Smooth Road Trip to New York and New England?

Hi friends, and thanks for stopping by to see if I had a smooth road trip to New York and New England.

I love road trips! Check out my adventures with my beautiful dogs (RIP) while we enjoyed Oregon.

Oregon Coast Road Trip with my Dogs

And my last road trip to Oregon in 2023. Solo. 😢

My Latest Oregon Road Trip

Back in the olden days before the Internet and blogs, my first solo road trip was a few months to California and Nevada in 1987.

Making lemonade

If you’ve been following my YouTube channel you know I’ve been housesitting in Toronto. A long term housesit for 3 months.

Unfortunately, due to a medical emergency in the family, the homeowners had to return early. They are great hosts and invited me to stay as their guest in the house until my planned departure. That was amazing!

I decided I should take advantage of being at one of Canada’s biggest airports and to look into flying somewhere on the Eastern Seaboard that I wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to visit.

But where to? New York City? Florida?

And then I thought about booking a rental car and going on a road trip! Yeah!

I am taking lemons and making lemonade – ha ha!

Car rental

My first task was to find a car to rent. There are several car rental companies with locations around Toronto – both airports and downtown.

I even visited the Thrifty car rental location to make sure I could drive the car into the USA. Next, I asked about insurance – $35 a day. Yikes!

I searched on Booking.com. They had a good price on the car rental, but even more important the insurance was about half the price as Thrifty’s for similar coverage. I was interested in the Toyota Rav 4 (or similar) because of the all wheel drive. I’m heading into northeast states late November – there could be snow.

To be very clear, I checked the long term weather forecast for all my destinations and they all showed above freezing temperatures.

Let’s get back to Booking.com. I’ve used them many times to reserve hotel rooms. The reservation is confirmed immediately all the time. But the car rental thing was different. It would take up to 24 hours. What the hell?

This was Thursday morning and I was planning to leave on Monday morning. Thursday turned into Friday without a confirmation. I even phoned Thrifty to make sure they were open on Monday – Remembrance Day. And yes they were open.

At dinner time on Friday with no further communication from Booking, I went to Expedia to book a car rental. Same list of rental companies and cars. Similar pricing for both the rental and insurance. Expedia immediately confirmed the car rental. And this time I’d reserved the car for Tuesday. In hindsight I worried the border crossing would be busy on the holiday Monday, and bumped my road trip a day.

(Disclosure: I am an Expedia affiliate. If you click on an Expedia link in this article, you will be taken to their site where you can make a reservation at no extra cost to you. I will receive a small commission for the referral. Also note that prices are subject to change depending on supply and demand. You may see a lower price or a higher price for the same property or car rental, depending on your dates.)

In Canadian dollars, the 11 day car rental cost me $325 that I paid to Thrifty. The $200 insurance I paid to Expedia. It would have been slightly cheaper with Booking, but that was still a good deal to rent an SUV.

Sucks to be Booking.com! They lost out on some cashola from me.

First stop – Corning, New York

I knew by the time I picked up the rental car around 10am, drove it back to where I’m staying, loaded my bags, and headed out of Toronto, it would be close to noon.

I’m not too keen on driving in unknown areas at night, so I booked my first night hotel in Corning, New York, estimating my arrival there between 4pm and 5pm.

Oh by the way I didn’t get a RAV 4. I got “similar” – a Toyota Corolla Cross. Nice little car with great gas mileage.

I stayed at the Quality Inn, costing me (Canadian dollars) $138 and that included breakfast. I was looking forward to using the swimming pool, but it sucks to be a solo traveller because one of the pool rules is no swimming alone. Must be two people.

Ladies, there is nothing more important than our safety when we travel. This hotel has a 24 hour reception and I felt very safe here. If you’d like to make a booking, check availability on Expedia (affiliate link).

Reunion!

In December, 2023 I volunteered with VaughanTown in Spain. It’s a cultural exchange where the only qualification I needed was the ability to speak English.

Making new friendships – priceless!

I knew my friend Kai from the program lived in New York and sent him a message after I’d settled in to the hotel. I was catching up on a TV show I’d missed the night before and then planned to drive to Wegman’s grocery store to buy a salad for dinner.

Kai sent me a message that Corning is 30 minutes from his house! He said he was returning home from an exercise class and asked if I’d had dinner and he could be there in 40 minutes. That’s when I discovered he lived in Pennsylvania. Which made me look at a map and realize how close Corning is to the Pennsylvania border.

So this was great. A mini reunion.

Kai convinced me to go hiking the next day and he’d show me around the area.

This was Glen Watkins State Park in the Finger Lake region of New York. Pretty place. But too many steps! My calves were feeling it the next day.

He’d recently purchased a house to fix up and flip and offered to let me stay there for the night. So that was the only night I had a free place to stay. But I did buy him dinner that night.

I realize I was in New York and not Pennsylvania in the above photo. But Pennsylvania has a neat slogan that I saw. It went something to the effect of finding your happiness in Pennsylvania.

I don’t think that someone necessarily has to be in Pennsylvania to find happiness. I’m a nomad, a solo female traveller, and I’ve found freedom and happiness.

Cheap New York City hotel

I’ve been to New York City as a teenager. And crammed a lot in – went up the Empire State Building to the 102nd floor, climbed up to the crown in the Statue of Liberty, went to a Mets game, did the Circle Line boat tour around Manhattan.

I’ve never been back but I wanted to spend a few hours exploring New York City. The first obstacle is finding reasonably priced accommodation. Ha ha. In one of the world’s most expensive cities. I quickly figured out that my best bet would be to find a hotel in New Jersey.

The thing is I don’t know New Jersey at all. Jersey City? Newark? Hmmm, where they are in relation to New York City and how to get downtown mean nothing to me. The one thing I knew was I didn’t want to drive in New York City and pay $50 or more to park the car.

My buddy Kai was helpful. His mother lives in Queens and he said I could park in her driveway and take a train into Manhattan from there. Nice. But it still doesn’t help with a place to sleep.

Back to Expedia (affiliate link) and I discovered the La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Secaucus Meadowlands. Doesn’t mean much to me, except I know Meadowlands is a racetrack. Originally I was looking at two nights, but I booked one night. Cost? Gulp. $225.

That’s a budget hotel. It was a very nice hotel. I had a room with a sitting area with a couch and TV and the bedroom around the wall, with another TV. Hmmm. I believe it was a sofa bed. More space than I needed but nice. And it was very tough to find a cheaper hotel in this area, which was safe. Certainly a concern when near a large city with a reputation of a high crime rate.

Benefits? Breakfast was included. The bus stop for a bus that goes into the New York Port Authority bus station was right across the street. Fare? $3. The hotel stored my backpacks in their luggage room for the day and no problem keeping my car parked there for the day too.

New York City

The bus ride to the New York Port Authority bus station was about 20 – 25 minutes. After the bus dropped me off I headed out to Times Square.

Look at me getting the panoramic view on my iPhone under control!

There’s no cost to visit Times Square.

From there I walked to Rockefeller Center – also free. In fact everything I visited in New York City was free except for my lunch. The scaffolding is up ready for the Christmas tree and a couple of staff were skating on the ice rink. I like how they have a painting of a Christmas tree until the real thing is ready.

Let’s watch the skater in action.

Then I walked down 5th Avenue to Central Park. I love the sign – I am in my own magical world.

Below is some of the priciest real estate in New York City adjacent to the park.

From Central Park I caught the subway downtown to visit the 9/11 Memorial reflecting pool.

And I have a somber YouTube video.

I walked over to the New York Stock Exchange to take a picture of the bull – but it wasn’t there! Or if it was, I didn’t see it. There would have been hoards of people surrounding it. I did see the statue of the fearless girl who was previously staring down the bull.

The gothic Trinity Church is nearby.

From there I walked down to the Staten Island ferry – also free. Good view of the Statue of Liberty all for free.

When I returned, a group of street performers was outside the ferry terminal.

By now I’m getting hungry. I saw signs pointing out a restaurant called the Pizza Grotto so I followed the signs! I got a slice of mushroom pizza and a pineapple soda. It was OK. Perhaps authentic NYC pizzas are thin crusts. I prefer a thicker crust.

From there I made my way back to the bus station at the New York Port Authority so I could return to the hotel and pick up the car.

What about big NYC attractions?

Now you might be wondering why I didn’t do touristy things like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building.

For starters, I only had a few hours. I was driving south and wanted to do it in daylight hours. And I’ve been to NYC before and have been to the 102nd floor on the Empire State Building and have climbed the Statue of Liberty to the crown. I’d have liked to do the Statue of Liberty again, except the tickets sell out months in advance.

Also my calves were kind of sore from hiking with my buddy! So just as well I couldn’t do it.

Here’s a video of the highlights of free things to do in New York City.

Atlantic City

I’ve been to Las Vegas many times and Reno a few times, but I’ve always wanted to see Atlantic City. A little tougher because it’s on the other side of the continent. But it sounded amazing – the Boardwalk and the Atlantic Ocean.

This was my road trip to get there, even though many people told me don’t bother going.

The worst part about Atlantic City is driving there from New York. I HATED the drive and I love driving, but this was a nightmare. Impatient drivers and tolls. What’s with all these tolls on the east coast? In Western Canada and the Western United States there are no tolls. Or if there are, they aren’t on any of the major highways that I’ve been on.

Got a kick ass deal at Caesars for $69 Canadian dollars! Are you kidding???!!! Back in the 90s, Caesars was the big name hotel in Las Vegas, the most expensive place to stay. The brand screams luxury and wealthy clientele.

Oh yeah, the resort fee in US dollars of $37 and parking fee $15 with the exchange factored in were about the same cost as what I paid for one night at the hotel. This was a last minute deal at the hotel I found on Expedia (affiliate link).

I went out for a walk about 7:30pm on Friday night and just about all the shops and diners on the Boardwalk were closed. I’d read the Ferris Wheel is open on Friday and Saturday nights and it was lit up, so I headed down there. Only to discover the gate was locked to the steel pier. Sigh.

Had to laugh at this shop (diner?) that is never closed. It looks shuttered to me.

The casino at Caesars was full of cigarette smoke so I saved my money and didn’t gamble.

In the morning I went for a walk along the Boardwalk and onto the sand to admire the Atlantic Ocean.

Meanwhile, back on the Boardwalk…

Everything was closed. I saw what I came to see and there was no point in sticking around.

Final verdict? I’m glad I went to Atlantic City to see what it’s all about. Would I come back? Maybe. But I wouldn’t drive.

Newport, Rhode Island

I have never been to a New England state before. This road trip was all about seeing New England. The only New England state I didn’t set foot in on this road trip was Maine.

I arrived in Newport around 4pm where I’d booked the Atlantic Beach Hotel for two nights.

I tried to book this hotel with Booking.com when I pulled over at a rest stop, but nothing happened. The app spun in circles after I reserved the hotel and I didn’t get a confirmation email.

At another rest stop I booked the Atlantic Beach Hotel through Expedia (affiliate link) and received an immediate confirmation.

For this road trip, Booking.com sucked. It never confirmed the car rental or this hotel for two nights and Expedia stepped up to the plate. Prior to this road trip, I’d used Expedia only a couple of times in the past. Booking.com had always been my go-to for hotel reservations.

Booking – you let me down!

I loved Newport! The weather was sunny, around 60F, maybe a bit higher. This is a place I want to come back to.

My hotel was across the road from the beach and about a one mile walk from the Cliff Walk. The Cliff Walk is about 3.5 miles with gorgeous views of both the ocean and the gilded mansions.

And then, of course, turn around and walk 3.5 miles back to the starting point. I walked about 15 miles that day.

Check out these views!

Yup, I am getting the panoramic view on my iPhone under control.

Much of the Cliff Walk is on a paved path.

And portions of the Cliff Walk have unstable footing.

Good thing I was wearing hiking shoes!

This mansion below, The Breakers, was owned by the Rockefeller family.

All that walking made me hungry, so I headed into downtown Newport, about 2 miles away, for lunch and a stroll on the docks. I caught a pop dance group. Cool! Never seen that happen before.

Loved Newport! I definitely want to return one day.

Salem, Massachusetts

Many years ago I wrote a paper for my US history class about the Salem witchcraft trials. You know, back in the olden days before the Internet, when we had to go to the library and check out books for research.

I’ve always been interested in visiting Salem and seeing the Salem Witch Museum. I wanted to spend the night in the area and decided to figure out a hotel after I arrived in town.

As I’m driving closer to Salem I’m noticing a haze that I’ve seen before when I was living in B.C. It comes from wildfires.

And sure enough, when I parked and exited the car, the smell of smoke was very strong. First thing I knew, I would not be spending the night around here breathing in smoke.

My first obstacle in Salem was paying for parking in the public lot. The machine takes credit cards. Except apparently NOT Canadian credit cards. I tried three cards, all rejected. Not declined, just rejected. Which is more or less the same thing if you can’t use your credit card to pay. Luckily it took $1 and $5 bills. I put a $5 bill in and chose 3 hours parking = $4.50. But get this. The machine does not give change. It accepts change for payment but doesn’t provide any.

Rip off!

Already off to a very bad start in Salem and I haven’t left the parking lot.

I enjoyed the exhibits and storytelling of the town’s history at the Witch Museum, but I could smell smoke in there the whole time.

Afterwards I walked around town and checked out some of the shops. I took a photo of the Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched) statue.

And now it was time to give my lungs a break and drive out of town.

Vermont

I thought I’d be spending the night in New Hampshire, but I ended up just over the state line in White River Junction, Vermont.

I stayed at the Coolidge Hotel, a heritage building that was once a popular spot for train travellers to spend the night. Basically, that’s all it was for me – an overnight spot. And ironically the only hotel I was able to reserve with booking.com! (affiliate link)

My first stop of the day was Morse Farm to try a maple creemee at their sugar shack.

A maple creemee is a Vermont delicacy. Essentially it’s a soft serve ice cream cone with a higher butterfat content.

Yum! Nothing like an ice cream cone on a chilly November morning.

Then I headed to Ben & Jerry’s to take their factory tour. If you’re interested in taking the tour, you can reserve and pay for a spot on their website. Highly recommended in the summer months. If you just show up without a reservation, you might be out of luck.

However, in mid-November, you will probably be OK if you show up at Ben & Jerry’s and find a spot on the next tour. They go every half hour. I had no problem when I showed up just before noon on November 19!

During the tour we watched a short video, watched the production crew in action making a batch of The Tonight Dough, got samples of the cookie chunks used in the chocolate chip dough ice cream, and sampled the strawberry cheesecake ice cream. All for $6. Not bad!

Yeah, I seem to be eating a lot of ice cream today!

Afterwards, I checked out the Ben & Jerry’s graveyard.

The dearly departed flavors.

Cute epithets.

Just down the road is the Cold Hollow Cider Mill where I enjoyed some free samples of apple cider and poking around their general store.

Then it was on to my last night in Vermont, the South Side Inn in Burlington that cost $135 Canadian dollars, courtesy Expedia (affiliate link to hotel). It was certainly fine for an overnight stay, a large room with sitting area and a mini fridge and microwave.

Burlington bonus – a Trader Joe’s in town! I headed out to do a little shopping. First time I’ve been in Trader Joe’s in a year and a half. I miss their goodies!

The following morning I planned to check out the Burlington Marketplace and Lake Champlain. But it was very foggy. Even if I found the lake, I wouldn’t be able to see it. I wasn’t sure what time the stores opened in the morning. It was just after 8am and I decided not to stick around. I had glimpsed the Marketplace the night before when I drove past it. Very pretty and lit up with Christmas lights. It looked like parking in the area is a bear. And it’s paid parking.

The area is socked in with fog. No thanks. Let’s make a run to the border.

Smooth road trip to New York and New England?

Although my road trip is not exactly over, this ends the New York and New England states part of my journey. Here’s a rough look at my circuit, courtesy all my hotel bookings on Expedia, including a couple of hotels I’d saved as favorites but didn’t stay at.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post – that will be a little shorter! – about arriving back in Canada.

As you’ve followed along on my road trip, it sounds like things went more or less smoothly, right?

I want to address an issue that is not an issue in Western Canada and the Western United States.

Tolls.

We don’t have them in my part of the world.

I knew ahead of time that in New York they use a transponder called an EZ Pass for cars travelling on the highways and the owners are billed monthly. EZ Pass can also bill cars that don’t have transponders, looking up the license plate and mailing the car owner a bill.

At the car rental agency I asked about a transponder but they don’t supply them. They said they get billed in the mail and charge the credit card I have on file when the bill comes in.

There are no actual toll booths in New York that have a person sitting inside collecting cash. Everything is electronic. Oh well, not much I can do about that.

New Jersey hell

The problem was driving in New Jersey. There are tolls everywhere you look! The first one I encountered was after I left my hotel and headed south to Atlantic City. My GPS is telling me the lanes to be in, but all of a sudden I spot that it’s a toll highway. I see some little booth like things the cars are driving through. Above, it says EZ Pass transponders and all kinds of penalty fines if you don’t have one, and it appeared there was a booth to pay cash. I head to that one, slow down and realize no one is inside. Meanwhile, everyone behind is honking, so I drive on.

Eventually I come to more toll booths and one says it is full service for cash payments, so I go there.

$10.85! Shit! Are you kidding me? I was expecting to pay a couple of bucks.

I pay and continue along, eventually stopping at a rest area. When I re-entered the highway, it now appears to be divided in two highways with a guard rail inbetween. So I’m confused as hell.

Eventually I come across another toll booth and this one wants $1.20. I pay and continue along.

And then another toll booth and this one wants $2.40.

In addition to the toll booths manned by real people, there are a number of lanes for cars that have EZ Pass and all kinds of warnings about fines and penalties if you drive through one of those lanes without the EZ Pass.

I think that might have been the last toll booth until I turned off for Atlantic City. And sure enough that highway wants money too. I pull into the booth. There is no one there. The toll wants $1.40, coins only, no bills. I have about 50¢. Screw it. I keep going. It’s not like there was a barricade to stop me.

I figure they can bill Thrifty car rental who will charge my credit card when the bill comes in. Though how much I’ll be charged is unknown.

That night I do a little investigation on the Internet. New York and Ontario have reciprocal agreements to share license plate information for toll highways, but none of the other states have a reciprocal agreement in place.

Whew!

Suck on that New Jersey!

I did attempt to pay tolls if I could figure out the booth with a real person inside. I was also up against my GPS telling me to stay in one of the two left lanes, which invariably were the lanes for the EZ Pass holders.

The only other place I remember seeing a toll was on a bridge coming into Newport, Rhode Island. It was an electronic toll for cars with passes, which I do not have.

I’m not sure why the Eastern states have toll roads. Traffic would move a lot smoother without them.

Road trip!

I love road trips but I do not love figuring out the tolls in some of the states I drove through. Toll roads are a whole new experience for me.

I really enjoyed Rhode Island and Vermont and am looking forward to returning to those states one day. And fitting in Maine next time.

New Jersey will be a pass.

New York City in small doses is good for me, but it’s so expensive. I guess I’ll have to keep my eyes open for a housesit there one day.

Have you done a road trip in New York and the New England states? I’m curious to find out how you handled driving on toll roads? Leave a comment below!

xoxoxo

Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on November 26, 2024.