Escape From New York (Without Kurt Russell)

I mentioned to a co-worker recently that I was taking the Bolt Bus to DC, and to my amazement, she told me she had never heard of it, nor of any of the other low-cost bus lines on the East Coast!  I guess I’d taken for granted that most New Yorkers are familiar with the Fung Wah/Chinatown bus service, but this wouldn’t be the first time I’d be mistaken to assume, so I’ve put together a quick tutorial for traveling cheaply to Boston, DC, Rochester, Philly, or really, anywhere on this side of the country.

In the late ’90s, I realized that you didn’t have to be Chinese to take the Chinatown bus.  I had learned quickly that unless you catch a rare and especially cheap fare, Amtrak is always going to be pricey and unreliable.  As a college student, I found that the bus was cheap and frequent, but a challenge to make sure you were in the right place for the pickup location (Was it in front of a shady jewelry store or a shady luggage store? I can’t remember), and I’ve heard several horror stories of the bus breaking down for hours on I-95.  Since this enlightenment, competitors such as Mega Bus and Bolt Bus have sprung up, offering rides for as low as $1.50 (if you book wayyy in advance), and amenities such as leather seats and Wi-Fi onboard.  If you book within a week of your travel date, you should still be able to get a ticket for under $20, and you now have the option of being picked up and dropped off in Midtown, rather than Chinatown, which could be more convenient.

Aside from buses, commuter rail (Metro-North, LIRR, NJ Transit) charge much fairer prices than Amtrak, so if you are traveling within 90 minutes of Manhattan, this is probably your best option.  Be sure to buy your ticket at the station, though, as you‘ll get raped with an “on-board purchase fee” of up to $6 if you wait until you are on the train.

If you are planning a big escape, by way of an airplane, the cheapest ways to get to the three NY area airports are as follows:

LGA – Take the N or W train to Astoria Blvd in Queens and connect to the M-60 bus to LGA.  Takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes from Midtown, and costs the ‘normal’ price of a NYC transit ride: $2.25.

JFK – Unless you are traveling for work and can expense it, you are wasting serious cash if you take a cab to or from JFK (around $50).  Instead, take the E train to Jamaica/Sutphin Blvd in Queens (if coming from north of 34^th St), or the A to Howard Beach in Queens (if coming from south of 34^th St).  From either station, you can transfer to the “AirTrain” which stops at all terminals.  Allow up to 90 minutes travel time, depending on where in the city you are departing from.  Total cost is $7.25.

EWR – Take NJ Transit (NOT Amtrak) from Penn Station to Newark Airport Station.  EWR has its own actual rail station, separate from the one in Downtown Newark.  The ride takes about 25 minutes, and from there you can connect to the free AirTrain that stops at all terminals.  Cost is $14, as opposed to $40+ for a taxi.