How long is the drive from Lower Manhattan New York to the Upper East Side?

Answer 1

If there's no traffic at all, it's about a 20 to 30 minute ride (20 minutes from the East Side, 30 from the West Side).

If the traffic is really bad, though, it could take over an hour. Maybe even an hour and a half, if you're starting out way, way Downtown on the West Side (like, the Financial District, Tribeca or Battery Park).

Answer 2

On a local train (the C of the A-C-E, the blue line, the B of the B-D-F-M, the orange line, and the 1 of the 1-2-3, the red line) it's about 30 to 40 minutes, depending on how far Uptown you are and how far Downtown you're going. The C makes less stops than the B or the 1, so it's actually more like 25 to 35 minutes on the C.

On the 2 or 3 express trains from 96th Street or 72nd Street, it's about 15 to 20 minutes. That is not including the time it takes for the train to come.

In a car it would take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes (late at night when there's no traffic) to 90 minutes during rush hour, and about 30 to 45 minutes during any other time.