EWR to Penn
 

I have read the other posts regarding getting to Manhattan from EWR by taking the airtran to Penn. Our flight gets in at 4:30pm on a Wednesday!! yes, bad timing for traffic. My question: Should we get the airtran right away and get into Manhattan and then worry about the traffic and getting a cab to our hotel OR should we maybe hang out at the airport a bit until traffic dies down? if it does??! We are just two woman in their 50's traveling from Oregon. Trying to prepare ourselves!! Thank you all!!!!

The traffic is on the highways -- if you're taking the train into Manhattan, there is no need to wait. When you get out at NY Penn Station, just get in the taxi line, it won't take long.

Where is your hotel?

The traffic in the city won;t die down for hours. Get the AirTrain, then NJ Transit into Penn Station Manhattan (you don;t want to get off at Penn Station Newark) and you can go outside and find the taxi line. Unless the weather is really bad you won;t hae to wait more than about 10 or 15 minutes for a taxi. The traffic in the city doesn;t really calm down (comparatively) until about 9 pm and you certainly don;t want to spend hours sitting in an airport with no facilities (there are facilities but they're on the air side for people who are boarding - not on the ground side).

As for traffic in NYC - count on 7:30 am to about 9 pm - unless you are in the theater district - when it will last until about 11 pm. After that it will be lower (but probably still what you would consider traffic. (I went to board a red eye in Portland one evening and the driver apologized for the traffic - for me it was less then we get on the highways except at 3 or 4 am,

I agree there's no reason to hang out at the airport! If you tell us where your hotel is, we can offer options besides a taxi. There's also an Express bus from EWR to the Port Authority bus terminal or Grand Central and that might get you closer to your hotel as an alternative.

The buses will be caught in traffic also, won't they. Train may be the best bet, but they will be crowded also. Maybe not so much coming into the city however.

Yes, no need to wait, and it would just be a waste of time. If you don't have a lot of luggage, you could also take the subway to your hotel from Penn Station to avoid the city traffic.

Just one note: if you are rom Oregon NYC will always look crowded to you (unless you're wandernig the strets at 4 am). there is no way around it - that's part of the life of the city.

<<<if you are rom Oregon >>>

Well done, Sherlock Holmes :-)

we are staying at the Muse on 46th (?) I will have to look at the map and see which is closer, port auth. terminal or Penn. But I do think the train might be faster at the time of day I am looking at. Hoping the weather will hold!!!

Take the train, easy decision.

The Port Authority Terminal is closer to your hotel than Penn Station, but buses, despite a bus-only lane through the Lincoln Tunnel directly into the PA, will get bogged down in rush-hour traffic. The train is a better choice.

Re the EWR AirTrain and NJTransit, you buy a single combo ticket at the airport before boarding the Airtrain. Here's the scoop: http://bit.ly/bbhZ4d

You may have better luck with taxis (having taken the EWR AirTrain and NJTransit to Penn Station) by leaving Penn Station at 31st Street and Seventh Avenue (the exit from the station is next to Track 1). If the weather is good (the corner is not sheltered), you might be able to snag a cab without as long a wait as you might encounter in the taxi line farther north on Seventh Avenue.

thank you bspielman your links have been a huge help!! I appreciate all your advise, Debra

You're welcome. Enjoy your visit to these parts.