NY SUNDAY WITH A CAR
 

Hi. on my next trip to NYC, I plan to rent a car for one day, sunday. This way, we will be able to go to an outlet, and go here and there, where we want. The point is that transportation for two to Jersey Gardens is 38 $, well I can pay 60 $ for a car ( 9 am 9 pm ) and see a lot of things. And here are the questions : Jersey Gardens or Woodbury common ? ( given we will go to another outlet near Rochester, via jetblue ). Where to go with the car, outside Manhattan ? Bronx to avoid ? Harlem ? Brooklin ? Any suggestions ?

Mote, Jersey Gardens is not nearly as upscale an outlet mall as is Woodbury Common. However, it's much closer to the city than WC too. It really depends on what type shopping you're interested in. I live about 10 minutes from JG and NEVER go there. I go to Woodbury Common or other outlets (Six Flags outlets in Jackson, NJ or The Crossings in Tannersville, PA) of equal travel distance (about 1.5 hours) away to do my bargain shopping. $38 seems expensive to get to JG from NYC. I think you can take the bus from Port Authority for far less than that! I'd stay out of Harlem, and driving in the Bronx & Brooklyn might be challenging too. I've done it, but not often, and generally with someone who knows where they're going.

Keep in mind that some of these destinations are in opposite directions, and would be too much driving around for 1 day IMO.

The nice thing about shopping and having a car is that you aren't stuck lugging the bags around all day & on mass transit back to the city.

According to the NJ Transit Website www.njtransit.com you can take the bus from NY Port Authority to the Jersey Gardens Mall for $4.35 per person ($1.95 for seniors & kids) and it takes 34 minutes to get there. Sounds better than $38 if that's the only place you want to go.

Jersey Gardens is more convenient in terms of travel time if you are staying in the city. True, it doesn't have what some consider some of the upscale stores such as Chanel, Donna Karan, etc. but it does have plenty to choose from. There's an Off 5th Avenue (Saks), Neiman Marcus Last Call, Marshall's Superstore, Filene's Basement, Victoria's Secret, H&M, and on and on. I was recently in the Ann Taylor store in Woodbury Commons and mentioned to the sales associate that the store looked bare compared to what it has had in the past and she told me they had just sent the majority of their inventory to the Jersey Gardens Mall store. Ditto for the Banana Republic store too. You may want to go to Woodbury Commons if you are here during fall foliage. You could stop at one of the farms or farmstands for apple cider, cider donuts or pie. Next to Woodbury Commons is a shopping center with a Kohl's department store and a Marty's shoe store. Just up the road from there is a Super WalMart. I drive to Manhattan and the Bronx often so I am used to the traffic, etc. West 125th Street in Harlem has many stores and little shops. Parking may be a problem if you don't get there early enough but you would be just fine during the day. You could eat at one of the soul food restaurants. Fordham Road in the Bronx also has lots of stores but it is very congested and parking is also a problem unless you were there very early. The stores on Fordham such as Conway and Pretty Girl sell lots of inexpensive merchandise, but it's not of high quality. From here you could eat on Arthur Avenue, Bronx's version of Little Italy.

If you're picking up the car in Manhattan and you'll only have it from 9 to 9, you're not going to have as much time as you think. Traffic can be nasty on Sunday evenings. Take the bus to the mall. Take the subway to Bronx/Bklyn.

If you want to do Woodbuty Common - IMHO much better shopping - then a car is really the most convenient way - esp if you are schlepping a lot of bags.

But if you do this I doubt you will have time to do much else in the city. Also, do not reco simply driving around the outer boroughs - they do have some great things to see - but you will need to plan for these - otherwise you will simply be spending tons of time driving around lots of middle and working class residential neighborhoods - not the most exciting way to spend the day.

Dependng on your interests and time of year you could do the Zoo or Botanical Gardens (Bronx), Coney Island or the aquarium (Brooklyn) or the racing at Belmont Park (Queens). (There are tons of other great places, small - and some not so small museums etc - if you check the NYC tourist web site.)

But, none of these are really nightime activities - so you would need to shop in the early AM to get back to the city in time to do these things in the afternoon. And, esp on Sundays, the traffic in the outer boroughs can be very heavy - and once you're off the highway you need to plan on speeds of no more than 30 or so - it will take time to get anywhere and see/do anything.

I am born and raised in NYC. Granted, woodbury commons is a large outlet center, but the prices are no differant than Macys on a sale day. If you are renting a car, take the time and enjoy what the hudson valley has to offer Go to lunch at Crabtree Kittle house in Chappaqua or Restaurant x in Congers, or apple picking in new paltz or Pawling. Go to one of the estates in westchester. Enjoy

Mote - I suggest you look at the websites for each of the malls and see which is more appealing to you. They are jerseygardens.com and premiumoutlets.com.

Being that outlets are hit or miss (for me anyway) Woodbury seems a long way to go from NYC, but a nicer place to spend the day. I can't see myself spending as much time inside Jersey Gardens (the lighting, the noise, etc.) but luckily it's not too far away.

I didn't complete my thought about the websites - the point was to see what stores they had at each of the malls.

I agree with most of what's been said. Time of year could be a factor. When are you planning on doing this? If soon, possibility of fall colors could affect decision. In winter, icy roads etc. could make a difference. I used to do a fall trip to Westchester or Connecticut every year to see fall colors and combine with shopping. Nyack is a lovely town for shopping and walking around.

Having a car in one of the other burroughs of NY (ie Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens) does not make much sense to me. The subway or buses will take you there if you want to go and parking is not necessarily easy, even on a Sunday. You don't need a car to get to Harlem.

May I ask, where were you able to find a car for $60? Does that include all those nasty "hidden" charges? I have never been able to find something in Manhattan for much less than $100.

As for shopping, if you're looking for very inexpensive clothing, from Filene's Basement-type places, go to Jersey Gardens. If you mostly want reduced-price (but IMO not cheap) high-fashion designer wear, Woodbury Commons would be better for you. Both places are HUGE and you can easily spend 6 or 8 hours walking around them.

I don't know how you figured $38 for transportation to Jersey Gardens...It's only about $4 per person each way by bus.

If you want to check out the other boroughs of NYC, buy a subway pass. It's safer and often faster than driving.

Well, thanks for the comments. My trip is in late October, 7 days starting October 23. I have now seen transportation to JG via www.njtransit.com for 4.35 $ each, a good price. The only point is that the earlier departure back to Manhattan is at 2 p.m., but again, it is a question of getting there later. Being for a week in NYC, I do not want to loose a whole morning just for buying some clothes. Definitely I will not spend 6 hours in the outlet, I just cant stand it ! The fact is that my shopping aims are very easy, none Chanel and the likes, but casual shirts, jeans and so at Ralph Lauren, Nautica, Tommy, Timberland, etc. The idea of getting a car is for the ease of transportation plus taking all the goods with you, but of course may not look a good one in terms of parking, commuting, etc. BTW, thrifty.com offers such a price. Well I still have a month ahead to think of it. Will be back with more questions ! Thanks again