New York city--best time to visit??
 

Want to spend a week in New York city when the weather is fairly nice (not rainy, snowy or too cold) and it is not crowded. Will be staying in Newark and training into the city each day to wander around. When is the best time of the year for this??

I'd say late April or early May is best.

Staying in Newark. . . Ok. I have to ask. WHY?

Yes, go in late April or May or in late September or early October for "best" weather.

And PLEASE rethink your plans to stay in Newark and commuting into the city - you'll most likely be traveling during rush hour which can be a real bear. Stay in the city if you possibly can.

October.

I would do the first half of May. The trees will be in leaf, lawns green and plenty of flowers and hotels still have some deals. (Before that can still be chilly/rainy and after can be an early summer.)

Agree that I would rethink Newark - there will be deals in Manhattan at that time if you look at the discount sites. If you tell us budget and number of people you can get some recos on where to look.

I have 6 free nights at an extended stay place and closest to NYC is in Newark so saving some $$$ beats inconvenience.

Not worth the commute to NYC. Just stay in Newark and explore the area, the Oranges, Elizabeth, Kearny . . . off the beaten track. Maybe rent a car one day and visit Patterson . . .

Ok, just rechecked and the hotel I think that is closest to NYC is in Seacaucus...is that a closer place to stay with less of a commute??? How long of a commute from there to the center of NYC??

If you stay in Seacaucus, take a look how far you are from NJ Transit stop, Seacaucus Junction. There are plenty of trains into Manhattan. Once you get to Penn Station, you must get to wherever you are going. If it is on the East Side, you will lose a lot more time, just getting across town.

Are there choices from Jersey City or Hoboken, where you can take the Path Trains where there are more routes in Manhattan.

I doubt, if you will find anyone who would consider Newark a destination city.

OP said "saving some $$$ beats inconvenience". Take a few words of advice from someone who lived in NJ and commuted into NYC everyday for over 22 years - no amount of money is worth the inconvenience of commuting from Newark or even Seacaucus. Commuting from Jersey City or Hoboken is barely tolerable.

Poster above is correct - how well - or badly Secaucus will work depends on how far you are from the train and how you will get there. If hotel does not have a shuttle (unlikely) you will have to take a bus (how rare and where to get it) take a taxi or even rent a car. Also - check the train schedule. This is a commuter train and on weekends or late in the evening will not run that frequently.

If you look at NJ Transit web site you can get info on trains. But you will have to ask the hotel about how to get to the train station. What if this ends up taking you 2 to 2.5 hours per day in commuting and costs $40 or more?

<b>FREE</b> lodging certainly balances out a fair amount of inconvenience.

I agree with RoamsAround totally. Free lodging is not a good value in rhis case.

Some of us have a greater tolerance for inconvenience while others are too willing to spend someone else's money.

DH and I went in late May, right after Labor Day, and over Thanksgiving. That week after Labor Day had nicest weather except for one day the tail end of a hurricane hit and flooded a subway station. So, weather permitting, I'd say September/October. We had a couple of hot days in May and it was Brrrr in November.

How far in advance do you have to make your reservation? A free week represents a great deal of money so give OP a break.

Other Fodorites, do the trains from Newark run all day? Also, are there busses OP could take advantage of?

Impossible to say without knowing exactly where he is staying.

Yes, trains run from Newark all day - less frequently later in the evening - if they want to do dinner and a shaow.

But much of Newark is a not very pleasant high crime area and you could not pay me to stay there - or in fact, stay anyplace in Jersey to see the City.

As for time of year - Sept is headed into high season and hotel rates then and Oct will typically be much higher than in late April or May.

I still vote for October. With 6 nights FREE lodging, that makes it all the better that hotel rates are high at that time. Autumn in New York- how pretty the leaves on the trees in Central Park.

Thanks to all of you for your helpful info--so NEWARK is out, and I have 2 choices at the Extended Day America that are the closest to NYC-- Secaucus which is at 1 Plaza Drive and says it is 5.2 miles from city center OR La Guardia airport at 18-30 Whitestone Expressway, Whitestone.

which place would get me into the city with less hassles--not wanting to rent a car but use public transport for the entire 6 days.

LGA is a very inconvenient trip into the city - involving a couple of different buses and subways - you do NOT want to stay there. 5.2 miles from the center of the city doesn't matter - since they measure as the bird flies - as if the Hudson River doesn't exist. To get to Times Square would take at a minimum of about 35 minutes - can be more at rush hour.

For Secaucus you need to identify transit options from that specific hotel via train or bus. The hotel web site should provide info on options - then you can check the NJ Transit web site to see schedules and fares.

And trees in Central Park usually don;t change until very end of Oct or Nov.

Secaucus location: This location is in the Harmon Meadow complex at the intersection of major New Jersey highways and features a bunch of hotels and chain restaurants. For public transportation, in theory there is a short walk to the bus stop and then a 15-minute bus ride to Manhattan, so about 30 minutes to reach midtown Manhattan. However, this bus goes through the Lincoln Tunnel from New Jersey to Manhattan, which typically has 30- to 45-minute delays during rush hour, even going in the opposite direction of the rush. Of your choices, to my mind this is the best option of those available to you, since once you are in Secaucus, you may have a few more options for dining if needed.

I would not recommend the other two locations at all, but here are the details:

LGA location: The trip by bus to train to Manhattan would be about 45 minutes at best. The hotel itself is located beside a major highway without much in the area--a half mile walk or more to a few restaurants. Most people who live in this area of Queens have cars.

Newark location: This is a group of airport hotels by the side of the NJ Turnpike near Jersey Gardens Mall. Via public transportation, the trip from this area would take an hour or more with a few different options and connections, some influenced by the extreme traffic delays at the Lincoln Tunnel.