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I'm going to take my first trip to NYC next month and instead of flying in, I was thinking about driving (10.5 hours) from Indy to the West Orange, NJ area, getting a hotel and then taking a train in to the city each day.
On the way out, I could split it into 1 1/2 days of driving but on the way back it would be one day.
Does 280 into this area have heavy traffic? Is the train close and easy access into NYC?
This seems to be a cheaper alternative to flights, shuttles and hotels in Manhattan. Also I don't like to fly if I don't have to. Just trying to make sure this wouldn't be a crazy idea.
If so, don't stay in West Orange, find someplace closer, even airBNB someplace in Manhattan or something, don't deal with commuting to NJ every day on vacation, getting home at 11 after a Broadway show or at the bar is going to get old really fast.
No particular reason, just found a decent hotel in West Orange. It is a vacation. It looked like the trains only take 35 or so minutes in to the city. Sounds like I might be better off staying in the city. I didn't know how difficult it was getting around the area.
I appreciate that you're trying to save a few bucks, but that just doesn't sound like any fun at all.
If you really don't want to fly, maybe consider driving to the NJ Transit Metropark station, where you can leave your car parked indefinitely, then take the train to the city and stay in a hotel in the city. I'm not aware of other train stations that offer long-term parking. Anyone?
It's not difficult, it's a single seat ride from Penn Station to West Orange, which is great. But heaven help you if something goes awry, a tree on the lines or a train gets stuck. And do you really want to walk from the train to your hotel when it's pouring rain? You're also not counting your round trip train ticket into your hotel costs. And you certainly don't want to stay past 2 AM for any reason, o rvisit Brooklyn or anything that takes you away from NJ.
If you're visiting New York, stay in New York. I don't know what kind of deal you're finding in West Orange but a quick glance finds 5 hotels out there for $159 or so. I can find prices in Manhattan at the Row or even a Doubletree for $110. You don't have to park your car in New York, but there's a difference between being frugal and wasting your time on the train.
You're basically saying that when visiting Indianapolis I should stay in Shelbyville because it's only a 35 minute trip.
If you really want to avoid staying in Manhattan I would recommend staying somewhere on the PATH line, not NJ Transit. NJT trains don't run all night, PATH does, and the PATH is cheaper per trip. The last NJT trains leave NY Penn around 1:30 am, even on weekends. This means you'd really have to plan well to get back to West Orange on time depending on where you are you are in the city at that moment.
Jersey City or even Newark might be good options (I say might because I know nothing about hotel prices in these areas, this is just something to consider). There's also Harrison and Hoboken. Google PATH and check it out. Look at the maps of the lines and the cities/towns they stop in and look up nearby hotels. PATH is super quick into the city from most stops.
If you stay in west orange you will have to either take the bus or take the train from south orange or montclair. Likely you will need to uber to and from the train station. Also trains and busses dont run that late so if you plan to stay late in the city you will be paying for a very expensive uber fare back. i would like close to a path station or in NYC. you would be surprised at the rates you can find sometimes in Manhattan, queens or brooklyn. Also check Airbnb.
There aren't any trains from West Orange and there's little available parking at the nearest stations in Orange and South Orange. There's a new hotel in Harrison, NJ near the PATH station (the Element) and several in downtown Jersey City. Advantage of Jersey City is it's closer to Manhattan and the area is nicer than Harrison. And the skyline views in Jersey City are better than in Manhattan.
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