Visit to NYC

R2Mum56 · Post by **R2Mum56** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 1:31 am

I am planning to visit NYC from Tue - Thursday of next week. I will be driving to NYC with child. We have a hotel booked in Edison.

What are my best option to travel and visit NYC? I will have a car, but at the same time I am scared to drive in NYC (I am from South). Can I drive to some place in NJ near NYC and take public transport? What are my options for parking? Considering I have a 2 year old with me, please suggest safe places to park and take public transport.

Also any recommedation on visiting places is appreciated.

Thanks.

tejasvee · Post by **tejasvee** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:00 am

Since you are talking about weekdays, don't bother driving at all. Just park in Metropark or Rahway stations (Edison or Metuchen have issues with parking) for the full day and take NJ Transit trains. Check out NJ Transit website for more info.

Buy the tickets before boarding the trains. You will be in Penn Station NY in less than 1 hour.

In Penn station, buy a 1 day fun pass subway ticket ($7). Take a subway map and there you go!

Wherever you are in Manhattan, going 'south' is downtown and going 'north' is uptown. With that you can pretty much travel by yourself.

If you?re a first-time visitor, see the Empire State and Chrysler buildings, the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and the Bronx Zoo.

Pick 2 to 3 places per day. Check out summer concerts in Bryant park or Central park if they are on these days.

Add WTC center, Wall street and South Seaport one afternoon.
You can easily come back even at 9 PM if you park your car in the stations mentioned above. They are safe places.

If there are specific questions, ask. There are many New Yorkers here.

R2Mum56 · Post by **R2Mum56** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 5:51 pm

# 2 Thanks for the valuable information.

I googled Metropark. Seems like you are talking about Metropark, Iselin. Am I correct?

I have been to NY 2 years ago. At that time, I stayed with a friend who has since moved to India. We took park and ride bus (If my memory is right, it was coahline) from Ridgewood. The best thing was, we were able to take stroller for my daughter in the bus and it dropped us to Port Authorit, NY. Are there any similar choice available near Edison? I will be travelling with parents and kid.

hetal18 · Post by **hetal18** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:08 pm

R2Mum56;35849# 2 Thanks for the valuable information.

I googled Metropark. Seems like you are talking about Metropark, Iselin. Am I correct?

I have been to NY 2 years ago. At that time, I stayed with a friend who has since moved to India. We took park and ride bus (If my memory is right, it was coahline) from Ridgewood. The best thing was, we were able to take stroller for my daughter in the bus and it dropped us to Port Authorit, NY. Are there any similar choice available near Edison? I will be travelling with parents and kid.[/quote]

Yes...It is Metropark, Iselin and it is very close to edison and has lots of parking space. Just ask at the hotel where is Metropark station and you will get the directions. From there you can take www.njtransit.com to go to penn station NYC, its the last stop.
Penn station is very close to Times Square and Empire State building. For statue of liberty and ground zero you will have to take subway 1,9 to downtown.

dhanu · Post by **dhanu** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:19 pm

R2Mum56;35849# 2 Thanks for the valuable information.
The best thing was, we were able to take stroller for my daughter in the bus and it dropped us to Port Authorit, NY. Are there any similar choice available near Edison? I will be travelling with parents and kid.[/quote]

There is a bus that goes from Edison to Newark but it is best to avoid it. NJT + Subway pass is better than that for your purpose. You can take the stroller.

BTW, sightseeing NYC is not easy in terms of time. Places like statue of liberty may even take a whole day (with security, ferry time, queues etc.). So make a list of things you want to see and prioritize them. NYC is huge. You can only see so much.

Some things that people usually fail to account for -

1. Make sure you understand how the subway numbers/map work. A subway stop usually has many outlets, picking the right one is time consuming. But spend it because picking the wrong one is a killer.

2. Subways will take you only near your destination. You still have to walk quite a bit to reach your destination. Some stations are so under level that you may have to climb up 3-4 flights. Not all have escalators. With a baby in tow, you will be drained in no time. In the subway map, more than one subway stop will look close enough to your destination. Don't fall for that. Ask someone for the best one.

3. Food - Finding a restaurant, and getting food on your table. They both take time, unless you bring your own food or fill yourself up with fast food.

4. To go back from NYC to Edison, make sure you reach the station on time for your train. There aren't frequent trains after rush hour. One miss == 1/2 to 1 hr. Plan in advance on what train you want to take for going back. Trains timings are online. Problem is that some places such as times square, 5th Ave, Rockefeller, are worth visting in late evenings.

5. Remember, it is easy to get frustrated in NYC. So take it easy. I haven't seen anybody who was able to see more than 2 places in a day, unless they took a guided tour (they operate from many places), which is a GREAT option if you are short on time. So don't push yourself too hard.

IMO, driving isn't a bad option. It will cost you a little more in parking but may save you time and energy. Driving in NYC is not that hard.

Have fun!!!

r2ikyon · Post by **r2ikyon** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:22 pm

Yes metro park is in Iselin.Ideal for parking. As tejasvee mentioend you will have to change to subway.

I am not sure if you are planning on visiting Statue of Liberty. Here is what I generally do (did this for almost 4 times). Drive to Statue of Liberty from NJ side i.e. Liberty State Park. After spending time there I drive to Newport mall in Jersey city and park the car nearby (A little driving around is required to find parking).
In newport mall you can take NJ Path.Tha will take you upto 34th street in NYC. This way you will not have to change from train to subway. Only possible hassle is parking near newport mall.

R2Mum56 · Post by **R2Mum56** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:56 pm

Guys, Thanks for the valuable information.

We have been to NYC 2 years before and I agree about the stress part. I was only able to see Statue of Liberty and Empire state/Times Sq area. Nothing else.

I drove to Liberty Park one day for Statue of Liberty visit. And next day we took bus. This time, we are 5 of us. And we are planning 3 days trip and hope to see more.

My fear of not taking car in NY is traffic. I do not want to get into trouble or look for directions all day! I looked up Metropark information and its a very good option. Please advice if its safe to come back at 9-10 PM at this point via NJTransit.

Also, it seems like we will spend $ 150 per day with NJTransit and Subway pass. Is there any other feasible option to drive and park. May be place where I can board directly to Subway or Path? As long as its safe place and parking is available, I can drive. I am a little worried with the fact that there are places in NY/NJ where you do not want to be stranded!

Thanks again for all the responses.

hetal18 · Post by **hetal18** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:08 pm

R2Mum56;35871Guys, Thanks for the valuable information.

We have been to NYC 2 years before and I agree about the stress part. I was only able to see Statue of Liberty and Empire state/Times Sq area. Nothing else.

I drove to Liberty Park one day for Statue of Liberty visit. And next day we took bus. This time, we are 5 of us. And we are planning 3 days trip and hope to see more.

My fear of not taking car in NY is traffic. I do not want to get into trouble or look for directions all day! I looked up Metropark information and its a very good option. Please advice if its safe to come back at 9-10 PM at this point via NJTransit.

Also, it seems like we will spend $ 150 per day with NJTransit and Subway pass. Is there any other feasible option to drive and park. May be place where I can board directly to Subway or Path? As long as its safe place and parking is available, I can drive. I am a little worried with the fact that there are places in NY/NJ where you do not want to be stranded!

Thanks again for all the responses.[/quote]
You can drive to Harrison station and take path train directly to 34th street. Path train costs like 1.50$ per ride/person, so it will be pretty cheap. However, I am not sure about parking at Harrison station...work days are okay, but weekends and late nights that area looks kinda shady.
There are also parking at Newark Penn Station and trains from Newark to New York will also be cheaper then from Metropark.
Do a google search on "Path harrison station" or Newark penn station and you should be able to find more information.

Good thing about parking at Metropark is that its a desi area, so if you come at 9-10 PM it is still pretty safe. And, while you are around Metropark, don't forget to visit our world famous Oak Tree road to eat some junk indian food :)

r2ikyon · Post by **r2ikyon** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:30 pm

if safety is your primary concern metropark is best. cost wise NJ path is cheapest.
I think Jersey city/newport mall Path station is better than newark and harrison stations safety wise. There are lot of desi restaurants (something like oak tree road) near newport mall.

Desi_by_Nature · Post by **Desi_by_Nature** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 9:10 pm

We went to NYC for 4 days two years ago and still couldn't see everything that we wanted to.

While we were out there sightseeing, I noticed those red tour buses with an open deck on top. I wish we had signed up for one of those - it seemed like a really nice way to explore Manhattan if you have limited time. So maybe you want to check that out.

One part of Manhattan we really liked walking around was SoHo - but maybe it's better to go there on Saturdays when the artists and performers set up their displays on the sidewalks.
Times Square is amazing too, but better save it for a night as that's when you can really appreciate it.