Need NYC help at Thanksgiving
 

We are flying into Newark Wed morning before Thanksgiving and staying at the Paramount in the NYC Theater district for 3 nights. First question: Heard there was a train that goes to NYC. How do we get it and where? Do we need reservations? Cost?

We have tickets to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular Wed nigt and Phantom Friday night. My family wants to watch the Macy's Day parade and is crazy enough to want a front row vantage point. They also want to see Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Ground Zero and an art or photography museum. PLUS my husband wants to watch my daughter skate (possibly after the parade?). We fly out of LAG Saturday afternoon. Seems like a lot to try and fit in to me. So any help would be appreciated on how to do this. Someone suggested getting a tour bus, but I'm not sure that we have enough time to adequately utilize one for the cost involved for the 4 of us.

If you have 4 people flying into EWR, reserve a car service:

www.dial7.com

The train won't save a group of 4 much money and you'll waste a lot of time.

It's the Macy's THANKSGIVING DAY Parade...there's no such thing as "Macy's Day"....funny how many people call it that though...

Wollman Rink in Central Park will has ice-skating on Thanksgiving Day. If you catch the parade around Columbus Circle, the Rink isn't too far from there....not sure what time you'd have to get up to get front row seats though...

The skating rink in Bryant park is open too.

Here are all the options for getting from EWR to the city. I agree with Gekko that the train won't save you much, BUT, given when you're arriving, it might be a lot faster.
http://www.panynj.gov/aviation/egtsfram.htm

You don't have to reserve in advance. The closest the train will get you is Penn Station in NYC. Your hotel is about 10 blocks north of there.

The only way to get a good vantage point of the parade is to get there at the crack of dawn or pay a fortune (if there's any room left) at some place like Foley's Fish House in the Renaissance Hotel which has a view.

You really only have 2 days. The most time consuming thing on your to do list is SOL/Ellis Island. That will take the better part of a day with security etc. If you really want to go, do it, but be prepared for it to take about 5 hrs. Your other option is to forego Ellis Island and just take the FREE Staten Island ferry roundtrip for a view of the SOL and make an in person visit the next time you're here and have more time.

Skating options are Rock. Ctr., Central Park or Bryant Park. Rock Ctr. and Bryant Park are closer to your hotel, Central Park larger rink and imo prettier.

Museum, MOMA is closest to you. Moma.org
Costs $20/person! The Met has 2 great exhibits metmuseum.org and is a pay what you wish place.

If you are interested in photography you might want to check out the International Center of Photograpgy at 6th & 43rd. Not sure if the current exhibit interests you or not but it is a great space and there is a nice museum shop too.
http://tinyurl.com/yanxb3


If you choose MoMA, kids 16 and under are free, if they are older and have a student ID the charge is $12, adults are $20. http://www.moma.org/index.html

sorry about the typos!

Thanks for all the help so far. Our flight is due to arrive in Newark at 11am Wednesday. Is the train a better option than a car service at that time of day? We are staying at the Paramount in the Theatre District, and someone mentioned the train would only get us within 10 blocks of our hotel. Would this not tend to make a car service a better deal? Money and time are both important factors. Also, exactly what part of town is the theatre disctrict - mid Manhattan, etc.?

Hotel is on W. 46th Street in Times Square which is indeed midtown.

Keep in mind some of the places you want to see may be closed on Thanksgiving Day.[MoMA and Met. Museum of Art are both closed]

Debi

Almost everything will be closed on Thanksgiving. You can see the parade and have Thanksgiving dinner. And if you want watch football on TV like everyone else. Or go to a movie.

Other than the Staten Island ferry - which runs every day - I'm not sure how much else there is to do.

Much to my surprise..."Liberty and Ellis Islands are open every day except December 25th" Info from: http://www.nps.gov/stli {I am not sure this means you can only get on the islands or you can actually get inside.}

I haven't been to either in ages, so this cames as news to me:
&quot;<i> Reservations and Time Passes:
Reservations are not needed to enter the park however the National Park Service limits the amount of visitors that can be inside the monument, therefore &quot;Time Pass&quot; reservations are required to enter the statue. They are available, free from the ferry company, with the purchase of a ferry ticket. (a handling fee of $1.75 is charged for each advanced ferry ticket purchased). Ferry tickets and time passes can be ordered in advance by calling the ferry company at: 1-866-STATUE4 or on-line at: www.statuereservations.com

A limited number of time passes are available each day from the ferry company on a first-come, first-served basis.</i>

Personally, I would call and ask them specifically what you will be able to do on Thursday.

Ice skating rinks should be open on Tgiving Day.

Hope this helps...
Debi

There is also a walking tour on Thanksgiving day http://www.patriottoursnyc.com/
and TOTR will be open and ESB.

I'd order a car service for pick up on Wed. Try either carmellimo.com or limores.net or http://telavivlimo.com/

You should make reservations for a Thanksgiving day meal if you haven't already.

We (my husband,10 year old son and I) visited NYC in early Dec. of '04. Hotel arranged for car service pick up from airport. We arrived on a weekday and rode in a very long, slow traffic jam (albeit in comfort) from EWR to our hotel near Wall Street. If saving time is a concern, your arrival and departure times will be primary considerations.
For convenience and reliablity, check with your hotel to see if they can arrange car service for pick-up from and/or delivery to the airport.

Also, we loved the Rockettes show and the Christmas tree exhibit at the Met museum. Both very impressive productions and memorable experiences.

Agree w/ Mclaurie on SOL; since you have limited time, do ferry. Also, weather may be a factor; you could have T-day meal at restaurant w/ view of SOL?

Regarding your second post, take the car. I'm not sure where you're from but I live in the area and even I balk at taking the train to/from Newark Airport. There are transfers and it's a little overwhelming if you are not used to it.

Penn Station, where you would come in, is a nightmare the Wednesday before Thanksgiving because you have everyone living in the city trying to get out.

So in addition to being somewhat difficult to manuever it will be crowded and hectic. Take the car. What you don't save in money you'll make up in piece of mind and sanity.

The theatre district is basically Broadway west from 42nd to the 50's.

Let me pile on and say reserve a car.

I personally think the Airtrain from Newark to Penn Station is a big giant PIA and you have to dick around with your luggage schlepping it from train to train and then you STILL have to catch a cab at Penn Station.

I've done it on several occaisions and still smack myself in the head when I find myself taking it again.

Also, the train for four will be roughly $60. A car will be $45 without tip.

Thank you all for your messages and help. After reading your posts there was no doubt that we ARE taking a car service from EWR and have reserved. We worked on an itinerary last night and have decided that basically we must not sleep and RUN to get in everything that the 4 of us want to do! The only thing we disagree on is getting up at 6am on Black Friday to spend an in Macy's. Any guess who doesn't want to do this one?? Anyway so we don't spend hours doing the subway and walking, just how much is cab fair for 4? For example we are staying in the Paramount and commuting to the Majestic Theatre one night and another night to Radio City Music Hall for shows. Looking at a map it is hard to tell how long (and cold) the walk would be. How much time should we alot to these commutes via walk or cab?

If you've looked at a map you can see that the Majestic (on 44th) is about two blocks from your hotel, Radio City is about 4 blocks. You should walk. Anything else would be absurd unless you have severe physical limitations.

And you could walk to Macy's from your hotel in 10-15 minutes--or one stop on the subway.

Other than to and for the airports do not even consider a cab. The days you're in the city are some of the busiest of the year (gridlock alert days when the traffic is so heavy it literally somes to a standstill). It can take 15 minutes to go one block.

For shorter distances (up to a mile or so) walk. For longer distances take the subway - you will probably arrive at your destination even before you could FIND a cab - never mind get there in all the traffic.