All About Transportation: Getting to New Haven

Before any of you can enjoy the good times ahead of you here at YDS you're going to have to get to New Haven. We've covered how to get around New Haven, but we haven't yet told you the best ways to get here in the first place.

Driving

Anyone driving into town will be happy to note that New Haven is hard to miss from the highway since it's at the intersection of I-95 and I-91. From New York and points south (or from Rhode Island), 95 is the most intuitive way to go. If you're coming from points south of New York City, you will probably be directed to take the George Washington Bridge coming up I-95. Patrick and Esther both strongly recommend taking the Tappan Zee Bridge and Merritt Parkway instead. Coming from Newark on I-95, take the exit to I-80 and then to the Garden State Pkwy, continue onto I-287 until you get to the Hutchinson River Pkwy, which turns into the Merritt Pkwy. This way has significantly less traffic, has fewer tolls, and much, much prettier scenery than I-95.


Flying

There are several airports relatively nearby that students use. The first is Bradley Airport (BDL) in Hartford, which is about 45mins away up I-91. Most major airlines fly into Bradley, which means it is a good choice for most people. Connecticut Limo (which runs airport shuttles in addition to traditional limousines, go figure) is the easiest way to get to and from Bradley. During peak travel times, they run shuttles every half-hour or so. They offer discounts to Yale affiliates, so make sure to use the link above for access to those.

The other popular choice is LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City. This is the option Patrick uses almost exclusively. Once you land in LGA, take the M60 bus that stops at every terminal (be sure to buy a MetroCard in the terminal, as the bus takes only the MetroCard or exact change) to the Harlem-125th St. Metro-North Station (125th Street at Park Avenue). From there, Metro-North to New Haven costs around $14 off-peak. You can also fly into JFK or Newark, but it is difficult to get to Grand Central or Harlem-125th from either of them, and therefore these are less popular options.

There is a tiny one-gate airport in New Haven, Tweed (HVN). Only US Airways flies into Tweed and usually rates to this local airport make flights prohibitively expensive. The Yale Shuttle does not run to Tweed, so you would have to make sure to call a taxi, take a city bus, or have someone pick you up.


Bus and train

Using the train for part or all of your travel is a great way to reduce cost. Union Station in New Haven is serviced by Amtrak and Metro-North, NYC's commuter rail. One line of the Yale Shuttle (Red by Day, Blue by Night) always runs to the train station, which makes it very easy to get to and from.

Another really convenient option (especially for those coming from Boston) is Megabus. For as little as $1 (plus service fees), you can get a one-way ticket between Union Station in New Haven and South Station in Boston. This also means that you could fly into Logan Airport (BOS) in Boston, but usually that doesn't make much sense in terms of cost or travel time.


Walking 


Have at it, if you want. But you should probably have this on your iPod or other music device: