Priceline Hotel: 3* Newark (Jersey City) Hyatt Regency on Hudson

[Hank]

1st bid accepted, I'm looking forward now to see "The Gates" :)

@thereuare,

thanks for this great resource and as I have learned from other threads, you are quite familiar with this vicinity? Since this is my first stay in New York outside of Manhattan, I'll probably have some questions. Is it appropriate to use this thread with any questions?

Best regards,

Hank

[thereuare]

Thanks for your post.

Sure, more than appropriate to continue this thread with your posts, but here is one thread to get you started: HOBOKEN and JERSEY CITY.

[Hank]

That's a great beginning to plan my visit, thank you.

[Hank]

A question ragarding public transportation form JFK airport:

Is it the best way to take subway line A to Canal Street, change there to line E back to WTC and jump there on a PATH train to Hoboken?

Thanks,

-Hank.

[thereuare]

That would work... but you want the PATH to NEWARK (not Hoboken). From WTC first stop on the Newark line is Exchange Place.

[Hank]

That would work... but you want the PATH to NEWARK (not Hoboken).  From WTC first stop on the Newark line is Exchange Place.

I thought both destinations are OK, according to the PATH map:

Breakfast is the most important meal, what do you recommend for breakfast near the hotel?

Thank you.

[thereuare]

Your right... either the Hoboken or Newark train would work (i rarely use the WTC station)... but depending upon what hour it is, there may not be any Hoboken train (as at nite, only the Red and Blue/Yellow lines run)

I'm never in this area in the early am so i can't recommend a place for breakfast, but there is a Au Bon Pain nearby (blech!) and some other similar type of places that serve the 'wall street west' workers. On the weekends many of these places will be closed and there won't be much selection in the immediate area.

If you want to walk a bit i would think La Conguita would have a great and fairly inexpensive breakfast (i've only eaten there for lunch/dinner). If you're heading into NYC there are carts on just about every corner selling coffee, donuts, and bagels (they all get the bagels from the same place... and they're awful, but for .50 for a bagel with butter it's passable)

[Hank]

Thanks again. A little walk for breakfast is not a problem, but having a good breakfast is important to me - considering the strenuous day in Manhattan.

I couldn't find La Conguita in your restaurant list, where exactly is it located?

Regards,

-Hank.

Edited to add: I just found it:

La Conguita

Description - Authentic latin cuisine.

Services - Daily specials, breakfast, lunch, dinner,wine & beer

Hours - (Please confirm) 7 days a week

Address - 351 Grove St, Jersey City, New Jersey ( NJ ) 07302-2914 Map It

Telephone - (201) 435-6770

- but it gets no good reviews: http://www.kannekt.com/review/jer19551.htm

I neither speak Spanish nor do they know me ...

[thereuare]

La Conguita

351 Grove St

Jersey City, New Jersey 07302

It's not one of my better recommendations... it looks like the type of place where breakfast would be good (as i said, i've never been there for breakfast), and their spanish coffee gets high marks from what i hear. One more thing... the service will suck, so consider yourself forewarned :)

If breakfast is so important to you give La Isla a shot in Hoboken (requires a PATH or LightRail ride). A bit more expensive, but not terribly.

[Hank]

Thanks. Next question arose ... how safe is it to walk from the hotel to the Newport Center Mall? It seems to be only approx. 1.2 miles by foot, but I'm not sure how safe the streets are, especially on the way back.

Regards,

-Hank.

[thereuare]

Should be fine, but if you don't feel safe you can always take the LightRail direct from Newport to Exchange Place.

Although the Newport Mall is decent sized... it's not a very good mall (imo). As well, if you were thinking of seeing a movie, i wouldn't do it there (i think they have metal detectors at the entrance).

[JTravel]

I am not sure about the good breakfast, but there is a finance center building in which you can find many restaurant including a food court. I think you can try (it's just beside the hotel).

[Hank]

Should be fine, but if you don't feel safe you can always take the LightRail direct from Newport to Exchange Place.

Although the Newport Mall is decent sized... it's not a very good mall (imo). As well, if you were thinking of seeing a movie, i wouldn't do it there (i think they have metal detectors at the entrance).

I'm sure that there are better malls elsewhere, but I don't have a car and not much time to spend for shopping, so it should be better than nothing.

Thanks for the LightRail tip, I'll probably use it for the way back to the hotel, it's for sure more convenient to use the train instead of walking with all the shopping bags.

[Hank]

I am not sure about the good breakfast, but there is a finance center building in which you can find many restaurant including a food court. I think you can try (it's just beside the hotel).

Thanks for the tip, I'll give it a try (but it will be closed on the weekend, so I'll need an alternative then).

[cabara]

The rooms at the Hyatt Regency have coffee makers and small refrigerators in them. So as a backup you may want to pick up some juice and/or yogurt.

If you can wait till you get into Manhattan for a big breakfast one day, the coffee shop at the Edison Hotel is a hopping place in the morning. Occasionally good for celebrity sightings and as reasonably priced as anything you'll find in New York.

The Edison Hotel is in the Times Square area, on West 47th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue.

[Hank]

Thanks, cabara. Any input is greatly appreciated.

I have a question regarding the view. Is it true that every room has a view of Manhattan or are there landside rooms I should be aware of?

[cabara]

All the rooms have views. Instead of being built parallel to Manhattan, with one side of the hotel have views and the other side looking at New Jersey, the hotel is built perpendicular to Manhattan. (I think it might be built on an old pier.) So one side of the hotel gets views looking northward along the Hudson River and the other side of the hotel gets the southern view, including the Statue of Liberty in the distance.

[Hank]

Sounds good. Thank you. :)

[joaoah]

Hi All,

I'm wondering about sleeping in this hotel and staying the entire day in Manhattan and returning late to the hotel.

Is there any problem doing this? Is it safe on the underground/rail? Does the underground / PATH work well late at night?

I appreciate any comments.

Thanks and regards,

John

[thereuare]

Most consider it safe, my wife has taken it all hours of the nite w/o concern, but of course you're still in a big city atmosphere so use caution and be aware of your surroudings.

On weekends late nite the PATH runs every 15 minutes until 2am, after that it's every 30 minutes, and the wait is most likely the biggest problem you encounter on a PATH train.

[Hank]

Hmpf ... you might have heard from the subway incident in Lower Manhattan ...

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/39314.htm

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/alert/alertnyct.htm

Since I'll arrive at JFK and have to take the AirTrain anyway, what about using the "E" train from Jamaica-Sulphin Blvd to WTC, I guess this should work well, shouldn't it?

[thereuare]

Nothing has been announced about the E line, but as it runs on the same path as the A and C, i would think that you may have some minor delays.... most likely still your best option though.

[Hank]

You're right, the path remains the same (and therefore the possible delays, too) but it might be not as overcrowded as the A train. And, as another advantage, it goes straight to WTC, so I don't need to change the train in order to get to PATH.