What to do -- long layover
 

We arrive at EWR at 11:00am and our flight to Helsinki leaves at 9:00pm. Do we have time to leave the airport & do some sight-seeing, or should we just languish at the airport? We will be staying in New York City for 6 nights when we return from Europe 3 weeks later.

You definitely have time to go to the city. You can connect via airtrain to downtown and go to Battery Park and see Statue of liberty for example.

If you can manage to check or store your luggage, you certainly have time to leave. You might also want to try to get your ongoing boarding passes assuming you don't already have them by then. If you want to see the SOL, you don't have to go to Manhattan. You can get there from Liberty State Park in New Jersey! But since that's a time consuming trip with security etc., I'd suggest doinjg something else where you have more control of your timing.

If budget isn't an issue, you could even arrange for a limo to pick you up, drive you around Manhattan for a short tour and take you back.

Liberty Science Center is also at Liberty State Park.

Another option, if you are shoppers, is the big outlet mall off the turnpike. I don't recall the name of it,; other posters will likely know it and how to get there.

When we flew to Brazil, we had a 6 hour layover and found a bus right outside the terminal that went to 34th St (Macys) and 42nd St (Grand Central). We got off at one and got on at the other. On the way back from Brazil, we had another long layover and took the airtrain and roamed around Wall St. and the Battery area. However, I grew up in New York so the use of the mass transit was old hat for me. It might be more intimidating for newbies.

I'd agree that even though you'll be in NYC at the end of your trip, getting out of EWR for that amount of time would be key!

I don't know anything about the buses at EWR except those that come into NYC - but there must be ones that could take you to Liberty State Park (already mentioned) or Hoboken, which is very cute to wander around for a few hours and get a good meal. Try looking through the website www.hobokeni.com or reading the Wikipedia entry for more info...

The mall previously mentioned is Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth (exit 13 on the Turnpike; www.jerseygardens.com). It's a good destination as far as discount malls go, but it *is* a mall with all that entails (lots of people, screaming kids, and lots of time indoors with canned air - not exactly a change from being on an airplane IMO!). There is also a large IKEA at the same exit.