Booked my flight this morning. Meeting a friend in Newark on the 28th. Not sure where we are staying yet. Have some Marriott points we might use.
***OFFICAL: I BOOKED MY TRIP THREAD***
- Thread starter jj-cyclones
- Start date
Looks like I'll be going! Not sure where we're staying yet, but can't wait to get there. Dead week and finals are going to suck...
A little bit of advice from a Rutgers fan:
You're getting good advice all around from people with regard to travel and hotels, but as far as everything else goes, do your own research.
On the one hand, nothing saddens me more than when people I know visit New York and kind of get consumed by the touristy facade. Meaning, they get their meals at nondescript midtown restaurants and hang out at similar bars where they aren't really experiencing New York City and they're paying through the nose for the experience of mingling with other out-of-towners.
On the other hand, whenever this sort of topic comes up on the Rutgers boards, a lot of truly awful recommendations come in from people who live in New Jersey and in a lot of cases are really only a notch above tourists themselves even though they aren't aware of it. Not knowing what kind of money people have or are willing to spend, age and family situation (i.e. obviously a handful of college kids want a different experience than a middle-aged couple), what kind of sensibilities you have or anything else, the best recommendation I can give is that you take time to look through websites like Eater, Yelp, Time Out New York and others and make some basic decisions in advance rather than flying by the seat of your pants. This is especially important on New Years Eve, as you'll find that the majority of places have private parties - which you or anyone else can pay in advance for - and cabs late at night are not very willing to leave town if you're staying in a hotel outside of the city. It's a terrible night to try and wing it in NYC if you're from out of town.
I'll be happy to help with recommendations or what have you, but I think it helps if you kind of know what you want. Otherwise you'll get buried with recommendations from people which don't suit you at all.
You're getting good advice all around from people with regard to travel and hotels, but as far as everything else goes, do your own research.
On the one hand, nothing saddens me more than when people I know visit New York and kind of get consumed by the touristy facade. Meaning, they get their meals at nondescript midtown restaurants and hang out at similar bars where they aren't really experiencing New York City and they're paying through the nose for the experience of mingling with other out-of-towners.
On the other hand, whenever this sort of topic comes up on the Rutgers boards, a lot of truly awful recommendations come in from people who live in New Jersey and in a lot of cases are really only a notch above tourists themselves even though they aren't aware of it. Not knowing what kind of money people have or are willing to spend, age and family situation (i.e. obviously a handful of college kids want a different experience than a middle-aged couple), what kind of sensibilities you have or anything else, the best recommendation I can give is that you take time to look through websites like Eater, Yelp, Time Out New York and others and make some basic decisions in advance rather than flying by the seat of your pants. This is especially important on New Years Eve, as you'll find that the majority of places have private parties - which you or anyone else can pay in advance for - and cabs late at night are not very willing to leave town if you're staying in a hotel outside of the city. It's a terrible night to try and wing it in NYC if you're from out of town.
I'll be happy to help with recommendations or what have you, but I think it helps if you kind of know what you want. Otherwise you'll get buried with recommendations from people which don't suit you at all.
What would be your advice on getting back to North Bergen on NYE? Where are good locations to go for NYE in your opinion
Thanks it does, but I am an Android guy... Anyone have Android transit app recommendations?
The list is quite large with Officially Licensed by MTA. mta.info | App Center
-keep
I would check the bus routes on New Jersey Transit. There are probably a few private buses from Port Authority that stop in North Bergen as well. There's also the PATH train which goes into Hoboken. From there you can pretty easily grab a cab in front of the station or take the light rail to North Bergen, though the latter stops running around 1 am, so probably wouldn't be of much use on New Years.
As far as where to go on New Year's, I think you guys (ISU) fans should maybe try and do something collectively, as that's what most people do. From my experience, the night is only as good as the friends/acquaintances that you're with. I wouldn't even know how to recommend a place that's great on New Year's for that reason, even though I've had plenty of fun and good memories. Places vary wildly in terms of whether they're all-inclusive, serve dinner, feature live music, mode of dress and even how much they cost. I'd probably start with what kind of night you want and narrow it down from there.
Nice. Do you mind if I ask where you ended up in Jersey city? I had recommended the Westin Jersey City to a couple of people but it turns out they are charging $400 a night. (NYE markup...last time I stayed there I got a $90 room on priceline).
Hi folks,
My fellow RU fans know much more than me about travel into NYC. Train or bus is the best way to go, however when I do drive in, I normally go through the Lincoln Tunnel and park as soon as I get into Manhattan. There is a Port Authority parking deck as soon as you get into NY and if you drive an extra block onto 42nd St., you'll see a private deck. You can walk to subways from there, it's several blocks to Times Square, and most importantly you don't have to drive in Manhattan (I think the 4 train goes to Yankee Stadium)
I also noticed a couple of questionable towns being mentioned for lodging. One is Linden which does have a direct NJ transit rail line into NYC but it's not a touristy area - it's more industrial and highway so if you're looking to have night life or restaurants near the motel, you may want to reconsider. Rutgers home of New Brunswick is on the same rail line but approximately 20 minutes further out, however, there are restaurants near the train station and there's a Hyatt hotel 2 blocks away and a Heldrich Hotel about 4 blocks away.
The other town is Carteret which is right off the NJ Turnpike and not too far from Linden. My apologies to anyone that may live there, but I don't see any out of towner enjoying a visit there. There is no rail line there but I'm sure there are busses. There are many nicer places to stay than Carteret that are closer to NYC. I'd suggest you visit our free rivals board and ask specific questions about places you're considering.
Enjoy the trip
My fellow RU fans know much more than me about travel into NYC. Train or bus is the best way to go, however when I do drive in, I normally go through the Lincoln Tunnel and park as soon as I get into Manhattan. There is a Port Authority parking deck as soon as you get into NY and if you drive an extra block onto 42nd St., you'll see a private deck. You can walk to subways from there, it's several blocks to Times Square, and most importantly you don't have to drive in Manhattan (I think the 4 train goes to Yankee Stadium)
I also noticed a couple of questionable towns being mentioned for lodging. One is Linden which does have a direct NJ transit rail line into NYC but it's not a touristy area - it's more industrial and highway so if you're looking to have night life or restaurants near the motel, you may want to reconsider. Rutgers home of New Brunswick is on the same rail line but approximately 20 minutes further out, however, there are restaurants near the train station and there's a Hyatt hotel 2 blocks away and a Heldrich Hotel about 4 blocks away.
The other town is Carteret which is right off the NJ Turnpike and not too far from Linden. My apologies to anyone that may live there, but I don't see any out of towner enjoying a visit there. There is no rail line there but I'm sure there are busses. There are many nicer places to stay than Carteret that are closer to NYC. I'd suggest you visit our free rivals board and ask specific questions about places you're considering.
Enjoy the trip
Long time lurker too. Wife and I are flying into Newark and staying at the Hilton Penn Station. I picked the hotel based upon it being linked to the train station to hopefully make it easier to make the transit connections. We'll see. I'm sure it will be an adventure one way or another.
Flying in on Tuesday. Going to try and hit a show Wed or Thur night. Fly out Sat afternoon.
Flying in on Tuesday. Going to try and hit a show Wed or Thur night. Fly out Sat afternoon.
There might not be more options, for mass transit (bus, train, light rail, subway, ferry), anywhere in the world outside of Japan and Southeast Asia. Honestly! If you go through my posts, on this board, my first few have direct links to NJTransit, PATH, and NYC's MTA . You'll be golden with those!
Astoria is an awesome area (my dad grew up there...) and easy commute to The Stadium. Used to be about 95% Greek, now still heavily Greek with lots of Brazilian, Croatian, and other former "Soviet Block" nationalities, with tons of places to eat, drink, dance, and mingle. Take the N/Q to 59th Street (20 min) then hop on the 4(express), and you're 4 stops and 12 minutes or so to The Stadium.
Tickets bought! Driving out there, staying with a friend in NJ and then staying in NY for New Years! Ready for the fun to begin!
I was just wondering where ya'll were tailgating? We are headed up from NJ that day and would like to be with other Cyclones. I have read a few things about the lots to tailgate, sounds like it won't be that bad. Maybe hit up a bar beforehand?