NYC to Jersey City

We have never been to NYC and are a bit apprehensive about getting around. We are staying at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. We have relatives in Jersey City that own a restaurant and would like to see them.

The "hitch in the get along" is my wife - She will not go underground - no tunnels or subways!

What is the best way to get to Jersey City on top of the ground (a ferry is OK)? We will be going on a Friday evening if that makes a difference traffic wise.

What is the address of your destination in Jersey City?

I don't know the address exactly but I do know it is close to the river. We are not able to walk any great distances either.

Unless you take the extreme scenic route, I can't think of a way to get there without a tunnel. Not sure if there is a ferry that crosses at that point.

Well the Port Imperial- 39th St ferry has an extended schedule. You could take a cab to the ferry terminal at 39th St. and ride across. Then you could take the light rail to Hoboken and transfer to the light rail to Jersey City which runs along the river. The restaurant is sure to be close to one of the stops. I know there is no walking at Hoboken to transfer - its the same platform, but I don't know how much walking is at Port Imperial to get from the ferry to the light rail.

Going by ferry is just fine. You need the NY Waterway 39th St-Hoboken service, most likely.

http://www.nywaterway.com/Hoboken14thRoute.aspx

The ferry ticket includes a special bus service in Manhattan that should connect you from Times Square to the dock; on the New Jersey side you can take Hudson-Bergen Light Rail from the Hoboken terminal to most parts of Jersey City.

NY Waterway operate a few different services -- it may be that another one serves you best, but this runs all day and at weekends and many others only run during the peak.

Hoboken is even better. What was I thinking!!! The light rail is right there. The free bus is fine, but I think they should consider a cab in Manhattan if there are mobility issues. Quite frankly a cab from Hoboken to the Jersey City waterfront should not be outrageous either. It sounds like a fun excursion and it should be made as easy as possible for folks who are apprehensive about New York.

The easiest way to get to Jersey City from Manhattan with minimal walking and without taking the PATH train is to take the NY Waterway ferry from 39th Street Manhattan to Port Imperial, and then take the NJ Transit Light Rail from there to one of the stops in Jersey City.

Do not take the ferry to Hoboken 14th Street--there is no Light Rail stop or other public transportation connection there.

The Port Imperial Light Rail stop is across the street from the Port Imperial ferry terminal. There's a pedestrian overpass from just outside the terminal to the Light Rail stop.

Then, take any Light Rail train that's marked as heading toward Bayonne (8th Street)--not a train going to Hoboken or to Tonelle Avenue. You will not need to transfer to another light rail train at Hoboken; the trains that go to Bayonne make all the stops in Jersey City.

Your relatives can tell you which stop is closest to their restaurant. Or, if you know the name of the restaurant, just let us know here, and I can look up the address & tell you the nearest light rail stop.

Here's a pdf timetable for the light rail trains:

http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0100.pdf

Or you can use the trip planner function here:

http://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=LightRailTo

Select Hudson-Bergen Light Rail as your line and Port Imperial as your origin station. The light rail stops in Jersey City are: Pavonia-Newport, Harsimus Cove, Harborside, Exchange Place, and Essex Street. Your stop will be one of those, depending on the location of the restaurant.

Oops, my apologies. I naively assumed (and didn't check) that the Hoboken ferry went to the main ferry dock adjacent to the station and light rail in Hoboken. What are NY Waterway thinking? (Probably some political turf war.)

Port Imperial it is.

Oops, my apologies. I naively assumed (and didn't check) that the Hoboken ferry went to the main ferry dock adjacent to the station and light rail in Hoboken. What are NY Waterway thinking? (Probably some political turf war.)

 

Port Imperial it is.

No apologies necessary--your assumption is quite understandable & not naive at all.;) NY Waterways did have a service between NYC 39th St and Hoboken NJ Transit Terminal once upon a time, but discontinued it at some point after they started service between NYC 39th St. and Hoboken 14th St. The original route certainly was more convenient for travelers using NJ Transit trains to/from the New Jersey suburbs.

The Hoboken Terminal ferries now run only to/from the World Financial Center and Pier 11-Wall Street.

But I guess we're lucky to have any ferry service at all, so I don't complain!

The ride from Port Imperial to Jersey City is only about 20-25 minutes with no transfer, so that makes it a super option. Thanks Post Captain!

This could even be an alternative option to get to Cape Liberty for folks with luggage staying in Manhattan. A little longer than Path and the light rail and more expensive and an easy transfer, but certainly doable for folks who would rather stay on the surface and spend some time instead of money.

We should also note that the senior fare on the light rail is $1.05.