New York to Washington DC in November. Plane, train or auto-mobile?

[Duffa]

We (Mrs D and I) are travelling to New York in November (the week before Thanksgiving).
Planning a brief, two day side-trip to Washington to see the main sights. We are leaving NY on a Sunday.
Any advice on whether we should fly or use AMTRAK or just hire a car?
My sister, a New Yorker says its a relatively easy 4-hour drive but they drive on the wrong side!
I know the train is quite expensive but am also aware that getting to and from the airport (4 trips) adds to the flying cost.

Would appreciate any tips

Thanks

D

 

[deejo77]

Did the train down and flew back - train was booked way in advance so rather cheap the week of Easter, flight was twice as expensive but was flying out that night on Qantas so no transfers. There was a delay on the tarmac for close to an hour and probably took same amount of time as train. Don't drive you are on holiday and will not need a car in DC.

 

[Hvr]

The train is a nice ride and you leave from the centre of NYC. Book early and it can be quite cheap. And don't forget you can get a free stop along the way if you stay less than 24 hours. You can see a little bit of Philadelphia in that time.

 

[erkpod]

I'd catch the train, especially when you take into account the time it takes to get to either LGA or JFK from downtown then security etc. When you get to Union Station in DC, I recommend the double decker bus tour to get your bearings & determine what you want to see.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Train by far, done this few times. Door to door.

Red bus tour, Capitol building is a must and so is Dulles air and space museum, may need to hire a car though

http://airandspace.si.edu/visit/udvar-hazy-center/

 

[Duffa]

Thanks everyone.
Looks like we'll be going by train! I have to say I don't mind the idea of a lazy three hours travelling overland for a change!
We'll definitely incorporate all your tips.

Duffa

 

[ozkid]

+1 for train. Avoid all the hassles with getting to JFK and then getting back into DC from any of the airports (even the "local" ones such as National/Reagan). Pleasant, stress free trip on the train. I think it's as cheap or cheaper than air or road. You don't need a car in DC if you're planning to see the major tourist sites, they are all walk-able from a subway station.
Getting to the Air and Space museum next to Dulles takes some planning to sync the public transport timetables, but I did it last year without too many problems. 5A Bus from L'Enfant to Dulles, then a shuttle bus from Dulles to the museum. Absolutely definitely worth the trip. Enjoy!

 

[Sprucegoose]

Thanks everyone.
Looks like we'll be going by train! I have to say I don't mind the idea of a lazy three hours travelling overland for a change!
We'll definitely incorporate all your tips.

Duffa

Make sure you take the Acela. it's their 'fast' train

 

[Flying Fox]

Go the train. You can leave from down town NYC and get straight onto the train.

The train was comfortable and spacious. Don't both paying extra for the express train vs the standard train.

Plus you get to avoid the TSA - really, enough said.

 

[Cat207]

Went business class in the quiet car from Penn Station in NY to Union Station in DC on Acela in June. Don't remember the cost but do remember the very relaxing ride and the scenery. Covered a few states I hadn't been in before as well. It was a great couple of hours. Felt a bit silly getting a taxi from Union Station to the Liaison though. It was just across the road!

 

[petercr]

+5 here... having done it with extended family (well Princeton NJ to DC and then back to NYC) in Feb... it's about a 3.5hr trip each way on the standard train and only about 45mins quicker on the Acela (but a lot more expensive). Train leaves from Penn Station in NYC (34th and 7th) and arrives at Union Station so it's 'heart to heart' and no need to have to worry about getting to airports and waiting. Carriages are comfortable, have plenty of room, a buffet car and free Wi-Fi. If you go around the 21st, it's USD 49 pp each way for the Northeast Regional Express (stops Newark, Trenton, Philly, Baltimore and then DC). Acela tickets would be about USD150+...

I recommend going to any one of the Smithsonians and taking the Washington DC Night tour on a trolley... We had 2-and-a-half days there and could have spent more time...

Would have loved to go to the Smithsonian A&S museum annex at Dulles but saw the one on the Mall and did the Intrepid in NYC so (apart from a Shuttle) I got a heap of winged memories

One other reason to take the train - IF there happens to be snow, the trains still run, maybe not so with planes... (and do you want to do battle with snowy roads and people on the wrong side?)

 

[Duffa]

OK. Booked the rattler on the way down for $49 US each and the return leg on the ACELA (business class only) for $152 each. Ouch! Though I guess the Tuesday return is only 48 hours out from Thanksgiving, hence the lack of economy tickets on that leg.
Thanks for the transport tips as I really NEED to do the Dulles museum! Luckily I have SQ suites from CDG-MEL to keep Mrs Duffa sweet on the way home!!

D

 

[jukebox333]

+1 for the train - I did it "fresh" off the flight from PER-NYC. A few details are in my trip report here.

Washington is a real bugger for parking, so think carefully about car hire. Having said that, Arlington Cemetary and the Dulles Annex of the Smithsonian Air Space really need a car to get to. Mind you, they also will chew up 1/2 day each to do well, so you just have to prioritise what you want to see.

The only caveat is that DC can be icy in November - winter - depends on how early and how hard the Canadian cold kicks in. Another good reason to avoid driving...

 

[amaroo]

About to book the train tickets for our trip in Dec......looked at other options and the train screamed - book me! Got a little stumped with the "No Checked Luggage" message.....soon worked out - no problems.

Driving to Charlestown & beyond 4 days later.....hope the roads aren't icy:shock:

 

[petercr]

The Northeast Regional has luggage racks up to for anything you'd take on a plane as carry-on and one end of each car usually has a luggage storage area at one end... Having done an Amtrak service from Anaheim to LA Union Station, I knew we'd be right with luggage when it said 'no checked luggage' for the trip to/from DC... (at least we had the advantage of leaving all the big luggage at my wife's cousin in Princeton)

 

[ozkid]

Thanks for the transport tips as I really NEED to do the Dulles museum!

D

Good on you! When I was there in Sept I had a triple dose of aerospace - Intrepid in NYC, Smithsonian on the Mall, and Udvar-Hazy next to Dulles. All have their own charms; each worth a visit.

1. Intrepid: warbirds on a floating aircraft carrier, including some rare navy types. There is a BA concorde on the dock, able to do a visit inside and sit in coughpit; also USA's first ballistic missile sub with a regulus ICBM; missed the shuttle as reviews would suggest the Dulles one was better presented.
2. Smithsonian: a must see, from apollo 11 to the X-15, apollo-soyuz, x-1, spirit of st louis. What a motherlode...
3. Dulles annex: The discovery shuttle was spectacular. You can walk right under the engine fairings and wings, almost touching it. Certainly see all the re-entry scoring on the thermal tiles. Much bigger in real life than all the many pictures I have seen. I also enjoyed the sr-71, which again was so close that you see all the fine details. The WW2 warbirds was very good too, including the enola gay.

 

[casanovawa]

I've driven twice from DC to NYC, nice drive and once took the chance to detour into Phillie for a bit of a drive around... Never taken the train but i'm sure train or ddriving would both be good... In DC yeah you don't realy need a car to see most of the sites from the capitol building down to the Lincoln memorial, but we did have a vehicle to get out to Dulles to see the Air and Space Museum annex out there which made it quite a bit easier,so a rental car ont he way down and straight to the A&S museum then drop it off in DC city might be an idea???

 

[cartz]

Another good option for getting from NYC to DC is Megabus. Typically much cheaper than the train. They use Union Station in DC and depart approx 3 blocks from Penn Station in NYC. Can get tickets for as low as $1 but typically around $20.

 

[Didicoi Marmie]

Don't forget to allow time to buy a coat!

 

[petercr]

speaking of coats... make sure you go to the Macy's international customer center in the basement - that'll get you 10% off...