We are planning a trip to NYC and trying to do be as fiscally conservative as possible. HAH! We have Marriott points, but hubby refuses to blow them all at the Marriott Marquis. We are wondering about the Residence Inn in East Rutherford, NJ. It claims to be 7 miles from the city and has free parking.

Would there be easy access to the city from that hotel?

Thanks-
Vicki

Forgot to add that I have looked on Tripadvisor for reviews of this hotel, but there is only ONE unhelpful review.

Well, you're staying in the Meadowlands. There are busses to the Port Authority building on the west side. You have to transit the Lincoln Tunnel, which can have very long delays both ways during rush hour. The best option is a hotel in the city. If you really can't swing it . . . actually, I can't recommend staying out of the city. Give us an idea of your budget and perhaps we can help.

Depending on traffic it can take you from 30 minutes to an hour plus to get into the city from that location. If there's an accident or some mishap (a misplaced oversized truck for instance) it can take an hour just to clear the helix entrance to the Lincol Tunnel - but that's not routine.

Really - do stay at a hotel in the city if at all possible. There are several other Marriotts in Manhattan besides the Marquis - why not look into those?

Vicki - many people planning trips to NYC get the urge to stay in NJ since at first glance hotel prices seem more reasonable. As a former resident of northern NJ I hae to strongly suggest you re-think your plans and find a place in NYC that suits your budget. You'll be glad you did. As others have all ready pointed out getting to/from your hotel is going to take lots of time, especially if you are plannig to travel at or near normal rush hours. You'll also spend extra commuting time if you go during off hours and are relying on public transportation since buses don't run as often. If you use a rental car or taxi any savings you have from lower room costs will be more than offset by cab fares or parking fees. Another thing to consider is what happens when you want to take a break during your daily activities - you certainly can't get back to your hotel in NJ very easily and once you leave the city you won't want to go back later in the day or for an evening dinner or show.

I'm surprised by your husband's reluctance to use your Marriott points, after all, isn't the whole idea of accumulating points is so you can redeem them for free or reduced rate stays at nice hotels.

Anyway, please reconsider your decision to stay in NJ.

I think that's the hotel my friend stayed in (for business in NJ). I took the NJ Transit bus from Port Authority to go meet her. Now mind you, I am a biased Brooklynite used to the ease of the subway - but that bus was not a great experience at rush hour! And it was a walk from where it let me off to the hotel, down a service road in what felt like a pretty deserted area after dark. At the end of the evening, I opted for an exhorbitantly expensive taxi back to the city rather than stand at that stop by myself...

I'd totally second that this is a perfect opportunity for using Marriott points - on a city where otherwise the cost is prohibitive to your budget. There are other Marriotts in NYC, too - maybe the price is different for each? There's on on the east side of midtown on Lexington Avenue, and if you must look outside Manhattan, one with very easy access to city sights just over the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn.

Good luck!

I also would not stay in NJ, at least not in East Rutherford. Way too much time will be spent on a bus going into and out of NYC. East Rutherford is also just smack in the middle of a very un-prepossessing area of the meadowlands with highways and old industrial areas all around you, the quintessential “awful, smelly” New Jersey most people think of (and I grew up in NJ and know there are so so many beautiful places, but E Rutherford is not one of them....) This is not a place you will spend any time in, there is no place to walk to in the neighborhood, as there is no neighborhood. Besides the fact that you will forever be able to hold this hotel choice over your husband, I don’t think it is at all worth it.

If you are going to stay in NJ, stay on the river in a place like Jersey City where you can take a ferry or the PATH subway over to Manhattan and would have the skyline view. Try the Courtyard in Jersey City, which is located apparently next door to the Pavonia-Newport PATH station, which would be very convenient, you could get to mid-town Manhattan in about 15-20 minutes. It also has free parking. (I have not seen this hotel, it is somewhat new.) There is a Sheraton all-suite hotel in Weehawken. The hotel is located in front of the New York Waterway ferry pier, you could take the ferry over each day. Take a look at starwood.com. There is a Hyatt in Jersey City, and you can get to NYC by PATH (station is basically right at the hotel door) or the ferry. It gets good reccos on this site. Take a look at hyatt.com

If you stay in NYC I would re-think the Marquis. First of all, you will spend a lot of time in line for the elevators. You have to take elevators up to the lobby and frankly these are always jammed and they are slow. This quickly loses its charm twice or more a day. Secondly, it is just an OK Marriott, not really that nice. I would look at the Renaissance on Times Square, or either of two Courtyards just a few blocks away (Times Square South at West 40th St or Fifth Avenue at 3 East 40th) or the Residence Inn Times Square (on 6th Ave at 39th St). They are all nicer IMO, and the Residence Inn would give you a kitchen to boot for breakfast, etc. The Courtyard on 40th Street was redone last year and the Residence Inn just opened last year, and both are quite nice. The may also cost less points.

For info on PATH go to http://www.panynj.gov/path/

Thanks for your replies. Actually, hubby isn't really being stingy about the points....he had a HUGE stash of them, as a result of constant work-related traveling, for two years. He still accumulates some but not nearly as quickly as he once did. Over the last three years, his points have been used for both of our children's honeymoons, our trip to California, my daughter's and my first trip to NYC, when we stayed at the Marriott Marquis, and numerous other one-night stays while taking road trips. I believe he's down to about 160,000 points now, and two nights at a Marriott property in Manhattan will take 90,000 points, while two nights in NJ will cost about 20,000.

We are making this trip (actually, my daughter will be my traveling companion, not my husband) to meet up with a dear friend who is coming to the city on a girls-only mini-vacation. I have met her traveling companions but don't know them well. We will drive up Friday evening and take the bus to Manhattan early Saturday morning and spend the day there. They bought a Lion King ticket for me, but now that my daughter is going, we need another one, and I am surprised that I can't seem to find any discounts for this show. I believe that my friend paid $120 for my ticket (gasp! I wouldn't have agreed had I known it would be that expensive). Since this play has been around a while, I thought I could get my daughter a ticket on-line, or at the TKTS booth, but now am wondering if I will be able to get a ticket there. I realize, of course, that she will not be able to sit with us. Does anyone have any knowledge about the availability of Lion King tickets at a discount?

We will take the train back to East Rutherford after the play and probably will not return to the city on Sunday. Am thinking about visiting some of the Seacaucus outlets.... Are they worth a visit?

So, since we will only be making one trip into the city, I think staying in NJ will be bearable. We will freshen up before the play in my friend's hotel room (the Milford Plaza...which doesn't look exactly plush, but they got an outstanding nightly rate).

Anyway...can anyone give me some info as to whether or not I can expect to find Lion King tickets at the TKTS booth?

Vicki

Wll, TKTS didn't offer Lion King last week. Here's their link that shows what was offered during the previous week:

http://www.tdf.org/TDF_SupportPage.aspx?id=51&do=v

No Secaucus outlets are NOT worth it. Go to Short Hills Mall if you want to shop OR if you are heading south you could hit the jackson outlets near six flags.

I have never seen Lion King discounted. If you all want to go you'll have to buy at full price or higher.

Just us when we tell you stayin in NJ and commuting in and out at night is REALLY not worth the trouble. Also late at night the buses are fewer and far between and I think the Path train stops later in the evening as well.

If your friend is at the Milford Plaza, why not consider staying there as well. It is a budget hotel that gets ok reviews and the price is usually good. Traveling in and out you are eating up the savings in transportation costs.

The other option is at one of the Marriott Courtyards and I think that there are now 2 in Manhattan.

There is a Courtyard by Marriott in the Newport section of Jersey City. By path train, you'd be less than 20 minutes from midtown.

While parts of Jersey City are dicey, that part is near several office towers and several high end luxury apartment buildings.

Transportation wise, you'd have easy access to the PATH trains, the New York Waterway Ferry, and the Hudson-Bergen Light rail which can bring you into Hoboken and Liberty State Park.

If that option is available, it makes far more sense than East Ruhterford. Which, would require you to travel on at least two, if not three, of the busiest roads in the state.