Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

I'm trying to visit both Princeton and Harvard for their april programs, and the two are right after one another. I was wondering how I might be able to travel from Princeton to Boston in one morning/afternoon? thanks for the help

By Mzhang23 (Mzhang23) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 10:30 pm: Edit

Princeton -> Penn Station, New York via NJ Transit
Penn Station --> Times Square via Subway
Times Square --> Boston/Cambridge via Greyhound

Or: take a train like Amtrak directly to Boston from Penn Station.

By Canadian_Idol (Canadian_Idol) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 10:32 pm: Edit

do you know approximately how long that itinerary will take? I need to leave early morning on 24th and arrive in boston in the morning as well...would it be worth taking another plane ride from Newark to Logan?

By Ariesathena (Ariesathena) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 10:36 pm: Edit

By car, no traffic (ha, ha), it's about four hours from northern NJ to Boston.

By Marite (Marite) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 10:49 pm: Edit

If you can afford it, yes, it's worth taking a plane to Boston from Newark. If there are not frequent flights from Newark, it may be worth going to La Guardia and catch a shuttle (either Delta or USAirways). There is one every hour on the hour from about 7am to about 8pm. The plane ride is about one hour (unless there is too much air traffic). From Logan, you can take a taxi to Harvard (around $35-40) or you can take the T (subway), but you'll have to change several times:

Take the Massport shuttle bus (it's blue and white) to the T. It's free. The T fare itself is $1.25. The station is Airport on the blue line. Take the blue line to Government Center and change to the Green Line inbound to Park Street (all T that go to Park Street are called inbound; those that go away from Park Street are outbound). At Park Street, change to the Red Line going outbound to Alewife. Get off at Harvard Square. The total traveling time is about 45 minutes. By taxi it can be as little as 20 minutes when there is no traffic and well over one hour when there is traffic.

By Momsdream (Momsdream) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 10:51 pm: Edit

Do you have to stay overnight on the eve of the 23rd at Princeton? You seem to have the flexibility to leave early AM on the 24th. Why not leave on the 23rd and take the last train to Boston that night?

By Momsdream (Momsdream) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 10:54 pm: Edit

Sounds like the plane is going to take almost as much time as driving, when all is said and done.

By Canadian_Idol (Canadian_Idol) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 10:58 pm: Edit

thanks for all the directions. I hope I can find my way around...

Marite: I'll probably take the T to Harvard - seems like fun, and its cheap ;)

momsdream: leaving on the night of 23rd would be an option. Where would I have to go from Princeton to catch a train to Boston?

By Massdad (Massdad) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 11:00 pm: Edit

CI, if cost is not an issue, a plane from Newark will save you much time. From Logan airport, you could take public transit (subway) to Harvard square in 30-45 minutes depending on connections. Short of flying, there really will be no way to get from Princeton to Boston in less than 6 hours, especially using public transit, although you might be able to train to NYC and take Acela express to Boston, getting in at 11:30 am.

By Aparent4 (Aparent4) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 11:07 pm: Edit

There is an Airporter bus from Princeton to Newark. http://viper.princeton.edu/~remillar/airporter.html
You can take also the train to Newark airport. http://www.airtrainnewark.com/airtrainnewark/index.html
Have a fun trip.

By Marite (Marite) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 11:10 pm: Edit

Unfortunately, the Acela is not always reliable as to schedule. Last year, some colleagues of mine paid $300 to ride the Acela to NY and somehow arrived later than folks who had gone on the regular AMTRAK train that had left later!

The biggest constraint about riding AMTRAK, apart from the 5-6 hours ride is the limited number of trains. From La Guardia, there is a shuttle every hour. I think that planes from Newark are also quite drequent.

By Canadian_Idol (Canadian_Idol) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 11:14 pm: Edit

As for the cost of travel, Princeton said that they are willing to help me cover the cost, so I may be able to get the extra plane ride from Newark to Logan. I dont know how this is going to work though - I'm also visiting Harvard so Princeton isn't likely to cover my costs of traveling to Boston...perhaps I should phone both schools and see what I can do.

thanks for all the information!

By Massdad (Massdad) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 11:42 pm: Edit

Amtrak has a station near Princeton called, surprise, Princeton Junction. You can go online to amtrak.com and check schedules and fares. You would take a local train to NYC, then either a local or express. The service is fairly frequent, and it is not a bad way to travel. From Boston South Station, you could easily take the T to Harvard Square.

To fly, you'd take an airport shuttle to Newark. Continental has frequent service, but I can guarantee you it will be expensive.

By Marite (Marite) on Monday, April 05, 2004 - 09:06 pm: Edit

Canadian Idol:

If you really want to save on fare, take the
Fung Wah bus from NYC Chinatown (139 Canal Street) to Boston Chinatown (Beach Street) for $10. Goodle Fungwah Bus for specifics. the Boston Chinatown bus is close to South Station on the Red Line which will take you directly to Harvard Square. I've no idea where 139 Canal Street is in relation to Penn Station. The bus runs very frequently (about every hour) and takes about 4 hours. It's actually faster than Amtrak.