RT2 – Day 5 – Driving in Manhattan, a stop in Princeton and arriving in Washington

After four packed days in New York, the pace changes. Today is our first real driving day of the road trip: we pick up the rental car, leave Manhattan and head down to Washington, with a stop in Princeton on the way.

One last morning facing the Empire State

No need to rush this morning. We took the time to enjoy the view from the room one last time: the orange sky behind the Empire State Building, the rooftops and the wooden water tanks on the Manhattan buildings. We had got used to it, and it was a little hard to leave. The hotel was very good, and check-out was very quick.

The rental car from Alamo

We then walked to the Alamo branch at 313 West 56th Street to pick up our car. As we said in our first day of RT1 (coming out on December 20, 2026), we prefer Alamo to Sixt for road trips in the United States: lower prices and unlimited mileage. This time we drove off in a Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross with Maryland plates. We kept it for two weeks, as far as Orlando, for $1,326 in total, with no extra charge for returning it in another city.

As always, we filmed a walk around the vehicle before leaving, recording every scratch. It takes five minutes and avoids nasty surprises when you return it. We explain it all in our guide to renting a car.

We then drove back to the hotel and left the car double-parked while we fetched the suitcases.

Our first miles in Manhattan

Driving in Manhattan was a little challenge we hadn’t yet taken on. Among the yellow cabs, the buses, the delivery cyclists and the pedestrians who cross the moment they can, you need eyes everywhere. We couldn’t resist driving through Times Square, just to say we’d done it. We were a bit stressed at first, with so much traffic and so many pedestrians.

A word of advice: in New York, only have a car for leaving the city. Parking costs a fortune and the traffic is slow; public transport and walking are far more practical. And to get to New Jersey, bear in mind the tolls for the tunnels: most rental cars are fitted with an electronic toll tag, and the crossings are then billed by the rental company, often with extra fees.

We left Manhattan through the Lincoln Tunnel, then took I-95 south.

A stop in Princeton, on the university campus

About two hours later, traffic included, we stopped in Princeton, New Jersey. The town is known for its university, founded in 1746, which makes it one of the oldest in the United States. It belongs to the Ivy League, the group of eight highly prestigious universities in the north-east of the country, along with Harvard and Yale. We wanted to see the university, and we spent an hour or two there.

The campus is open to the public and you can walk around it freely. You could be in England, at Oxford or Cambridge: neo-Gothic stone buildings, crenellated towers, arches, cloisters and wide lawns. As we were there during the end-of-year break, there was almost nobody about, just a few international students who had stayed on, which made for a very quiet atmosphere.

We went into the University Chapel, built in the late 1920s. Admission is free. With its huge nave, its wooden pews and its stained glass, it looks more like a cathedral than a campus chapel.

Carrying on, we passed two small Greek temples in white marble, Whig Hall and Clio Hall, which once housed student debating societies, then walked through the courtyards of the residences where the students live.

We also had a coffee at the Princeton gift shop. It really was like in American TV series: souvenirs everywhere, printed sportswear, and even binders and notebooks in the university’s colours.

The road to Washington and a night at the Arlo

We then got back on the road for about three hours to Washington, crossing the rest of New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. Coming the other way, we passed lots of pickup trucks fitted with a snowplough blade. We had left New York at the right time: that very day, a snowstorm hit the city, and it lasted several days.

We stopped on the way for a Panda Express. The portions were generous: we had enough left over for the evening.

For the night we had booked the Arlo Washington DC, right in the centre, between the Capitol and the White House. And we were pleasantly surprised: for a reasonable price, the hotel is really stylish. The room is modern and spacious, with a big bed, careful decor and soft lighting. We paid $305 for two nights, without breakfast. Modern, inexpensive, in a quiet area: we recommend it. For the car, the hotel offers parking right across the street, at $10 a day.

The lobby is just as successful: comfortable armchairs, brick walls, a fireplace and Christmas decorations. Ideal for sitting down for a while after a day on the road.

If you’re looking for a well-located hotel in Washington without blowing your budget, this is one we’d recommend. The next day we were off to explore the capital, but that’s for day 6 (coming out on November 1, 2026).