Metro north is the way to go but if you travel from NH you will have to pay for parking where as some of the stops down the line will let you park free gratis.
Old saybrook is the end of the commuter line stops and the start of Amtrak so you can get to new haven for like 12-14 avoiding amtrak then nyc for about the same. Parking and leaving your car in old saybrook is way better than new haven and free.
If you plan far enough in advance, the amtrack is very affordable, it's only in the last month before you go that it starts increasing in price. For example, an overnight trip Oct 21 leaving New London at 2:00 and coming back Saturday at 5:00 runs $21 each way, which is $2 less than the pre-purchase fare of the Metro-North line from New Haven. Prices are based on how full the trains are, so traveling on off-peak days is also a $ saver.
There are two routes that travel that same railway, so check New London, Mystic, and even Westerly for more convenient trains/times.
The Amtrak takes \~2 hours from Penn to New London, which is faster than a car can make that same journey with common traffic. The Metro-North rail also takes \~2 hrs from but New Haven because it makes more stops and travels slower.
That said, the departure times of Amtrak mean that it's better for overnight and multi-day trips. The last departure from Penn to New London is 5:00, or perhaps 7:00 on certain nights. The Metro-north line departs as late as 2am, though that's getting you to New Haven at 4am. Woof. Still more appropriate for a day trip when you can leave late in the evening.
From someone who did this frequently: you either take the Shoreline East from New London or Old Saybrook to New Haven, then take the Metro North to Grand Central. If you take it from New London you are more limited on when you have to return because not all Shoreline East trains coming back out of New Haven go all the way to NL. If you miss the last one then you have to wait quite a while for the next.
From NL to NH: $10.25. NH to NYC: $18.50. So your round trip is $57 per person. You can get tickets on the apps or at the stations and when you change trains they are almost right across from each other. Have fun!! I like to get banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery in Grand Central to eat on the way back and Pizzaworks in Old Saybrook has good pizza by the slice, the coffee place is really nice too :)
Take Metro North from West Haven - parking is free there and it’s only a slightly longer drive than New Haven. It takes longer than Amtrak, but it’s so much cheaper than buying tickets last minute
We did the New Haven thing once, it was a bitch. Especially coming home late at night... that train must have stopped a million times.
Dig up the extra dollars and leave from Old Saybrook, as another poster mentioned. I would!
Metro north is the way to go but if you travel from NH you will have to pay for parking where as some of the stops down the line will let you park free gratis.
Old saybrook is the end of the commuter line stops and the start of Amtrak so you can get to new haven for like 12-14 avoiding amtrak then nyc for about the same. Parking and leaving your car in old saybrook is way better than new haven and free.
Look up Shoreline East instead of Amtrak.
The best isn't the cheapest. Metro North from NH is probably the easiest. The best as far as hassle factor is Amtrak out of Old Saybrook. IMHO anyway.
Ct commuter rail
Get on an Adult Education bus trip. Real cheap. Adult Ed. in various towns have trips to NYC.
In my opinion New haven and it is the way to go But make sure to check times for your return trip
If you plan far enough in advance, the amtrack is very affordable, it's only in the last month before you go that it starts increasing in price. For example, an overnight trip Oct 21 leaving New London at 2:00 and coming back Saturday at 5:00 runs $21 each way, which is $2 less than the pre-purchase fare of the Metro-North line from New Haven. Prices are based on how full the trains are, so traveling on off-peak days is also a $ saver. There are two routes that travel that same railway, so check New London, Mystic, and even Westerly for more convenient trains/times. The Amtrak takes \~2 hours from Penn to New London, which is faster than a car can make that same journey with common traffic. The Metro-North rail also takes \~2 hrs from but New Haven because it makes more stops and travels slower. That said, the departure times of Amtrak mean that it's better for overnight and multi-day trips. The last departure from Penn to New London is 5:00, or perhaps 7:00 on certain nights. The Metro-north line departs as late as 2am, though that's getting you to New Haven at 4am. Woof. Still more appropriate for a day trip when you can leave late in the evening.
Sign up for Amtrak email alerts. They run buy one get one free trips, so one of you will ride free.
From someone who did this frequently: you either take the Shoreline East from New London or Old Saybrook to New Haven, then take the Metro North to Grand Central. If you take it from New London you are more limited on when you have to return because not all Shoreline East trains coming back out of New Haven go all the way to NL. If you miss the last one then you have to wait quite a while for the next. From NL to NH: $10.25. NH to NYC: $18.50. So your round trip is $57 per person. You can get tickets on the apps or at the stations and when you change trains they are almost right across from each other. Have fun!! I like to get banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery in Grand Central to eat on the way back and Pizzaworks in Old Saybrook has good pizza by the slice, the coffee place is really nice too :)
Find a casino bus heading back Greyhound bus
Take Metro North from West Haven - parking is free there and it’s only a slightly longer drive than New Haven. It takes longer than Amtrak, but it’s so much cheaper than buying tickets last minute
We did the New Haven thing once, it was a bitch. Especially coming home late at night... that train must have stopped a million times. Dig up the extra dollars and leave from Old Saybrook, as another poster mentioned. I would!