Travel from JFK to New Jersey

Please help... family of 5 flying into JFK and staying at Marriott Meadowlands 801 Rutherford Avenue, NJ. (I think it%26#39;s near Giants Stadium)

Would it be cheaper to take a taxi from JFK to hotel or best to hire car service considering distance and number of people?

Anyone know the approximate travel time from JFK to hotel?

It will be a Friday early afternoon and I realize it depends on traffic but an uneducated guess will do.

Thanks!

Travel from JFK to New Jersey

You%26#39;ll be hard pressed to find a NYC taxi that will be willing to take you out to NJ. They%26#39;re not required to.

Travel from JFK to New Jersey

JFK is about 35 miles away -- involving often-tedious passage along the access to and through/over either the Lincoln Tunnel [most direct] or the George Washington Bridge .

I think your best bet is to call the concierge at the hotel, which BTW is the Renaissance Meadowlands... were you to say Marriott Meadowlands, the would-be driver might think you mean the Marriott Courtyard Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The concierge should be able to give you especially particularized info/suggestions; it may be that a taxi or car service based in Rutherford will be cheaper than using a NYC outfit.

A car service would be the best bet but you would require a mini van for 5. It is about a 26 mile drive and the trip is going to take well over an hour and could take two hours and possibly longer depending on traffic. A factor is how early in the afternoon you will be traveling.

There are three major traffic obstacles. First you have to get through the Midtown Tunnel. Then you have to drive across Manhattan to the Lincoln Tunnel and that is going to take at least 20 minutes. Getting through the Lincoln Tunnel on a Friday afternoon could take 30 minutes or longer.

Prepare for a long slow trip unless you find a flight that will get you into JFK 10 PM or later (later the better) and the trip will take less than an hour.

The car service may cut through Staten Island but it will be expensive.

Here in central NJ, flyers for car service to Newark advertise rates of $50 and it is about 20 miles. So from JFK to Rutherford, it can easily be $150+ tolls + tip.

make up lipstick

help, should I change my plans

We are booked to stay M-F at the Great Wolf Lodge on CAN. side and now I am wondering if we should book our last night on USA side. We bought the pass that gets you into Maid of Mist, Butterfly Con., Journey behind the Falls and one other thing( forgot what it is). What is the tour on the US side something about Caves?

Please advise??? Is there anything else we should do? Have two boys 8 and 10.

Thanks

help, should I change my plans

You should definitely set aside time to do Cave of the Winds. Check out Howard Johnson Closest to the Falls Niagara Falls NY.......

help, should I change my plans

My biggest regret was that I did not spend enough time on the NY side and my kids (9 and 2) were tired of seeing the falls and we missed out on the Cave of the Winds! The NY side is a lot nicer than what we thought it would be! The Aquarium of Niagara was really nice and affordable. I also recommend the trolley ride through the NY park- it was very cheap and nice, get off at all the stops and check out the different views from the NY side- it gives a totally different, not to be missed, view. Have fun!!

Thanks! We are doing Journey Behind the Falls on the CA side is that much different then Cave of the Winds?

Totally different- we did the Journey behind the Falls, we all thought it was boring- all you can see is white is the way my 9 year old described it. Cave of the winds they give you sandals (to keep) and you walk on steps and platforms to the Bridal Viel Fall. They have a Hurricane Deck, were you will get soaked. I think if we would of done it, it would of been one of our favorite attractions. We also did the pass that you are speaking of- out of all of them I really liked the Butterfly Conservatory- try to go early, the Butterflies are more active. My hubby and my oldest like the Maid of the Mist the best.

I don%26#39;t think you have to change your plans completely, just plan to spend some time on the US side.

Drive over the bridge and park at Goat Island-I think that it is $8.00-

NF GURU would know.

You can try to find some free municipal parking, but it is vacation, why get aggravated.

From there you can walk to the cave of the winds.

The tickets are $8.00 for adults , $7.00 for children.

You will get soaked so plan accordingly.

With children this age you may want to venture down to ArtPark-

www.Artpark.org

It is in Lewiston about 20 minutes from the Falls and they have a lot of hands-on events for the kids. It is a beautiful drive to the lower river and you can stop at Whirlpool Park and Devil%26#39;s Hole on the way. Both public parks with great views and much history.

I always suggest that you take the kids to Old Fort Niagara-it is in Youngstown which is another 15 minutes downriver from ArtPark at the mouth of Lake Ontario.

Check out the website www.oldfortniagara.org, and see if your boys wouldn%26#39;t love it.

All great suggestions from bufgirl. Parking @ Goat Island is $8.00 - Avoid the aggravation and pay the money to park in the State Park. Free parking is almost non-existant, and the other $5.00 lots further away are ran by morons with no license or insurance.

Make sure to see 3 Sisters Islands off Goat Island, and stop at Whirlpool State Park on the way to Lewiston. Right off Robert Moses Parkway North.........

Thanks for all of the great information provided from everyone! This is why I love Tripadvisor !

We were able to park for free at the Aquarium of Niagara. We found out on a fluk. There is a crosswalk bridge that we walked over that took us to the great gorge dicsovery center.

networking

Hotel Availabilty April 07

We%26#39;re planning on stopping for 3 nights in new york (11th to 14th April) on our way back from a two week vacation in florida.

I%26#39;ve had a look at most of the hotel reviews on here, but most of the hotels don%26#39;t seem to have availability for those dates (too close to easter perhaps!!!)

I need somewhere under $200/night for two adults and an 8yr. (i notice quite a few hotels stating only two persons/ standard room, maybe another reason why i%26#39;m having bother)

Any advice/recommendations really appreciated !!!!!!!!!!

Hotel Availabilty April 07

A lot of the computer systems used by hotels won%26#39;t show any bookings that far in advance. Try contacting the hotels by phone and you may find that there are vacancies. I%26#39;ve never had a problem with 2 adults and a child in a room as lots of them have 2 double beds.

Hotel Availabilty April 07

I agree with Daisiegee. More likely it%26#39;s too far in advance for the computer systems than the hotels are fully booked. Where are you looking? Try quikbook.com Radio City apartments would be a good choice but their website seems to be down radiocitypartments.com

The Salisbury is another good idea if it falls in your budget at that time of year. nycsalisbury.com

Was hoping to get smewhere between 40th and 58th west. Had another look online with different dates, looks like a lot only taking bookings up to january. cheers for the above advice.

Both Radio City apts. and Salisbury fall into your chosen geography. Radio city website now working for me. A 1 bedroom apt with 2 double beds is $199. Cheapest price at Salisbury is $239.

Yeah radio city apartments look good, great location as well. Their taking bookings as well for will prob go for that. Cheers guys.

Subway

Any advice for first time NY visitors and subway users? do you pay per ride? Can you get a card that lasts for so many days? How does it all work? Is it easy to figure out what train goes where?

Subway

$2 per ride

Day pass $7

Week pass $24

lots of info on www.mta.info

Daily and weekly passes are good for unlimited rides for one person on nyc transit buses and subways.

Subway

Funny you should ask...

I did a lengthy post on this topic a while back, which people seem to like -- read it here:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k405666-鈥?/a>

Hotel/Apartment suitable for 1yr old

Myself and Hubby are travelling to NYC in mid August with our then 1 year old. We are thinking of a 1 bedroom apartment or a hotel suite. Any suggestions? Area is not really important to us. Would appreciate any suggestions, - Thanks for your help

Hotel/Apartment suitable for 1yr old

This is a really common question and a lot will depend on your budget and where you want to be located. The Salisbury is a nice reasonably priced choice 2 blocks from Central Park but also a short walk to Times Square and in midtown.

nycsalisbury.com

They have some regular rooms, some studio suites (one big room) and some 1 and 2 bedroom suites.

The Blakely is a nicer hotel in similar location (a bit closer to TS and a bit further from Central Park). Again, some 1 bedrooms and some regular rooms.

The Beacon and the Milburn are on the upper westside, a more residential area but still not far from the park. These hotels are also family friendly (and also have different sized rooms so be careful you pick a 1 bedroom is that%26#39;s what you want).

The Affinia group (affinia.com) are all suites.

Double check prices on quikbook.com to make sure you can%26#39;t find the same hotel cheaper. ;)

Hotel/Apartment suitable for 1yr old

Hi,

Thanks for the adivse.

These are some of the deals(all for 7 nights and in Euros)

Affinia Dumont - Junior Suite - 1550

The Blakely - Suite - 1819

Kimberly Hotel - 1900

Best Western Hospitality House - 1714

Are these good deals?

Budget wise I would pick the Affinia Dumont, but are they other hotels of better quality (Clean, etc) and more baby friendly.

Location wise is the affinia dumont better. Or is there any other hotels for this budget that would be better.

Having taught about it we want somewhere within walking distance to Central Park (For babies sake)

Thanks again!

A junior suite generally means 1 big room. As I think I might have mentioned, it sometimes much nicer/better to have a separate bedroom and sitting room with a child that young for naps. Apart from the junior suite, you don%26#39;t specify what the other room/suite sizes are. These prices look ok, esp. if they include taxes. I%26#39;d compare them to prices on quikbook.com , one of my favorite websites here (will be in US dollars without tax) as a comparison.

Any suite hotel will be baby friendly. The Affinia Dumont is the furthest away from Central Park of this group. The Blakely is probably the closest and imo the best overall location since it%26#39;s also about 10 blocks north of Times Square and not far from Fifth ave. I%26#39;d just doublecheck on sizes since you may be comparing apples and oranges. The Blakely has regular (non suite) rooms and studio suites and 1 bedroom suites.

The Salisbury is another suite hotel that%26#39;s very close to Central Park. Well liked with large rooms but not as nice as these. That price for the Kimberly sounds too high relative to the others but it may have to do with the size of the room.

Becco for pre-theatre dinner?

I had a wonderful Italian dinner here two years ago. I%26#39;d love to go back before attending the Wedding Singer at 8 p.m. (Saturday evening, July 8th). Is the restaurant still excellent? And, should I make reservations now or wait until I%26#39;m in Manhattan? I noticed that they are not listed on OpenTable.com.

Becco for pre-theatre dinner?

I didn%26#39;t think it was excellent two years ago. I thought it was okay, but so loud I haven%26#39;t been back. There are other Italian restaurants if you are interested... ViceVersa has good food and a nice atmosphere...Bettina likes Orso...there%26#39;s a place called Roberto Passon I heard was good but haven%26#39;t been yet.

If you have your heart set on Becco call now for a reservation.

Becco for pre-theatre dinner?

Thanks for the tip. I fell into Becco%26#39;s on my last trip after searching for other restaurants without reservations, so my judgement may have been off that eventing.

I%26#39;ve made reservations for ViceVersa. Thanks again!

-cb

I used to like Becco before they enlarged. Since then the tables are too jammed together, and sitting upstairs is like being in Siberia. The all-you-can-eat three-pasta special is still a good deal.

In order of preference for Italians, I%26#39;d try Orso, Lattanzi, ViceVersa, Osteria al Doge, Maria Pia. Actually, number one would be Carmine%26#39;s, but not for pre-theater and only with at least four people.

Transportation to North Bergen NJ after late shows?

We will be seeing Phantom and Beauty and the Beast on Monday and Tuesday nights--geting out at 10:30. How may we get back to our Horth Bergen HJ motel on Tonnelle Ave. at that time of night if we don%26#39;t have a car in the city? Any tips? or is there a reasonable place to park if we do bring our car over?

Transportation to North Bergen NJ after late shows?

New Jersey trainsit will give bus directions / prices

Lots of lots in the area but they are always ';busy'; when the shows get out.

Transportation to North Bergen NJ after late shows?

Tonnelle Ave. is quite a long st. I gather and has many hotels/motels. Some are closer than others to a bus stop that goes into Port Authority bus terminal. I suggest you contact your hotel and ask them OR plug the address into the NJtransit.com website and see what they say on their trip planner.

You could take a NJ Transit bus from the Port Authority Bus Terminal at 42nd Street and 8th Ave. - a short walk from the theaters.

If you want to drive there is on street parking west of 8th Ave., after 7 PM. There are also 6 hour parking meters in midtown that can be used after 6 PM . Some meters will accept credit cards as payment.

Great help--thanks--I%26#39;m thinking that the NJ Transit will work fine for us. Any advice on the Howard Johnson%26#39;s in North Bergen--reviews are mixed--some good--some bad.

there are better options

www.broadwayfocus.com/nj_nyc/

make up lipstick

parenting message board