First Time in NYC July....from australia!

Hi

There are 12 of us travelling, 3 families, and we are thinking of taking a bus from Boston to NYC for 4 nights.

Can someone please let me know the distance between the 2 cities, how easy is it to book with a bus company and costs...

also accomodation in NYC....near shopping, where all the action is

Any help appreciated!

First Time in NYC July....from australia!

To find mileage between cities, go to MAPQUEST.COM

Enter the CITY and STATE (BOSTON and MASSACHUSETTS) as the STARTING LOCATION and NEW YORK and NEW YORK (as both CITY and STATE) as the ENDING LOCATION. (You may omit street addresses). Click ';Get Directions'; The mileage will be listed on the next page below the detailed directions.

The #1 bus company in the U.S. is:

GREYHOUND (Greyhound.com)

(There are others including sunshineboston.com which offers discount tickets).

As far as accommodations are concerned, I imagine that the TIMES SQUARE area of New York would satisfy your requirements. Go to the HOTELS section here on Trip Advisor and select hotels in that area. Here%26#39;s a quick link:

tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g60763-zfn3-New_York_鈥?/a>

Look for hotel addresses that have the word WEST in their addresses and are between 40th and 55th Street or look for addresses on Avenue of the Americas or any avenue that is higher than 5th Avenue, e.g. 6th Ave, 7th Av, etc. or on Broadway.

Good luck!

First Time in NYC July....from australia!

Greyhound is probably the main bus company on that route; fares seem to be mostly in the $25-$35 range (each way). Google says the trip is 212 miles. The so-called Chinatown buses are cheaper, but probably less comfortable -- you should be able to find discussions about them here on TA.

In general, I would think that it should be easy to book the bus trip (you can book online at greyhound.com), but expect larger than usual crowds around the July 4th (Independence Day) holiday. I%26#39;d recommend booking in advance due to the size of your group (you might also get a better fare).

Without knowing specifics about number of adults/children and ages, I%26#39;d guess that the Affinia hotels might be good for your group because they offer suites that will provide more space than standard hotels. The best location for you will depend on the interests of your group. Provide some details and I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll get plenty of advice.

Bus is usually the cheapest way to travel, but the train is really better. Children up to 15 travel half price and there are some other discounts available so it might be worth checking the price difference. You wouldn%26#39;t normally need to book a bus in advance, but with 12 of you and I%26#39;d assume you%26#39;d want to all be together, it would be a good idea but you certainly don%26#39; t have to do it now for July. I should also mention it%26#39;s possible to fly and often flights are really cheap, but you do have to pay for getting to/from the airports at both ends vs. bus or train is city center to city center.

Times Square is where many tourists like to be but really anywhere in midtown (east or west) would be fine. If you%26#39;d like to tell us about your budget, we can make some specific suggestions. Radiocityapartments.com

is a very popular budget apt/hotel.

Sorry I should have given you the website for the train

amtrak.com

For bus information

鈥bout.com/od/鈥uses_to_nyc_2.htm

For flying, go to kayak.com

Greyhound/Peter Pan Bus Lines is the way to go. Go to Greyhound.com and check out the e-fares for $30 round trip. This is the cheapest alternative from Boston to New York. The trips are scheduled to take 4 and a half hours, but I`ve done it in 4 hours many times. This is the same price as the Chinatown buses, but that service is unreliable and there have been accidents and unqualified drivers in the news. Greyhound is reliable and safe and gets you right into the Port Authority in midtown Manhattan. Hotels are notoriously expensive in New York. Go to travelzoo.com and check out New York City lodging. They frequently have some of the best deals around. Go to choicehotels.com and check out The Comfort Inn Chelsea. This is an older hotel that was purchased and nicely renovated by Choice Hotels last year. This is in a nice location adjacent to beautiful Madison Square Park and several subway stops. The best deal for families here is their ';suites'; which are actually just 2 bedrooms with one bathroom. A decent, hearty continental breakfast is also included in the price. They generally offer a discount if booking on line or for guests over 50 who book the hotel. Also check out bestwestern.com and The Best Western Hospitality House on the East Side. They have 1 and 2 bedroom suites with full kitchens, frequently at good prices

Sounds like you also need a basic NYC tour book. Many folks report here they like DK Eyewitness, Frommers, Lonely Planet. Also, click on the ';stickys'; at the top of this forum for websites that help visitors plan. Lastly, check out the category on the left ';New York City Attractions'; and the ';go lists'; for other helpful hints.

Here is a collection of trip reports to help inspire you. Browse through them and you%26#39;ll see the top ';must see'; items and patterns again and again.

Groups of adult relatives traveling together:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k475052-鈥?/a> Collection_of_trip_reports_from_families_travelling_with-...

Steal an itinerary!

mac rvd