My daughter and her friends are planning a spring break trip to New York City. Is there anyway that they can park their car somewhere in NJ or stay in a Hotel in NJ and take some form of CHEAP transportation into New York City? If so do you have any recommendations on which Hotels or parking lots would best accommodate them? They need some good advice! Thank you

The cheapest transportation is the path train. you can probably find the NJ transit website for info on stops in NJ. Off hand i'm not all the familiar. Some of the path service has been interupted from 9/11 (WTC was a major stop in NYC).

Depending on where they are coming from, there are a variety of options. The NJ Transit line runs down through NJ and is a cheap way to get into NYC (for example, you can park and get on in Princeton, NJ and ride into the city for about $10). Go to www.njtransit.com for more info on stops, schedules and fares. Also, as the previous post said, the PATH from Newark would be an option (not sure about parking options). The following website talks about the PATH and other NYC transportation options: http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/. Finally, you can stay in a hotel in NJ (like in Hoboken, Jersey City or Newark) and use the same transportation options as well. My recommendation would be to try and stay in NYC if you can find something in your price range.

Hi Lyn...Secaucus, New Jersey has many chain hotels such as Hampton Inn, Red Roof Inn, an extended stay hotel, and others...these offer parking and they can take the bus right into Port Authority...it's a busy area along a highway and its near shopping centers and restaurants...another option is Fort Lee, New Jersey which is directly across the George Washingon Bridge from the city...there's a Hilton, Best Western and I think Quality Inn or Comfort Inn along Route 4...they can take any bus going across the bridge to the Port Authority on 181st and Broadway...or a better option is the New York Waterways Ferry which offers free shuttle service to major areas in city once you're in the city...during peak times the ferry has a free shuttle bus that services the Fort Lee area...New York Waterways has an 800# which I can't locate right now...Fort Lee is a safe area and although the hotels are located along Route 4, which is loaded with service stations, they do have a van that will take you to the bridge or a ferry shuttle bus stop...Linwood Plaza closest to hotels) in Fort Lee has a Starbucks, pizzeria, bakery, Kings Supermarket, CVS pharmacy, and a diner.

I think that ferry number is 1-800-53FERRY.

Two hotels come to mind, both near Giants Stadium: Hampton Inn and Fairfield Inn. From these hotels you can pick up at least 3 different DIRECT NJ Transit bus lines into Manhattan, the 160, 163 or 164. The trip takes no more than 20 minutes, usually less, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. The area is safe, although a car would be beneficial to get around locally. Note: there's not much in the way of excitement around there.

I will preface this by saying first that i HIGHLY recommend they stay in NYC if at all possible! Definately a MUCH better experience than commuting in each day. To save on $$, they could try Priceline and probably get a hotel for ~$75/nite (note: Priceline only allows 2 people in a room, and many NYC hotel rooms can't hold more than 2 per room). This route may be cheaper than staying in NJ and commuting in each day. You can see prior winning hotels at www.biddingfortravel.com (as well as winning bids for close NJ hotels)

With that said, they can either stay in Secaucus/Rutherford area which is ~20 minute bus ride to NYC. There is a Meadowlands Sheraton which has had good reviews and has a public bus stop into NYC right in front of the hotel (call hotel to confirm).

There is also a Doubletree Club Suites and a Courtyard by Marriott in Jersey City, NJ. Both are in a safe area of Jersey City and walkable to the PATH train (fare: $1.50 each way).

There is also a Sheraton suite hotel in Weehawken, NJ, which has a ferry at their doorstep which goes to NYC. This ferry only runs on weekdays, but on weekends the hotel's shuttle will take you to another ferry stop 1 mile up the road which DOES run on weekends. Ferry is about $5/each way which can add up and deplete any savings of staying in NJ.

All of the above hotels (to the best of my knowledge) offer free parking.

If they choose to stay in NYC, they can park at a Park N Ride in NJ and then travel directly into NYC. Here's a list of all the NJ Transit Park N Rides:

http://www.njtransit.com/sf_bus_parkandride.shtm

The one's in Hudson County are probably the closest to NYC. I would call NJ Transit directly to find out the costs of parking at the ones that you may cosider (the costs should be minimal, nothing outrageous like you would encounter in NYC).

A lot of info, but feel free to ask any questions you may have.

I agree with thereuare.
Definitely stay in NYC.
Pay to park the car in a garage for the week - it will be worth it!!!
Have them stay in a hotel in NYC.
It's so worth it!

Thanks for agreeing, but i DON"T recommend parking in NYC for the week!

Just to clarify in case i wasn't clear, park at the Park N Ride and leave your car there for the length of your stay. Simply park in NJ, head into NYC via mass transit, then return to your car via mass transit at the end of the trip... you'll save a TON of money compared to parking a car in NYC for a week!

I gave this advice a few weeks back. Stay somewhere in Woodbridge, NJ. It's easy to get to. It's where the Jersey Turnpike (exit 11), Garden State Parkway (exit 125?), Rt 1, Rt 9 and Rt. 287 converge.
There's a wide range of hotels to choose from. Best of all they could park in downtown Woodbridge all day (no meters) it's perfectly safe and hop on a train that will get them into Midtown in 45 minutes off peak and 38 minutes on peak. Off peak costs about $8 roundtrip.

Park in NJ at a NJ Transit park 'n ride location and take the NJ transit bus into the city. Trains from north jersey typically (most of them) terminate in Hoboken and require a transfer to the PATH (a subway under the Hudson to NYC). NJ Transit bus will be easier and will be direct. Do NOT try to take the bus in during morning rush when you are taking luggage - try to go mid to late morning or early afternoon. There are hotels/motels in secauscus that may ber available for $69-89 per night but they should really consider staying in NYC. the only catch is that a Priceline room in NYC cannot guaranteed to have space for more than two people (one bed). Most NYC hotel rooms have only one bed. I've tried it both ways - staying in NYC is much more fun and waaay more convenient.

ttt for Kevin