Momof5

Hi I have a family and trying to stay at a none crappy place and someone suggested I stay at the Marriott in Teaneck and just take the subway(?) or taxi to manhattan daily. Is this way to long to spend traveling to save some money? Am I a idiot or is this a smart move. I can get rooms for 100.00. Thanks for your time.

sf7307

If your concern is simply saving money, I guess you could do it. I personally wouldn't for several reasons -- 1) you can't return to your hotel in the middle of the day, 2) you're not in Manhattan which is what you came to see, 3) in any event, you have to add the cost of R/T transportation to the hotel price or you're not comparing apples to apples.

panecott

I don't think it's a good idea. Taking a taxi RT daily will cost you a pretty penny, and if you have 5 kids and are traveling with all of them, taking a train will also cost plenty.

Not sure about Jersey taxis, but NYC taxis generally will not take more than 4 passengers.

SueNYC

Then you have to factor in at least an hour commute each way to anything you want to see except the Cloisters. It is a crazy idea.

nytraveler

There is no subway to Teaneck NJ - the subeway is in NYC only. You would have to chck into taking the train or bus. I don;t know the fares but you wold need to check with NJ Transit for that and for schdules. Also you would have to figure out how to get from the motel to the bus or train.

To take a taxi back and forth - if you can find taxis willing to do it (sinceby law they have to return empty and most won't) it will be VERY expensive. And taxis typically hold 4 people max.

IMHO this is a VERYbad idea. If you want to stay in Jersey you need to stay in a plae immediately adjacent to a PATH station - such as Jerey City - so you can be in hte city in abou 20 minutes - and ony have to pay a few dollar each in either direction.

When are you coming and what is your budget? Peoplemay be able to make beter suggestions.

Austin

No. Agree with others. Also, It will ruin your good time trying to get back and forth daily with a family.

mclaurie

Whoever gave you this advice has done you no service. Taxis between NY state and New Jersey, regardless of the distance, are very expensive and Teaneck is not really that close to Manhattan. The least expensive option for a large family in NJ is probably the Hampton Inn Riverwalk in Harrison, NJ which is near the Newark PATH train station. The Doubletree Club in Jersey City is closer and a better option. Are you driving to NYC? If yes, from where?

RoamsAround

I lived in Teaneck for 20+ (quite a while ago) and can tell you even back then commuting into NYC was a real pain - even though it's relatively close to the George Washington Bridge (maybe 6 miles) and the Lincoln Tunnel (maybe 15 miles) you'll easily spend an hour getting to mid-town Manhattan (double that if you travel during rush hour(s) - weekdays 7:30AM to 9:30AM and 4:00PM to 6:30PM.

Since moving to another state I've also stayed at the Glenpoint Marriott when visiting relatives in the area and can tell you it's not really convenient for commuting into the city using public transportation. Yes, the cost of taxis to NYC will be prohibitive.

Everyone has given you good advice - don't do it. After factoring in the cost of transportation and the time you'll waste getting back/forth from NJ to Manhattan you'll be much, much better off bitting the bullet and staying in Manhattan - NYC hotels may cost a bit more but in the long run you'll save money and precious time (which for most of us is worth quite a bit in terms of dollars).time

gail

I lived near Teaneck as a child/young adult. Commuting then was a pain in the butt. I suspect it has not improved. don't do it. And whoever gave you this advice, poliltely ignore any future advice from them - they are clueless. And you asked if you were an idiot - I am sure you are not, but you will feel like one if you ignore the above advice from posters and try to do this.

I would shorten my stay in NYC if you must to save money rather than staying in Teaneck.

vjpblovesitaly

"And whoever gave you this advice, poliltely ignore any future advice from them - they are clueless"

A poster on TA recently said they got advice from someone to stay at the Carter in NYC - Another person who should be ignored in the future.

joesorce

Consider Secaucus if you are on a budget and don't mind taking a bus into the city. If you search this forum for SECAUCUS and JERSEY CITY, you can read the previous debates about the inconvenience of staying outside Manhattan.

http://www.secaucus.org/hotels.html

hamlet

I've recommended this hotel to NYC visitors in the past so to me, depending on the circumstances it may not be a terrible idea. It depends on who you are (ages and mobility and issues of family members) and how much money you want to save/spend and what city activities you want to participate in and what time of year you're visiting.

Some info: a one way ticket to midtown Manhattan for adults (not Sr or child) is $4.25. If you buy 10 tix in the NY station that cost is $39.

The buses are frequent and run from 6am-1am or so. Ride can take from 20-60 min. That ride has been short in the past but in recent months AM traffic has been particularly bad for summertime and lines at evening rush hour are bad too. However, you may not be planning to head back to NJ until after dinner anyway. The bus line is 167 if you want to look at the schedule.

I have commuted from or near Teaneck and have arrived at work in midtown in less time than colleagues taking mass transit from other parts of Manhattan.

If you have a car you will also save money by not having to pay for NYC parking. If you don't have a car, you are pretty much stranded.

DMG

I stayed at The Andrew Hotel in Great Neck, New York when I went to visit family. It was reasonable and there was a train station one block away that had frequent service to Penn Station in Manhattan. I'm originally from Englewood, NJ and would say it would be much harder to commute into the city everyday from Teaneck.

kenav

Subway in Teaneck NJ? Ha ha ha.

Austin

If you have a family and want to spend a day in NYC, it is best to have a hotel nearby to take a break and freshen up. I would avoid staying anywhere but Manhattan if at all possible. When are you going? Maybe we can help u find a place that you can afford.

nytraveler

I think Great Neck is preferable to Teaneck since the commute is faster,bu it isn;t cheap. And, like Teaneck, you will be straned in Great Neck without a car - if you want to go to dinner there etc. Also- depending on where you are coming from - this could be on the opposite side of the city (a 2 hour drive from Newark).

Really, Manhattan is your best shot. If you will provide dates and number of people you can get realistic recos. And try looking at the discounts on the varoius sites- hotwire et al.

Bowsprit

Long Island City would be a better choice than Teaneck, imo. Take a look at Country Inn & Suites in Long Island City. Someone posted this on another thread: "It is one stop from Manhattan on the E train, and it often costs under $100 per night in the off-season."

edeevee

I don't know about Teaneck but when my kids were young we visited friends who lived in Maplewood, NJ (which appears to be even further away). Now, the purpose of our trip was to see the friends, not see the city -- but we did head into town a few times. It took about 45 minutes to get there. We've been on plenty of vacations where the drive to the days' activities was longer than that. Even some "on site" properties at Disney World take that long to get to. If you decided to stay in New Jersey (or Long Island City), you probably won't get the same experience as staying in Manhattan but you will still be able to have fun and see plenty of sites.

tracys2cents

Read the hotel reviews for hotels in the cities mentioned above, Secaucus etc. Lots of visitors-on-a-budget choose to stay outside of Manhattan and they usually make comments in their reviews about how easy or how difficult it was to hop the bus into the city etc. A good percentage of visitors cannot afford to spend from $200 to $350 per night for a room.

Judy24

edevee, the problem with transportation from NJ to NYC is that unless you're driving, it's not always so much about the distance as it is about the accessibility of public options. Maplewood, like many NJ, Westchester and Long Island towns, happens to be blessed with a train stop on the Midtown Direct that's a very short ride into Penn Station in NY.

However, and it's a big however, there are NO hotels in Maplewood. It's a residential down, and the train services the local commuters. You were fortunate enough to have a friend who lives there, but unless they're opening up their home as a B&B, I'm not sure how that helps the original poster!