Origin
Selden, NY
Night in Selden on Saturday
Local time
10:48 PM
EDT
Current temp
54°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Selden, 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
1h 26m
Distance
58.1 mi
93 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$10
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 20m
★
6 AM
1h 27m
8 AM
1h 40m
10 AM
1h 31m
12 PM
1h 30m
3 PM
1h 32m
5 PM
1h 39m
8 PM
1h 23m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Selden, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Manhattan, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Selden to Manhattan covers 61.8 miles and typically takes about 1 hour and 29 minutes. Because this journey is relatively short, it functions perfectly as a straightforward day trip, requiring no overnight stays. You should budget approximately $10 for fuel to complete the trek. This route takes you from the suburban landscape of Long Island directly into the heart of New York City. It is an ideal option if you are looking to transition quickly between the Northeast's quieter residential pockets and the dense urban environment of Manhattan.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Long Island Expressway | 47.5 mi | 1h 4m |
| Nicolls Road | 2.5 mi | 3m |
| Middle Country Road | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Lower Level | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Queensboro Plaza | 0.7 mi | <1m |
| Madison Avenue | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| 3rd Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Hunters Point Avenue | 0.4 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Long Island Expressway
— 47.5 mi, about 1h 4m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Selden, NY and Manhattan, NY.
1
Start on NY 25
1.8 mi
·
2 min
·
Middle Country Road
Use the left lane.
2
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
Toward CR 97 south: Blue Point
Use the left lane.
3
Merge onto CR 97
2.5 mi
·
3 min
·
Nicolls Road
4
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
49 sec
Toward I 495 West: New York
Use the right lane.
5
Turn straight onto Express Drive North
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
·
Express Drive North
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward I-495 west: New York
7
Merge onto I 495
48 mi
·
1 hr 4 min
·
Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
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.
9
Turn straight onto Laurel Hill Boulevard
80 ft
·
2 sec
·
Laurel Hill Boulevard
10
Keep slight right at fork onto Hunters Point Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Hunters Point Avenue
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
11
Turn right onto Van Dam Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Van Dam Street
12
Continue on Van Dam Street
113 ft
·
8 sec
·
Van Dam Street
13
Turn left onto NY 25
0.4 mi
·
35 sec
·
Queens Boulevard
14
Continue on NY 25
0.7 mi
·
57 sec
·
Queensboro Plaza
15
Continue on NY 25
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Lower Level
16
Keep slight right at fork onto NY 25
317 ft
·
11 sec
·
NY 25
Toward 60th Street West
Use the slight right lane.
17
Turn left onto East 60th Street
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
East 60th Street
18
Turn right onto 3rd Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
3rd Avenue
Use the right lane.
19
Turn left onto East 72nd Street
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
East 72nd Street
Use the left lane.
20
Turn right onto Madison Avenue
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Madison Avenue
21
Turn left onto East 85th Street
507 ft
·
12 sec
·
East 85th Street
22
Continue on 86th Street Transverse
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
86th Street Transverse
Toward West Side
23
Arrive at destination
86th Street Transverse
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
29 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 29 miles from Selden, NY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 165 decision points cluster between mile 4.5 and 56.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
4.5 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Take the exit toward I 495 West: New York
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward I 495 West: New York
8
52.7 mi into trip
|
~1h 12m 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
53.2 mi into trip
|
~1h 13m 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
55.9 mi into trip
|
~1h 19m 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
56.1 mi into trip
|
~1h 20m in
|
3rd Avenue
Turn right onto 3rd Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$9.56 one way
$19.13 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
20 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $10.34 | $20.68 |
| premium | $4.92 | $11.26 | $22.52 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $12.83 | $25.66 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$10
Estimated CO2 emission: 20.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 17.4 | 0 | $6.10 | $2.79 |
| Efficient EV | 14.5 | 0 | $5.08 | $2.32 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 23.2 | 0 | $8.13 | $3.72 |
Gas CO2
20 kg
EV CO2
7 kg (65% 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
Night in Manhattan on Saturday
Local time
10:48 PM
EDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
49°F
North Hills, NY
29 mi in
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
5 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
1h 26m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
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 drive rather than a high-speed interstate cruise, as this route contains no significant stretches of major highway. Navigating this path requires your full attention, as the road composition is entirely local, meaning you will be managing frequent intersections and changes in traffic flow. There are no long, uninterrupted highway segments to zone out on; instead, you will experience a consistent, technical pace. The character of the drive is defined by its constant navigation through local infrastructure, making it a more engaged experience than a typical highway-heavy commute.
82% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
23 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 47.5 mi on Long Island Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Long Island Expressway and Nicolls Road. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 4.5 miles in.
Driving Effort
9/10
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 58.1 miles you will encounter 16 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 4.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 52.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 53.2 miles (Hunters Point Avenue): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Selden, NY
Full guide →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 1h 26m. Total distance: 58.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 26m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (82%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 47.5 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 4.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 52.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 53.2 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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