Origin
Sea Cliff, NY
Evening in Sea Cliff on Sunday
Local time
7:33 PM
EDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Sea Cliff, NY to Manhattan, NY
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
47m
Distance
26.7 mi
43 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 43m
★
6 AM
0h 47m
8 AM
0h 55m
10 AM
0h 50m
12 PM
0h 49m
3 PM
0h 50m
5 PM
0h 55m
8 PM
0h 45m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Sea Cliff, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Manhattan, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Sea Cliff to Manhattan covers a short 29.6-mile distance, typically taking about 55 minutes to complete. Because this is a compact trip within the Northeast region, you can easily handle it as a straightforward day trip without needing an overnight stay. With fuel costs estimated at just $5, it is an economical commute between the North Shore of Long Island and the city center. The route functions as a direct connection rather than a long-haul excursion, making it ideal for those looking to reach the heart of the city quickly. You won't need to plan for any scheduled stops along the way, allowing for a focused and efficient journey.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Long Island Expressway | 14.7 mi | 20m |
| Northern Boulevard | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Searingtown Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Bryant Avenue | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Lower Level | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Shore Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Prospect Avenue | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Queensboro Plaza | 0.7 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Long Island Expressway
— 14.7 mi, about 20m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Sea Cliff, NY and Manhattan, NY.
1
Start on Roslyn Avenue
0.1 mi
·
30 sec
·
Roslyn Avenue
2
Turn right onto Glen Avenue
0.4 mi
·
59 sec
·
Glen Avenue
3
Turn straight onto Prospect Avenue
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Prospect Avenue
4
Continue on Shore Road
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Shore Road
5
Continue on Scudders Lane
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
Scudders Lane
6
Turn right onto Glenwood Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Glenwood Road
7
At end of road, turn right onto Bryant Avenue
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Bryant Avenue
8
Turn left onto Wittes Lane
238 ft
·
12 sec
·
Wittes Lane
9
Turn right
126 ft
·
5 sec
10
Turn right onto NY 25A
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Northern Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
11
Turn left onto Searingtown Road
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Searingtown Road
Use the left lane.
12
Turn right onto North Service Road
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
·
North Service Road
Use the right lane.
13
Take the ramp
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
Toward I 495 West: New York
14
Merge onto I 495
15 mi
·
20 min
·
Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
43 sec
Exit 16
Toward Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, Hunters Point Avenue, Greenpoint Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Turn straight onto Laurel Hill Boulevard
80 ft
·
2 sec
·
Laurel Hill Boulevard
17
Keep slight right at fork onto Hunters Point Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Hunters Point Avenue
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
18
Turn right onto Van Dam Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Van Dam Street
19
Continue on Van Dam Street
113 ft
·
8 sec
·
Van Dam Street
20
Turn left onto NY 25
0.4 mi
·
35 sec
·
Queens Boulevard
21
Continue on NY 25
0.7 mi
·
57 sec
·
Queensboro Plaza
22
Continue on NY 25
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Lower Level
23
Keep slight right at fork onto NY 25
317 ft
·
11 sec
·
NY 25
Toward 60th Street West
Use the slight right lane.
24
Turn left onto East 60th Street
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
East 60th Street
25
Turn right onto 3rd Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
3rd Avenue
Use the right lane.
26
Turn left onto East 72nd Street
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
East 72nd Street
Use the left lane.
27
Turn right onto Madison Avenue
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Madison Avenue
28
Turn left onto East 85th Street
507 ft
·
12 sec
·
East 85th Street
29
Continue on 86th Street Transverse
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
86th Street Transverse
Toward West Side
30
Arrive at destination
86th Street Transverse
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 205 decision points cluster between mile 6.4 and 24.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
6.4 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
North Service Road
Turn right onto North Service Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
8
21.3 mi into trip
|
~33m in
Take the exit toward Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, Hunters Point Avenue, Greenpoint Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 16
Toward Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, Hunters Point...
6
21.8 mi into trip
|
~34m in
|
Hunters Point Avenue
Keep slight right at fork onto Hunters Point Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
7
24.5 mi into trip
|
~40m in
|
NY 25
Keep slight right at fork onto NY 25 toward 60th Street West
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward 60th Street West
6
24.7 mi into trip
|
~41m in
|
3rd Avenue
Turn right onto 3rd Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.39 one way
$8.79 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $4.75 | $9.50 |
| premium | $4.92 | $5.17 | $10.35 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.90 | $11.79 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8 | 0 | $2.80 | $1.28 |
| Efficient EV | 6.7 | 0 | $2.34 | $1.07 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.7 | 0 | $3.74 | $1.71 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Manhattan, NY
Evening in Manhattan on Sunday
Local time
7:33 PM
EDT
Current temp
58°F
Mostly Cloudy
NE 3 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 18 at 2:37AM EDT until April 19 at 12:00AM EDT by NWS Burlington VT
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
9 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
47m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a turn-heavy, local driving experience that stays entirely off major highways. With a 0% highway share, you will navigate through local roads rather than high-speed lanes. This profile creates a more technical environment behind the wheel, requiring your full attention as you transition from the suburban feel of Sea Cliff into the dense urban grid of Manhattan. Because there is no single long-distance stretch, the drive consists of continuous navigation through neighborhood and city streets. You should prepare for a steady, hands-on pace that demands constant awareness of your surroundings.
55% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
30 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 14.7 mi on Long Island Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 6.4 miles in near North Service Road.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 20 decision points packed into just 26.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 47m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 6.4 miles (North Service Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 21.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 21.8 miles (Hunters Point Avenue): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
253 ft
15 ft
Total Climb
415 ft
Total Descent
492 ft
Highest Point
253 ft
~5.7 mi in
Elevation Range
239 ft
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Sea Cliff, NY to Manhattan, NY, road signs begin pointing toward 60Th Street West along the way.
60Th Street West
24.5 mi in
|
~40m
|
via NY 25
About the Cities
Starting in Sea Cliff, NY
Full guide →Founded 1883
Top landmarks
- • Sea Cliff railway station — Historic Long Island Rail Road station
Arriving in Manhattan, NY
Full guide →Founded 1624
Wall Street. Madison Avenue. 34th Street. Broadway. Times Square. Manhattan is so well known that even the names of its streets have become iconic and understood the world over. This long, thin island is only one of New York City's five boroughs, but it's Manhattan that has the concrete canyons and the inimitable skyline; Manhattan that has the world's brightest theater district; Manhattan that has Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and the Met; and Manhattan that includes iconic neighborhoods like Harlem, the Upper East Side, Times Square, and Greenwich Village. The rest of New York City has much to see and do, but it's Manhattan that represents the city—and sometimes the entire United States—to the world. You could spend a month on this tiny island and still not see all there is to see.
Top landmarks
- • Empire State Building — skyscraper located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 47m. Total distance: 26.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
47m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (55%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 14.7 miles on Long Island Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Manhattan, NY before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 6.4 miles (North Service Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 21.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 21.8 miles (Hunters Point Avenue): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — General Grant National Memorial, Hamilton Grange National Memorial and Stonewall National Monument (6 total within detour distance). See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Manhattan, NY before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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