let you bring anything you want on there, pizzas, subs, beers, liquor.... I had a pretty fun ride from New London, CT to Washington DC with a 6 pack of Yuengling.

8/25/2006 2:56:45 PM

yeah we've thought about the whole parking thing in NY but my friend is going to see if her uncle has a place for it. i'm thinking we'll just end up flying anyway. it's faster and easier. and to whoever mentioned studentuniverse.com...i already checked and tickets are $200 something. i've never found them to be the cheapest, even with international flights. student discounts my ass.

8/25/2006 3:36:45 PM

pretty sure if you lived off water and bread, walking would be the cheapest way

8/25/2006 3:42:11 PM

Trains pass through campus all the time. Check the train schedules, hop on the right one, and you are $$$.

8/25/2006 3:53:51 PM

http://quickfares.bestfares.com/quickfare/fare/publicbooking.jsp?marketid=35682&fareid=241277736

Airtran, $148 bucks round trip.

FYI, I drove to NYC myself, it ran me $92 with gas, round trip. Add to that the 25 bucks a day to park (thank god I only had to use a garage one day). I found street parking the other two days (Saturday and Sunday). But for three people, that would be 450+ bucks to fly, versus 100+ 250 to drive and park.

So even with parking (which the process isn't a nightmare at all, there are garages EVERYWHERE, and you can rent a space for a week generally for 150 bucks or so) it would be a lot cheaper to drive it.

8/25/2006 3:59:27 PM

hitchhike.. duh

8/25/2006 4:01:07 PM

^^given that you pay at least $30 in tolls, how the fuck did you manage the trip for $92?

Quote :

"I like the train just because I can get on in Cary or downtown Raleigh and get dropped off in Times Square"

Next time you're up here you MUST show me this train station in Times Square?!?!

[Edited on August 25, 2006 at 6:44 PM. Reason : ^]

8/25/2006 6:44:31 PM

If you miss the A train, you'll find you missed the quickest way to Harlem.

8/26/2006 12:41:37 AM

Quote :

"Next time you're up here you MUST show me this train station in Times Square?!?! "

it's like 4 blocks away, transfer to 7 if you want.

8/26/2006 1:00:42 AM

amtrak was pretty cheap last time I went, a nice ride too, slow, but you can just sit and chill, they even had power outlets for laptops, and a bar.

8/28/2006 4:27:41 PM

take a bus

8/28/2006 4:57:47 PM

well it is only a 12 block walk from Penn Station

8/28/2006 5:29:04 PM