How do I get from Newark hotel to NYC?

I am cruising on Anthem Sept 6th out of Newark. I have never been to New York and I am very nervous. We are arriving on Sept. 4th and staying at the Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel in Elizabeth. We plan on spending the 5th in NYC, but I have no idea how to get there and back. I should have booked a hotel in Manhattan. It’s too late, my reservations are non-refundable. Oh yeah, the hotel does have a shuttle to and from the airport.

Take the NJ Transit train either from the airport or Penn Station in Newark, which would be easier if you can get there. Or there's another line from South Amboy which is close to the hotel. Check the NJTransit website. It's cheap.

I am cruising on Anthem Sept 6th out of Newark. I have never been to New York and I am very nervous. We are arriving on Sept. 4th and staying at the Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel in Elizabeth. We plan on spending the 5th in NYC, but I have no idea how to get there and back. I should have booked a hotel in Manhattan. It’s too late, my reservations are non-refundable. Oh yeah, the hotel does have a shuttle to and from the airport.

Where exactly are you going in Manhattan? What do you want to see?

The hotel shuttle will drop you at the P4 Airtrain Station. Take the Airtrain to the Newark Airport station. Buy a ticket to New York Penn Station for $13/pp if you're going to midtown Manhattan. If you're going to downtown Manhattan (World Trade Center) buy a ticket to Newark Penn Station for $8.50 and transfer to PATH to the WTC for $2.75/pp.

https://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TrainTo

https://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/Rail_System_Map.pdf

https://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html

Please note: there is no vehicle access to Newark Airpirt Station - you must take Airtrain.

Where exactly are you going in Manhattan? What do you want to see?

The hotel shuttle will drop you at the P4 Airtrain Station. Take the Airtrain to the Newark Airport station. Buy a ticket to New York Penn Station for $13/pp if you're going to midtown Manhattan. If you're going to downtown Manhattan (World Trade Center) buy a ticket to Newark Penn Station for $8.50 and transfer to PATH to the WTC for $2.75/pp.

https://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TrainTo

https://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/Rail_System_Map.pdf

https://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html

 

Please note: there is no vehicle access to Newark Airpirt Station - you must take Airtrain.

Thank you! At the end of the cruise we are taking Royal Caribbean’s NYC tour. We will visit the WTC then. We have tickets to a show in Manhattan in the evening, so I think we will stay close by. I would like to go to the Museum of Natural Art. I’m not sure where that is.

Take the NJ Transit train either from the airport or Penn Station in Newark, which would be easier if you can get there. Or there's another line from South Amboy which is close to the hotel. Check the NJTransit website. It's cheap.

Thanks!

Thank you! At the end of the cruise we are taking Royal Caribbean’s NYC tour. We will visit the WTC then. We have tickets to a show in Manhattan in the evening, so I think we will stay close by. I would like to go to the Museum of Natural Art. I’m not sure where that is.

The WTC site is in Manhattan and the tour RC provides does not allow time to tour the museum. Subway or bus will easily transport you from lower Manhattan(WTC) to midtown(Broadway). Never heard of Natural Art Museum but I am sure if you google you will find a result.

Thank you! At the end of the cruise we are taking Royal Caribbean’s NYC tour. We will visit the WTC then. We have tickets to a show in Manhattan in the evening, so I think we will stay close by. I would like to go to the Museum of Natural Art. I’m not sure where that is.

Do you mean the Museum of Modern Art? 11 W 53rd St in Manhattan between 5th and 6th Ave.

The North Elizabeth train station is close to the hotel, but....the service is much more limited than the service to Newark Airport. You're not from the area and I wouldn't recommend a late evening return to that station that involved hanging around to wait for a cab or Uber back to the hotel. Pay the extra money and go through the airport/Airtrain/hotel shuttle system.

I meant to say the Museum of Natural History.

The Museum of Natural History is on Central Park West between 79th & 81st Streets. The easiest way to get there is either the M10 bus or the C train to 81st Street.

The Museum of Natural History is on Central Park West between 79th & 81st Streets. The easiest way to get there is either the M10 bus or the C train to 81st Street.

Here's the subway map. http://web.mta.info/nyct/maps/subwaymap.pdf

The C train uptown stops right at NY Penn Station (uptown entrance from inside the station) to take you to 81st St. It will also bring you back downtown to the Theater District for your evening play.

Has anyone done the HOHO bus?

You've not given a big list of attactions, but let me give you a few options.

The good news is that between the musuem and Times Square/Broadway (what show are you seeing?) it's all walkable (if long) with attractions along the way, or convenient via subway (C line down 8th).

• Take the train to Penn Station.
  
• Buy a MetroCard for subway fares ($9.25 for 3 trips @ $2.75 + $1 card) and transfer to the C subway train uptown.
  Don't take the A (it's an express that skips the museum with the next stop after Columbus Circle is 125 St Harlem) or the E (which goes to Queens) ..If you get confused in the underground mess that is Penn Station, don't feel stupid. It's confusing, but there are signs. Penn Station is the hardest part of the whole thing!
  
• Get off at the 81st St/Museum exit. You can enter the museum from the station.
  It's a GREAT museum. We're revisiting it again this Fall for about the sixth time in 25-odd visits to the city.
  
• After the museum, either walk south along Central Park West from 80th St to the southern end of the park or take the subway back 1 stop downtown to Columbus Circle, 59th St.
  
• At the south end of the park, there's a children's playground, carousel, and the Central Park Zoo (which is closer to the E side of the park near the Plaza on 5th Ave)
  
• Also at the SW corner of the park at the intersection of Central Park West/8th Ave, 59th St, and Broadway is Columbus Circle. The Time Warner Center is a vertical mall there. (There's also a tall building with a controversial name on top) You probably want lunch sometime after the museum. There are some good options around here.
  
• Walk down Broadway to Times Square. (You can also take the subway. By the way. although the A, B, C trains go down 8th Ave, they are connected to the Times Square station on Broadway and 42nd,)
  
• Alternatively, f you have the time and inclination, instead of spending time at Columbus Circle, you may want to find something for lunch on 5th Ave or the park and then walk down Fifth Avenue past the Plaza Hotel and the Apple Store cube, to St Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center on 50th Ave. Walk west through Rockefeller Center to Broadway.
  
• If you have the time before the show, I recommend stopping for a pre-show drink at the upstairs bar at Sardi's. (44th St bet B'way & 8th, across from the Shubert Theatre). Although there's a Maitre d' at the entrance to the restaurant, just look to your right and walk up the stairs (there's a sign). This is the famous theater hangout (still is) with all the caricatures on the walls. It's basically unchanged for 60 years and has highly skilled bartenders who manage a huge crowd and gets them out in time for curtain. (skilled in that they can mix a dozen excellent martinis and other drinks while keeping an eye out for reorders and payment. Not so much trendy, fussy custom drinks) It's very convenient to shows from 42nd St to about 48th. (A bit more walk to the theaters on 50th-54th - there are closer bars for them, but not as historic) There's no reason to wait in line at the theater early. You have a ticket for your seat and they won't give it away. No need to arrive more than 10-15 minutes beforehand unless it's will-call or Harry Potter, which has a more complex procedure.
  
• One more piece of advice. If you're like us, there's inevitably something you forget. There's a large Walgreen's across from the subway entrances at 42nd & Broadway for last minute items. Also grab-and-go food for the hotel the next morning or NY souvenirs.
  
• Take a 1,2,3 train back to Penn Station and reverse the process back to your hotel.
  

- Mark

Wow Mark, thank you so much for this advice! It sounds like a great plan. We are seeing The Book of Mormon.

Cyndi

Glad to help. A couple of things near the Eugene O'Neil Theatre

- Ellen's Stardust Diner. (B'way & 51st) Mediocre food, but fun "impromptu" performances from the aspiring actors who work as servers. Touristy, but popular.

- Ed Sullivan Theater (Colbert) B'way & 53rd

- After the show, just grab the subway at 50th and take the 1 train downtown to Penn Station. (The 1,2,3 trains run down 7th and Broadway from Penn Station and are a bit more convenient at Penn Station and at 42nd St than the A,B,C trains which run down 8th - but the C train is the one to take to the AMNH)

Take the NJ Transit train either from the airport or Penn Station in Newark, which would be easier if you can get there. Or there's another line from South Amboy which is close to the hotel. Check the NJTransit website. It's cheap.

The New York bound North Jersey Coast line tracks (most trains trains on this line actually originate in Bay Head or Long Branch...only a few in South Amboy) join the Northeast Corridor in Rahway, well before the Newark Airport and Newark Penn stations. As a result the NJ Transit schedule for trains arriving or departing Newark Airport or Newark Penn include both the North Jersey Coast and the Northeast Corridor trains, so there isn't another line or other stations to look for on the schedule at that point.

Thank you! At the end of the cruise we are taking Royal Caribbean’s NYC tour. We will visit the WTC then. We have tickets to a show in Manhattan in the evening, so I think we will stay close by. I would like to go to the Museum of Natural Art. I’m not sure where that is.

Natural History is on Central Park West & West 81st Street (there's also a major entrance to Central Park right at that corner). If you're staying in the theatre district (40's and Bway), getting to the museum is easy - either subway or a cab up 8th/Columbus (it's a decent walk too if you're up to it). NYC is very walkable.

The OP is staying at the Renaissance at Newark airport. They are taking the train to New York Penn Station.