getting from NY City to Cooperstown.. car or train?

Our family of five are planning a few days in NYC and then going to Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame. We are contemplating renting a car and driving, but I am concerned about getting out of NYC. Would the train be a better plan?

getting from NY City to Cooperstown.. car or train?

Amtrak does not stop at Cooperstown.

Your only options are car or bus.

getting from NY City to Cooperstown.. car or train?

I forgot to mention that what I have researched about the train is that we would have to take the train to Albany and then rent a car and drive to Cooperstown. OR, just drive from NYC.

I would figure it out both ways based on price - and I%26#39;m betting the car all the way will be much cheaper. New York is not some great mystery to drive in...there%26#39;s just more cars and people than you are probably used to. A lot will depend on the drop off charge to bring it back to...where? An airport?

Don%26#39;t forget the Fenimore House and I also highly recommend visiting Howe Caverns along the way, and if you happen to like soccer as well as baseball I just noticed the Soccer Hall of Fame is in Oneonta. Also Glimmerglass opera near Cooperstown if your tastes run in that direction.

We would be picking up and dropping the car at the same location in NYC as we are spending one last night in NYC before flying home. The key will be finding a car rental close to Central Park near our hotel.

Car might be cheaper, but would train be any more or less enjoyable, and possibly faster? The drawback with the train, as I see it, is making all the connections.. at Penn Station, at car rental in Albany, hauling luggage, and so forth..

Sounds like you%26#39;re answering your own question. I always prefer the flexibility of a car. And you don%26#39;t have to find a car rental location THAT close to you. Do you need to register both drivers or only one? If only one, have one parent stay at the hotel with the kids and luggage, the other take a taxi to wherever the car rental place is and then drive back and pick everyone up. Maybe the car rental place will come and get you? They do in a lot of places but probably not Manhattan...

There won%26#39;t be any car rentals very close to Central Park, but several within a reasonable distance. Even if you have to take a cab, it%26#39;s not a big deal. It%26#39;s a convenience/price issue. Only you can make the decision on that. All the majors (and some minors) have car rentals in Manhattan. If you want to calculate comparisons, make sure to check all Amtrak discounts on the amtrak website. I think there%26#39;s a family discount that might make the kids free (and perhaps one adult 50% off). At that price, the train/car might be better.

There are also discount codes for rental cars at www.betterbidding.com/index.php鈥?/a>

Another option would be to take a commuter train from Grand Central Terminal (42nd Street and Park Avenue). The Hudson Line could take you to Cold Spring, which is a lovely village right on the Hudson River and across from West Point. It is renowned for its antique shops. I would imagine you could get a car rental in town. You also would probably pay less for the car rental outside of NYC. The final benefit is that you wouldn%26#39;t have to deal with traffic congestion getting out of the city and you would be an hour+ closer to Cooperstown.

If not in Cold Spring, then perhaps some other town on Metro North%26#39;s lines (Tarrytown, White Plains, Yonkers in NY or Stamford in CT are all good sized towns/cities. All are 30-60 minutes from Grand Central). You certainly shouldn%26#39;t have to go all the way to Albany. For schedules do a search on ';Metro North';.

The drawback to the commuter train route is the extra shlepping of luggage to Grand Central. Do you already have your hotel booked in NYC for your last night? If not, you could just plan to stay near the airport--not very picturesque, but probably cheaper and more convenient to your flight. You might save enough on hotel to justify a car rental drop charge if there is one.

The car rental in Manhattan idea is not a good one. Why don%26#39;t you rent the car at Newark airport? Dad (or whoever) could take the bus or the airtrain to EWR, where he would be picked up by the rental car shuttle. He rents the car, drives back into Manhattan, picks up the rest of you at the hotel, and off you go to Cooperstown. On the way back, he drops you at the hotel, and then returns the car to the airport, taking the same public transportation back into town. It is certainly easy enough to drive between Newark airport and Manhattan.