2009 DS Festival Hotel Preview -- Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel - Part 2

[katrinavantassel]

Is anybody here going? I was playing with the idea for the longest time but ultimately decided not to go as I couldn't find anyone to come with me and I didn't feel comfortable driving all the way to NJ by myself.

[adamsgirl]

I'll be there, as well as AngeliqueWins. I know others are planning as well, but offhand, I couldn't say who for sure. One thing I'll say: You're never alone at a festival. Everyone is really friendly and open.

[ProfStokes]

I'm going to the Fest this year.    However, I'm getting there by way of JFK.  Can anyone from the area recommend a good way to get from Penn Station to the Newark airport using public transportation?  I see that Amtrak goes out that way, but the ticket price is a bit higher than what I had anticipated...

ProfStokes

[DLA75]

I looked it up take for the subway take The E from JFK tansfer to the 4 5 or 6 dontown to penn station/34thst at Lexington ave You can take NJ transit to Newark Ariport but i think the ticket is a bit more then the other stops becase it includes  the cost of the Newark Airport  Monorail. You can also get off at the Other Penn Station in Newark but i am not sure how you get to the hotel from there.

[Pansity]

DLA75, I hope you won't be offended, but I spotted a number of things in your instructions that would get someone unfamiliar with NY or NJ terribly lost. 

Some time back I had written someone with instructions on this very matter, so I'm going to post bits of it, along with links to transit sites, here.   Given that airfares have been cheapest into JFK, I'm guessing that ProfStokes isn't the only one who might be using JFK.

What I had HOPED to do was to find some mass transit directions to the general area, as I know when we ran Eclecticon (a media convention) at a nearby hotel, we had a whole set of instructions: driving, bus and train.  However, it seems those were never posted to the website before the con was discontinued, so unless I can dig up one of the old progress reports, I will have to go by the compilation I recently made.

As of the last news announcements, it seems we dodged the bullet on NYC Mass Transit cuts, so these routes should still be valid.  If I hear anything differently, I will post it here.

There's multiple mass transit options from JFK.  One is to take a city bus to the subway that DLA75 mentions (Off the top of my head, the subway route described takes a minimum of 3, possibly 4 train changes to get to Penn Station, and our system has very few stations with elevators or escalators, making luggage a problem).   This what MTA (NYC TRansportation authority) calls the AirTrain.  The site states the route is handicapped accessible, which also means that there are elevators and excalators for those with luggage.  That is NOT true through a LOT of the NYC subway system, which is why I as someone with an ambulatory handicap cannot normally travel by subway in NYC, whereas I was able to spend a week in Washington DC and travel everywhere using NOTHING BUT the subway (Metro). Those with luggage need to be aware of this when planning routes using our subway.

Another, slightly more expensive option is to use the Long Island Railroad to NYC instead of the subway.  This has the advantage of taking you directly to Penn Station, which is where you can connect to New Jersey Transit to NEWARK AIRPORT (I stress this because Newark is a different station, far from the airport, which is actually on the border of Newark and Elizabeth).

Here's the link to the Airtrain (JFK) website, which also has information on the LIRR option:   
http://www.panynj.gov/Airtrain/offairport_jfk.html

Another option is to take the NY Airport Service Bus (formerly Carey Bus) to NYC (this stops at multiple locations, including Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station and/or the Port Authority Bus terminal.  These are greyhound type busses, clean and comfortable seating.  I ended up taking one of these last year when my flight to Westchester Aiport was cancelled and I had to go to LaGuardia instead.  Price is about $12, but the website will have all specifics.
http://www.nyairportservice.com/page.php?id=78

Now for part two: getting from Manhattan to Newark Airport (My understanding is that the Renaissance has an airport shuttle, so once you get to the airport it would just be a matter of using a courtesy phone to call and get picked up.) 

Penn Station: The website for airtrain Newark http://www.panynj.gov/airtrainnewark/cost_tickets.html  specifies that NJ Transit and Amtrak both run trains to Newark Airport.  NJ Transit trains run from Penn Station as does Amtrak (which costs substantially more). 

Link to New Jersey Transit for train info, schedules and fares: http://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=AirportConnectionsTo

Port Authority Bus Terminal: If you prefer to change via bus (or for those coming in by Grayhound, etc to Port Authority Bus Terminal).  Olympia Trails/Coach USA runs the buses to Newark Airport.  They run pretty regularly (when I worked in Manhattan in the 90s this was a regular route I used when I was going away).   Here's their website to check prices and schedules: http://www.coachusa.com/olympia/ss.newarkairport.asp

I know I may be letting myself in for it with this last, but if anyone has any questions on how to navigate this, please feel free to PM me.  I've been doing this a long time, and given that I'm your typical broke fan who doesn't have money to waste on cabs and private limos, I can come up with mass transit options for most places.

Jeannie

[DLA75]

The subway route from the MTA map looked like you only have to chage trans once. I agree with Pansity  that the Long Island Rail Road is a muct better option.  If ProfStokes can take the Long Island railroad  from JFK to Penn Station she should take. I take take  Long Island Rail Road and Tranfer to New Jersey Trasit to get home from Mets Games. (or the other way around to get there) It is much better and much more spacious then the Subway and has overhead lugege racks.  It is only 4.50 to 5.00  from or to Citi Field it is proably more from JFK. I have only been to JFK by car.   

[Pansity]

The subway route from the MTA map looked like you only have to chage trans once.

Actually, your routing would lead whomever followed it directly to Grand Central Station, at 42nd and Lexington Avenues, not to PENN Station at 34th & 7th Avenue. (FYI I checked my numbers on the map:  change #1 is the bus to the E train, #2 is the E to the Lex line, #3 is the Lex line to the shuttle to Penn Station.) These locations are more than a mile apart. This was one of the major inaccuracies in your directions which prompted me to post the detailed directions I did (along with links to official websites with directions, timetables and prices).  42nd & Lex is one of the busiest stations in the subway system, with many many exits and close to a dozen routes that cross there for transfer.  I could see someone unfamiliar with the subway and or the city trying to follow those directions, getting very very lost and having to drag their luggage all over before finding someone to put them on the right track.

I didn't post the link before, and subway info might be useful above and beyond airport transit to those who want to visit NYC.  So, here's the link to the official Metropolitan Transit Authority website.  This has directions, tips, schedules and prices of various types of passes which can be purchased. http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm.  The site also has info for the LIRR and, on the off chance that anyone is adventurous enough to want to explore further, the info on metro North, which serves Westchester (where Tarrytown is) is also on the same site.

If ProfStokes can take the Long Island railroad  from JFK to Penn Station she should take. I take take  Long Island Rail Road and Tranfer to New Jersey Trasit to get home from Mets Games. (or the other way around to get there) It is much better and much more spacious then the Subway and has overhead lugege racks.  It is only 4.50 to 5.00  from or to Citi Field it is proably more from JFK. I have only been to JFK by car.   

We'll have to agree to disagree on what method of transportation works the best.  Having done these trips with luggage many times in the past 20 some odd years (I can't see leaving my car at an airport at the average parking rate of $30 per day; I can think of much better uses for a few hundred dollars), my preference is for methods involving minimal changes and proper space to store luggage.   I find the airport buses the best for that reason.  They have the standard undercarriage luggage bins, as they take it as a given that people will have at minimum a small carry on.  They load and unload your luggage for you. Neither the Metro North, or the LIRR provide more than small overhead racks, not even big enough for your standard rolling carry on-- plus you have to be able to lift it and take it back down from an overhead rack without hurting yourself.  Even the subways can accomodate those (if you use stations with excalators or elevators, or are prepared to carry them down long flights of stairs).

Jeannie

[DLA75]

Your right Jeannie I went to a Yankee game on monday (though I am a Mets fan) and reliized my mistakes  you have take you would first have to tranfer  from the N to the 4,5 ,or 6  and Tranfer to the 7 or S at Grand  Cental and then tranfer to the 1, 2 or 3 at 42nd to get to penn station way too confusing.

[Uncle Roger]

Usually, hotels are aware of the limitations in their vicinity and should be able to supply info and menus from places that deliver

[barnabasjr]

DLA75 and Pansity, thanks so much for the info. I'm coming in from DC and haven't made up my mind how I'll get there and this info is much appreciated.

[Pansity]

Glad it was helpful, Barnabas Jr.  FYI a lot of years ago some friends and I went down to DC by Grayhound (so long ago that it was for the premier of Star Trek: The Motion(less) Picture)  .  Don't remember anything more than that anymore, but it's an option you might also want to check out -- on the off chance you didn't think of it already.

Jeannie

[Miranda]

If I go, I will be taking train, etc, and coming by myself, I think the train connections are pretty good, is there not a shuttle from the Amtrak station to the hotel in Newark??

[Pansity]

Not familiar with the Amtrak stops, and I can't tell if you're coming north or south from what you say.  However, if you're coming from the South I would check the websites for a transfer point between Amtrak and New Jersey Transit, which does run a train to the airport.  FYI something I think I forgot to mention is that the downtown Newark train station has the same name as the NYC station: Penn Station.  Be VERY careful which Penn Station you base directions on. The station for the airport is quite sensibly called Newark Airport.  I haven't checked, but I BELIEVE I remember downtown Newark being a transfer pt between Amtrak and NJT. Again, PLEASE CHECK THEIR WEBSITES.

If you're coming via NYC (usually points north or west), I'd recommend changing trains at Penn Station and transferring to the cheaper New Jersey Transit to the airport.

Almost forgot:  If anyone is coming from the Philly area, you can take SEPTA and transfer to NJT.  Cheaper than Amtrak and schedule is similar.
Jeannie

[DLA75]

I think Amtrack stops at the same Newrark Airport station that NJ Transit does.

[Miranda]

Pansity, can you confirm that SEPTA and Amtrak leave from the same station in Philly?? The reason I ask is I might be dropping my son to meet a friend at the Philly station, and that might work, my son has NO interest in the Fest, not there there would be that much for him in Newark anyway, I guess...