My wife and I will be taking a trip from Texas to New York City this fall. We will be traveling North from Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey. We have been looking at the bus tours. Where would be a good place to stay where we can catch a cab or subway to the tour departure locations. We would like to see the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Tines Square and possibly Ground Zero.
Any advice on motel locations and which tour to take will be appreciated.

We are from a rural area and the less traffic the better. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

Hmm... the "less traffic the better?" Dunno how to do that in NYC.

Now, you could stay on Long Island and take the Long Island Rail Road into Penn Station. The last time I was in NYC, I was with my family and we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Lynbrook and caught the train at Rockville Center station. We were also house-hunting in the area and I wanted to test out the commute but... that might work if you want to avoid driving and parking in NYC.

 

Check out these hotels. https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...22250551991927

If you have questions PM me. I grew up in NYC, and my sisters still live in Manhattan.

 

I live in Westchester, NY for 55 years. 1 hour north of the city. I drove limos in NYC for many years. I would tell a visitor to NYC not to ride a Harley especially for the first time here in NYC. The mentality of drivers/taxis/cops in NYC is sick and not fun to ride a motorcycle. Especially in midtown where most of the tourist sites are. The exception would be a Sunday or Holiday when city folk went away. The State of NY is awesome and you can see more Historic and beautiful country in NY and nearby CT then you would ever imagine. It is also a touring experience you would never forget. If your dead set on going to NYC on your own I would check into the Zero hotel in Norwalk, CT one hour away from Manhattan, rent a car from the Enterprise down the street on Rt. 7 and drive into NY. I have taken friends and relatives from around the world to NYC for years just to keep them safe. As another poster said a ride out to Long Island is nice. Once your out of Queens, NY it is an awesome ride but its not a loop. It's an out and back so the way back is nothing new to see. You should do Brooklyn, Staten Island and Manhattan but I couldn't say the BQE or Tri borough bridge would be fun. If you do make to Staten Island take the ferry to Manhattan. Thats a trip you will never forget. Lady liberty up close. The financial district/lower Manhattan, Freedom tower, a you will not forget boat trip.

 

Is this a bike trip?
Into New York City?
People who don't like traffic?
You're gonna learn what "traffic hell" is like.

My advice:
Stay in either:
- Northern Jersey (or Suffern NY, just across the line). Take NJ Transit to Hoboken, and then the ferry to southern Manhattan
- Westchester or even Putnam County (you can take Metro-North from Brewster to Grand Central, 90-minute ride).
- SW Connecticut (as recommended above). Norwalk area north of town along old Route 7 is good, you can take Metro-North from Merritt 7 station (either directly to city during rush hour or change at South Norwalk).

I'd suggest the same even with the car.

 

Find a hotel/motel in Westchester County, just north of NY City.....( either the Hudson or the Harlem lines....
You can park your bike at the train station....Westchester county is pretty safe....
Trains usually run every 30-45 minutes into Grand Central Terminal...they are mostly expresses in the morning and night, but mid-day they are local...
From Grand Central you can visit, Times square, Rockefeller center, Empire Building (lots of walking)....
You can then take the subway ( red line ) or taxi to the tip of Manhattan, you can walk to Wall street, Freedom tower, Ground zero....or take the ferries to the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island......Katz delicatessen for lunch/ dinner... (FYI....you can pre-buy tickets on the web so you don't have to wait on the lines the day of...)
Other things to do, museums all by central park....the aircraft carrier Entrepid/ Submarine ....South Street Seaport for restaurants and fun....

Have fun, be diligent...

 

I also grew up in New York. My advice would be to find a hotel you can afford, hopefully in Manhattan. And then find a safe garage to park the bike for those days. This could be in any of the outer boroughs since they are all easily connected to Manhattan by subway. Same for nearby New Jersey.

Then you get yourselves Metro cards that enable you to hop on or off any bus or subway an unlimited number of times. And enjoy New York. The four places you mention are all doable in one day and then you have the rest of your time to explore what else you are interested in.

 

If you are taking the bike into the city, park here: http://www.risingwolfgarage.com


If you don't like traffic get in by 6 a.m.. Preferably on a weekend.
Manhattan is very exciting. I would try to stay there, for the vibe. Any money you save by staying in the suburbs will be eaten up by commuting fares. If you stay in Chelsea neighborhood it is safe, and centrally located. I stay in my sisters apartment there and walk to Grand Central, Penn Station, Greenwich Village, East Village, Empire State.

 

Yes. We will be on the bike. We will probably try to stay a couple of nights, then ride on thru the North part of the state.
Thanks

 

If you want a really cool tour of NYC, don't take a bus, take a boat.

I highly recommend this one: http://www.sail-nyc.com/

We took the "Around Manhattan Brunch Cruise" and have recommended it to others. Multiple people have taken our suggestion. Every one of them loved it, most said it was the best bang for the buck of any experience they had in the city. It's a really great brunch, you get one free drink each (cash bar after), and you get to see everything, including going right out next to the Statue of Liberty. They don't let enough people on the boat to let it get crowded, and the captain gives a running commentary of the history of everything that you pass.

Basically, you get to see everything with no traffic, no smells, comfortable seats, good food, and you get to be on the water. Awesome time.