First of all, let me say that my sister-in-law finally got back to me to say that she is still going to drive herself and her daughter to the bridal shower. So -- that problem is solved, and daughter and I are looking forward to a nice trip.

But now I have another "crisis". There is a bead show in NYC this weekend, and I had thought it would be fun to go, but my daughter said she really couldn't afford it right now and would rather wait until warm weather anyway.

My husband has decided that I need some cheering up as I have been feeling kind of down lately, and he has talked my daughter and son-in-law into taking me and has even made hotel reservations! I am somewhat taken aback by this whole development, which just occurred this afternoon, especially because he proudly told me that he would not have to use so many points this time for our lodging (last trip we stayed in the Mariott Marquis). He has made reservations at the Mariott Courtyard Edison Woodbridge in NEW JERSEY!!!!! He assures me that a co-worker says that is where she always stays when she goes to NYC, and it is just a 5-minute cab ride to the train station. He has booked this on the recommendation of ONE person!! Does anyone know anything about this place??

Vicki

Yes, they only have smoking rooms.

There's a Courtyard Marriott in Jersey City, which in my opinion, would be closer (but not ideal).

This is just a continuing saga, vicki!

I live just outside of Edison. The Courtyard is about 3 miles from the Woodbridge train station (which is closer than the Edison station, believe it or not), and the train ride is about 45 minutes to New York Penn Station, but it's a direct ride. It's not as convenient as being in the Marriott Marquis, but NYC is definitely accessible. Where are you traveling from, and where is the bead show?

FYI -- right under the Woodbridge train station is a great brewery called JJ Bitting's. Your hotel is also a mile from Menlo Park Mall.

Budman, you are bad! And I don't mean you're baaaad, I mean YOU'RE BAD! *smacking Budman on top of the head*

Vicki

Thank you, Karameli, for the info which is being sent immediately to my husband at work -- 45 MINUTES indeed!!! ??? To be as smart as he is, he never confirms anything. Whatever he is told, he believes it. His contact probably just told him he was 5 minutes from the train station, not mentioning the fact that it is a 45 minute ride to Penn Station!
I know what is at the root of all this -- he was invited to play in a golf tournament in Las Vegas at the end of April. Since he went to Florida last month to play golf, he is feeling a little guilty.

The bead show is at the Hotel Pennsylvania.

Vicki

I would suggest getting a room or suite at the Hotel Grand Union, which is just off Madison Ave and the rooms will run around $130 a night.

I think the website is www.hotelgrandunion.com

Do NOT stay so far out in NJ, since you will spend most of your time going to and from. Also at night you will have a problem getting back to your hotel, and could end up having to take a cab from the city, which will surely eat up any savings, and probably will end up costing more.

Have a great time while you are here.

You could've probably Pricelined a hotel closer to the city for a pretty low price.

I'm sure the hotel is a decent one, but it isn't particularly close for commuting into the city (mind you throngs of people commute to work in Manhattan from there every day).

It's not the worst, it's not the best either. Do you want to go to the bead show or not?

Lots of people HERE do things with only ONE prson's "recommendation (or didn't you notice???LOL)...be nice if you were closer to the city..let us know how it all works out.

My husband is very proud of the fact that our two night stay in EDISON, NJ (!!!!???) will only cost 19,000 Marriott points as opposed to 90,000 points for the Marriott Marquis Times Square. Nevermind that we have a 40 minute commute into the city. *sigh*
I guess I should look at it as a learning experience. I need to investigate the various ways I can visit NYC since I do want to go on a regular basis. : )

I am confused about "the train" that we will ride into the city from New Jersey. Is this a subway? Or an above-ground electric train? We want to visit Greenwich Village and Soho this trip since we totally missed them last time. Can we go directly from Edison (I have to keep looking at my post to remember the name of this city !! I've want to call it MADISON. I've never even BEEN to New Jersey!) to Greenwich Village?

Daughter and son-in-law are going with me. Son-in-law is driving, and he will visit an old college chum who lives in Brooklyn. We hope to do a show Saturday night. Maybe "Barefoot in the Park" -- I love Jill Clayburgh!

Vicki
p.s. I didn't get the job I interviewed for.

vickib2 - take a look at the www.njtransit.com website. This is the commuter rail service from different areas of NJ to NYC. There's a map where you can see how the different train lines interact. You have a couple of options which may or may not confuse you further.

You can take the train from Woodbridge all the way to NY Penn Station and then take subways, taxi or whatever to get to the areas of the city you wish to visit. OR to get to Greenwich Village specifically, you can take the NJ transit train to Newark and then connect with the PATH (sort of a light rail/subway) between NJ & NY - and get off at the Christopher Street stop.

The website can give you specifics, schedules, fares, etc.

Get over the Edison thing and have a positive attitude about having a fun weekend in NYC!

The train from Edison/Woodbridge to NY Penn Station is indeed a real commuter train, not a subway.

Since your trip includes visiting Soho, the Village and a college chum in Brooklyn I think you will find that staying in Edison will be extremely inconvenient for you.

What you save in money you will lose in time.

I wouldn't worry about staying in Edison. Many, many people, including myself, live in New Jersey and go into The City regularly for Shows, museums, shopping, etc. Once there, it is easy to get around either by subway, bus or taxi.

Agree with the above poster -- don't worry too much. Honestly, sometimes you can get stuck on the Manhattan subway for 40 minutes, so you won't be *that* inconvenienced. That said, two things to keep in mind:

The Woodbridge train will go directly into Penn Station, and will always stop in Newark Penn en route. For the bead show, just stay on the train. (Keep in mind on your return trip, you should bring the phone # for a local cab service to pick you up. The hotel can recommend one. There *usually* aren't cabs waiting at the station for the trip back to your hotel.)

For your trips downtown, you'll want to get off at the Newark stop. There are only six tracks at Newark (A, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) for the commuter train. You'll see signs in the station for the PATH train, which boards on the same platform as track 1 trains. PATh train runs regularly; the commuter train depends on the day, so do check www.njtransit.com to see what time(s) the train departs.

Enjoy your trip, and enjoy your train ride too. Think about what OTHER leisurely trips you can take with the points you saved by NOT staying at Marquis!

I don't think it's been pointed out that there is "Penn Stations" both in NJ (Newark) as well as NYC. (They were stations on the Pennsylvania RR as opposed to OTHER RR companies) Make sure you get off at the correct Penn Station.

The 45 min commute isn't that bad: driving, one could get caught in a traffic jam in their car (with their evil sister-in-law yet) too. You can converse, read, or even get some zzzzzz's along the way.

Duh, just noticed: The six tracks at Newark are A-1-2-3-4-5. There's no track 6.

Can someone elaborate a little about what exactly the PATH train is? I looked it up, and it stands for Port authority Trans Hudson.

So, if I took a PATH train from Newark into NYC (trying to get to Greenwich Village), I would get off at Christopher Street, which is a...what? Not a subway stop... A train station?

What if I want to go to Times Square from New Jersey? Will the NJ train take me there without having to get a PATH train.
*confused*

Vicki

Since the run underground in NY you can consider PATH trains are essentially a single line subway from NJ to NYC, entering Manhattan from the southern end.

NJ Transit trains - commuter rail line will bring you to Penn Station.

So you need to decide where you want to be in Manhattan - it's a big place. If you will be closer to Penn Station, then take NJ Transit all the way. If you will be closer to one of the PATH train stops, then switch trains in NJ.

I do hate to keep asking questions, but could someone tell me how we would get back to our hotel in Edison from the theater district on Saturday night? Can you get a PATH train around Time Square?

Thanks to you, I know how to get from the hotel to the bead show, as well as from the hotel to Greenwich Village, but I'm still not sure how to get from the hotel to Times Square.

Also, how exactly do you "hail" a cab? Do you just step off the curb and wave your hand, or is that just done in the movies? When we stayed at the Mariott Marquis, there was a line of cabs, and when we left, we boarded a cab to Penn Station there. I was wondering if it is possible just to go get in the cab line at the Marriott, or is that a no-no?

Thanks.
Vicki

ww.panynj.gov has detailed info including route and station maps for PATH trains. End of the line is 33rd and 6th/Broadway. Not times square but about 10 blocks, 1/2 mi walk on B'Way.

Hailing a cab is done just as you see it in the movies, although finding a free cab around Times Sq on a Saturday may be difficult.

10 blocks leisurly stroll down Broadway can be an enjoyable way to end your evening in NYC, so if you are game, I would plan to do that from Times Sq. and if you end up getting a cab all the better.