Planning a trip to see the Pats at Jets, help with details please.
 

I'm trying to arrange a surprise birthday trip for my husband to see the Patriots against the Jets at the Meadowlands on Sunday, September 20. We're traveling from Maine to Brooklyn on Friday, stay over Friday night and will visit with my son who is at Brooklyn Law on Saturday. That's it for any firm details.

We could drive. We could fly out of Portland (a two hour drive from home). We could take the train from Portland. I'll figure that out at some point. If we don't fly we'll be staying overnight Sunday too. I'd like your thoughts on other details of the trip...

Overnight Saturday in Brooklyn or NJ? This is DS first year at Brooklyn and I've never been there before, suggestions for hotels, suggestions for areas to stay away from?

How to get to the stadium if we have a car (leave at a hotel and take a shuttle or taxi OR pay to park and suffer with traffic and cost to park--at the game and hotels)?

How to get to the stadium if we don't have a car (and are coming from Brooklyn or staying more close to the stadium)?

Other things I'm missing and you can think of.

Thank you,
Linda

If it's just a weekend trip, I can't imagine driving the whole way for such a short visit. You can fly for $153-157/person on US Airways from Portland to LGA leaving Fri. and returning either Sun. or Mon. Between tolls, gas and parking, I don't think you could drive for a whole lot less. As for where to stay, that depends on your hotel budget and your son's location and availability. I'd stay in Manhattan. The Eastgate Tower in midtown or the Best Western Seaport downtown, closer to Brooklyn are well priced on quikbook.com

Take public transportation (train/bus) to the game from Manhattan. http://www.giants.com/parkingauthority.asp

If you decide to drive (and I wouldn't) consider the Travel Inn hotel in Manhattan which is the only one with free parking or you might consider the Holiday Inn in Ft. Lee, NJ which is inexpensive, has free parking but is not very convenient to your son in Brooklyn. You'd have to meet him in Manhattan.

Brooklyn has few hotels ( a couple right near Manhattan for people looking for a less expensive places to stay - plus some random B&Bs). PLus the Jets play on the opposite side of Manhattan - incredibly inconvenient from Brooklyn.

Agree to fly into LGA and stay in Manhattan. You son can join you there or you can visits him in Brooklyn fairly easily b public transit. Then you can get public transit form Manhattan to the Jets game (easier from Manhattan than most places in Jersey - where it;s assumed you will have a car). You just need to organize to store your luggage at the hotel and take public transit from the game back to the hotel - then grab a cab to LGA to get home (assuming flight schedules agree).

mclaurie or nytraveler, do you know if there are lockers for luggage at Penn Station? It would be easier to just keep the luggage there and save a trip back to the hotel.

There are no lockers at Penn Station since 9/11 for security reasons. If you're traveling on Amtrak that day they will hold luggage for you. Otherwise it has to be checked at a hotel.

"It would be easier to just keep the luggage there and save a trip back to the hotel."
How do you figure this? Where are you thinking of staying and where will you be that you want to leave luggage? Schwartztravel.com is a private service that will store luggage for a fee. They have 2 locations, one near Penn station.

What attracted me to your post was: a birthday celebration on Sept. 20? That's also my birthday. And - my father attended Brooklyn Law School - graduated in 1916. So: here's my advice. Forget about driving in from Maine - a very long trip (unless you are 2 hours South of Portland). Not sure why you want to come in on friday - but if you do - fly into LaGuardia and get a hotel in Manhattan for the nights you are here. Your son can easily come to visit you in Manhattan rather than you try to find your way around Brooklyn. Get public transportation to the game - but do not plan to leave on Sunday as the game goes late and traffic out of that stadium is not fun and time consuming. Take a cab to LaG on Monday.

I concur with the others recommending that you fly and that you stay in Manhattan. You can take the bus to the meadowlands.

I also want to say -- J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS!!

One thing you should know is that you need a parking pass now to park at the stadium. Also, if you drive there and plan on tailgating, you need to get there at least 2-3 hours before the game although for a Pats game I'd say 3-4 because it fills fast and their shuttles from the satellite parking lots stink. It is a very quick trip from Brooklyn to the stadium, but if I had a choice, there are a few areas near the stadium that are nice and you don't have to worry about the traffic getting home. I live on Long Island and have sat in traffic from the stadium lot to Staten Island for 2 hours coming home. If it weren't for the traffic coming home, I'd suggest a hotel in Brooklyn. Either way, you should have a great time. I've been to the Jets/Pats games and they are always a lot of fun. Enjoy.

Thank you all very much for your responses. Within days of posting I had a reality check--that weekend is two weeks after we get back from our trip to Italy and it's really not feasible financially. It really would have been so much fun!