We are staying in the Jersey City Courtyard by Marriott with the PATH station attached. Is this an easy path to and from New York City? Does anyone know how much the fare is approximately? How easy is it getting back on the PATH to the hotel? Any info on the mall across the street from the Courtyard?

Here's the PATH website

http://www.panynj.gov/path/

PATH is very easy. Fare is $1.75. You can use a MetroCard for both the PATH and the NYC Subway.

Believe the Marriott is by the Pavonia-Newport station which is the closest stop on that line to New York. Trains stop for both the World Trade Center line and the line that runs up to 34th Street.

Just be aware that on the weekends the trains run through Hoboken before coming to/from New York.

BTW, the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail stops at Pavonia, as well. That's the easiest way by public transit to get to Hoboken which has numerous restaurants and bars.

Do you happen to know how close the stop in Hoboken is to Johnny Rockets? My son wants to go there while we are in Hoboken looking around. PATH website seems complicated. I guess we will get used to it once we are there.

Three blocks. Johnny Rockets is on the corner of Washington and 2nd. Washington is the main road running through town.

Hoboken isn't that big. Its nickname is The Mile Square City because it's a mile from East to West and from North to South.

Sounds great...we could leave our hotel and be there in no time and maybe even pass by Carlo's bakery on the way. (Depending on the line). How early does the PATH start and are they pretty regular or few and far between. I would think pretty often.

Is Hoboken pretty busy or pretty laid back?

Hoboken is pretty busy AND laid back, depending on which neighborhood you are in. Sounds like you will be visiting Washington Street. That's the main thoroughfare and as such, BUSY. Carlo's Bake Shop is indeed on the way to Johnny Rockets, but the line these days is super-long. You can definitely walk past it, but standing in that line on a hote day might not be your cup of tea.

the PATH is not difficult. Your hotel is directly on top of the station. The trains run starting early in the morning and go late into the night and are very frequent (however now there is track work on the weekends and sometimes the trains come just every 20 minutes, so be prepared to wait a bit).

I think it's pretty amusing that Carlo's has a line. The cakes are good, but not THAT good.

If you really want the best Hoboken has to offer then a sandwich from Biancamano's or Lisa's Deli and mozzarella from Fiore's are the way to go.

hikrchik is right. It's laid back and busy depending on when and where you are. On Saturday night, though less so in the summer, can draw a big crowd to the restaurants and bars in town.

If you've ever been to Wrigley Field, then Hoboken in the five or six blocks near the PATH station can be like the neighborhood around Wrigley on game day. (Minus the ballpark, of course.)

Thank you for the sandwich shop suggestions! Any others are greatly appreciated. What is right around my hotel??? Any good spots for dinner?

To simplify the PATH system a bit for you, here is a link to a map that shows ALL the routes.

http://www.panynj.gov/path/schedule.html

As you can see, there aren't many different routes, nor many different stations. Your train will be labeled with its final destination, so a train labeled "33rd" is going to midtown Manhattan, a train labeled "WTC" is going to lower Manhattan (the site of the World Trade Center), and all other labels are destinations in New Jersey. Your hotel near the Pavonia/Newport station gives you access to both 33rd and WTC trains, though do watch for differences on weekends as mentioned.