How to get to South Hadley, MA, from Manhattan, NY

Question

Hello

I am a student attending NYU in Manhattan.

I have a friend attending Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA, and want to know various ways I can get there.

Please be as detailed as possible, and include the estimated time and fee... Thank you so much!

1. By car

2. By bus

3. By ferry (via Conneticut)

4. By train (or subway)

Thank YOU!!

Answer 1

Car via Connecticut Interstates: Take I-95 "North" (which is really east).  In New Haven, take the exit for I-91.  Take this North to MA.

Car via Connecticut Parkways: Take the Meritt Parkway, which becomes the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, CT.  When you reach I-91, take that north to MA.

Car without going through Connecticut: Take I-87 (initially the Major Deegan, later the New York State Thruway) North.  Exit at the Berkshire Extension.  Take that east to the end, where becomes the Massachusetts Turnpike.  The exit for South Hadley is near Springfield.

Airplane-Fly to the Hartford-Springfield Airport in northern Connecticut.  Drive east to I-91, then north on I-91 to Massachusetts.

Train - least expensive: Take Metro-North to New Haven.  Then take Amtrak from New Haven.

Train - fatest route: Also via New Haven, but take Amtrak the whole way.

Train - scenic Hudson route: Take Amtrak train heading towards either Montreal, Buffalo, Chicago, Niagara Falls, or Toronto.  At Albany-Rensselaer, exit train and board train heading to Boston.

Answer 2

My friend, if you're traveling by train, may I suggest taking Metro-North's New Haven Line from Grand Central to New Haven Union Station.

Once there, you can take Amtrak from New Haven to Springfield. The trip from New York City to Springfield, MA will take about 4 hours.

Once in Springfield, you can take the PVTA (Pioneer Valley Transit Authority) or a taxi cab to your final destination.

I hope this information is very helpful.

Good luck

Native New Yorker

Answer 3

Driving up there would take 3 hours about.  I would drive into the Bronx, get on the Hutchinson River Parkway north ---> I684 north --> I-84 to Hartford CT --> I-91 north to Holyoke MA.  This is the route I prefer with the least amount of congestion.

If you want to take public transportation, your best bet is Amtrak.  Amtrak runs trains from Penn Station in Manhattan to Springfield MA, which is a few miles from South Hadley.  You can hail a cab at the Springfield train station to take you to South Hadley.

Amtrak schedule and fare information:  http://www.amtrak.com

Hope this helps.