Logistics around USA travel
January 29, 2024 5:35 AM Subscribe
I am hoping to travel to the US in April to view the eclipse.
It has been a while since I was in the US and I would like some local oversight of my potential travel plans.
My very rough plan is to try and stay somewhere in Letchworth National park for a few days.
I would also, whilst there like to do a trip to see Niagra and spend a day or two in New York City.
I am travelling from the UK and although some driving is possible I would like to very much avoid driving if at all possible.
My instinct is to go to Niagra / Letchworth in the early part of the trip, see the eclipse there. (Probably Niagra, or buffalo, but I imagine that's likely to be pretty popular?) and then visit NYC for a couple of days near the end before flying back home.
Do I fly from NYC to niagara? or Buffalo? or take a train? or.... really any thoughts you have on this would be instructive.
Apart from the Eclipse times, dates, etc are extremely flexible.
My very rough plan is to try and stay somewhere in Letchworth National park for a few days.
I would also, whilst there like to do a trip to see Niagra and spend a day or two in New York City.
I am travelling from the UK and although some driving is possible I would like to very much avoid driving if at all possible.
My instinct is to go to Niagra / Letchworth in the early part of the trip, see the eclipse there. (Probably Niagra, or buffalo, but I imagine that's likely to be pretty popular?) and then visit NYC for a couple of days near the end before flying back home.
Do I fly from NYC to niagara? or Buffalo? or take a train? or.... really any thoughts you have on this would be instructive.
Apart from the Eclipse times, dates, etc are extremely flexible.
Check that rooms and train tickets are still available?
posted by sebastienbailard at 5:59 AM on January 29, 2024 [18 favorites]
posted by sebastienbailard at 5:59 AM on January 29, 2024 [18 favorites]
I would personally take the train for the views. You CAN fly, but between all the security hoorah and buffer time, you could pleasantly take the train and it would probably FEEL faster than flying. If the train won't work for you logistically, this is one part of the country you can likely find multiple private bus companies (Flixbus is a pretty common train alternative here in this area) doing routes where you're wanting to go. Any last-mile travel will be pretty easily obtainable via Lyft or Uber, maybe with the exception of getting into the state park - you may have to research what your options are there, but then again this may be common and you may have no problem using ride apps even in the park, or there might be shuttle services from the nearby towns where there are train stations.
Though you could, alternately, fly into NYC and book one-way flights to Buffalo for the same day, and then train back to NYC to spend your final days in town.
And I would say just start by securing places to stay, that are available and not surge-priced wildly. Do not assume anything, look and find and book and confirm. Then figure out your travel.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:11 AM on January 29, 2024 [3 favorites]
Though you could, alternately, fly into NYC and book one-way flights to Buffalo for the same day, and then train back to NYC to spend your final days in town.
And I would say just start by securing places to stay, that are available and not surge-priced wildly. Do not assume anything, look and find and book and confirm. Then figure out your travel.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:11 AM on January 29, 2024 [3 favorites]
I’m not saying this to dissuade you from your plans at all, but keep in mind that the odds are very high that the Niagara region (well, anywhere in NY) will be cloudy on an April day. I just want to make sure that you’ll be reasonably happy with the rest of your trip even if the eclipse is rained out.
And yeah, personally I’m avoiding Niagara in particular because I expect it to be wall-to-wall people.
posted by wintersweet at 6:19 AM on January 29, 2024 [13 favorites]
And yeah, personally I’m avoiding Niagara in particular because I expect it to be wall-to-wall people.
posted by wintersweet at 6:19 AM on January 29, 2024 [13 favorites]
The Niagara Falls airport is really just used for flights to and from Florida, so you'll fly into Buffalo. JetBlue usually has multiple flights from JFK airport.
You could also take the train from NYC. It's about eight hours.
Letchworth is a little closer to Rochester, so you could also fly/take the train there. It's probably a 60-ish minute drive from Rochester and 90-ish minutes from Buffalo. But it looks like Letchworth is near the edge of the eclipse area. I don't know how that will affect how intense the eclipse is, though.
I live in Buffalo, but I really even't heard much about whether hotels are selling out or anything like that. I know that a lot of schools are having the day off. If you're having trouble finding anything available in Buffalo ro Niagara Falls, I'd try Batavia, which is about 40 minutes east of Buffalo.
posted by jonathanhughes at 6:19 AM on January 29, 2024 [2 favorites]
You could also take the train from NYC. It's about eight hours.
Letchworth is a little closer to Rochester, so you could also fly/take the train there. It's probably a 60-ish minute drive from Rochester and 90-ish minutes from Buffalo. But it looks like Letchworth is near the edge of the eclipse area. I don't know how that will affect how intense the eclipse is, though.
I live in Buffalo, but I really even't heard much about whether hotels are selling out or anything like that. I know that a lot of schools are having the day off. If you're having trouble finding anything available in Buffalo ro Niagara Falls, I'd try Batavia, which is about 40 minutes east of Buffalo.
posted by jonathanhughes at 6:19 AM on January 29, 2024 [2 favorites]
I would cut out the Letchworth State Park portion of the trip. It looks like campsites aren’t available that early in the year, the cabins that are available for the eclipse are already booked and it would be the most difficult transportation wise (unless you choose to drive)
posted by raccoon409 at 6:21 AM on January 29, 2024 [4 favorites]
posted by raccoon409 at 6:21 AM on January 29, 2024 [4 favorites]
Yeah, strong second for locking down a place to stay first, then worrying about how to get there - the eclipse is a Big Deal for areas of the country that aren't generally really known as tourist destinations.
I'm in Cleveland, Ohio, a few hours southwest of the area where Letchworth is, and right around New Year's Day I was having a conversation with some out-of-state friends who were thinking about coming in for the eclipse and they were saying that accommodations were already looking thin.
posted by soundguy99 at 6:25 AM on January 29, 2024 [8 favorites]
I'm in Cleveland, Ohio, a few hours southwest of the area where Letchworth is, and right around New Year's Day I was having a conversation with some out-of-state friends who were thinking about coming in for the eclipse and they were saying that accommodations were already looking thin.
posted by soundguy99 at 6:25 AM on January 29, 2024 [8 favorites]
Another person coming in to say that you may want to secure your place to stay now, since that may end up dictating what you do (i.e., if you can't find anything in Niagara and have to go to Batavia or Rochester, like jonathanhughes says above, you could decide it makes more sense to fly from NYC to Rochester).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:34 AM on January 29, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:34 AM on January 29, 2024 [1 favorite]
Nthing the suggestion that you should find your hotel rooms and transport tickets first. I booked my hotel rooms (not in Niagara - elsewhere in the eclipse path) in October, and those were some of the last ones available on the internet at that time.
posted by MiraK at 6:45 AM on January 29, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by MiraK at 6:45 AM on January 29, 2024 [2 favorites]
but keep in mind that the odds are very high that the Niagara region (well, anywhere in NY) will be cloudy on an April day.
This is worth repeating. If the eclipse is the goal, NY is a bad location to plan on - it likely won't happen. You are better off flying to Dallas or Austin (though this is more on the edge) TX.
posted by coffeecat at 7:05 AM on January 29, 2024 [6 favorites]
This is worth repeating. If the eclipse is the goal, NY is a bad location to plan on - it likely won't happen. You are better off flying to Dallas or Austin (though this is more on the edge) TX.
posted by coffeecat at 7:05 AM on January 29, 2024 [6 favorites]
The eclipse still happens whether there's clouds or not. It's going to be less impressive if it’s cloudy, but it's definitely going to get dark.
posted by jonathanhughes at 7:08 AM on January 29, 2024 [3 favorites]
posted by jonathanhughes at 7:08 AM on January 29, 2024 [3 favorites]
I’d plan to be at the destination where you want to be during the eclipse at least a day but preferably two days before. I would definitely not plan to drive anywhere day of. Seven years ago in Oregon, roads were jam packed with people trying to get into the totality zone day before and day off. Also flights are getting cancelled so that could mess you up as well.
posted by bluedaisy at 7:52 AM on January 29, 2024 [5 favorites]
posted by bluedaisy at 7:52 AM on January 29, 2024 [5 favorites]
When I still was looking at US locations a year ago I scoped out the area north of San Antonio TX as a likely cloud-free spot still serviced by an airport but potentially less crowded than driving out of Austin or Dallas. I agree that the roads are nuts (based on my driving back to Denver from Wyoming experience 7 years ago) and you should budget time accordingly if you're trying to get to totality. Maybe rent a camper van if that's still doable?
posted by deludingmyself at 9:07 AM on January 29, 2024
posted by deludingmyself at 9:07 AM on January 29, 2024
Yeah, strong second for locking down a place to stay first, then worrying about how to get there
Start here. It’s possible that every place to stay within 100 miles of your planned destination is already booked up.
posted by Back At It Again At Krispy Kreme at 9:14 AM on January 29, 2024 [5 favorites]
Start here. It’s possible that every place to stay within 100 miles of your planned destination is already booked up.
posted by Back At It Again At Krispy Kreme at 9:14 AM on January 29, 2024 [5 favorites]
I booked space in Dallas last month for the eclipse, and most everything on the east side (closer to the longest eclipse area) was already sold out or aggressively surge priced and flights were starting to get expensive from some origins. Dallas is a way larger metro area and a major airline hub. You need to book/price it all out first and then worry about the rest of it.
On edit: While I agree with everyone that Dallas is also more likely to be clear and that’s part of why I’m headed there, it’s a terrible destination if you want to avoid driving, especially the exurbs where you would want to view the eclipse. Ubers/taxis are quite unreliable on the edges of the city.
posted by A Blue Moon at 9:54 AM on January 29, 2024 [1 favorite]
On edit: While I agree with everyone that Dallas is also more likely to be clear and that’s part of why I’m headed there, it’s a terrible destination if you want to avoid driving, especially the exurbs where you would want to view the eclipse. Ubers/taxis are quite unreliable on the edges of the city.
posted by A Blue Moon at 9:54 AM on January 29, 2024 [1 favorite]
Also sort your flights out, if you've not already done so. I just booked a flight to the US for 11 April and noted the flights the week before were significantly more expensive. I'm sure this is partly because it's the UK school Easter holiday break, but probably also due to high demand for people flying in to see the eclipse.
posted by essexjan at 10:11 AM on January 29, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by essexjan at 10:11 AM on January 29, 2024 [1 favorite]
Agree with everyone that you need to book your place to stay *today*.
As an American, I feel the need to warn you just how unavoidable driving is going to be outside of major metro areas, especially once you throw state or national parks and camping into the equation. (And that early in the year, in New York State? Some campgrounds won't have opened for the season yet; what buses and shuttles to/around any given park that exist may not be running yet; snow on the ground is plausible.) At least in major metro areas, Lyft/Uber/taxis are ~possible~, though I wouldn't count on being able to rely on them on the day of the eclipse. (Also, is the 9YO still small enough to require you carting a booster seat everywhere? The laws vary by state.)
Given the intersection of "would like to minimize driving" and "likelihood of clear skies on the day of the eclipse," I, too, would be looking at Austin or Dallas - they are sprawly, but there will still be less driving than you trying to drive out to an actual campground or state/national park hours outside of a major city. Not no driving, though. But you also mention that "it has been awhile since [you] were in the US." As a woman of childbearing age, right now I am avoiding trips to Texas - and several other states where there will be eclipse totality - because I don't want to risk known local politics affecting my ability to access proper medical care in the case of an emergency. I would strongly urge you to do your due diligence around safety and risk for every member of your party who is not a white cis able-bodied male Christian when considering where to go on this holiday if you end up looking at alternate locations outside the Northeast US, especially given other information you provide in your profile.
posted by Pandora Kouti at 10:13 AM on January 29, 2024 [2 favorites]
"I would like to very much avoid driving if at all possible"For your plan as stated, I would expect to fly into NYC and hop a connecting flight to Rochester, then rent a car in Rochester to drive around New York State, Niagara Falls, Letchworth. (Why Letchworth, out of curiosity?). Rochester is too far from NYC for good train availability - it's 8 hours away by connecting bus, but only an hour and a half flight. And once you're there, you will be driving to get to and around the places you mention.
As an American, I feel the need to warn you just how unavoidable driving is going to be outside of major metro areas, especially once you throw state or national parks and camping into the equation. (And that early in the year, in New York State? Some campgrounds won't have opened for the season yet; what buses and shuttles to/around any given park that exist may not be running yet; snow on the ground is plausible.) At least in major metro areas, Lyft/Uber/taxis are ~possible~, though I wouldn't count on being able to rely on them on the day of the eclipse. (Also, is the 9YO still small enough to require you carting a booster seat everywhere? The laws vary by state.)
Given the intersection of "would like to minimize driving" and "likelihood of clear skies on the day of the eclipse," I, too, would be looking at Austin or Dallas - they are sprawly, but there will still be less driving than you trying to drive out to an actual campground or state/national park hours outside of a major city. Not no driving, though. But you also mention that "it has been awhile since [you] were in the US." As a woman of childbearing age, right now I am avoiding trips to Texas - and several other states where there will be eclipse totality - because I don't want to risk known local politics affecting my ability to access proper medical care in the case of an emergency. I would strongly urge you to do your due diligence around safety and risk for every member of your party who is not a white cis able-bodied male Christian when considering where to go on this holiday if you end up looking at alternate locations outside the Northeast US, especially given other information you provide in your profile.
posted by Pandora Kouti at 10:13 AM on January 29, 2024 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: The Letchworth part could be skipped / rearranged tbh.
Mainly I live in Letchworth in the UK and have wanted to visit Letchworth in NY.
Since the eclipse goes over that area it's nice to do two birds with the same stone.
It is tempting to look at sunnier areas though.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 10:18 AM on January 29, 2024 [2 favorites]
Mainly I live in Letchworth in the UK and have wanted to visit Letchworth in NY.
Since the eclipse goes over that area it's nice to do two birds with the same stone.
It is tempting to look at sunnier areas though.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 10:18 AM on January 29, 2024 [2 favorites]
With a party of four people, bus/train/airline tickets will get expensive fast. You will probably save by renting a car and have much more flexibility.
posted by leaper at 10:21 AM on January 29, 2024 [3 favorites]
posted by leaper at 10:21 AM on January 29, 2024 [3 favorites]
> Mainly I live in Letchworth in the UK and have wanted to visit Letchworth in NY.
OMG! I would not be able to resist this either! Try booking your hotel stay right now, and see how it goes. I'm rooting for you!
My family is driving to Rochester NY and we're staying 3 nights. We booked cancellable rooms so that if the weather forecast is nasty we can nope out of the trip, thus getting us out of driving as well as spending that ~$1200 on our hotel rooms. (It's definitely on the high side to spend on 3 nights of a hotel room, but if we can catch the eclipse in clear skies it will be well worth it.) You might want to splurge on refundable air tickets in addition to cancellable hotel rooms. The weather in NY truly is fickle at that time of the year.
posted by MiraK at 11:17 AM on January 29, 2024
OMG! I would not be able to resist this either! Try booking your hotel stay right now, and see how it goes. I'm rooting for you!
My family is driving to Rochester NY and we're staying 3 nights. We booked cancellable rooms so that if the weather forecast is nasty we can nope out of the trip, thus getting us out of driving as well as spending that ~$1200 on our hotel rooms. (It's definitely on the high side to spend on 3 nights of a hotel room, but if we can catch the eclipse in clear skies it will be well worth it.) You might want to splurge on refundable air tickets in addition to cancellable hotel rooms. The weather in NY truly is fickle at that time of the year.
posted by MiraK at 11:17 AM on January 29, 2024
Letchworth State Park is gorgeous! This is probably not the best time of year or circumstances to visit. Could you consider a trip to Texas for the eclipse and then head to upstate NY another time?
posted by bluedaisy at 12:07 PM on January 29, 2024
posted by bluedaisy at 12:07 PM on January 29, 2024
And just as anecdata, this reminded me to book my Texas eclipse accommodations and I found that airbnbs in the totality path are fucking absurd, hotel rooms are incredulous, state park camping is gone (I almost booked the last site in NE Texas and somebody got it by the time I checked out), and hipcamp sites are for the most part not terribly inflated, but I don't know if that's also the case in NY.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:53 PM on January 29, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by Lyn Never at 1:53 PM on January 29, 2024 [1 favorite]
Just to reiterate - an April snowstorm/flurries is not impossible, so take that into account!
posted by warriorqueen at 2:29 PM on January 29, 2024 [3 favorites]
posted by warriorqueen at 2:29 PM on January 29, 2024 [3 favorites]
Last time I looked, the chances of a sunny day around here (I'm in the Buffamalo area) were like one in three or one in four. Me, I'm still happy to roll those dice because if it *is* sunny then I get a photo of my house with the corona behind it.
If you want to see the eclipse, I'd travel to somewhere else. Heck, around here there is a decent chance of snow still in early April.
If you want to see Letchworth State Park, it really is quite lovely. Surprisingly canyony for something out east. If you make that trip, I'd wait for June or early July. Spring here in western NY tends towards the stormy and the raining-for-a-solid-week and the muddy, and that doesn't reliably let up until around Memorial Day in late May. To include NYC, I'd just fly to JFK and then BUF (from either LGA or JFK). Outside of the DC-NYC-Boston corridor, America's trains all got eaten by the freight companies, and NYC to Buffalo is pretty close to London to Edinburgh. I haven't done either of them, but the usual recommendation I've seen for downstate students at my university is to either fly or take the bus.
The Falls are also well worth seeing. Which side is better depends on your tastes. The US side immediately adjacent to the falls is lovely parkland... but the city of Niagara Falls is a pretty unpleasant, run-down, and possibly-dangerous-if-you-get-lost place who hitched their wagon to heavy industry a long time ago. The Canadian side is clean and safe but tacky. Like (my impression never having been of) Blackpool maybe? I think it's pretty gross. Here's this natural wonder; we should put up a silly haunted house next to it. Do the Maid of the Mist.
If you like architecture, Buffalo has a big ol' Frank Lloyd Wright house complex and some big art deco buildings.
Getting around western NY will be much simpler if one of your resigns themselves to renting a car.
If you make the trip but decide to omit NYC, you should check on flights into Toronto (and then taking a bus) in addition to YourAirport to BUF. Can be notably cheaper. Or more expensive!
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 2:30 PM on January 29, 2024 [1 favorite]
If you want to see the eclipse, I'd travel to somewhere else. Heck, around here there is a decent chance of snow still in early April.
If you want to see Letchworth State Park, it really is quite lovely. Surprisingly canyony for something out east. If you make that trip, I'd wait for June or early July. Spring here in western NY tends towards the stormy and the raining-for-a-solid-week and the muddy, and that doesn't reliably let up until around Memorial Day in late May. To include NYC, I'd just fly to JFK and then BUF (from either LGA or JFK). Outside of the DC-NYC-Boston corridor, America's trains all got eaten by the freight companies, and NYC to Buffalo is pretty close to London to Edinburgh. I haven't done either of them, but the usual recommendation I've seen for downstate students at my university is to either fly or take the bus.
The Falls are also well worth seeing. Which side is better depends on your tastes. The US side immediately adjacent to the falls is lovely parkland... but the city of Niagara Falls is a pretty unpleasant, run-down, and possibly-dangerous-if-you-get-lost place who hitched their wagon to heavy industry a long time ago. The Canadian side is clean and safe but tacky. Like (my impression never having been of) Blackpool maybe? I think it's pretty gross. Here's this natural wonder; we should put up a silly haunted house next to it. Do the Maid of the Mist.
If you like architecture, Buffalo has a big ol' Frank Lloyd Wright house complex and some big art deco buildings.
Getting around western NY will be much simpler if one of your resigns themselves to renting a car.
If you make the trip but decide to omit NYC, you should check on flights into Toronto (and then taking a bus) in addition to YourAirport to BUF. Can be notably cheaper. Or more expensive!
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 2:30 PM on January 29, 2024 [1 favorite]
If you can drive, plan on it around the date of the eclipse. Was just chatting with someone planning to travel and the hotels are fully booked. (Burlington VT). It's going to be quite difficult to do public transportation to parks. The train from NYC to Buffalo was my worst train experience ever, a long time ago but have never heard a nice report.
posted by sammyo at 5:19 PM on January 29, 2024
posted by sammyo at 5:19 PM on January 29, 2024
I have a friend who regularly takes the train from NYC to Buffalo and I've never heard more than minor complaints. The Friday evening train he usually takes has been consistently on time (within five minutes) the last several times I've picked him up.
posted by jonathanhughes at 5:59 PM on January 29, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by jonathanhughes at 5:59 PM on January 29, 2024 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 5:38 AM on January 29, 2024