Help with NY Transportation instructions

Can someone help me with the best Transportation Instructions? We will be arriving Sunday Sept 21 at 12:20 via Newark airport. I have a room on hold at the Newark Hilton Penn Station. We now have six adults in our group. Three Generations of Family, my parents are very good walkers.

My idea is to drop off our luggage and then head to New York. We would like to walk and say that we have seen Times Square and then go to the Top of the Rock.

Do you think is do able for Sunday Evening? I would like to be back at the Hotel by 9:30 or earlier.

Can someone provide us with transportation instructions. How and which transportation should we take. Please know that we live in an area where there is no BUS or City Transportation. I feel confident that we can do this, just would like to know in advance what to look and know before starting our ADVENTURE.

As always, I appreciate cruisecritic!!!

This is doable. You will have to take the Airtrain upstairs in the terminal to get to P4 to connect with the hotel shuttle.

The Newark Penn Station Hilton has a sky bridge that connects it to Newark

Penn Station. Walk across it to the station and find the ticket machines. You should buy 6 round trip tickets from Newark to New York for $5 each way. If your parents are 62, they can buy senior tickets for half price. Take any NJ Transit train (not an Amtrak train) two stops to New York Penn Station.

From there you can find 7th Ave and walk north to Times Square. From Times Square you can walk east along 49th or 50th St to Rockefeller Center for the Top of the Rock. From there you can walk down 5th Ave to 34th St. and west back to Penn Station at 32nd and 7th. NJ Transit is on the 8th Ave side of the station for you to go back to Newark.

If you don't want to walk all the way back to New York Penn Station, bus or cab is an option. The M4 or Q32 bus on 5th Ave will take you back to Penn Station.

Thank you very much. I have written every word of these instructions!!!

Now would you be willing to help us with instructions for Monday's activities. We want to go to the World Trade Center Memorial. We would like to go inside the Chrysler Building for a quick look, Grand Central Terminal for another quick look, possibly the New York Public Library. I would like to ride the Staten Island Ferry to get a good look at the Statue of Liberty. If possible visit Cathedral Church of St John the Divine.

I have not purchased ticket yet for the Memorial. I know I need to very soon!

Any suggestions of what order to do these things? And we are prepared to walk a lot, or if necessary we will try to figure out public transportation.

We can't really offer specific suggestions until you know what time you have tickets for the 911 Memorial. Try to get them in the morning if you can.

On a high level you should plan a circular trip - PATH from Newark to downtown Manhattan, subway uptown for midtown activities, and NJ Transit from New York Penn Station back to Newark OR NJ Transit to New York Penn Station for midtown activities, subway downtown for lower Manhattan activities, and PATH from downtown back to Newark.

St. John Divine appears to be way uptown near Columbia University.

Perhaps some of the New Yorkers can comment on this itinerary. It seems very ambitious - a lot scattered all over Manhattan.

tickets no longer required....to the memorial. The museum is another issue.

http://www.911memorial.org/visit

You can take the 1 Train from South Ferry directly to Columbia University. The 1 also stops at Times Square. So you can take the ferry round trip, get on the subway, get off at Times Square and walk east to the public library, Grand Central, Chrysler Building go back to the subway up to Columbia University stop of the No 1. St. John the Devine is a block from the subway. The IRT No 1 train is a local and the only one that stops a block from Columbia. btw, the Museum of Natural History is also on the No 1 line, as is Penn Station, Manhattan.

I am sure there are other combinations from South Ferry but remembering the No 1 all the way seems the least complicated. I need to go to Columbia University by subway once a year for my job.

It would help if you would prioritize your destinations so we can offer a route that will permit you to skip the last destination if time runs short or you run out of steam.

I would give different subway advice. The number 1 train is indeed at South Ferry, but the number 4 and 5 trains with express stops to Grand Central are close by at Bowling Green. I would take the 4 or 5 to Grand Central and walk back to Times Square to pick up the number 1 train up to Columbia. As Got2Cruise said, the number 1 will return you to New York Penn Station, which is a big bonus. I also agree about just staying on the number 1 train - a true KISS solution. I used to occasionally commute on that train from further uptown to South Ferry and it just wasn't worth trying to hop between the local and the express trains.

There are many subway options you also have the Times Square Shuttle that goes from Times Square to Grand Central, taking that just to visit GCT and back you can still stick with the #1 and KISS.

As 138th said what do you want to see the most and we can plan the trip. There are even timetables for the subway ;) though the subway actually running to the published ones is the question.

Since this is the Weekend, please make SURE to check for service diversions. Sometimes the #1 does not run all the way to South Ferry on weekends.

Actually the OP will be doing this on a Monday. Sunday's activities include only Times Square and the Top of the Rock, which they can do by taking NJ Transit round trip from Newark Penn Atarion.

I appreciate everyone trying to help us with our planning. On Sunday we arrive Newark Airport at 12:20 (lunch time). We are staying at the Newark Hilton Penn Station Hotel.

Sunday our goal is to visit "The Top of the Rock". On Sunday I thought possibly we could also walk through "Time Square". This will be our very first trip to the BIG CITY.

Monday we will have the entire day for Touring. On the top of our list for Monday is the 911 Memorial Tour. Then after that the order of importance will be- A good picture of the Statue of Liberty, Go Inside the Grand Central Terminal for a photo, Go inside the Chrysler Building for a Photo, Go inside New York Public library. (will I be seeing most of these building on our way to the Top of the Rock??)

If the St John the Divine is too far away. That is fine. We can visit the Church close to the 911 Memorial. I just want to visit St John the Divine because of it being the Largest Church. So if we have to skip this thought we will be fine.

Possibly we could visit a small portion of Central Park.????

I would start downtown personally and work your way uptown (unless St John the Divine is a huge priority, because you might run out of steam and not get through everything).

Take the Staten Island Ferry first then hit the memorial (assuming your tickets work out). Then go to Grand Central and walk west across 42nd street. This will allow you stop in at the NY Public Library (42nd and 5th) and maybe take a break at Bryant Park (btwn 5th and 6th).

You could then walk over to Times Square and take the 1 uptown to where St. John's Cathedral is. If you are going uptown, consider getting off at 116th and walking through the Columbia campus (btwn Broadway and Amsterdam) and then down Amsterdam to the Cathedral. Might as well see it if you are up there already and it's a nice campus.

I appreciate everyone trying to help us with our planning. On Sunday we arrive Newark Airport at 12:20 (lunch time). We are staying at the Newark Hilton Penn Station Hotel.

 

Sunday our goal is to visit "The Top of the Rock". On Sunday I thought possibly we could also walk through "Time Square". This will be our very first trip to the BIG CITY.

 

Monday we will have the entire day for Touring. On the top of our list for Monday is the 911 Memorial Tour. Then after that the order of importance will be- A good picture of the Statue of Liberty, Go Inside the Grand Central Terminal for a photo, Go inside the Chrysler Building for a Photo, Go inside New York Public library. (will I be seeing most of these building on our way to the Top of the Rock??)

 

If the St John the Divine is too far away. That is fine. We can visit the Church close to the 911 Memorial. I just want to visit St John the Divine because of it being the Largest Church. So if we have to skip this thought we will be fine.

 

Possibly we could visit a small portion of Central Park.????

For Monday, here is what I would do:

Take the PATH (http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps-schedules.html) from Newark Penn to World Trade Center. Visit the 9/11 Museum and Memorial (for the Memorial as noted previously, timed tickets are required to be purchased in advance).

If you have time, for a good picture of the Statue of Liberty, take a round trip on the Staten Island Ferry (a few blocks southeast of WTC).

From the ferry, walk to the Bowling Green Station and take the 5 (Green) uptown to Grand Central. Grand Central is next door to the Chrysler Building. (Personally, I don't know that there is much to see, but it's there if you want to see it).

If it is not a nice day, you can go back into Grand Central and take the Times Square shuttle to Times Square. Otherwise I would recommend you walk west on 42nd street. (It's about five blocks). You'll pass Bryant Park, which I think is very nice, if you have some time.

Once you take some pictures in Times Square, take the N, Q, or R (Yellow) uptown to 57th St/7th Avenue. You can get a nice glimpse of Central Park, FAO Schwarz, and the Plaza Hotel. If you are hungry, I recommend eating at Carnegie Deli, which is two blocks south (55th/7th).

Otherwise walk about 7 blocks south to 50th and Avenue of the Americas, which is where the Top of the Rock is.

After Rockefeller Center, hop on the B, D, F or M (Orange) south to Herald Square/34th street. From there, walk two blocks west to Penn Station to take NJ Transit back to Newark Penn Station.

-John

Thank you very much. I have written every word of these instructions!!!

 

Now would you be willing to help us with instructions for Monday's activities. We want to go to the World Trade Center Memorial. We would like to go inside the Chrysler Building for a quick look, Grand Central Terminal for another quick look, possibly the New York Public Library. I would like to ride the Staten Island Ferry to get a good look at the Statue of Liberty. If possible visit Cathedral Church of St John the Divine.

 

I have not purchased ticket yet for the Memorial. I know I need to very soon!

 

Any suggestions of what order to do these things? And we are prepared to walk a lot, or if necessary we will try to figure out public transportation.

Forget the ferry as you will get a good look from your ship do not worry about this.

9/11. Get earliest possible tix. Then subway 4/5/6(green line) direct to grand central. Library only 2 blocks away too!! Easy. Chrysler bldg at this time also.

Ok so now it is about 4 pm as the 9/11 museum will take up most of your time so now off to St. John the Divine!!! But it is far away and since you mentioned Central Park you really should just walk up fifth or Madison from grand central to 59 th st and enjoy the park area

You could stop in at st pats cathedral but it is under a massive renovation not sure for how long. Others might know as I haven't been there since Christmas

The OP is sailing from Bayonne. The view of the Statue will be better from lower Manhattan. I wouldn't automatically eliminate taking the Staten Island Ferry. It could be a relaxing break after the 911 Memorial and time to refuel before continuing the rest of the day.

The OP might be able to rearrange the Sunday schedule - add in Central Park and go there first. Then off to the Top of the Rock and on to Times Square in the early evening. I know they like to walk, but taking the number 20 bus northbound from Penn Station to Columbus Circle would give them a jump start. Walk the lower area of the park during daylight from Columbus Circle to Fifth Ave and then south on Fifth to the Top of the Rock. Continue walking to Times Square and then back to Penn Station.

The OP is sailing from Bayonne. The view of the Statue will be better from lower Manhattan. I wouldn't automatically eliminate taking the Staten Island Ferry. It could be a relaxing break after the 911 Memorial and time to refuel before continuing the rest of the day.

 

The OP might be able to rearrange the Sunday schedule - add in Central Park and go there first. Then off to the Top of the Rock and on to Times Square in the early evening. I know they like to walk, but taking the number 20 bus northbound from Penn Station to Columbus Circle would give them a jump start. Walk the lower area of the park during daylight from Columbus Circle to Fifth Ave and then south on Fifth to the Top of the Rock. Continue walking to Times Square and then back to Penn Station.

I would take the subway on the "C" train Uptown and exit at 72nd street.

I would then have a look at the #1 Dakota Building ( John Lennon ), enter Central Park, # 2 walk to Strawberry Fields and then to #4 the Bethesda Fountain. The are public restroom #3 in the stairs leading under the Terrace drive to the Fountain. Then Take the Mall to the South #5.

Expect about 1hr to go from Dakota building to exit the Park on 5th Avenue.

The Top of the Rock is 10 block south.

If you want to visit a Cathedral, there is one right across the street of The Rock.

**This is MY preferred route when I bring someone new to NYC. They see a little part of Central Park along with some landmarks like Dakota, the Fountain, etc...

Maybe someone has a better suggestion....

Have fun !

Subway is definitely faster, but as I've learned from my experiences in European cities, bus is a great compromise choice to get between two points and actually get to see what's in between. I made a point of downloading bus maps for Paris, London, and Rome, and actually slowed down a bit to take as many bus and tram rides in these cities as possible instead of the subway.

I want to say "Thank you" once again for everyones suggestions. I am making notes and I know we will have a good time seeing what we see!

Sebas30 Thank you for the detail information for Central Park