Junebug gives good advice, during rush hour (4-7pm, with 5-6 being the worst) it could take an hour just to get through the tunnel. Rush hour traffic at that hour returning to the city isn't quite as bad. If you leave the city no later than 4, and return in the evening, it should be ok.

Really excellent advice, but the hours might be a tad off, especially if you're coming into the area from NJ or Delaware.

I would skip Jersey Gardens. There is every one of the stores out there in the city. Do you really want to waste your trip into the city riding out to Jersey.

Message to xxx:
Alas, you must NOT be a shopper. The purpose of an outlet mall is to allow the shopper access to MANY CHOICES of stores under one roof at LOWER PRICES than their retail counterparts in high scale malls or city streets. Jersey Gardens is a bargain shoppers paradise for this reason. Let the sopping begin Ruth!

That's shopping Ruth, not sopping. I got so excited at the prospect of shopping, that I forgot to proofread my post!

Let the sopping begin?

The best place to bargain shop is, hands down, Woodbury Common Premium Outlets. The bus ride from Port Authority (bus center at 43rd and 8th Ave.) to Central Valley takes 55 min. and before you know it you are in shoppers heaven. They have a website, sorry....don't have it. Over 250+ stores, places to eat and clean restrooms. Wear comfortable shoes. Credit cards accepted.

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=7


Check it out. Fantastic shopping

I was going to say for get Jersey Gardens, too--didn't realize it was an outlet mall! Is it similar to Woodbury Commons?

I have had GREAT luck at Daffy's. The person who compared it to Marshalls is partially correct, but last winter I got four cashmere sweaters (Autumn Cashmere--beautiful stuff sold at high-end places like Saks, Scoop, etc) as well as a pair of Catherine Malandrino jeans I just love. You have to pick, but it can be worth it. When I bought the sweaters, they had a table just heaped with 'em. Oh, I also found an adorable Helen Wang strapless dress there, which I wore to a wedding last summer. Century 21 is an experience, but I rarely find anything to buy.

Have fun!

The only possible drawback to Woodbury Commons is that it is an outdoor outlet mall and if it is raining, damp, or cold you may not like it. I see you're coming from the U.K. so that may not be a concern for you. If you do decide to invest the time you will find Gap, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Liz Claiborne, Ralph Lauren, J Crew, Donna Karan, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and even a Godiva Chocolate outlet. This list doesn't cover all the stores obviously. There's a new shopping center opening next to Woodbury Commons and one of the stores, Kohl's is already open. It's a midpriced department store. If you feel really adventurous and don't mind walking on a busy road for a few minutes you can go to the Super Walmart where you will find really inexpensive prices on clothing such as Lee and Wrangler Jeans and sweaters and tops, skirts and dresses. They also sell alot of inexpensive Disney clothing with Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, etc. Think of it as a more upscale Woolies.

Lizzie, Jersey Gardens is a great outlet mall very similar to Woodbury Commons. It is indoors. They have a website where you can check out the stores. Great selection at inexpensive prices.

Wow, you are all amazing! Thank you! Such a lot of good ideas. Has it made my planning any easier?! no, but much more well-informed!

How could I have forgotten about rush hour to NJ?! Thanks Junebug and mehere.

Goodness...if you're going to visit Century 21, here's what you can do:

After Century, walk up Broadway to Canal, check out the area, get back onto Broadway & head towards the village and visit Daffy's - just a few blocks from Canal!

There are tons of stores around there, but if you want to continue your discount shopping, hop on the subway to 6th Avenue & 23rd? street and visit Burlington Coat Factory. From there, walk downtown ON 6th Avenue to Filene's Basement, Bed, Bath & Beyond & TJ Maxx with Old Navy across the street (going downtown). When you're done, walk to Union Square Park & enjoy a hot noodle soup dish at Republics or pop on over to Barnes & Noble for a little reading and coffee!

Oh Yes! Loehmann's is a great spot for discount shopping.

Thank you Judy - in fact our trip was last weekend - it was fantastic. I printed out this whole thread which was very useful. I'll keep your advice for next time! But we did manage some of your suggestions.

I wrote a short trip report called "October weekend in NYC, trip report", but to summarise our shopping here (omitting the sightseeing) we had a look at Bloomingdales and some shops on 5th Ave on Sunday, as that was near our hotel (the Mansfield on 44th and 5th - lovely, especially at Priceline prices!). We took the bus to Jersey Gardens on Monday, which had many good shops - Filene's Basement, Daffys, Cohoes, Ann Taylor etc. Then Tuesday was spent downtown, mostly sightseeing, but with a visit to Century 21 and J&R cameras. We felt too "shopped out" to visit Loehmann's - save that for next time!

Again, thanks everyone for all your help, and I hope this thread is useful for others too.

I am from New jersey and a diehard shopper, but I would have to say if you only have a weekend in NY don't waste your time at a mall, which is what Jersey Gardens and Woodbury are. Take the time to enjoy the city, believe me, there are tons of stores there.
BUT, if you really want to fly all the way over here to hit up the malls, there is no better place to do so than Woodbury. Jersey Gardens is not really outlets, it is supposed to be but the prices aren't that much lower. Woodbury, on the other hand, is a discount shopper's DREAM: try the calvinKlein outlet, it is fantastic. Also, Beneton, Guess?, Kate Spade, oh, and just tons of others are there. DEFINITELY go there over Jersey Gardens, I can't emphasize this enough. I've been to both many times, but Woodbury's the one that I love.

So, if you have enough time and really want to go shopping for cheap (NYC is way expensive) go to Woodbury. Otherwise, you can have a lot of fun window and trinket shopping in the city.

Have a lot of fun, either way!

Ruth, how was your trip? Hope you found a couple of Daffy's and I am surprised no one mentioned Bolton's which is another good store for discounted nicer clothing.

Hope you had a great time.

tweedy

Thanks Dani and Tweedy - see my post just above yours. We had a wonderful time.

Dani, yes, I don't generally go for malls, and I know Manhatten has so much to offer, but we decided to visit one during our 3.5 day stay, and found some great buys (at least compared to the UK!). It did save our legs, for one thing and we had been doing a lot of walking! We chose Jersey Gardens partly because of the shorter bus trip.

Altogether we felt we managed a great mix of sightseeing, entertainment (Birdland and Chicago) and shopping during our too short stay.