I've done that. It's good. Nice way to spend a few hours, especially if the weather is warm.

 

May i suggest.....BearMountain State Park...up route 9w through West Point....then to Mohonk Mountain House ( New Paltz ). Further north... Lake George area, including FortTiconderoga......Lake Champlain area....

Explore NY state is beautiful....good luck.

 

I grew up in NYC. I am very comfortable driving in the controlled chaos there. I have never taken my bike in to the city and probably never will. I definitely wouldn't ride 2up there. I don't think I have ever seen anybody riding 2up in NYC.

You don't see many touring bikes in Manhattan. So either stay in the suburbs, and train in, or ride in at break of dawn on a weekend, go to the Rising Wolf Garage, get a motel and walk, take the subway, taxi or Uber.

 

I was born and raised just north of the city and here is my suggestion: come up through NJ into NY up the Palisades Parkway northbound. Cross the Tappan Zee Bridge and you land in Tarrytown. In Tarrytown, or in White Plains, which is 2 towns over, you can get a nice hotel room and have access to Metro North Railroad which is a fast ride down to Grand Central Terminal. You'll find nice restaurants and bars near the hotels, and when you are done in the city you can hop right onto the NY State Thruway or the Taconic State Parkway which will bring you north into the Hudson Valley and further north to gorgeous upstate and western NY. I've lived and worked in Westchester and NYC over 50 years, riding the train to work in the city every day for years. NJ gas some great views if the city, but the crime rate in many of those areas is very high. You can ride your bike into the city on the weekend and experience less than the normal high volume of traffic, but plan well so you can find good parking. The Saw Mill Parkway will lead you right out of Tarrytown onto the Henry Hudson Parkway, onto the West Side Highway which will bring you down to where you want to go.
PM me if you need more info.

 

That sounds like a pretty good idea, but White Plains is not a sleepy little suburb. In the '80s I flew home to Long Island. My wife and I borrowed my Dad's car, and drove to my college roommates wedding in Connecticut.
On the way home the car broke down on the Saw Mill River Parkway. I don't know if it's still like this but at that time it was an antiquated road, unchanged since the '30s, with no shoulders. I had to wait an hour for the authorized Tow truck. Which dropped us off in White Plains at a Service station.
So we take our luggage to a pizza place, and order a slice. I ask the counterman, a big Italian guy, in his 30s, how to get a train to Penn Station. He goes off, dropping F bombs. How the F, should I know? I never go to the city. F the city. I F'in hate the city! My wife who is a Yooper(UP Michigan) is watching with her mouth open, amazed.

A patron feels sorry for me, and comes over and tells me how to go to Metro North. So my wife and I take our luggage, and start walking. I'm wearing a Polo shirt, Tennis shorts and pulling a suitcase. Past the projects, looking like a mark. A big Puerto Rican guy walks up and asks if we need help. I told him we're walking to Metro North and ask "Is this a bad neighborhood?" He says "Yeah, don't walk on this side, by the Projects. Lots of heroin addicts. Cross the street and walk by the liquor store. The Winos won't bother you."
So we cross the street, and my wife is pissed. She says "Why did you ask that guy if this is a bad neighborhood? He could of gotten mad at us?" I told her he understood what I meant. We got home after an exciting train ride full of kids smoking pot and drinking 6 packs. But that's a story for another day.
In summary, I would still stay in the city. Just travel early, weekend.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I think we will stay outside the city and ride the train in.
The boat tour sounds like a great idea.
Thanks again.

 

I'm not sure exactly where you were, but The Saw Mill doesn't go through White Plains- it's 2 towns over. The 80s? that was 30 years ago. I used to work and go clubbing in White Plains in the 80s and never had a problem. You must be mistaken. If you break down on the Saw Mill you get a tow pretty fast because the County Police and State Trooper barracks are just off the Saw Mill because it converges with I287 and The Bronx River Parkway.
The Saw Mill has places to go off on the grass, and The Saw Mill goes through some very nice towns and villages near the Hudson River. If you were towed your bike would have been taken Elmsford, Tarrytown, Ardsley, or Yonkers. The first 3 have always been really nice very low crime rate areas, and the area in Yonkers that you ride through and would have been towed to was revitalized 20 years ago. I'd walk the streets of any of those areas at night without worry. 30 years ago? C'mon.

 

I was towed to White Plains. I said it was 30 years ago. I have no idea how it is now.

 

I live in Westchester and would be happy to help you guys with any questions you might have. NYC is a place you should see but I agree that you'd do better staying in Westchester and taking the train in.

After that - we have some really beautiful areas to ride. The Catskills, Adirondacks, Lake George and Lake Champlain Regions, Finger Lake Region wineries, State Parks....you're going to have a lot to see once you get here!

Feel free to PM with any questions!