New York
 

Driving to NYC on Thursday night to spend Friday in NYC. Want to stay in Hoboken or somewhere close to the Statue of Liberty that night, then into NYC. What's the best route to the Statue, then to Empire State Building, and back to hotel?then the best route out of NYC to Providence.

You may well need to be aware of two things: <BR> <BR>The only transport to the Statue of Liberty is via boat, either from Liberty Park in New Jersey or Battery Park from the lowest tip of Manhattan. <BR> <BR>It would be insane to try and drive to the Empire State Building, or anywhere else in Manhattan. There is NO spot on that island that you can get to by car without expending more time, money, and Maalox than you would be taking mass transit. Keep your car at whatever hotel you choose, take mass transit to either of the two boat docks for the Statue of Liberty (if indeed you want to spend three hours waiting in line to see not much of anything from the top), and then continue taking mass transit to the Empire State Building.

You actually get the best view of the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry. It's a lot cheaper and the lines are a lot shorter. If you are intent on actually being at/on the statue, then you might try Liberty State Park in New Jersey. Of course, then you still have the Empire State Building visit to work out! <BR>

here is also an excellent view of the Statue of Liberty from the Circle Line boat tour. It's similar to the view from the Staten island ferry but gets closer, goes a bit slower and turns around so folks on both sides of the boat can get a good view. If you've already gotten an outdoor spot standing in the observation area of the bow you'll get maximum viewing time. I had a friend visiting this sumer and took her on the looooong cruise - 3 hours to completely encircle the Manhattan island. The unquestionable highlight of the cruise was Statue and the lower NY skyline. You can see all of that by taking the abbreviated "harbor cruise" which is 45 minutes in length and only $12 or $13. Admittedly, the Staten Island ferry is a great deal and I enjoy riding it but if this is your first visit it may be worth splurging and taking the short boat tour.

I would suggest parking the car, at say Newark Airport in the long term parking and take a bus into the city from there. It stops at Grand Central Terminal and down in the Wall St. area. <BR> <BR>The downtown stop is a short walk to the ferry terminal out to the Statue of Liberty or over to the Staten Island Ferry. I would also recommend the Staten Island Ferry, since the lines are still long to get over to the statue and the SI ferry ride is a nice way to spend an hour or so. <BR> <BR>After the ferry ride, walk up Broadway <BR>to see some of the sites, like "Wall St" and Trinity Church. Take the subway there (#4 0r #6) 2 stops to City Hall/Brooklyn Bridge and change to the #6 train. This will take you to 33rd St and Park Ave South. From there walk up a block to 34th St. and turn left walk west to 5th Ave and the Empire State Building. Other things to see in that area. <BR> <BR>After that walk up Park Ave to 41st St. and take the bus back to Newark airport and your car. <BR> <BR>Have a great time while you are here and if you need any more info, please let me know. <BR> <BR>tweedy

Here's a suggestion, something I've done a couple of times that worked out real well. Try the Crown Plaza Hotel in Secaucus. Almost from the front door you can catch a bus to Port Authority and be there in abut 15 min. From there, of course, You could walk or ride the subway to anywhere you want. These buses run quite regulary with the last one leaving around 11:15 PM going back to Jersey.