LIRR offering summer getaways that won't break the bank

[Harry]

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority wants Queens residents to get away - even amid grim economic times.

 

One-day sightseeing tours recently rolled out by the Long Island Rail Road encourage participants to save money on gas while enjoying the beaches, wineries and quaint shopping districts of Nassau and Suffolk counties.

 

The packages, which range from about $25 to $60, offer round-trip rail fares from any LIRR station in Brooklyn, Queens or Manhattan to some of the hottest spots on the island.

 

Some include bus or cab fare from Long Island stations to attractions - and coupons for nearby hotels, restaurants and stores.

 

"Especially in this economy, it's the most reasonable offer they're going to find," said LIRR leisure travel director Diane Larsen. "Your vacation starts right away - no hassle."

 

For $39, commuters can go to and from Montauk Village, where they pick among discounts from 12 hotels, 11 eateries, eight shops and local entertainment venues, Larsen said.

 

Nearby is the historic Montauk Point Lighthouse, which was commissioned by George Washington and built in 1796.

 

"When you're in Montauk, you're away," said Kristen Matejka of the Long Island Visitors and Convention Bureau.

 

The train rides also cut out the confusion and stress of using maps on traffic-choked roadways to reach desired locations on Long Island.

 

Full story: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2009/07/28/2009-07-28_lirr_offering_summer_getaways_that_wont_break_the_bank.html#ixzz0MYYT1UWk

[Amtrak7]

The MTA has been offering these the past several years as well.

 

As someone who lives in Nassau County, I think that these tours disadvantage certain locations.

 

For example, from Hicksville, one has to find a bus to take to the Hempstead Turnpike to connect with the N72 to Babylon that connects to the train at Babylon. As some of us know, making time-constrained multi-connection trips is far from easy when buses aren't as frequent as NYCT.

 

The easy option is to go to Jamaica. That is extra money (ticket to Jamaica, PLUS extra cost for tour) and extra time. And either option involves making connections, which always come with the possiblilty of missing them.

 

The trains actually do pass through Hicksville (and Mineola, and Bethpage, etc.) nonstop.

 

A further problem is that most trains run via the south fork. Unlike the 175th anniversary tour, the majority of tours ask you to take the train to a station in the Hamptons/Montauk and transfer, even if the destination is walking distance from the North Fork stations.

 

I am now considering Montauk via a train-bus-train-bus plan without a package via Patchouge, but with the congested streets and highways in the summer, bus delays and maybe missed connections are unavoidable. Plus the tricky 10A and S94 link from Montauk to the lighthouse.

[lilbluefoxie]

Unless they provide more service to Montauk, The only way I would go to Montauk is by car im afraid. How do you expect people to take the train out there if theres only a few trains that go out there, and it doesnt work well for Nassau County people going east.

[JohnQPine]

Many Montauk trains use the mainline on weekends, but do not stop at Hicksville. It is extremely irritating, because being in Westbury I have to either go back to Jamaica, take a long and unpleasant bus ride to Freeport, or take a train to Ronkonkoma and use the 7A to Patchogue. But I cant do that on Sundays!

It'd be so much easier and faster to just take the train to Hicksville and transfer there to the diesel. It's PASSING THROUGH ANYWAY so why not have it make a stop? This is borderline discrimination IMO.

[lilbluefoxie]

Many Montauk trains use the mainline on weekends, but do not stop at Hicksville. It is extremely irritating, because being in Westbury I have to either go back to Jamaica, take a long and unpleasant bus ride to Freeport, or take a train to Ronkonkoma and use the 7A to Patchogue. But I cant do that on Sundays!

It'd be so much easier and faster to just take the train to Hicksville and transfer there to the diesel. It's PASSING THROUGH ANYWAY so why not have it make a stop? This is borderline discrimination IMO.

 

Its a problem with the LIRR in general its set up to be a commute to NYC service rather than a serve all of long island service. People would rather drive than put up with all the tricks to get from point a to point b