LaGuardia to Jersey City

[bankerbabe]

Are there any cost-effective options (that don't include dragging tons of luggage up and down subway stairs) to get from LaGuardia to Jersey City? Found a good hotel in Jersey City using Marriott points but it won't be worth it if it costs us a fortune in taxi fares.

[hammybee]

I forgot the part about how you had already booked your air. Otherwise, it might have been better to fly into EWR.

ETSairshuttle.com provides transport between LGA and EWR for about $25/pp.
Then you need to make your way from EWR to Jersey City and this is becoming a drag.

The Mariott Family in NJ are cat.3 versus 6-7 in points, in the city, which gives you an idea of the differences in prices crossing the Hudson makes.

[bankerbabe]

Thank you again for your advice! You are right, the hotels in Jersey City seem to be very nice and they are much less expensive that Manhattan. Thanks to the PATH system, it seems that it would be fairly easy to get everywhere we want.

The view from the Hyatt Regency looks awesome, we might have to go have breakfast or a late at night dessert there just to stare at the lights of the city.

[hammybee]

Thank you again for your advice! You are right, the hotels in Jersey City seem to be very nice and they are much less expensive that Manhattan. Thanks to the PATH system, it seems that it would be fairly easy to get everywhere we want.

The view from the Hyatt Regency looks awesome, we might have to go have breakfast or a late at night dessert there just to stare at the lights of the city.

You are learning to speak New Jerseyese.
How old are your children?

[AAAAmerican]

Wait till you see the Lower Sales Tax in Jersey City (Some of it) North Bergen etc... only 3% so if you need to buy goods and have them home when you come back a much lower tax benefit in NJ there too.:D :D

They are called Economic Recovery Zones put in by past elected Administrations .. the ones now would tax higher.... IMHvO!

Elizabeth next to Newarks Port and Airport is one also.. Linden etc....

Get ready to save and rave.. maybe saving more than you lost will be now an asset for you...

The Garden State does have very nice attributes and history which is startinng with the Swedes and Dutch settlers..then the English...hence the name changes then...:cool:

[bankerbabe]

Our kids are six and ten years old, but they won't be travelling with us. We are lucky in that they are the only grandkids on either side of the family, so we never have a hard time finding a grandparent willing to babysit. We couldn't take them out of school for that long anyway. Maybe in summer of 2008 we will take them on a cruise, if we can save up enough.

Lower sales tax? I like the sound of that. We don't have a sales tax in Oregon, so I always cringe when I have to pay it in another state. In Washington State we just show our driver's license and for most purchases they will waive the sales tax for us.

The more I look at it, the more Jersey seems like a better alternative. Besides, I like the view of the Manhattan skyline, which you couldn't get if you were sitting in the middle of Manhatan.

[dakrewser]

You are aware of the expression "penny wise and pound foolish" aren't you?

There's a good reason why Jersey City hotels are much cheaper - it'll take you forever to get to/from the city and, well, it'sd New Jersey!:rolleyes:

The best options - shuttle plus bus will run you $70 - 85 for two people. Spend that on the Mariott Marquis and really experience Mamhatten. (use "upgrade points")

[AAAAmerican]

A penny saved is a penny earned. NJ is like La Jolla :cool: and NY is like Los Angeles...

Also no deposit on bottles or cans in NJ.. in NY and NYC there is.

The Statue of Liberty is in New Jersey as also Ellis Island is. The NEW York Giants and NY Jets are in NJ...


The PATH is great in transport and cost wise.. Your going to be traveling faster than any car or bus does.. like in London, Paris, Washington D.C.. Holland has phenominal trains too.

You will see the Light Rail system thats just a fancy name for a trolley like train...


Riding the boats like Spirit of New Jersey or New York are great in the night dinners on the Hudson River.. twinkling lights .. :D

One reason why Jersey City Hotles are less is they are for Businesses which are there thats worth Billons of Dollars $USD... so room vacancies are available someimes if you book ahead as they derive most to more of a functional and catering revenue source.

An example of a Marriott in our Borough where President Nixon and his wife both passed away at in this municipality... ythey do a phenominal weekday business with the Fortune 10 and 100 companies here... the weekends they have there catering more... people even stay here to go to WestPoint USMA...

[unclerich]

Agree with Dakrewser. Arriving in Laguardia, staying in Jersey City, touring Manhattan would be a major waste of valuable time. Enjoy New York!

[peaches from georgia]

BANKERBABE:

How long will you be staying in Jersey City before your cruise? It's beginning to sound as if you will be there a week with all the shopping and sightseeing being advised for you to do in NJ.

How much will you actually be saving by staying in a hotel in NJ versus one in NYC? It certainly doesn't sound worth the hassle (and it will be a hassle, count on it) and the extra transportation costs and time to save what could amount to pennies and it might even cost you more in the long run. Plus you will miss the experience of actually being in NYC and not just pressing your nose against the glass from Jersey City.

[hammybee]

As a former NY and NJite, I know that if one prefers to spend less on hotel accommodations, NJ offers an alternative to NY. The price of that alternative is the convenience of walking out the door and being in the "middle of it all".

The "middle of it all" is relative to what one wants to do in NYC, which is why the subway system enables fast and cheap travel, under ground.

For example, commuting to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and/or the WTC Memorial from JC, is faster than mid town.

The Marquis costs more than double the Marriott points and/or $ than a stay in Jersey City.

Again, snagging something, last minute, on Priceline.com may beat everything.

[dakrewser]

A penny saved is a penny earned. NJ is like La Jolla :cool: and NY is like Los Angeles...

1) You can't see LA from LaJolla (you can almost see San Diego, though)

2) LaJolla compares to Jersey City like Paris compares to Detroit....:rolleyes:

[hammybee]

A penny saved is a penny earned. NJ is like La Jolla :cool: and NY is like Los Angeles...

AAAAmerican: Having once lived in NJ, I agree with you. However, it is unlikely the typical NYC dweller, tourist, cruiser or business travelor is going to venture beyond the areas closest to EWR. Little do they know they are within 30-60 minutes of rolling hills, mountains, babling brooks, streams, nature, incredible history and views.

( used to live next to the south mountain in Montclair, 13 miles west of the Empire State Building, with deer and a view to die for within 30 minutes of NYC.)

[bankerbabe]

We plan on arriving in NYC three days in advance of our cruise (although we will be getting in later in the evening on the first night, so we won't see much beyond the airport and a taxi or shuttle that night).

If we stay in Jersey instead of New York City, it appears that we will be saving several hundred dollars - which really is a lot of money to us. The other option that we have is a hotel in the Upper East Side, which seems even further removed than Jersey City near the PATH line. We can't afford too many of the hotels in the heart of the action, and using Marriott points we can get the hotel in Jersey City for free, the Upper East Side hotel is a couple hundred dollars.

I too am guilty of not knowing that Jersey has "rolling hills, mountains, babling brooks, streams, nature, incredible history and views" - but we live in Oregon where we are surrounded by natural beauty, so our main objective is to see the city and its unnatural beauty :)

I'm in the process now of planning out exactly what we want to do while in New York. I'm laying out a very A retentive time-line plan, from which I can estimate transportation costs using public transportation as much as possible. I'll figure the various costs involved with each different hotel so that I can honestly determine which hotel will be best for us. So far, I have estimated taxi fares (as shown on the hotel web sites) to each hotel, so now I have to decide what we want to do and see while in NYC so that I can estimate the transportation costs to and from each location. Who knew that Excel could be such a valuable tool in vacation planning. You should have seen the budget for my last cruise, I had it estimated down to how many beverages we could have each day at sea :)

[bankerbabe]

I even made a pie chart

[hammybee]

I even made a pie chart

Half the fun is the planning.

As much as I appreciate NJ, I think focusing on the city is a better bet, especially considring where you are from. I mean how much natural beauty does one need when you can play tic tac toe with a live chicken in China town, and lose?

Well once you figure out the 101 things you want to see and do, let us know and we will weigh in with our usual opinions.

[dakrewser]

I even made a pie chart

Well, most pies are the same price :rolleyes:

[AAAAmerican]

Half the fun is the planning.

As much as I appreciate NJ, I think focusing on the city is a better bet, especially considring where you are from. I mean how much natural beauty does one need when you can play tic tac toe with a live chicken in China town, and lose?

Well once you figure out the 101 things you want to see and do, let us know and we will weigh in with our usual opinions.

Yes New Jersey is the Garden State for reasons.... not just letters *S*

The oldest Amber in the World was found near the Raritan Bay thats near Sayervile which the GSP US 1 & 9 I 287 and the NJTPK merge cross and intersect.

That was on Andys land on Washington St.. there is a reason also why we have so many Washingtons here....



In NYC yes in China Town and on Broadway and many streets they still have Three Cards and the Walnut Shell game... Street vendor food is actually quite good and inexpensive all over Manhattan Borough...

So glad you plan well as many do not do that.. it is an asset .:cool: