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Couple days in NY, stay in Manhattan or close to port?


Zephanor
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23 hours ago, YankeesFan4Life said:

It's not the Subway, the Subway only runs in NYC. From the Jersey side of the river, there's a few different options.  Either take the Ferry from Edgewater, or you can pick up the PATH from Jersey City or Hoboken  to 33rd St or even down to Wall St.  You can also take NJ Transit from Hoboken into Penn Station, which is not far from the 33rd St PATH Station.  

 

Jersey City is REALLY built up nicely with some AMAZING restaurants and nightlife.  Any one of those waterfront areas are nice, Hoboken, Weehawken, JC and Edgewater.  Stay away from places like Cliffside Park, Leonia, Ft Lee and and you'll be fine. Not saying those towns are unsafe or anything like that, but staying in Hudson County you'll have a much better experience with food/drinks and nightlife.

 

Not in full agreement on some assertions here, and so a few quibbles:

 

While some might argue what constitutes a "subway," there are, in effect, three distinct subway systems in this area. The largest, and what comes to mind immediately, is the largest system which is operated by the New York City Transit Authority (also referred to as MTA New York City Transit). Another is that which is operated by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (also referred to as MTA Staten Island Railway) . . . it does not actually ever go underground. These two systems are both entirely within the City of New York. The third is that which is operated by the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (also referred to as PATH or as the "Hudson Tubes"). These trains operate not only in the City of New York but also several cities in New Jersey (Hoboken, Jersey City, Harrison, and Newark). All of these systems operate 24/7, frequently at all times except overnight.

 

From Hoboken, there are no direct New Jersey Transit trains to Pennsylvania Station (or anywhere else) in New York City. Theoretically, you could travel indirectly by NJT train, by going westward from Hoboken to Secaucus, then another NJT train from Secaucus to Pennsylvania Station. But compared to the PATH trains, the NJT trains require the aforementioned connection, operate less frequently, take longer, and cost more.

 

The operator of the ferries that cross the Hudson River, New York Waterway, has cut back substantially over the past few years. The ferries from New Jersey do not go directly to midtown Manhattan, but discharge passengers on the west side, from which everyone then has to walk crosstown or travel by bus (no further charge) the rest of the way. Additionally, the ferries from Edgewater only operate during rush hours, so unless one "commutes" to midtown, it is not especially convenient (that said, NJT does operate its route 158 bus route from just outside the Edgewater ferry terminal, direct to Port Authority, and further south New York Waterway does operate regular service daily from its terminal in Weehawken).

 

The waterfront in New Jersey has been developing over the past several years, as its former use mostly for railroad transportation has subsided. A good part of the new development is, however, a bit sterile, and so while there might be good views from these locales across the river into Manhattan, the New Jersey side, itself, is not particularly memorable. The main exception is Hoboken, which, along its main street, Washington Street, is as traditional as it gets (though Washington Street, while parallel to the Hudson River, is four blocks inland and has no river views). Exchange Place, in Jersey City, while both directly on the waterfront and a "traditional" city center, has largely developed into a financial center, less lively and now more sterile than neighboring Hoboken. South of Exchange Place, and north of Edgewater, the New Jersey waterfront does not have a lot to offer, so best to stay within these limits.

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16 hours ago, GTJ said:

 

Not in full agreement on some assertions here, and so a few quibbles:

 

While some might argue what constitutes a "subway," there are, in effect, three distinct subway systems in this area. The largest, and what comes to mind immediately, is the largest system which is operated by the New York City Transit Authority (also referred to as MTA New York City Transit). Another is that which is operated by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (also referred to as MTA Staten Island Railway) . . . it does not actually ever go underground. These two systems are both entirely within the City of New York. The third is that which is operated by the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (also referred to as PATH or as the "Hudson Tubes"). These trains operate not only in the City of New York but also several cities in New Jersey (Hoboken, Jersey City, Harrison, and Newark). All of these systems operate 24/7, frequently at all times except overnight.

 

From Hoboken, there are no direct New Jersey Transit trains to Pennsylvania Station (or anywhere else) in New York City. Theoretically, you could travel indirectly by NJT train, by going westward from Hoboken to Secaucus, then another NJT train from Secaucus to Pennsylvania Station. But compared to the PATH trains, the NJT trains require the aforementioned connection, operate less frequently, take longer, and cost more.

 

The operator of the ferries that cross the Hudson River, New York Waterway, has cut back substantially over the past few years. The ferries from New Jersey do not go directly to midtown Manhattan, but discharge passengers on the west side, from which everyone then has to walk crosstown or travel by bus (no further charge) the rest of the way. Additionally, the ferries from Edgewater only operate during rush hours, so unless one "commutes" to midtown, it is not especially convenient (that said, NJT does operate its route 158 bus route from just outside the Edgewater ferry terminal, direct to Port Authority, and further south New York Waterway does operate regular service daily from its terminal in Weehawken).

 

The waterfront in New Jersey has been developing over the past several years, as its former use mostly for railroad transportation has subsided. A good part of the new development is, however, a bit sterile, and so while there might be good views from these locales across the river into Manhattan, the New Jersey side, itself, is not particularly memorable. The main exception is Hoboken, which, along its main street, Washington Street, is as traditional as it gets (though Washington Street, while parallel to the Hudson River, is four blocks inland and has no river views). Exchange Place, in Jersey City, while both directly on the waterfront and a "traditional" city center, has largely developed into a financial center, less lively and now more sterile than neighboring Hoboken. South of Exchange Place, and north of Edgewater, the New Jersey waterfront does not have a lot to offer, so best to stay within these limits.

Wow, you seem like you could write for Frommers!  Stick with this guy, he knows it all!

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11 hours ago, YankeesFan4Life said:

Wow, you seem like you could write for Frommers!

 

No, just someone who has lived in NYC for many years, and has worked within the transportation industry for most of those years. There's just so much here in NYC that it can be difficult keeping track of it all, and so entirely understandable when recollection of details is not always complete. Much appreciative of the kind words!

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14 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

But don’t they both still leave you in New Jersey?

I was answering the question as a NJ resident, but my favorite NJ exit is the delaware water gap bridge, especially in the fall. Most of my time spent on the GWB and Delaware memorial bridge was in traffic.

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Thanks everyone!
 

Yeah, the plan has been to stay midtown Manhattan but not right on Times Square. I was last there for work and I was a few blocks away so not too loud but walking distance to a lot of things.

 

We’re not worried about fancy food as well get that on the ship with the unlimited dining plan, we just want to see a few sights and enjoy being in NYC together for the first time (I’ve been several times myself and she went as a high school graduation trip with her parents.)

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3 hours ago, Zephanor said:

We’re not worried about fancy food as well get that on the ship with the unlimited dining plan, we just want to see a few sights and enjoy being in NYC together for the first time.

 

I've never considered the board on vessels to be especially "fancy" (at least on the mass market lines). It is typically decent, many times well-presented, and while dining my wife and I have considered that, for at least some passengers, the dining for them is a "fancy" experience. But we've thought that the choices at sea have always been fairly bland, designed for a middle-of-the-road American palate and certainly not representative of the places through which the vessel was sailing. For these reasons, we both are generally more excited about dining locally, off the vessel in foreign lands. (I think of our stop in Huatulco, meeting up there with a friend from Oaxaca, and heading to a great local place near Pochutla.) Even at ports of departure, we're much more excited about eating at some unique place on land than in rushing to board to the vessel (we're typically the last ones to finally board in the afternoon!). Put another way, we enjoy the convenience of not having to walk far from our stateroom to dine on the vessel, but when one lives in New York City, it really is nothing all that special of particularly "fancy."

 

Enjoy the time in Manhattan!

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On 6/14/2021 at 7:00 PM, cruiserking said:

New York City is definitely the place you want to stay pre-cruise from Bayonne. The city has started to awaken from it's COVID sleep, the restaurants are busy, the bars are buzzing and Broadway lifts its curtains in September. 

 

There are a wide assortment of affordable hotels in town and the cab ride to Cape Liberty is just about 30 minutes tops. There's nothing like the energy and excitement of New York to get  you revved up for your cruise. 

 

Happy Cruising. 

 

Jonathan

Hi Jonathan,

Good Advice!

 

Nice to Hear from You!

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