TheReader Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Pretend it is mid-summer, weekday, and you have a 9 hour layover at Newark airport, but want to see the Statue of Liberty. You found this suggested directions for "quickest way to/from under $50" -- The fastest way to the Statue of Liberty from Newark Airport under $50. Step 1: take the Newark Aitrain from the airport to the Newark Airport station on the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line. Step 2: at Newark Airport station on the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line, take a New York-bound NJ Transit train to Newark Penn Station. Step 3: at Newark Penn Station, transfer to the New York-bound PATH Train, which is a commuter line that serve both New York City and New Jersey. Take the train going to the World Trade Center. Step 4: at the World Trade Center, exit the PATH station and walk one block east to Broadway and Fulton Street. Enter the subway and take the downtown (southbound) #4 or 5 train (green line) to Bowling Green. Step 5: from Bowling Green, exit the subway and walk through Battery Park to Castle Clinton (follow sign that says ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island). Buy you ticket at ticket office board the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and enjoy. The same trip can be done, backwards on you return trip to the airport. One -- are these even current instructions?? and Two --- how long, roughly, would all those trains & transfers take??? Is a 9 hour layover enough time to do that? Is there a faster way even though it is more expensive? Thanks for any input..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted May 21, 2012 Author Share Posted May 21, 2012 Frankly, I think the timing is tight. There are too many variables where stuff can go wrong and you could get delayed. We were just at the Statue of Liberty last week. We just looked at it from the park. The line to get onto the ferry was a zillion miles long (that was on a Thursday). I can't think of a faster way than by train/subway. Traffic would slow you down so I don't fathom a taxi as being faster. I can't remember the exact way we went, but we took the subway from Time's Square not far from Penn Station. That didn't take too long and the walk from the station to Battery Park was short. The ride back wasn't long either. But like I said, the line to get onto the Ferry was ridiculously long. They have to screen everyone, and blah blah. thanks! I might have to quote you on this to my DH! I spent one summer in NYC and just reading the list of trains/transfers, knowing we'd be coming off a 10 hour overnight flight (and thus sleep deprived), I think it sounds like a disaster. But I told him I'd ask. I didn't promise to ask in a non-biased manner. ;) I'd much rather do a full NYC trip some day than try and fit in some whirlwind excursion between flights.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Frankly, I think the timing is tight. There are too many variables where stuff can go wrong and you could get delayed. We were just at the Statue of Liberty last week. We just looked at it from the park. The line to get onto the ferry was a zillion miles long (that was on a Thursday). I can't think of a faster way than by train/subway. Traffic would slow you down so I don't fathom a taxi as being faster. I can't remember the exact way we went, but we took the subway from Time's Square not far from Penn Station. That didn't take too long and the walk from the station to Battery Park was short. The ride back wasn't long either. But like I said, the line to get onto the Ferry was ridiculously long. They have to screen everyone, and blah blah. ITA. There's WAY too much opportunity for things to go wrong in that scenario. I haven't taken public transit to the statue, but I lived in NYC and travel there regularly, and I wouldn't do it. I think you COULD do it, if everything worked out just right, but odds are that something will pop up. FWIW, we had a five-hour stopover in London once and left the airport just to say DH had been to London and take a picture of him in a red phone booth. We almost missed our next flight, the whole thing took so long--slow trains, missed stops, crowded stations, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 I'm not sure why they are sending you into New York. You can get the Ferry to the Statue of Liberty from Liberty State Park in Jersey City. The lines are usually shorter than from Manhattan and it's only about 30 minutes from the airport and a much less expensive cab ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted May 21, 2012 Author Share Posted May 21, 2012 I'm not sure why they are sending you into New York. You can get the Ferry to the Statue of Liberty from Liberty State Park in Jersey City. The lines are usually shorter than from Manhattan and it's only about 30 minutes from the airport and a much less expensive cab ride. I will, in an effort to be fair, mention this to DH, but I so wish you hand't shared a faster way! LOL! I think the reason above is because it was something he googled "fast cheap way" or something, so it gave him "under $50" options for total prices -- trains, Statue tickets, etc. for the family. But I'll mention for him to look up Liberty State Park in NJ instead of going into Manhattan and back to Jersey. That might work. If I don't first convince him the whole idea is insane. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted May 21, 2012 Author Share Posted May 21, 2012 I don't think I'd enjoy it. I always feel pretty lousy after a long fight. The thought of tramping through NYC immediately following that sounds awful. Nine hours sounds like a lot of time, but just getting through the darn airport to exit can take an hour! Seriously everything takes a lot longer than you think. My husband is really good at navigating trains, subways, etc. because he grew up with it, but me? I am so unbelievably clueless and would get lost. And you really have to be back before 9 hours because of all the screening carp. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 I will, in an effort to be fair, mention this to DH, but I so wish you hand't shared a faster way! LOL! Keep in mind that the speed of this method will depend on time of day, too. That whole area is a bad one for traffic, so if your return time is the wrong on one, you could end up sitting and sitting in your cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Pretend it is mid-summer, weekday, and you have a 9 hour layover at Newark airport, but want to see the Statue of Liberty. You found this suggested directions for "quickest way to/from under $50" -- How much carry-on luggage do you plan to have, and what will you do with it during this excursion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 You can wait for hours to get on the ferry to the statue in the summer and hours again to get inside unless you are there first thing in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LND1218 Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 I'm not sure why they are sending you into New York. You can get the Ferry to the Statue of Liberty from Liberty State Park in Jersey City. The lines are usually shorter than from Manhattan and it's only about 30 minutes from the airport and a much less expensive cab ride. :iagree: How much carry-on luggage do you plan to have, and what will you do with it during this excursion? :iagree: You can wait for hours to get on the ferry to the statue in the summer and hours again to get inside unless you are there first thing in the morning. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 I think it is :lol: Nothing goes as planned when you travel to New York. Plus if you are traveling above ground the chances of traffic are 100%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 How much carry-on luggage do you plan to have, and what will you do with it during this excursion? ooh, that's a good point. Ummm. We would have a little bit. And I guess take it with us. I don't think he's considered that angle; I certainly hadn't. Will mention that if he brings it up again. You can wait for hours to get on the ferry to the statue in the summer and hours again to get inside unless you are there first thing in the morning. This was my fear. We are so used to traveling off-season, but this time we aren't, and I know summer crowds, even during the week, can be terrible anyplace. I think it is :lol: Nothing goes as planned when you travel to New York. Plus if you are traveling above ground the chances of traffic are 100%. Well, I agree. But I promised him I'd ask. I think he's agreed we will not try this. He has, at the very least, fully noted my opinion, which is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Would be an exercise in frustration and you'll feel rushed and pressured the whole time. Not worth the stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I just wanted to add that although this sounds like it might be stressfully tight to make it to the Statue of Liberty, I like dh's idea: If you are unlikely to return to NYC in the near future, it kind of sucks to have to hang out in the airport for 9 hours without seeing anything interesting. So close, and yet so far. Maybe a better question to ask is: "Given that we've got a 9 hour layover in Newark, what's a seminal New York experience we can have without risking missing our connecting flight"? I'm not a NYC person, but maybe the observation deck at Rockefeller Center is more doable, or Grand Central Station, or ... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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