New York State Thruway Authority Service Areas

Rest stop heading south near Harriman. Awful Rest Stop.
On a Sunday at 6:30 it’s extremely crowded. Lines for food. Choices were extremely limited. I don’t know about you but I don’t want Mcdonalds, Pizza or Carvel ice-​cream for dinner. Nothing healthy here. Vending machines barely worked. Choices in the machines were odd and one machine ate my money and didnt give me my selection.
The bathrooms were dirty. Years of accumulated filth on the floor in the stalls. Doesnt anybody know how to clean anymore?
The place needs enlarging and remodeling.
Next time I’ll bring my own food from home or buy it before getting on the thruway.

I totally understand Mark II S.‘s review and point of view. He’s right. Most of the picnic areas have disappeared. It is annoying.
But I do have to say that the rest areas are well lit at night, well plowed in winter, kept clean inside year round, and have easy on and off the highways roads. So I’m going with 3 stars. The restrooms are usually clean, although this can vary by location at times. The gas prices are usually ok, although its going to be cheaper to buy gas off the highway. I don’t get food at the rest stops, I too bring my own for the ride. Ill get a Dunkin coffee if its the right time of day. But usually I’m only stopping in to stretch my legs, wash my hands and perhaps do some texting. And for these things these rest areas are A-​OK.

This review applies to all of the official New York State Thruway Service areas. My complaint is that none of them have outdoor picnic tables anymore. When I take a road trip in nice weather, I pack my own sandwiches and stop and eat them on the way. I refuse to pay for or stand in line for mediocre fast food priced anywhere from 20% — 100% higher than what it costs at locations not located on the Thruway.
When I was younger traveling with my parents, the service areas all had picnic tables. I suspect at some point in the recent past, the vendors operating the chains in the service areas asked the state to remove the tables to bring more business to the restaurants, and the Thruway Authority said «Absolutely! Less bird poop for us to wash off the picnic tables!»
I do note that the parking/​rest-​stops with no gas or restaurants DO have picnic tables — BUT NO RESTROOMS. Not even a lousy port-​a-​john. So if you want «one-​stop-​shopping» to eat your own food and use the facilities at the same time, the Thruway Authority simply says «No». I would suspect that having parking areas without rest rooms leads to weary travelers wandering into the woods to «water the trees».