Visit to NYC and want to stay in New Jersey
 

Hi. My family plans to visit NYC this fall (2012) and I'm trying to find an affordable place that will allow 2 adults and 3 children in a room. I've found some in New Jersey. We will have our car, and I'm wondering if staying in a place like Secaucus or Newark, or Elizabeth would be ok. I want to know if we will be able to drive to the path stations and park close by, paying of course, and take the path into the city. Can someone tell me if this is reasonable, and if so, recommend a nice area to stay? Thanks.

Well IMO none of those are particularly nice areas to stay in overall (though each does have pockets). If you do a search here, you'll find a LOT of posts on these boards where people have asked this question - and most local Fodorites recommend against it. (However, there are visitors to the area who also have liked staying in, for example, East Rutherford; I'm sure you'll find those posts here too if you search.)

A common recommendation is to look in Long Island City, Queens. Of course Queens is part of NYC, and LIC is right across the river from the Upper East Side of Manhattan. There are also now a lot of budget hotels like Holiday Inn Express in western Brooklyn, which is also close to the city, especially the southern tip.

I can tell you that if you choose to stay in NJ, Westchester County just north of the city, or in Connecticut, a lot of your day will be spent schlepping back and forth to your lodgings - something really to consider.

I actually live in New Jersey and I have five in my family - I know what a pain that can be. I am a bit far from the city but Newark is very convenient to path trains and actually Newark has alot of great Spanish and Port restaurants. Lots of culture there too, museums, performing arts center. There is also a little city next to Newark called Harrison which i believe has a reasonable Hampton Inn. We usually park in Harrison and take the PATH to the city. Secaucus is close and ok but the transit isnt as great. But I agree with ggreen, if you can stay in the cuty, do it. It can be tiring schlepping back and forth.

For 22 years II commuted into NYC from the same areas you are considering and can tell you I hated every minute of the trips. Honestly, the time you'll waste and the aggravation you'll go through staying in NJ is Definitely not worth the small amount of money you'll save staying in NJ.

Do your self a favor find a hotel in the city take fits your budget - you will be much happier and so will members of your family.

travelinleaps, I agree with your comments about NJ and know I described it in broad strokes for the sake of expediency. (As you say, the Ironbound district of Newark is renowned for its Portuguese community.)

However, I still feel that for someone who is visiting the area for the purpose of seeing NYC, staying in a hotel in any of those three cities will be neither easy nor interesting to them.

For example, the only way to make it worthwhile to stay in Newark is to stay right by the train station - I'm sorry, but it's not someplace I'd want to spend any amount of time near. I can't speak for Elizabeth since I always drive there from NYC, but logistically it doesn't seem like it would be particularly smooth. And while Secaucus has convenient public transit, like Elizabeth its attractions have mostly to do with discount shopping; I think the only place I've ever eaten there is in a diner...

If the OP really wants to stay in NJ, better to look for a place really close to the city, like Jersey City, or as I mentioned before, there have been posts on these boards where visitors have recommended a place they stayed in East Rutherford. I personally can't recommend it though: if there really aren't places they can afford in Manhattan, it's much, much better to stay in Brooklyn or Queens than NJ!

The areas you mention are NOT places you would want to stay. The only thing that makes sense to to stay in a hotel right on top of a PATH station so you have easy access to and fro, And I don;t think those hotels are going to be much cheaper than Manhattan. You plan would take you at lest an hour travel each way - plus the cost of the PATH and the parking.

When in fall are you coming? If it's Thanksgiving week - then hotel prices are sky high. If it's early Sept the prices won't be bad. It's try that in NYC with 5 people you will need a suite - but look NOW at the Radio City apts (a budget place that fills up fast) or the Affinia group - which are well-regarded, moderately priced and have a bunch of different suite configurations. Look NOW at the Eastgate - which, while older, has a lot of room and has been offering some phenomenal prices. (All of this assumes you leave the car at a manned lot at a major NJ Transit station.)

The only hotel in Manhattan with free parking (saving you $40 per night) is the Travel Inn on the far west side. Do contact them to see what they can do for 5 people (many depend on how small the kids are).

Really - you do;t want to spend 2 hours wandering around NJ in traffic trying to find a safe place to put a car and then trekking to and via the PATH.

As for Newark - there are a lot of areas there you don't even want to drive through during the day - never mind at night - or parking a car. Elizabeth is a Big Box Store city on the turnpike and Secaucus - well - just isn't convenient,

If yuo tell us your dates and budget people may be ble to help.

(LIC, IMHO is a much better choice than NJ - but you still have to find a place there to park a car - and it sounds like it will be the wrong side of the city for you.)

I agree NJ is less than ideal but there are 2 hotels near a PATH train that will allow 5 in a room- Hampton Inn Riverwalk in Harrison NJ is near the Newark PATH train and Doubletree Club in Jersy City. While plenty of families do stay in Secaucus to visit NYC, it's not nearly as easy or as close as the hotels would have you believe. Unfortunately the only hotel in Long Island City that might work for 5 is Country Inn & Suites.

Do not even think of staying in Newark. We lived there for 4 years, many years ago. My husband works there for the last 10 years. He works in a law firm directly attached to the train station. He is insistant that tourists should not think of staying in Newark. It is not a pleasant city. Unfortunately has all the difficult urban problems. The train station often has problems with the escalators and in some areas nothing but stairs. Miserable for luggage. Getting back to a hotel in Newark at night is not a good idea.
If you want to see NYC...stay in NYC. Just remember, children get tired. NYC is a walking city. Where are going to go when the children get tired and need to go back to the room?

I would not stay in Harrison. I know exactly where the hotel is - it is situated along the Passaic River and directly across the river from the Newark Bears (minor league)baseball stadium. There is a gas station on one side of the hotel and a highway bridge on the other side. No place to walk around just to hang out, and you would have to take a cab to the PATH station.

Have you considered hotels in Hoboken? There is a PATH station there as well. You also have great nightlife scene in Hoboken as well as a great view of Manhatan.

To answer your actual question, it is not easy to drive to a PATH station and park. The stations are really more like an urban subway rather than a suburban commuter train. I'm sure some stations have parking garages nearby, but you'd have to pay at least $20 or $25 to park, so keep that in mind. You'll find NJ Transit to be particularly expensive, so that's not really an option.

There are a few hotels in Manhattan that can accommodate a family of 5. Eastgate Tiwer for instance.

I can't really recommend this as an option ... I.e., to stay in NJ, especially with kids. But I understand that some people are on a tight budget. Just be sure you understand the true total costs of your chosen option.

Are you the same momof5 who asked about the Marriott in Teaneck? (I responded there.) If so, or even if not, I think that is a better option than the others you're researching here due to location, ease of transportation, cost and surrounding area. Of course it is always better to stay in NYC to visit NYC but I recognize you want to stay in NJ.

The bus to Port Authority 42nd St is a few steps right outside the hotel which is part of an office complex. Parking is free and plentiful. The ride is 20-40 min. However I caution you that there will be terribly long lines to board to return to NJ at rush hour. Lines do move but you may need to be prepared to wait 30 min, or leave after dinner in NY or leave early and drive somewhere to eat in NJ.

Remember to factor in commuting costs and parking costs at the non NYC hotels. Also look at the transportation schedule so you are fully aware of what to expect.

Transit from NJ in and out of NYC is set up for commuters in terms of scheduling. When they are using it, it is packed - and as noted there are often lines to get on a bus or train - unless you feel like standing the whole way. And returning is the same thing. A petite colleague of mine was actually knocked down in the Port Authority - trotting to make to a bus - by a burly Bob hauling an airline carryone after him. You can expect this type of activity from about 5 to 6:30 or so each evening - and after that the buses and PATHs run less often.

So it is possible to stayin Jersey and see Manhattan - just understand what the cost will be in $, time and energy.

I don't know how old your kids are, but for me traveling with children has always included the possibiltiy of returning to the room in the middle of the day if not to formally nap then to have abit of a rest, a snack. You can save the money it costs to stay in town by making lunch for 5 in your room. I would want to stay in Manhattan for that reason alone, though I agree also with all the concerns raised above.

wifemomof5,
We are also a family of 5 and we are going to stay in New York, but I also was stunned by the sticker shock.

Not being from New York, I cannot verify if these are great places, but there are two or three B&Bs in Harlem that have a suite/apartment for 5 people. (Note that most true short-term apartment rentals are not legal.) One B&B was called Stay the Night and the other was called Michelle's. In my previous post, people said the neighborhood for Stay the Night would be okay. I didn't ask about Michelle's since her units were booked during our trip.

I also looked at the Ravel just over the river in Long Island City. It had some sort of shuttle that appeared to help. It was very affordable via Expedia or Orbitz (I forget which). However, it does not look affordable right now on its own website; I know nothing of the neighborhood for the Ravel.

my prior post (with many of the same questions)
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...with-teens.cfm

http://www.ravelhotel.com/