In april of '09 i'll be taking a trip with my wife to New york for the New york international auto show. Flying is going to cost us 500-700 dollars depending on what companies go out of business by then, and what the economy decides to do. Maybe higher if all hell breaks loose.

Flying, The pros: much less travel time, means more time to enjoy our stay. Less effort on our part means we will be well rested to take advantage of all our opportunities while there. Last, and certainly least, I like to fly.

The cons : I hate airports, and what airport security has become. I dont really want to get into it, but, i do understand the need for the stringent protocol. I just wish the workers that perform it could be thankful that they have a job, and courteous to the people that they are protecting. The expense obviously, means less cash available to entertain ourselves with while were there. The possibility of lost luggage, or being stranded due to weather conditions.

Driving, The pros: You appreciate more the distance you have traveled, just to do something that you enjoy. The environment in a car is more intimate when traveling with someone you appreciate being with. If something happens back home, you are in control and you can change your plans without incurring great expense.

The cons: You have to be willing to invest the time roundtrip versus flying. You also most likely will drive in shifts, causing a mis-match in moods and energy since one person is resting, while the other is working. If someone gets grumpy, theres no where to go. Once in NY, parking. Thats all I have to say, parking.


Im sure I missed a few obvious ones, but you get the drift. Our chariot will be the S60, a competent long distance cruiser that has delivered us 30+ mpgs on long distance runs before. It also is under warranty and has trip interruption, so if the worst happens, Volvo will pick up the tab once fixed.

What would you guys do?

I'm not exactly sure where your starting from, your location is just "southeast US".

The longest drive I've done is from San Jose, CA to Portland, OR. It was about 11 hours each way and a friend and I shared driving duties. I wouldn't do it again, mainly for two reasons: 1) the oregon highway patrol are all nazis, at least toward californians, which makes driving through that state just miserable and 2) driving that long is booooring when it's all interstate. I mean, I love to drive, but fuck driving the interstate for 11 hours.

If your drive time is on the order of 12 hours or less, I would still consider it depending on one factor: how much are you planning to drive around in NY once you get there? Having your own car there would certainly make sense vs. getting a rental car. If you're just gonna drive to NY and park it there for the duration of your trip, that's just another point in favor of flying.

Overall I'd lean toward flying. Get a flight out at a weird off-hour if you can and security's a non-issue (I flew to Seattle once on a 7:30 AM flight, there was noooobody in the airport when I showed up. Security took about 15 seconds to get through).

I love flying, I even was on my way to becoming a commercial pilot before I decided to go in another direction (September 11th put a pretty big spotlight on the airline industry, and it quickly became obvious that a majority of pilots are treated like glorified bus drivers). But unless I'm leaving the continent, or am really really rushed (sudden funeral, being flown somewhere for a day to do a story...etc) I always drive now.

Planes are small, air passengers are stupid, there is so much waiting in line, and it can be really expensive. It used to cost about $160 to drive my Civic from Manitoba to Vancouver Island, not including ferry fees. A plane ticket is at least double that.

Oddly enough, Canada hasn't become security obsessed, maybe its just the relaxed Canuck attitude, or maybe it's cuz I'm as white as they come, but security has never given me a second look. The most hassle I ever had was when a security guy asked me to turn on my laptop.

The most I ever drove was the 2500km to Quebec City from Manitoba last summer. I was by myself, and it took two days of pretty intense driving, but I just loaded the iPod with podcasts and set off. There have also been lots of 2300km trips out west to Vancouver and Tofino. I wouldn't trade the adventure I had on those trips for anything.

I guess i should have listed a little more logistical info for you guys to consider. I am in Alabama, roughly just shy of a 1000 miles from New york. Google says it should take 15 hours, although, their average speed i figured to be 62 miles an hour. Thats a little shy of my preferred speed of around 75 (where possible).

Ive done several long drives, before. New hampshire to Phoenix az, 2696 miles in 2.5 days, all the driving done by me. Also, Phoenix to Georgia, Georgia to New Hampshire, and (in Clarkma's neck of the woods) Phoenix to Stockton Ca.

Im not new to driving long distances obviously, but ive flown quite alot as well, Several transatlantic flights, Boston to LA, and most recently, Atlanta to Hawaii.

I would be flying out of Atlanta, since its the closest. There is no down time at Hartsfield intl. airport. Its always a royal clusterfuck every time i have flow out of there.

I usually find that for long trips even with some healthy speeding, an average of about 90km/h (~56MPH) is realistic. I did 102km/h once (~63.3MPH) but that was really caning it, and a majority of the driving was done between 12.00am and 7.00am, so traffic was very very light.

To average 75 your gonna have to drive way faster, like at about 85...and piss in something like a bottle.

Flying. Price of gas + time lost = spend the money to fly and have more time in NY. Take an early AM flight and get there early (I just did that from Raleigh to La Guardia about 2 weeks ago and didn't have to wait in any lines anywhere). Flight out at 7 and arrived by 8:30. 15 hours is a long effing drive too. I'd rather pay a bit more and have wayy more time there.

I will be doing plenty of inter-city travel. I would be parked at the hotel though for the duration of my visit, just because i would rather not deal with navigating NY streets on my own. And also, trying to find and pay for parking would just drive me nuts.

The subways and taxi cabs dont scare me. I would prefer that to driving within the city nomatter what my choices were.

Let me re-phrase that. While on the road, i like to average 75 mph. I wasnt taking the 0 mph speed into the average for when we stop. If driving at 75 for 4 hours, and then have an hour stop, you average 60 mph. Thats roughly googles average.

I say go for the drive. It will be a much better vacation than to deal with JFK. IF you want save some more cash, live in Newark and take the train into the city. Also, if you research a bit you get to see so many wonderful attractions that you just wont get to enjoy if you flew.

P.S. Valentine 1 is your best friend for long drives if you dont already have it.

I'm glad that you're not even thinking of of driving around the city, even thought the MTA has its problems the Subway is by far the cheapest and easiest way to get around.

On a national level, I don't know how traffic is from Alabama to Virginia but from D.C. onwards to NY its terrible, plus you have to pay all those tolls which comes to like thirty six dollars just to enter Manhattan from Jersey. Just make sure the hotel is offering free parking in a secured garage.

LGA + JFK are both good airports, just grab your bags and wait in line for a cab, and be on your way to Manhattan (about 30 minute ride). DO NOT take the Subway from Jamaica to Manhattan, you'll probably get mugged if you have a southern accent.

My recommendation is flying, its quicker, easier, and direct, and you don't have to worry about the safety of your car.

I personally LOVE long drives. My farthest drive was from NJ to Northern Maine and loved every bit of it.

As for NYC, I would take Dukenukem's advice....drive up and then find a hotel in Newark and then take the ferry into the city. One of the ferry routes takes you from the NJ coast right into the backyard of the Jacob Javits Center, where the auto show is always held.

What is the schedule for public transportation for crossing back to NJ at night? Two years ago when i was out there, we stayed out til 12 or 1 am each night. Is it possible to ferry back across at that hour?

Yeah, I'm sure they do ferries at late hours. Lemme check and get back to you with that.

EDIT: which date will you be visiting the show?

I do love driving, and I regularly do trips from my place here in Dubai, UAE, to my parents' home in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. I travel alone, at an average speed of about 160km/h. The roads are well-surfaced, empty, and largely unrestricted, so I love it. Also, gas is cheap. However, I can't see it being the same fun on a highway where you'd be stuck at lower speeds, worrying about getting tickets, and spending large sums on gas. Plus, I've lived in Dammam, and while I love the place, it's certainly no NY. I'd fly just so I could spend as much time as I could in the city. I loved NY when I visited...and that was despite missing out on a lot of fun stuff because I was too young to realize my parents were crappy tourists.

from new haven ct you can pay 60$ for round trip train tickets plus all day pass to the auto show. I guess I should appreciate it more this year

We go on opening day to the public. That would be saturday, the 11th i believe. we would spend friday night in nyc and possibly sunday night as well if we flew.

If you know you'll enjoy 10+ hours with your wife driving, then go for it. The last big trip I took, Chicago->Denver-ish, was with 3 other friends at it was one of the best drives of my life. If you expect either of you to be naggy or unpleasant... skip the drive and take a plane. And public transportation in NYC is more than adequate.

Also, why not fly Southwest? I'm almost positive you could get a RT flight for about $300 if you book now... probably even less. When I wanted to go to NYC last spring break I was finding like $180 RT, so Id want to believe its around that during winter.

Good times:

We do well together on long trips. Often we go hours without having the radio on at all. The reason i dont purchase tickets right now is she is still in school, and her schedule is not concrete for this time of year. I dont want to book a ticket, then have to amend it. If we plan to drive, and then she suddenly cant go due to studies, then i can still book a ticket.

I fly with airtran and get great deals with them since i fly often.

Heres my longest solo drive.

Okay, well, the last ferry to depart W 39th street is 10:50. This is the usual time for the ferries, from what I recall.

Fly into La Guardia and take the M60 bus for $12. Takes you straight to Grand Central where you can get the Subway anywhere in the city. If you are there for more than 3-4 days i'd suggest getting the unlimited MTA card for $25. Worth every penny. It's good for the subway and bus, so your ride back to the airport on the M60 is free, too. Paying for parking in NYC is ridiculous. I don't know about hotels (I'd assume its not cheap), but everywhere else it's hideous, like $10/hr+. MTA is the way to get around NYC.

I love road trips So I'd say drive. And that time of year the weather and the scenery through Appalachia will be gorgeous. It also allows you to keep times flexible, you could adjust your arrival and departures from New York a bit to suit what you two are doing those mornings and keep things relaxed.