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I'd like to visit an old friend on the upper west side, but am not keen on paying Manhattan prices for hotel accommodations while there.
When visiting other big cities, I've sometimes scouted hotels in less expensive suburbs that have good rail access to the metropolis. The trouble is, I don't know my New York suburbs or rail lines well enough to know where to begin. I know I can take, say, the Metro North from Yonkers or White Plains into Manhattan, or New Jersey Transit to NY Penn Station, and see that the travel times don't look too bad ... but seeing those place names and train schedules on my computer screen is one thing, and first hand experience is another. I don't know Yonkers or White Plains or Newark, or any of the other areas around New York City. I also don't known Metro North or NJ Transit.
So, my question: can anyone recommend a relatively clean, quiet, safe area on one of the commuter rail (or subway) lines, where I can scout for a hotel that won't cost me the leg and arm I'd pay in Manhattan, and that will still allow me to travel in and out of Manhattan every day with approximately sixty minutes max travel time each way?
Maybe this strategy won't work in New York City, but I thought it couldn't hurt to ask! Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Downtown Jersey City is cheap and quiet for the most part aside from traffic , 24/7 access to NYC via PATH and weekday ferries... White Plains is pretty cheap , Metro North runs every 20-30mins from 5am to 1am.... Theres also Harrison , Downtown Newark which is next to The Ironbound aka Little Portugal....those 2 areas are connected to NYC by either the PATH which runs 24/7 or the Regional Rail which runs from 5am to 1.30am...and buses which run 24/7... If you stay in White Plains the cost of traveling into the city is more expensive compared to Jersey City , Newark and Harrison which is 2.25$ and Regional Rail is 4.50$ for NJT. White Plains is 8-10$ one way....offpeak... From Newark Broad Street station (near the Harrison Hotel) or Newark Penn near the Downtown Hotels into Manhattan it takes 10-15minutes , another 15 mins up to the Upper West side from Penn Station. From Jersey City its 5 mins into Manhattan then 25mins up to the Upper West Side.... White Plains takes about 45 mins to Grand Central and about another 15 mins to the Upper West side.
I suggest looking into Long Island City, which is in Queens very near Manhattan, so you could travel in by subway and be in midtown in something like 15 minutes (depends on the hotel). Many of them are new within the past 5 years so hopefully they are not so run-down as some other outer borough hotels. Long Island City Hotels: Compare 21 Hotels in Long Island City, with 5,933 Reviews | TripAdvisor
The other place I suggest looking into is New Jersey, anywhere that is walking distance from the PATH train or has a free shuttle to the PATH train. The way you could do a search is: https://www.google.com/search?q=path...hrome&ie=UTF-8
If you feel comfortable using BART, you won't have any problems dealing with the PATH train from NJ. The other suggestion for hotels in Queens is also good and then you can just hop on the subway. Metro North would be closer to the Caltrain.
What airport will you be using? There are hotels close to LaGuardia Airport and the Number 7 train. There are hotels close to JFK. There are also hotels in downtown Jamaica, where you transfer from the E train and LIRR to the Airtrain to JFK airport.
If you're flying into Newark, you might look for hotels in Jersey City. As others have noted, you could take the path train or ferries into Manhattan.
If you feel comfortable using BART, you won't have any problems dealing with the PATH train from NJ. The other suggestion for hotels in Queens is also good and then you can just hop on the subway. Metro North would be closer to the Caltrain.
BART is nowhere near the PATH....its slower , doesn't 24/7 and loud while the PATH is quiet. Caltrain is like the LIRR , NJT and Metro North are in leagues of their own.
Thanks, everyone, for some excellent suggestions. My visit to NYC is likely to be more pleasant and more affordable than I'd hoped, thanks to those who contributed to this thread. Much appreciated!
Clean rural/suburban enclave with commute to Manhattan with Metro North.
The commute might take more than 60 min. though...
Calling Wassaic suburban is a bit of a stretch. I don't think there are even hotels near the train station. There are plenty of farm fields.
To the OP: As already been suggested, I'd recommend looking at Brooklyn or Queens (or NJ near a PATH station) first before checking out the suburbs as the location would be more convenient.
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