NYC Suggestions

[cfitch]

I get a bit overwhelmed when too many choices are laid in front of me. I hope you can help.

 

Looking for hotel and sight seeing suggestions.

 

Flying into EWR on 10/11/2017 am, cruise (Anthem of the Seas) departs on 10/12/2017. We will have about 24 hours to see something that will be a can't miss item. We love foodie type experiences as well.

 

Hotel <$250 for the night (2 people), willing to take cab, uber, public transportation if needed, but don't want to spend a ton of money. Need suggestions on travel from EWR to hotel, hotel to 'can't miss' experience and back, then hotel to port.

 

Thanks!

[138east]

I get a bit overwhelmed when too many choices are laid in front of me. I hope you can help.

 

Looking for hotel and sight seeing suggestions.

 

Flying into EWR on 10/11/2017 am, cruise (Anthem of the Seas) departs on 10/12/2017. We will have about 24 hours to see something that will be a can't miss item. We love foodie type experiences as well.

 

Hotel <$250 for the night (2 people), willing to take cab, uber, public transportation if needed, but don't want to spend a ton of money. Need suggestions on travel from EWR to hotel, hotel to 'can't miss' experience and back, then hotel to port.

 

Thanks!

Any idea as to what your "can't miss" experience would be?

 

The reality is that you're not going to get a Manhattan hotel on a Wed night in the middle of Oct for <250 unless you do a shared bathroom and stay in an inconvenient area from a transportation standpoint.

 

My suggestion is to stay in Jersey City at Candlewood Suites which is $251 tax included if you join IHG rewards. It's $236 if you prepay.

 

You can get to the hotel by accessible public transit from EWR via NJ transit train to Newark Penn Station ($8.50/pp for 1 stop), PATH to Exchange Place ($2.75/pp), and either walking 5-6 blocks or taking the Hudson-Bergen Light rail to within a block of the hotel for $2.25 pp. For access to downtown Manhattan you walk back to Exchange Place and take PATH one stop to the World Trade Center. For access to midtown you walk about 6 blocks to the Newport PATH station and take the 33rd St train to 33rd & 6th (Herald Square). http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps-schedules.html

Cab to Jersey City from the airport would run $55-65.

 

 

To get to Cape Liberty you take the light rail by the hotel. You take the 8th St Bayonne train to 34th St and call a cab or Uber to get into the port for $10-12. Cab from the hotel to Cape Liberty would run $55-65.

 

 

If you're at all interested in this option, book a cancellable room immediately. I can provide more details about schedules, maps, and phone numbers if you choose to do this.

[mrmidiman]

NYC resident here.

 

I suggest staying at one of the chain hotels in the Long Island City part of Queens. Very easy commute into Manhattan and you'll get much more bang for your buck.

 

As for things to do, it's difficult to recommend things without knowing your tastes, but a few ideas below:

 

Afternoon tea at the Plaza Hotel

 

Get food to go from the Todd English food court in the basement of the Plaza Hotel and have a picnic in Central Park

 

Visit one of the less well known museums such as the Frick Collection or the Morgan Library

 

Take an afternoon stroll along the Westside Greenway, or rent a CitiBike to ride it

 

Explore ethnic food in Queens or Brooklyn

 

Visit Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, which is the real Little Italy

 

Grey Line Bus Tour

 

Broadway, Off-Broadway, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, jazz clubs - you get the idea

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[138east]

I have no problem with staying in Long Island City if you're flying into LGA or JFK, but if you're flying into EWR, any hotel savings could be eaten up by the extra transportation costs to get from EWR to Long Island City and from Long Island City to Cape Liberty. EWR- LI City and LI City to Cape Liberty are simply not any kind of easy trips on public transit with luggage.

 

Jersey City is right across the Hudson from lower Manhattan. PATH and the light rail are very accessible with luggage and not heavily utilized during non rush hours. The ride time from Exchange Place to World Trade is 4 minutes and from Newport to Herald Square is 15 minutes.

 

For a more budget friendly option in NJ look at the Robert Treat Hotel in downtown Newark - under $150 tax included with free airport and Newark Penn Station shuttle, free breakfast, and free wifi. NJ Transit trains take you to New York Penn Station for $5.25 and PATH takes you to World Trade for $2.75. To get to Cape Liberty you take PATH to Exchange Place for $2.75 and the Hudson-Bergen Light rail Bayonne train to 34th St and call a cab for $10-12 to get into the port. I have stayed at the Robert Treat and recommend it.

[mskaufman]

I would suggest you decide what you want to do before choosing the hotel. If you only have 24 hours, then time might be worth more than a couple of bucks. I have had success in staying in the area south of Times Square for the $250 - $300 range. 24 hours? Do you want to go to see the Statue of Liberty or just pass by? If just pass by, I would recommend the Circle Line either 2 or three hour trip. Also, either Top of the Rock or the Empire State Building. By staying in the Times Square area you get to see it at night and, also, possibly go to a show. There are plenty of HOHO buses that will give you two days to get around.

[cfitch]

I have no problem with staying in Long Island City if you're flying into LGA or JFK, but if you're flying into EWR, any hotel savings could be eaten up by the extra transportation costs to get from EWR to Long Island City and from Long Island City to Cape Liberty. EWR- LI City and LI City to Cape Liberty are simply not any kind of easy trips on public transit with luggage.

 

Jersey City is right across the Hudson from lower Manhattan. PATH and the light rail are very accessible with luggage and not heavily utilized during non rush hours. The ride time from Exchange Place to World Trade is 4 minutes and from Newport to Herald Square is 15 minutes.

 

For a more budget friendly option in NJ look at the Robert Treat Hotel in downtown Newark - under $150 tax included with free airport and Newark Penn Station shuttle, free breakfast, and free wifi. NJ Transit trains take you to New York Penn Station for $5.25 and PATH takes you to World Trade for $2.75. To get to Cape Liberty you take PATH to Exchange Place for $2.75 and the Hudson-Bergen Light rail Bayonne train to 34th St and call a cab for $10-12 to get into the port. I have stayed at the Robert Treat and recommend it.

Thank you. I think we are looking at Robert Treat and a couple of other hotels in this general area. With such limited time I feel that a visit to Statute of Liberty is our site to see. Next on the list would be to end our evening with a great meal. Any suggestions in that area or close via transit or reasonable cab fare that we should try?

 

Thank you for everyone's input. In the future we will be back with more time to spend there.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Forums mobile app

[138east]

Thank you. I think we are looking at Robert Treat and a couple of other hotels in this general area. With such limited time I feel that a visit to Statute of Liberty is our site to see. Next on the list would be to end our evening with a great meal. Any suggestions in that area or close via transit or reasonable cab fare that we should try?

 

Thank you for everyone's input. In the future we will be back with more time to spend there.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Forums mobile app

Are you planning to take the ferry out to the Statue of Liberty? If so, are you planning to buy extra access tickets or just go out to Liberty Island and walk around? Ferries leave from NY and NJ. They are less crowded from NJ. It's possible to leave from NJ and return to NY if you want to explore downtown Manhattan and see the 911 site and then return by PATH to Newark. Folks who were pressed for time have Ubered to Liberty State Park to get the ferry and then circled back through Manhattan to return to Newark.

 

For dinner in Newark Google "Ironbound District restaurants" for interesting Spanish/Portuguese options.

[markeb]

Thank you. I think we are looking at Robert Treat and a couple of other hotels in this general area. With such limited time I feel that a visit to Statute of Liberty is our site to see. Next on the list would be to end our evening with a great meal. Any suggestions in that area or close via transit or reasonable cab fare that we should try?

 

Thank you for everyone's input. In the future we will be back with more time to spend there.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Forums mobile app

 

Are you looking for a good meal in NJ or Manhattan? Carol answered for Jersey. If you're looking to eat out in Manhattan before going back to Jersey, there are all kinds of options, pretty much all of which are available via transit and really depend on your interests and price point. Most are casual, which is good if you're sightseeing for the day.

[cfitch]

Thanks!! We will definitely want to do more than just walk around at the Statute, so I am looking at those options. Thanks for the pointer on the ferry. We will explore options on both sides.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Forums mobile app

[lenquixote66]

For sightseeing I would suggest a ferry to Ellis Island which includes the Statue of Liberty,Empire state Building ,United Nations and anything else you can find on the east side of Manhattan .

Brooklyn and Queens are not places to venture into if you have never been there before .

[lucymorgan]

As you are foodies, you might enjoy Eataly - I believe there are two in NYC. We've been to three of their places - Chicago, NYC Flatiron and Genova.

[PopcornFlying]

Hi, has OP tried using trivago.com for the hotel search? For 10/11, I can see more than ten 3-star hotels (and two 4-star hotels) one mile from Times Square for under $250.

 

For EWR to Penn Station in Manhattan, Amtrak or AirTrain+NJ Transit works pretty well.

[Nitemare]

Never used it myself but it's legit.

[138east]

Hi, has OP tried using trivago.com for the hotel search? For 10/11, I can see more than ten 3-star hotels (and two 4-star hotels) one mile from Times Square for under $250.

 

For EWR to Penn Station in Manhattan, Amtrak or AirTrain+NJ Transit works pretty well.

I'm having trouble duplicating your results. What hotels shiwed up on your list?

[Got2Cruise]

I've had good luck with Orbitz so I just checked. They are offering Mayfair hotel for $215 and it's cancelable. Also DaVinci for 230. You need to add tax on top. Nothing fancy but location is good and it's not a dump either

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[PopcornFlying]

I'm having trouble duplicating your results. What hotels shiwed up on your list?

 

Pod 51

Magnuson Convention Center

The Mansfield

NH New York Jolly Madison

Ramada New York Eastside

and more

 

At https://www.trivago.com/, I searched "Times Square" for check-in Wednesday 10/11, then on the left frame filtered the results to 3-5 stars and maximum 1 mile, then at the top right dropdown menu selected "Focus on Price".

[cfitch]

Hi, has OP tried using trivago.com for the hotel search? For 10/11, I can see more than ten 3-star hotels (and two 4-star hotels) one mile from Times Square for under $250.

 

For EWR to Penn Station in Manhattan, Amtrak or AirTrain+NJ Transit works pretty well.

Yes. However, I do to have perspective on the area to know which areas are good. This thread has been very helpful. I have my room narrowed down to either the Robert Treat, our the Country Inn & Suites. Both recommendations are from this thread. Thanks.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Forums mobile app