Things to do in NJ / Bayonne area

[novicetraveller]

Hi all,

 

I'm going to be cruising out of Bayonne in April on the Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas. I'll be staying in a hotel for 3 nights and 2 days.

 

I don't mind being a tourist for a couple of days before the cruise, but was hoping to do something different, or at least see the touristy stuff from a different angle.

 

My plan is for one of the 2 days is to go up to the Statue of Liberty, go to Manhattan Bridge, visit the 911 memorial site and, if time permits, go to Central Park, but I need something else to do. I'm not one for "Chilling" or "Chilaxing" or taking it easy. I need to keep myself busy. So any suggestions would greatly received.

 

Ideally, I will be looking to do some form of wildlife photography, if it is practical for me to do so.

[138east]

Hi all,

 

I'm going to be cruising out of Bayonne in April on the Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas. I'll be staying in a hotel for 3 nights and 2 days.

 

I don't mind being a tourist for a couple of days before the cruise, but was hoping to do something different, or at least see the touristy stuff from a different angle.

 

My plan is for one of the 2 days is to go up to the Statue of Liberty, go to Manhattan Bridge, visit the 911 memorial site and, if time permits, go to Central Park, but I need something else to do. I'm not one for "Chilling" or "Chilaxing" or taking it easy. I need to keep myself busy. So any suggestions would greatly received.

 

Ideally, I will be looking to do some form of wildlife photography, if it is practical for me to do so.

 

What are your exact dates? What hotel are you staying in? What airport are you flying into? How many people? These are all elements that will affect the logistics of doing anything. Basically it will take a day to go out to the Statue of Liberty and do the 911 memorial and the bridge (did you mean the Brookkyn Bridge instead of the Manhattan Bridge? That's like mixing up the London Bridge and the Tower Bridge!)

 

I have no idea about what you could do to photograph wildlife. Google Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge to see if that might be an option.

[novicetraveller]

What are your exact dates? What hotel are you staying in? What airport are you flying into? How many people? These are all elements that will affect the logistics of doing anything. Basically it will take a day to go out to the Statue of Liberty and do the 911 memorial and the bridge (did you mean the Brookkyn Bridge instead of the Manhattan Bridge? That's like mixing up the London Bridge and the Tower Bridge!)

 

I have no idea about what you could do to photograph wildlife. Google Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge to see if that might be an option.

I just realised it is 2 nights and not 3 nights. I will be flying into EWR on the 16th and cruising on the 18th and staying in Hilton Penn St.

 

I will only be me travelling, so there is no real problems with logistics. And yes, I meant Manhattan Bridge, unless it is not recommended.

[EGG]

Liberty Science Center, Ellis Island (which may be part of the Statue of Liberty day). Neither is in Bayonne.

 

I see you are at Penn Station. May as well take the train into NY.

Edited January 24, 2016 by EGG

[138east]

I just realised it is 2 nights and not 3 nights. I will be flying into EWR on the 16th and cruising on the 18th and staying in Hilton Penn St.

 

I will only be me travelling, so there is no real problems with logistics. And yes, I meant Manhattan Bridge, unless it is not recommended.

 

So you really only have one full day to go to New York on Sunday April 17. You can take PATH from Newark Penn Station directly to the World Trade Center and walk to the SOL Ferry at South Ferry/Battery Park. Reservations are strongly recommended. Your ferry ticket will include the option to visit Ellis Island as well.

 

What do you want to do at the Manhattan Bridge? It is possible to ride the subway across this bridge if you want to, but there is also local bus service from South Ferry to this area. The big tourist bridge attraction is actually the Brooklyn Bridge. No subway on this bridge, but it is possible to walk across it, which is a very popular activity.

 

From the Manhattan Bridge it is possible to take the bus from the Manhattan bridge area back to the World TradeCenter area where you can visit the 911 Memorial plus the 911 Museum (timed tickets required for the museum).

 

Please note that both the SOL and 911 attractions have security rules which you should be aware of since there is no place to check items.

 

To get back to your hotel would be a PATH train ride back to Newark Penn Station.

 

It is also possible to take accessible public transit/local cab to Cape Liberty from Newark Penn Station. Cost is $15-20. Details can be provided.

[mjkacmom]

http://web.mta.info/nyct/maps/subwaymap.pdf

 

You aren't going to find any wildlife in Newark, but they have some great programs here

 

 

http://www.njpac.org/events/index/40

 

Central Park is great.

[138east]

 

You aren't going to find any wildlife in Newark

 

At least not the wildlife that I'm assuming the OP is looking for!

[Brighton Line]

You could take the subway over the Manhattan Bridge and walk back over the Brooklyn Bridge or you can walk to/from Manhattan over both the Manhattan Bridge and/or Brooklyn Bridge.

 

All the East River bridges you an walk over but only two have subway's that run over them. But one day in NY you won't have the time even if you walk halfway over the Brooklyn Bridge and come back to Manhattan.

 

I go over the Manhattan Bridge everyday on the subway, I've walked over all of the east river bridges but I think I'm beating this subject death.

[novicetraveller]

Thanks for the replies. The only thing I want to do with the bridge is photograph it from lowish level rather than walk it. :)

[TruckerDave]

Thanks for the replies. The only thing I want to do with the bridge is photograph it from lowish level rather than walk it. :)

 

if you only want a picture of it you can get a great view of it from the Brooklyn bridge. The are right next to each other. ;)

[novicetraveller]

if you only want a picture of it you can get a great view of it from the Brooklyn bridge. The are right next to each other. ;)

 

Thanks for the suggestion TruckerDave. It's something for me to consider. Much appreciated.

[navybankerteacher]

The only likely reason to go to the Manhattan Bridge (an ugly unextraordinary steel structure) which I can think of would be to see the nearby Brooklyn Bridge (whose gothic stone towers, built just after the Civil War, make it a true landmark).

 

I suppose if I collected bridge pictures, and gotten all of the interesting ones around New York, I might finally get around to the Manhattan Bridge.

[Artemis908]

If you're staying in Newark, I honestly wouldn't walk around too much in the area. It's just not a great area, especially alone.

 

Luckily Newark Penn Station is close to NY, both to midtown and downtown. There's the typical tourist places like the Museum of Natural History, The Met, MoMA, Central Park/Central Park Zoo. I would recommend considering making a dining reservation or making plans for a nice dinner since NYC has some of the best restaurants in the world. There are plenty of places you can do solo without feeling weird about it.

 

Status of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square, Little Italy, and Chinatown are some other places that come to mind. Also if you're up for it, a Broadway show is something I'd highly recommend. Especially Book of Mormon and Avenue Q.

[novicetraveller]

If you're staying in Newark, I honestly wouldn't walk around too much in the area. It's just not a great area, especially alone.

 

Luckily Newark Penn Station is close to NY, both to midtown and downtown. There's the typical tourist places like the Museum of Natural History, The Met, MoMA, Central Park/Central Park Zoo. I would recommend considering making a dining reservation or making plans for a nice dinner since NYC has some of the best restaurants in the world. There are plenty of places you can do solo without feeling weird about it.

 

Status of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square, Little Italy, and Chinatown are some other places that come to mind. Also if you're up for it, a Broadway show is something I'd highly recommend. Especially Book of Mormon and Avenue Q.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. Sorry it has taken me a while to come back, I've been ill for the past couple of weeks.

 

I am staying in the Hilton Penn Station hotel for the 2 nights. I have booked the Statue of Liberty for first thing in the morning on the day after I arrive. I am going to try and find some time to go to B&H Photo Video shop and pick up a couple of spare parts.

 

If time permits, I will have a look around the area and take a few photos here and there. I will probably give Broadway shows a miss as I suspect that I won't have fully recovered from Jet Lag prior to the cruise.

 

My only concern is food. Being a Diabetic Vegetarian, I will need to find somewhere that works for me. I am not overly concerned about the food containing some sugars, as long as it isn't laced in the stuff. I love Italian food, not great fan of Chinese. If there is a Mongolian place, I might be tempted to check it out. Any recommendations welcomed. (Also, if anyone has any recommendation on places where I can get a greasy spoon cafe, please feel free to recommend).