jfvargas

Hi everybody,
I will be traveling to New York with my wife in April and need some advice.
I'm taking a 2 day course that is given at the Holiday Inn Hasbrouck Heights-Meadowlands a saturday from 8 AM to 5 PM and then from 8:30 AM to 6 PM on Sunday.
Since I'm going with my wife I was thinking of staying in Manhattan and going by myself to the course each day so she can walk around town while I'm stuck with the books. I'm not planning on renting a car so I need advice on public transportation.
What do you think?
Is it an easy trip? To expensive?
Thanks!!!!

starrs

It's a great idea but may be a really tough commute for you. I hope the locals sign on soon to give advice. We (company) used to have meetings in Meadowlands and they'd hire a bus for us to come into the city at night. I hope someone has a solution so it will work out for you.

jfvargas

Thanks starrs for your fast response. I hope I can work it out since my wife will probably get bored if we just stay at that Holiday Inn. What do you think?
Forgot to mention that we are from Chile but both can get around fairly well in english.

nyer

I give you credit for the idea of staying in NYC for your wife's convenience, Usually the questions we get like this are about people who want to stay in a cheaper suburban hotel and commute into NYC for sightseeing every day, which is not recommended. This way she can do whatever she likes during the day and then you can have nice evenings together in the city

According to the hotel's website, it's very close (less than half mile)to a NJ Transit train stop (Teterboro) and they have a free shuttle that can pick people up and drop them off. I suggest you call or e-mail the hotel to confirm that and look at the train schedules (they run less often on weekends) to make sure the timing works.

HappyTrvlr

Does the hotel offer a shuttle to the train into Penn Station in New York? The hotel corporate sales office should be able to help you with this. There is a large train station(named for Senator Frank Lautenberg)in Secaucus,NJ,and this is a major commuter rail hub out near the Meadowlands, sending trains to and from NY tompoints north and south in Nj, Philadelphia. It would be a shame for her to be stuck out there while you work so near to the city after flying all the way from Chile( we loved Chile by the way, best food on any trip we've taken!) Once she arrives in Penn Station, she can get a taxi or a subway to wherever she wishes to explore the city.
Google" NJ Transit, Secaucus,NJ"..Good luck.

nyer

HappyTrvlr,I was plesantly surprised to see that the OP was planning to stay in Manhattan and HE would do the commuting to his course in NJ.
The hotel website as I indicated above shows yes there is a shuttle and the Teterboro (not Secaucus) train stop is very close to the hotel.

bspielman

NJTransit's Pascack Valley Line does not stop on weekends at Teterboro.

However, trains do stop on weekends at the Wood-Ridge station, one stop closer than Teterboro to Secaucus, where jfvragas will have to change trains to go to the hotel from NY Penn Station (http://bit.ly/YTvNkq). Wood-Ridge is very likely still within the hotel's shuttle radius.

Weekend trains on the Pascack Valley Line run on a limited schedule: hourly or every other hour. I suggest that jfvargas check the schedule carefully. Also, he should buy his round-trip tickets ($10.50 r/t) from a ticket vending machine at NY Penn Station to avoid the $5 surcharge assessed if he buys his ticket(s) aboard the train.

jfvargas

Thanks everyone for your help!
I didn't expect to get these many replies!
I'm going to check into bspielman's advice and try to stay in Manhattan.
If you have any other tips please let me know.
I'm glad you had a nice time in Chile HappyTrvlr!

bspielman

An alternate scheme is an NJTransit bus, more convenient on weekends when the trains run infrequently, don't stop at Hasbrouck Heights and in any case require a change of trains.

Bus number 163 runs roughly half-hourly (sometimes hourly on Sundays) from the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Eighth Avenue at 42nd Street in Manhattan to Boulevard and Williams Avenue in Hasbrouck Heights (about a five-minute walk from the hotel). I suppose you could call ahead and ask the hotel shuttle to meet the bus. The 30-minute trip costs $4.25 one way.

The same bus route returns to the Port Authority, also roughly half-hourly (and, again, sometimes less frequently on Sundays), from Boulevard and Williams Avenue.

Here's the #163 schedule. Note that it includes information about which gate the buses leave from at the Port Authority: http://bit.ly/14Qj5Gr

As with the train, it's advisable to buy your ticket(s) from a vending machine before you board the bus.

mclaurie

Frankly, with 8 and 8:30 start times for you, 'I'd stay at the hotel for the weekend (assuming it gets passable reviews) and let your wife negotiate the trip into Manhattan for those 2 days. Move to Manhattan for the rest of the trip.