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Brooklyn departure on NYC Marathon day!

angelofjoy23

By angelofjoy23,
in East Coast Departures

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angelofjoy23

angelofjoy23

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Help!  Our cruise departs on November 5...the same day of the NYC marathon.  Will we even be able to get to the terminal?  Our hotel is right by JFK so we will have to cross the marathon path to even get to the terminal.  I've tried finding other hotels near the terminal, but they're 4x the cost of my current hotel.  Does anyone have advice?  

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princeton123211

princeton123211

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15 minutes ago, angelofjoy23 said:

Will we even be able to get to the terminal?  Our hotel is right by JFK so we will have to cross the marathon path to even get to the terminal.  I've tried finding other hotels near the terminal, but they're 4x the cost of my current hotel.  Does anyone have advice?  

Yes, you'll be able to get there. The marathon doesn't cut off parts of the city-- there are highways and alternate routes that allow movement. Also by the early/mid afternoon, when you would be boarding, the Marathon is already pushing mainly towards Long Island City/Manhattan/Bronx. The marathon route in Brooklyn is on Fourth Ave and coming from JFK where you would cross Fourth Ave is elevated over the marathon route. 

 

It can cause delays and traffic-- just give yourself extra time to get there but I don't think you would need to change a hotel for 4x to stay closer to the BCT than at JFK (and the Marathon is the reason those rooms are 4x on that date).

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BklynBoy8

BklynBoy8

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If you are coming from JFK and take the Belt Parkway will run into the Gowanus Expressway.

 

Taking the Gowanus Expressway (above 3rd Avenue and next to 4th Avenue) towards the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel/Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) and get off the Hamilton Avenue Exit. That is before the Tunnel.

 

You will be traveling laterally along the Marathon and away/towards the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

 

The Cruise Terminal entrance is behind the Tunnel.

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princeton123211

princeton123211

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5 minutes ago, angelofjoy23 said:

We are staying at the Residence Inn in Jamaica.  Is that not a good hotel?  It had decent reviews. 

I think what Got2Cruise was getting at is that its just not an amazing area which I agree with. The TWA Hotel at Terminal 5 (actually on airport property vs all the others which are just off airport property) is fun. Its not quite a luxury hotel but its not a budget one either. But it has a bunch of on site dining and a really great rooftop pool that overlooks the runways. If you are planning on spending time at the hotel (vs just getting in late and sleeping) the TWA might be worth a look. 

 

I haven't stayed at the Residence Inn there but it looks new so usually when they are newer they are fine. If you are planning on leaving the hotel for anything I would maybe consider something else. If you are just going there to crash for the night then it should be fine. 

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angelofjoy23

angelofjoy23

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1 hour ago, BklynBoy8 said:

If you are coming from JFK and take the Belt Parkway will run into the Gowanus Expressway.

 

Taking the Gowanus Expressway (above 3rd Avenue and next to 4th Avenue) towards the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel/Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) and get off the Hamilton Avenue Exit. That is before the Tunnel.

 

You will be traveling laterally along the Marathon and away/towards the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

 

The Cruise Terminal entrance is behind the Tunnel.

So, bottom line, it hopefully won't be a total disaster and the taxi driver should know what to do?

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GTJ

GTJ

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17 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

I think what Got2Cruise was getting at is that its just not an amazing area which I agree with. * * * But it has a bunch of on site dining and a really great rooftop pool that overlooks the runways. * * * I haven't stayed at the Residence Inn there but it looks new so usually when they are newer they are fine. If you are planning on leaving the hotel for anything I would maybe consider something else. If you are just going there to crash for the night then it should be fine. 

"Amazing" is in the eye of the beholder. Many who reside in south Jamaica find it to be a great to live here, and are proud to be a home owner. The challenge to a hotel visitor is that the area does lack the facilities that such visitors typically desire, such as a selection of restaurants. There are no tourist attractions here, but if one is doing business here, has family or other ties to the community, desires to be in a typical NYC residential neighborhood without glitz, or simply wants a place to get a good night's rest, then this could be a good choice. This particular hotel building was constructed circa 2021, though the entire site has been used for hotel purposes for quite some time.

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BklynBoy8

BklynBoy8

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35 minutes ago, angelofjoy23 said:

I plan to give us several hours haha.  I'm not taking any chances! 🙂

 

As for the hotel, good point about not having much to do the night before.  I will look into other options.  Thanks!

 

Yes....

 

The Belt will be affected when approaching the VZ Bridge since part of it will be closed for the runner thru the streets, but once past, you should not be affected.

 

Get A GOOD DRIVER familiar with Marathon Day operations and Bon Voyage!

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GTJ

GTJ

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35 minutes ago, Got2Cruise said:

By those who are from the area and know that those properties are used for emergency housing for homeless families by NYC.

I have worked in the Baisley Park neighborhood for many years. The main headquarters had been on Rockaway Boulevard, just a few blocks from this hotel; I worked on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, also just a few blocks away. There are many good and hard-working people who live here.

 

I have never tried keeping track of those hotels used by the city to house homeless persons. Hotels throughout all of NYC--including the heart of midtown Manhattan--have been used to house such persons, and it is difficult to keep on top of which hotels are being are being used at any particular time. Moreover, at the present time, when so many illegal aliens are arriving in NYC from the southern border, the resulting housing crisis has been so volatile that I would advise anyone coming into NYC that there is a possibility that their hotel is being used for such purposes. (Not to say that other cities are immune to the problem as well: the issue is related to the insecurity of the southern border, not to NYC specifically.)

 

I have no reason to believe that this particular hotel, the Residence Inn, is used any more so for homeless persons (or for illegal aliens) than other hotels. I would like to know who these people are, in south Jamaica and Baisley Park, who are seemingly trying to discourage hotel usage in these neighborhoods . . . the economic harm to the community would be a terrible blow to a largely working-class population.

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angelofjoy23

angelofjoy23

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Thanks everyone for all the feedback.  I will probably just keep the hotel since I got a good rate and it's just an overnight stay before the cruise.  I'm assuming we can just uber somewhere to get some food that night.  

1 hour ago, BklynBoy8 said:

Get A GOOD DRIVER familiar with Marathon Day operations and Bon Voyage!

Hopefully whoever comes up on Uber will be a good driver 😐

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GTJ

GTJ

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On 9/12/2023 at 6:05 PM, angelofjoy23 said:

[I]t's just an overnight stay before the cruise. I'm assuming we can just uber somewhere to get some food that night.

Fine for a place to sleep. But I am really hard-pressed to give a suggestion for eating. Other than at the hotel itself, there's no sit-down restaurant in close proximity. A few fast food places, sandwich places, and very informal places (though if you would like a simple roti you might do well), but not much else. Not a diner or even good pizza. Best I can suggest are Don Peppe (Italian), perhaps the best of the lot, 135-58 Lefferts Boulevard (1-1/2 miles distant); Nanking (Indian-Thai-Chinese), 134-07 Rockaway Boulevard (3/4 mile distant); and Rockaway Grill (Indian), 141-16 Rockaway Boulevard (1/2 mile distant). About three miles west is Cross Bay Boulevard, where you will find a few places to eat (including New Park Pizza, which is pretty good). Hopefully there will be an adequate restaurant among these. I would think it would be difficult to do well with food delivered by Uber, either not being great food or so distant as to be cold on arrival.

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angelofjoy23

angelofjoy23

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9 hours ago, GTJ said:

Fine for a place to sleep. But I am really hard-pressed to give a suggestion for eating. Other than at the hotel itself, there's no sit-down restaurant in close proximity. A few fast food places, sandwich places, and very informal places (though if you would like a simple roti you might do well), but not much else. Not a diner or even good pizza. Best I can suggest are Don Peppe (Italian), perhaps the best of the lot, 135-58 Lefferts Boulevard (1-1/2 miles distant); Nanking (Indian-Thai-Chinese), 134-07 Rockaway Boulevard (3/4 mile distant); and Rockaway Grill (Indian), 141-16 Rockaway Boulevard (1/2 mile distant). About three miles west is Cross Bay Boulevard, where you will find a few places to eat (including New Park Pizza, which is pretty good). Hopefully there will be an adequate restaurant among these. I would think it would be difficult to do well with food delivered by Uber, either not being great food or so distant as to be cold on arrival.

What about Margherita Pizza?  Looks like that's only 3 miles from the hotel.  I think we'd enjoy getting a good NYC pizza and/or bagel while we're there. 

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GTJ

GTJ

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1 hour ago, angelofjoy23 said:

What about Margherita Pizza? Looks like that's only 3 miles from the hotel.

This establishment is in the heart of downtown Jamaica, at 163-04 Jamaica Avenue. It would be an adequate and typical pizza place. Not great, but good and probably satisfying. Not really a restaurant atmosphere but with a small amount of fast food type seating. There's a good online video that reviews the place here: https://youtu.be/d8W1rtdG06Q?si=wWAz1F7ode4RO4-V. Good access from the hotel via Q40 from immediately outside the hotel (allow 20-25 minutes each way), but poor access by automobile (congested traffic and difficult parking).

 

The best place nearby is New Park Pizza, 156-71 Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach, also about three miles distant from the hotel. Uniformly good reviews, and I have been very pleased with their pizza. While not the best in New York City, it is very good, and there is a decent area within for sit-down dining. There's a good online review here (language caution): https://youtu.be/UHKIGKrO1IE?si=7H2CcgxgKIPtiXYN. Poor access via public transportation, but very good access by automobile (not much traffic congestion and parking can be found).

 

Near New Park Pizza in Howard Beach are three good (again not great but satisfactory) bagel places. All-American Bagel, 82-41 153rd Avenue; Old Country Bagel, 162-26 Cross Bay Boulevard; and Howard Beach Bagel Cafe, 162-54 Cross Bay Boulevard. None are immediately adjacent to New Park Pizza, but all are a short walk away. Unlike Jamaica, the commercial area of Howard Beach is spread out along a busy street, not concentrated in a compact downtown. Note that the best bagels in Queens County (and arguably in New York City) is near where I reside, but all the way crosstown in Whitestone (9 miles from the hotel), Utopia Bagels on 19-09 Utopia Parkway.

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princeton123211

princeton123211

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1 hour ago, angelofjoy23 said:

What about Margherita Pizza?  Looks like that's only 3 miles from the hotel.  I think we'd enjoy getting a good NYC pizza and/or bagel while we're there.

If you want pizza just pick a place and have it delivered-- no reason to actually go to it when you'll have a ton of delivery options to your hotel and not have to pay an Uber.

 

This is all subjective, and no knock on folks that live in the area, its just not a part of New York that I, as a visitor, would want to spend time wandering around. Is it unsafe? Not any more so than most major cities but just not particularly picturesque either. For the most part its a working class residential neighborhood-- not the normal cityscape of restaurants/hotels/shopping you find elsewhere in New York City. 

 

If you want to actually go somewhere a quick Uber ride over to the TWA Hotel at Terminal 5 has multiple restaurants and bars ranging from upscale to quick service-- including a bagel shop in the morning. 

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GTJ

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Delivery is second-best. I think most New Yorkers extensively rely on delivery, but it is not as good as having a freshly served meal. I'm not certain that either of the two mentioned pizza places will, themselves, deliver to the hotel, and if not the hotel front desk will certainly know the pizza places that reliably deliver. In any case, I would never rely on an independent delivery service (e.g., Uber, Seamless) to fetch pizza, but would instead rely on the pizza place itself to deliver.

 

I agree that none the areas mentioned are particularly picturesque. These are working class neighborhoods. (Note: I reside in a working-class neighborhood, one that is safe, securing, and economically bustling, but not picturesque.) Where I do disagree is that these are, in fact, typical city neighborhoods. This is how most people in New York City live. The rich people in Manhattan, and their tony neighborhoods, are the minority.

 

I would never go to an airport to eat or drink. Over-priced, typically not that good, and just the transient feel of an airport detract so much. I would much rather find a mediocre restaurant along Cross Bay Boulevard than eat at the airport.

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BklynBoy8

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We don't leave home that day and stay within the neighborhood.

 

Even though it would ruin the opportunity to enjoy a trip, I think foremost we would avoid a cruise out of Brooklyn on a designated Marathon Day.

 

There should be sailings on other days to make it more pleasurable with travel.

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lenquixote66

lenquixote66

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On 9/13/2023 at 11:47 PM, GTJ said:

Fine for a place to sleep. But I am really hard-pressed to give a suggestion for eating. Other than at the hotel itself, there's no sit-down restaurant in close proximity. A few fast food places, sandwich places, and very informal places (though if you would like a simple roti you might do well), but not much else. Not a diner or even good pizza. Best I can suggest are Don Peppe (Italian), perhaps the best of the lot, 135-58 Lefferts Boulevard (1-1/2 miles distant); Nanking (Indian-Thai-Chinese), 134-07 Rockaway Boulevard (3/4 mile distant); and Rockaway Grill (Indian), 141-16 Rockaway Boulevard (1/2 mile distant). About three miles west is Cross Bay Boulevard, where you will find a few places to eat (including New Park Pizza, which is pretty good). Hopefully there will be an adequate restaurant among these. I would think it would be difficult to do well with food delivered by Uber, either not being great food or so distant as to be cold on arrival.

The last time I dined in Don Peppe was 2017 .The food and atmosphere were always great whenever I was there.

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