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Is there anywhere nice to stay on Staten Island?

Is there anywhere nice to stay on Staten Island?

Old May 23rd, 2011, 12:16 AM
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Is there anywhere nice to stay on Staten Island?

Would a tourist enjoy staying on Staten Island? Is it easy to get to Manhattan from there? I know there is a ferry but is there a car park nearby where you can leave the car all day?
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Old May 23rd, 2011, 03:15 AM
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Staying on Staten Island island would be a real pain if your plan is to visit Manhattan. What problem are you trying to solve by looking there?
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Old May 23rd, 2011, 04:35 AM
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You definitely do NOT want to stay on Staten Island. It would take you at least an hour each way back and forth (those who live there and work in the city typically work far downtown) - getting to midtown or uptown would take about 1.5 hours. (Staten Island is primarily residential and it can take you well over 30 minutes to get to the ferry, then the ferry ride, then to get to where you want in Manhattan.)

If you can't find a place to stay in Manhattan (but give us your dates, # of people and budget and people can make suggestions) the preferred options are Jersey City or Long Island City - either of which will allow you to get you to midtown in less than 30 minutes.
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Old May 23rd, 2011, 04:47 AM
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Most hotels in Staten Island would require a bus trip to the ferry and then the 25-minute ferry ride. You're basically about 60 to 80 minutes from Midtown Manhattan from there. It's not something I'd do, but I suspect many hotels would offer free parking.

The first time I came to NYC, I stayed with friends on Staten Island, and it routinely took me about 90 minutes to get to anything north of the Wall Street area. I had no money at the time, so it was my only option, but there are many hotels in New Jersey, Queens, and Brooklyn that are much more convenient to more parts of Manhattan, and I'd always choose those.
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Old May 23rd, 2011, 05:04 AM
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I grew up in Staten Island. My parents and two siblings still live there. So, I know of what I speak. For the most part, SI is a bedroom community for the city. When I grew up there in the 1970's and early 1980's the population was still manageable and in a lot of ways it was like growing up in a small town. Since then the population has doubled to about 400,000 which has added a lot of traffic. But, it is still mostly a bedroom community.

No, there is no reason to stay on Staten Island. There are a few places to stay, but they aren't really situated near the Ferry. Not that this is a bad thing as the areas nearest St. George aren't all that nice. (Nice being a relative term. Bad nieghborhoods on Staten Island are still pretty tame compared to the worst parts of the other boroughs.)

As Doug said, any of these places would require an express bus or bus/train to the ferry. The time and cost (of the express bus) make it not an appealing option.

There are a lot of options to stash a car for a week in NJ if coming from the west or south. Metropark in Iselin, Newark Airport, and the Secaucus transfer station are all potentially viable options.
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Old May 23rd, 2011, 06:03 AM
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I might be more convenient to stay in Connecticut.
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Old May 23rd, 2011, 07:27 AM
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I think it's only about 45 minutes from Stamford into GCT on the MetroNorth train.
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Old May 23rd, 2011, 10:07 AM
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Staten Island and CT are in completely different directions from the city.

If you tell us where you're coming from and what you're trying to achieve people can make sensible recos.
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Old May 23rd, 2011, 10:09 AM
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Staten Island and CT are in completely different directions from the city.

If you tell us where you're coming from and what you're trying to achieve people can make sensible recos.
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Old May 23rd, 2011, 10:13 AM
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Not sure why CT was tossed out as an option. It might make sense for someone coming from north of NYC. Would really not make much sense for anyone coming from the south and west.

If you've driven the Cross Bronx or the Tappan Zee during rush hour, you would realize why it doesn't make sense.
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Old May 23rd, 2011, 10:45 AM
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CT was not a serious suggestion. Here's a serious rec: Stay in Manhattan.
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Old May 23rd, 2011, 10:50 AM
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If you read lynny2's other posts you'll see that they are coming from England and touring the NE US (New England). They then finish up their touring with a visit to Easton PA, then end up with a few days to visit NYC before flying out of Newark.

They have posted several times looking for hotels near but not in Manhattan, and will be coming from PA/western NJ area.

I'm not sure what the issue with staying in Manhattan is. Maybe it's cost. If it's related to what to do with car I'd say just return it at a rental car office in NY, then take public transportation to Newark airport for the departure back home.

If it's concern about driving in NYC then I think we can talk lynn through any concerns as it's really not that bad.

If staying in Manhattan is ruled out, then to me the best option seems to be to stay somewhere in Hoboken or Jersey City that has good public transportation into Manhattan. They could drive to the hotel from Easton PA, drop off luggage & check-in, then either park the car nearby for a few days or drive to the nearest rental car location for drop off. Or drive into Manhattan and drop off the car there and take train back to hotel.

Sidetracking to the airport to drop off a car seems unnecessary. If the car is pre-booked for a return at Newark airport look into changing the drop off location to something more convenient.
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Old May 23rd, 2011, 11:15 AM
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bardo's suggestion wasn't serious. If coming from the north it would have worked though and some CT towns would have been closer to midtown than S.I. !
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Old May 23rd, 2011, 11:57 PM
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Thanks all. J62 is right; we are travelling from Easton to fly out of Newark, where we drop the car. We need to stay somewhere for a couple of nights. I want to visit Manhattan but my husband doesn't so I've been investigating where we could stay so that I can get to NY while he goes somewhere else for a day. It occured to me that SI might be a good option. I have looked at Hoboken and Jersey City but parking seemed difficult and expensive. We may not be able to come at all if Iceland keeps dumping volcanic ash on the UK!
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Old May 24th, 2011, 04:05 AM
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I want to visit Manhattan but my husband doesn't.

Can you get rid of your husband?
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Old May 24th, 2011, 04:36 AM
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I would suggest lynny2 to look at areas in New Jersey such as Summit or Morristown. Both towns are on a direct train line into New York. There are plenty of outdoor things for your husband to do such as the Great Swamp nature reserve, the Raptor Trust (a bird of prey sanctuary), The Arboretum Gardens, the Summit Art Museum, and several Revolutionary War monuments (such as the George Washington HQ in Morristown.)

Summit is a very quiet small suburban town with a nice downtown area that is walkable from the Grand Summit Hotel. (Their Hat Tavern restaurant is reasonable.)

Summit is about an 1 1/4 drive from Easton, Pa on a direct route via US 78. It's also about 15 miles west of Newark Airport via a major access road to the airport.

I think Summit, possibly Morristown, would be a far better option than Staten Island.
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Old May 24th, 2011, 05:51 AM
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IMHO tell your husband to just suck it up and come to Manhattan.

If he doesn't want to see/do any of the major museum, broadway shows, cultural sights etc - he can visit Central Park - which has a bunch of themed walks by Park Service and others. He can row a boat on the lake, rent a bike and ride it around, run around the lake or the resevoir. And Central park is the center of the east coast flyway and has a host of options for bird watching. (This is not a park like a manicured city garden - much of it is now "wild".)

For other activities he can go to Chelsea Piers - where he can find opportunities for numerous sports - everything from rock climbing to kayaking in the harbor.

NYC has something for everyone!
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Old May 24th, 2011, 06:11 AM
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The fact that you plan to go into Manhattan but your husband does not changes a lot. I think we now know the problem you're trying to solve by fishing around for hotels & locations.

I reaffirm my belief that Staten Island is NOT a good solution - worst of both worlds for both you and your husband.

The flexibility you have is just like the many thousands of other daily suburban NJ commuters into NYC. The suggestions from Ryan are interesting. If you give us an idea of what your husband plans to do while you cavort around Manhattan perhaps we can give you some pointers that will keep both of you happy.

But I tend to agree with nyt 100%. Drive into Manhattan, dump the car there rather than pay for parking. Enjoy NYC for a few days, then take public transportation back to Newark airport. What you save in car rental you can put towards your hotel.

Or stay in Manhattan (& pay for parking) & have your husband reverse commute to the suburbs each day for his own fun, but at least you'll be able to better enjoy NY. If he wants day trip ideas perhaps we can help out.
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Old May 24th, 2011, 08:46 AM
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Thanks for all your input. I'm being very indecisive about thisbecause nothing quite works. I will have a look at Summit and Morristown but I'm thinking the NJ coast might be better and forget about Manhattan.
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Old May 24th, 2011, 09:01 AM
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Hold on here. It's a vacation for you and your husband. If you want to visit Manhattan you should be able to do so. It's a long way for you to travel and be so close to where you want to tour.
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