The Braseltons

I had a bad image of trains in America and of course the New York subway system had me perplexed.

After using is several times, I would definately recommend it as anyone’s method of travel.

We took the New Jersey Transit train about 60 miles and it dropped is off smack in the middle of Manhattan at Penn Station. The off-peak round trip tickets were $18.50 per person. That is $37 for my family (baby free) to have 120 miles of transportation to and from our camp area. We went to NYC in the morning and came back late at night. All was smooth and quiet. Stops were quick and without problems. There was one transfer at Secacus station or we would have ended up at Hoboken. Not confusing at all.

The subway’s bad rap, ahh the television shows. I had really frightening images in my head. After talking to local New Yorkers, they advised getting a Fun Pass for the day. The fun pass allowed us to get on anywhere and stop anywhere all day long. The fun pass was $8.25 per person for $16.50 for all of us (baby free). Travel anywhere in the area and at any time WE wanted. If you just need one way, it’s $2.25 for a ride. Not bad either.

If you visit New York, I would leave one day just for subway learning and taking them everywhere. Once you feel comfortable, the rest of your trip will go great!

We were happy that we chose the above methods of travel versus taxi rides and buses. Driving a car and parking in NYC was not a choice.

We also took the Staten Island Ferry from the southern most point of Manhattan island to Staten Island and we visited a museum. The cost of the ferry both ways was entirely within our budget. It was, and always is, FREE! We had a beautiful view of NYC and the Brooklyn Bridge. We also saw the Statue of Liberty. I initially wanted to go in the statue but decided to do other things instead. We saw it and that was enough. It was much smaller than I expected.

Total transportation costs (minus the drive to an from the train station) was $53.50 for the whole family. All day. That is a pleasant bargain!