Getting to Manhattan Pier from Pennsylvania

[PAERRN20]

This is my first cruise AND my first time driving to NYC. I need a little help. I was planning on taking I-80 to the George Washington Bridge to 9A south in order to get to the Manhattan Pier for my Carnival cruise. It departs on Sunday June 5th. How bad will traffic be? I'm not an experienced city driver.

 

Also, we were planning on staying in Parsippany, NJ the night before. On Sunday we were going to leave the hotel by 10am in order to get to the port as to leave time for getting lost. The boat leaves at 5pm. Is this a good idea? Should we leave earlier? I'm so nervous!

[138east]

Sounds like a good plan. 9A is the Henry Hudson Parkway. It is the very first exit from the GW Bridge. If you're on the upper level, you want to be in the right lane and on the lower lever, the left lane. Follow the Downtown signs. The road is limited access and ends right at the Manhattan pier. Traffic should not be an issue on a Sunday morning.

[marianthelibrarian]

Traffic shouldn't be bad on a Sunday morning-- you should have smooth "sailing" on your way to the pier. You can check traffic conditions on the radio AM 1010. I think they do them on the 1's.

 

I live in NJ but am not originally from there, and I find the road signs, especially on the highways, to be confusing. (They do things like name highways and use that name instead of the number on signs-- super confusing for a non-native!) Being prepared for that should help, too. I rely on my GPS A LOT in NJ! And, as the other poster said, get in the lane you need for your exit on the GW Bridge. (I like the upper level-- better views!) You'll be fine! I think it will take about an hour, maybe a little less, to get from Parsippany to the Manhattan Pier.

 

There's an Indian restaurant in Parsippany that we like to go to-- let me know if you want the info for it!

[geegee1]

That should be more than enough time. There's no Yankees home game that day, and that early in the day the crowd coming back from the shore isn't a factor. Also ask your hotel front deak the best way to get from there to the port. It might be easier to take the Lincoln Tunnel instead of the GW Bridge

[KFC]

That should be more than enough time. There's no Yankees home game that day, and that early in the day the crowd coming back from the shore isn't a factor. Also ask your hotel front deak the best way to get from there to the port. It might be easier to take the Lincoln Tunnel instead of the GW Bridge

 

I think for a newbie to NYC taking the GWB is the way to go. It can be confusing when you exit the Lincoln Tunnel as to which direction to take. As the previous poster said take the Henry Hudson South (it may say 9A but that could only be northbound) and it will take you right there and it's pretty to go along the Hudson River! I prefer the lower level of the GWB as there are no trucks allowed. They can really back it up at the toll. Your timing sounds fine.

[138east]

I agree. The only way I would go in the Lincoln Tunnel would be if 1010 WINS says there is an extraordinary backup on the GW Bridge, which is unlikely on a Sunday morning. The GW Bridge has 7 lanes into New York wherease the Lincoln Tunnel will have 2-4 lanes. The secret is to get in the correct lane on the bridge and not miss the Henry Hudson Parkway exit. That's much easier than trying to figure out which tunnel lane to be in or exactly where to go when you get out of the tunnel.

[PAERRN20]

I agree. The only way I would go in the Lincoln Tunnel would be if 1010 WINS says there is an extraordinary backup on the GW Bridge, which is unlikely on a Sunday morning. The GW Bridge has 7 lanes into New York wherease the Lincoln Tunnel will have 2-4 lanes. The secret is to get in the correct lane on the bridge and not miss the Henry Hudson Parkway exit. That's much easier than trying to figure out which tunnel lane to be in or exactly where to go when you get out of the tunnel.

 

Ok so which lane do I want to be in on the bridge? Is this the lower level/ upper level that everyone is refering to?

[138east]

Here's what I said in an earlier post.

 

"Sounds like a good plan. 9A is the Henry Hudson Parkway. It is the very first exit from the GW Bridge. If you're on the upper level, you want to be in the right lane and on the lower lever, the left lane. Follow the Downtown signs. The road is limited access and ends right at the Manhattan pier. Traffic should not be an issue on a Sunday morning. "

 

The bridge has two levels of two-way traffic in and out of NYC. It was originally one level, but about 40 years ago they added the second level. You will know whether you're on the upper or lower bridge. If you've never been across the bridge and the traffic is OK, I'd advise doing the upper bridge for the experience. The Henry Hudson Parkway is the very first exit and you don't want to miss it. On the upper bridge get in the far right lane after you go through the toll booth. On the lower bridge get the the far left lane.

[KFC]

Here's what I said in an earlier post.

 

"Sounds like a good plan. 9A is the Henry Hudson Parkway. It is the very first exit from the GW Bridge. If you're on the upper level, you want to be in the right lane and on the lower lever, the left lane. Follow the Downtown signs. The road is limited access and ends right at the Manhattan pier. Traffic should not be an issue on a Sunday morning. "

 

The bridge has two levels of two-way traffic in and out of NYC. It was originally one level, but about 40 years ago they added the second level. You will know whether you're on the upper or lower bridge. If you've never been across the bridge and the traffic is OK, I'd advise doing the upper bridge for the experience. The Henry Hudson Parkway is the very first exit and you don't want to miss it. On the upper bridge get in the far right lane after you go through the toll booth. On the lower bridge get the the far left lane.

 

whichever level you go on just watch the signs as they clearly state where to go. The problem people have is checking out the views and forget to pay attention to the signs until its too late to change lanes!