Visiting NYC while staying in Newark,NJ
 

I stayed at the Best Western Robert Treat hotel and did the commute by Path to WTC and also took New Jersey Transit train Penn to Penn station.The Path trains run all night and the New Jersey transit trains stop at 1am.I was really amazed how fast and cheap those connections are. The Path train takes 24 minutes and the NJ transit train takes about half that time.

What I noticed is the hotel was full of European budget travelers doing the same exact thing as me,using Newark to see NYC.The hotels offer free shuttle service from EWR and to Penn Station, Newark around the clock,so people don't need to worry about walking through the wrong Newark neighborhood.Also having the option to eat on Ferry street in Newark is a huge plus and it seems safe even at night

I didn't know that 4 US presidents have stayed at the Robert Treat and so did Albert Einstein.The rooms seem to go from $72 a night to $120.00 a night depending on which booking site one uses and what time of year it is.The rooms are renovated and very nice and the breakfast is free too. Then there is the Priceline name your price option.I heard if you choose a 3 star hotel in Newark ,one will get the Robert Treat or the Hilton.Both are great hotels.The Hilton is attached to Penn Station Newark so it's even quicker.

I was amazed that is was mainly Europeans taking advantage of this budget option ,although I did run into an Australian as well.

The ease of getting to and from the airport to the hotel for free alone is worth it

I forgot to include a review of the Ferry St restaurants in Newark.There are so many excellent ones.but I'll start with this one

I went to Ferry Street Barbeque. For $6 they have a half order of Portugese Charcoal chicken with fries or rice.It includes a salad also.It has to be one of the biggest half orders that I've seen. The chicken is delicious and the restaurant is packed with locals.I haven't tried the ribs but from what I hear the chicken is their speciality

Do you have to depend on the hotel shuttle to get to/from the train station or is it walkable? Can you phone for the shuttle? Does it run early & late? What made you opt for this hotel?

It's nice to hear that a non-NYC hotel worked out ok for your visit.

For me the biggest benefit of having a hotel in NYC is that I can go back to my hotel mid afternoon, rest up and freshen up before going out for dinner. I'm not a spring chicken, so I fade fast without an afternoon pause.

Can you comment on how your evenings worked without being able to hop back to the hotel?

mclaurie-From EWR you can call the shuttles from P4.Most run on a frequent schedule most times of the day.They run 24 hours a day on call too.And yes you call the hotel from Penn Station Newark,to have the shuttle pick you up.It's only a few blocks ,but I guess at night a tourist might walk through the wrong streets, so they tell you to just call.It also runs 24 hours a day. I just walked most of the time, but I did call the shuttle twice when I arrived late and it arrived quickly

I stayed last year at a hotel in Newark because of a flight to Europe.I enjoyed that so much I stayed in Newark on this trip.I just read about the Robert Treat Hotel on the booking sites Booking.com and Agoda and thats why I picked it.

J62-I didn't stop back at my hotel and my evenings went fine.
For those who want to go back to their hotel during the day,then a stay in Manhattan would be more convenient.This is however a great budget option at a nice hotel.The time and cost it takes to get back to the hotel is not bad at all.
The cost of the Path is $2 each way and the train is $5 each way.

I've recommended the Robert Treat Hotel on this board, and I think it's a viable option. Ironically, though it's farther away, I think it's more convenient than most of the hotels budget travelers often choose in the Meadowlands/Secaucus area, though it's not nearly as convenient as a hotel in Long Island City Queens, which is on the NYC subway system and will save even more money for most people.

The Hilton is newer and perhaps a better choice since it's connected to Newark Penn, but either can have favorable rates. I'm glad you've added this post, travelrob. And I'm glad you had a good time.

Doug Stallings-Good points and I'd only recommend it if people are flying in and out of EWR. To me the free shuttle to the Newark hotels to and from EWR is a big selling point.Also the quality of the Robert Treat Hotel and Hilton Hotel for that price is hard to beat in the NYC area.

Ferry St in Newark has to be one of the best restaurant streets on the East Coast and I'll start a thread once I can gather more info on the different restaurants.

Thanks for the post. Just a thought:

Rather than gather info on restaurants that you did NOT visit, why not just tell us the places that you ate and what your impressions were. Not sure if you should really call it one of the best restaurant streets on the East Coast without having sampled many or most of the eating spots.
I'd like to hear details!


http://www.vernonjohns.org/plcooney/brnwfrry.html

I have only been to Ferry St for two trips,last year and this year.I ate at a total of 4 places.All were excellent.I normally don't post restaurant reviews, thats why I'd have to look up the places that I went.I do remember Ferry St BBQ which I posted about above.

Hopefully when I start a thread more people can post about the other places that I havent tried .

Thanks! I thought you were waiting to dig up a list of ALL the places on that stretch.

Rob - good post and Egads. Ekscrunchy is busting chops here too? Seems that unless you have a signed menu from the Chef - she/he? is not satisfied. :)

BTW - Rob was with me when we dined at Tout Va Bien and also at Motorino's - and he has lived in France for years. But there are a few serious doubters here on Fodor's I guess.

Myself - I stayed at The Larchmont Hotel on 11th St in Greenwich Villasge - as I have whenever I am in the Apple withgout my wife. It's clean, has a decent continental breakfast, and also very inexpensive - $99 a night midweek, $20? more on weekend.

It's European style (replete with many visitors from Europe) - with the wc/shower down the hall, but you do have a sink in your room to freshen up with. There is also another budget hotel in Chelsea, the Chelsea Lodge is it - on 23rd, (starting around $120) which has showers in the room but the wc is in the hall. Thre is a Murray's Bagels on nearby 8th.