New York State

Hitchhiking in New York is generally easy and pleasant. In the winter, make sure to dress warm and have alternate transportation plans if you get too cold.

Legality

Many people believe hitchhiking in New York is illegal. (Which law is being broken? Please note it here!) It's illegal, sort of. Most people think and say it's illegal in general. Even if it's not actually illegal, the cops can probably find ways to ticket you for loitering or vagrancy. If there are cops, just do whatever they say, stay friendly, and say you got a ride share on Craigslist, but need to get to wherever you going. Say you need to get to a Greyhound or a train station. They might even give you a ride there.

People in the North, especially in the Adirondacks, are very friendly though. You can also do some great wild camping. (If you hear bells, don't worry, just start counting.)

When coming down from Quebec, going to New York City it's probably better to stick on the I-9, on which you can easily walk (and legally, if you weren't hitchhiking), instead of the I-87.

I-90

The Thruway is a toll road running across the state. Although many cars have electronic toll cards (EZPass), its still possible to get picked up at the toll booths.

Rochester

Local hitchhiking along busy roads works well. For longer distances, most of the busy roads in town turn into highways in the country and will get you slowly towards your destination. For fast but less scenic trips, take the interstate:

• To go east: stand on the 490 on ramp on Monroe Ave.

Border on the I-87

Try to get a ride on the Canadian side. Forget about hitching on the other side of the border, like you would do in civilized countries. Once you're taken by American customs personnel you can't walk back. They will be very confused and your best bet is that someone tells you to walk to the truck stop at exit 43. There are also gas stations at exit 42, which is not far.