Planning a New York City adventure from UConn? Here’s a detailed, fun-filled guide to getting there, exploring the sights, and soaking up all the city vibes!
Getting there
As a girly who loves road trips, I immediately offered to drive. We drove almost three hours, but there are plenty of ways to get there, depending on your vibe, budget, and patience level
- Driving
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If you choose to drive, beware of the time you leave- the earlier the better! Especially on a weekend, the traffic can be brutal. For parking, I highly recommend Spot Hero, it lets you reserve discounted parking in advance (though it can still cost $30–$60 for the day) and choose a spot near where you’re going.
- Taking the Train
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The fastest train option is to drive or Uber to New Haven (just over an hour from campus) and take the Metro-North Railroad to Grand Central Station.
Another option is taking Amtrak from Hartford Union Station to Penn Station. This trip is under three hours but ranges from $45–$110 depending on the time and day
- The bus route
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This is the slowest but most budget-friendly option. Get to Hartford Union Station (either drive/Uber or by taking the CT Transit 903/913 bus using your U-Pass). From there, hop on a Greyhound bus into NYC ($20–$30). Travel time can range from two and a half to nearly five hours, depending on the schedule.
Starting your day
Once you’ve made it into the city, there’s only one acceptable way to start: bagels, duh. Personally, I love Liberty Bagels. They have four different locations in the city, but we went to Midtown Manhattan, just a seven-minute walk from Penn Station. They have so many different types of bagels, which can be ordered plain, with butter, as an egg sandwich, or, if you’re feeling crazy, with any of their insane cream cheese flavors (including Honey Bacon Sriracha and Oreo). I chose to get a sausage, egg, and cheese with avocado on an everything bagel, and it was MAGICAL! It cost about $13, but worth every bite. The line was long, but we only waited around 10 minutes.
Exploring the city
Though it was a bit rainy and overcast, that didn’t stop us. After bagels, we braved the subway—super easy to navigate with Apple Maps using the public transit feature. Just tap your card or Apple Pay at the entrance (it’s $2.90 per ride).
We headed to Hudson Yards and spent some time wandering around their indoor mall and checking out the view of the Vessel. You can get tickets for $10 to climb its 154 flights of stairs, if you’re up for the challenge.
From there, we walked along The High Line, a 1.45-mile-long elevated walk created on a former New York Central Railroad. It was a beautiful walk with plenty of trees, people watching, and cool buildings.
The main event
The highlight of our trip was seeing The Great Gatsby on Broadway. We took the subway to Times Square, where the musical was playing. With time to spare, we wandered through the chaos and lights of Times Square, which is touristy, but always iconic.
As for the musical, it was truly glamorous with a star-studded cast, but differed from the iconic novel. (I wrote a full review on it, which you can see here!) We paid full price for our tickets, but you can find budget-friendly options, especially rush tickets. This site explains how to score those last-minute deals.
Once the show ended, we caught a quick subway back to Penn Station and took the train to my car for the ride home.
Overall Thoughts
A day in NYC is never wasted. Whether you’re munching on bagels, strolling The High Line, or seeing a Broadway show, the city always delivers. It can get a little pricey, but the memories? Totally priceless.