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

[Pansity]

Seems like this might be a good time to add to this topic.  On the way back from DC this evening, I made the time to do a drive by on the Newark Renaissance Hotel.  DLA75 gave us a great selection of pictures

2009 DS Festival Hotel Preview -- Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel

but I'd like to add some information to put the geography in perspective so everyone can make informed decisions.

A lot of Media and Science Fiction conventions use the Newark Airport Hotels, probably for the same reason as the Fest:  they're near the city, but cheaper, and also have airport shuttle service to what is usually the most reasonable of the NYC airports to fly into.  However, looking at the location and comparative locations of amenities left me wondering at the choice of THIS particular hotel.  Pity they seem to have a one track mind about Marriotts.  The Ramada and the two Holiday Inns have long experience with conventions, and both the rooms and the restaurants are much more suited to a fan's budget.

There are only the two hotels here in this location, surrounded by a down at heel area in what is a rough part of Elizabeth/Newark.  (Friends in Jersey City and Bayonne have confirmed that this is known as a bad area.) The main drag, 1 & 9, is not really designed for walking, and the two directions of traffic are divided by a concrete wall (known locally as Jersey barriers). The distances given are a big help, and I'm assuming DLA75 based them on where the openings are in the Jersey barriers to cross the streets.  Bottom line is that the best thing people attending the Fest could do is to plan around needing to use the hotel restaurant or restaurants (I don't remember if the one next door also has a restaurant, but I would assume so, given the area) more than most fans usually would.   

For those with cars, the restaurants shown are very close by car. (I recommend Perkins, as I've eaten there on trips through PA.  If you're not familiar with them, they're along the line of something like Bob Evans.)  Getting back to the hotel may be a nuisance; as the road is divided by the concrete barriers, and the restaurants are on the OTHER side of 1&9, you will have to go way out of your way to find a place where you can reverse direction.  You might also want to look at bringing basic groceries for snacking/meals, and maybe take one meal a day at the pricier restaurant.

Wish I had a better opinion, but since people are starting to plan NOW, I thought it would be better to warn people that their food costs will be a great deal higher than they usually are -- and their choices a lot more limited.

Jeannie

[Charles_Ellis]

Well, thanks for the warning.  But what about us pedestrians who don't drive- anything nearby?

[Pansity]

Sorry, but the closest thing I saw was the Burger King that DLA75 mentioned.  He pegged that as a half mile away and that's probably right, considering how fast I came up on it in the car.

I wish I understood the mindset of booking the hotel without checking access to outside food.  Even aside from the $$$, there's the fact that the more people go to ONE restaurant, the slower the service will be.

Again, I would like to understand the thought process of keeping ticket price (aka membership charge) artificially low compared to other conventions, yet drop the ball in this important area. (Fan run cons with writer guests, if any, are up to about $50 for a weekend membership. And Creation charges megabucks, not counting the extortion for autographs and photo ops. )

 If the Fest management is so concerned about keeping the event affordable, why do they overlook one of the big expenses of ANY con ANYWHERE -- food.

Yeah, I know it's a rhetorical question, but I feel MUCH BETTER NOW.   

Jeannie

[Nancy]

The lack of access to a variety of food sources has been the norm with the festivals more than the exception.   When the festival was in Newark, NJ, the food source was minimal at best.  The one restaurant was slow service even if you were the only person there.  When the fest was at the World Trade Center, most of the local eateries were closed on the weekends.  In Tarrytown, again, there were not many inexpensive food options.

For all the reasons above, most people I know who attend the fests for the sake of convenience and/or finances utilize room fridges or bring along the means to keep perishable items.  At Tarrytown I did this along with several of my friends.  We went to the store before going to the hotel and kept food stuffs there.   That arrangement satisfied us and among my roomies were people who could have easily afforded eating at the high priced restaurants in the hotel at every meal.  It was more convenient to buy food and store it in your room for access whenever you wanted it and with no lines to wait in!  I know many fans even brown bag their food if they are day trippers over the weekend.  They can eat and not miss any of the programming.

The fest has programming all day and into the evening with no breaks for meals and fans who don't want to miss anything prefer having something handy either in the hotel or by their own means.  Now people know the food sources are not conveniently located (thanks to you and DLA) they can plan to make other arrangements.  If I am able to make the fest, I will do what I always do - bring my own food and beverages.  Some of us even bring blenders rather than pay high prices for a drink.

nancy

[Nancy]

On this particular issue I would say most people don't go to the festivals for the food (otherwise no one would ever go to the banquet, lol).  It's not been that important an issue.  At all the festivals on the east coast I've attended (and most of those cons did not have great food resources) people were not thrilled that food choices were limited but it wasn't anything overly upsetting.  Roommates would do a "you bring this and I'll bring that" and made do.  Food doesn't have to be a big expense at all if planned out right and ahead of time.

nancy

If the Fest management is so concerned about keeping the event affordable, why do they overlook one of the big expenses of ANY con ANYWHERE -- food.

[adamsgirl]

When it was announced the festival was to take place here, I expected that food choices would be limited. However, as Nancy pointed out, the weekend is not about the food, and there's virtually no time to go out to eat anyway without missing something. Given that we know there aren't any convenient, inexpensive places to eat, we can make other arrangements. Those of us who don't have to fly can bring coolers, and those roomies who live elsewhere can share in that. A fridge in the room is the best bet. I think we can tolerate cold sandwiches for a weekend. Perhaps a meal or two at the hotel won't be too outrageous either.

[D_Friedlander]

The trouble with in-room refridgerators is that they may be hard to come by, even if you ask for one way in advance, as there's a limited supply.  Last year, we didn't get one until almost the last of our 4 days in Burbank, and I had requested one when I made the reservation many months before. 
Obviously, they want people to take all their meals and drinks in the restaurant if possible.  The restaurant last year WAS good, but expensive.  With a fridge, we could have divided up the large dinners and kept half until the next day.  No such luck!
I tried one year to bring a cooler, but keeping up with filling it with fresh ice was an impossible chore--- the hotel ice machine only spit out so much, and it melts so darn fast.  It wasn't a big enough cooler to empty a huge bag into, and it would have all melted quickly, just the same.  I feel sorry for those with no cars and special dietary needs.

I can take a couple of people out at a time myself, but I do so hate driving in parts of Jersey, looking for the next left-turn circle and those rotaries.  Having someone else pump my gas isn't worth the hassle of everything else.

[adamsgirl]

That is a problem. Last year, we didn't have a fridge, but the year before, one of the rooms (we spilled into two) did have one. I agree about driving in Jersey. It's a royal pain. As for the coolers, I didn't think about the ice problem. It's not as if there were a convenience store where you can run and buy bags of ice. Oh, well -- guess that diet I wanted to go on will be forced on me anyway -- LOL!

[Nancy]

The hotels usually have ice machines on every floor or at least on a nearby floor.  Those ice machines can be used to stock up the cooler.

The food situation is, in my view, easily solved.  It involves some pre-planning.  The planning part has been for me easy since most of the fests were held in hotels with limited dining choices.  I want to have food I like available to me and I don't want to spend much time thinking about it when I am at my destination.  It's less about budget and more about having what I want when I want it when I travel.  I am a fussy/picky eater too.  If I may make some suggestions for those not sure what to do at a festival with limited dining options -

First, there are several restaurants in the area of this hotel.  When you find out where they are, you can share a taxi with some friends to and from and it won't be that expensive.

If you are a day tripper to the festival, you can buy an insulation bag that functions like a shoulder bag (several sizes and shapes) from a Kmart or Walmart type store, even your local grocery store. You can pack sandwiches and other perishable items in there with other ice or ice packs from home and then replenish ice from the hotel ice machines.  You can get water and cold drinks at the hotel, including coffee and tea.  This eliminates your problem of having to find food.  Plus, you can eat where and when you want.

I have an insulation bag where I put the more perishable items.  The size is up to you.  You can add ice in the bag before you leave on your journey and add ice when you get to the hotel from the ice machines.  If you are driving you can bring a cooler to fill with ice.  You can buy those mini boxes of cereal to put in your suitcase along with fruit and veggies that don't require immediate "cold care."  Oscar Mayer and South Beach Diet both make a variety of food products (purchased at the grocery store in the same area you buy butter, hotdogs, etc.)  you can buy and easily pack in your insulation bag and keep stored there throughout the weekend.  There are several of these items that actually taste very good.  I buy instant oatmeal and cream of wheat packages (or breakfast and lunch bars) to make for breakfast.  You can get hot water in your room.  You can get milk to go at the hotel restaurant or bring a small container of milk for the weekend.  The hotel room usually offers free coffee and tea and vending machines have cold drinks available.  I'll pack some cold cuts and crusty rolls too.  Most of all this stuff fits in your suitcase if you are flying in.  You can put the insulation bag (with ice) in your suitcase too if you plan it right to keep the moisture away from your clothes.

Most fast food make me sick to my stomach (literally) so places like Burger King and McDonald's are not choices for me (though McDonald's salads have come a long way).  The above suggestions may sound involved but it's really not.  One quick trip to the grocery store before you leave on your trip and some organizing with insulation bags and you've solved the food issue.  Plus, you can decide when and where you want to eat when you bring your own food.  I usually do all of the above on trips because I am a fussy eater and like to bring what I know I will eat.  It turns out to be very convenient for me.  I always have the option of having a meal in the restaurant or lounge at the hotel if I want to.

When I have driven to conferences or festivals, I do bring a cooler and sometimes a toaster oven. I've even brought a blender along so we can have some fancy drinks in the hotel room after the bar is closed or if no one wants to pay $12.00 for a pina colada. 

I don't think the rooms at this hotel have a fridge so the insulation bags and/or a cooler is the way to go.  If you are travelling just for the day to the festival and do not have transportation outside of the hotel, carrying some food in an insulated bag you can carry over your shoulder is a great option.

Just some thoughts as to how I have worked around my picky eating habits.

Nancy

That is a problem. Last year, we didn't have a fridge, but the year before, one of the rooms (we spilled into two) did have one. I agree about driving in Jersey. It's a royal pain. As for the coolers, I didn't think about the ice problem. It's not as if there were a convenience store where you can run and buy bags of ice. Oh, well -- guess that diet I wanted to go on will be forced on me anyway -- LOL!

[Nancy]

If I knew the food to be good at a hotel restaurant, I probably would eat there more if the service was decent. However, most of my experiences with hotels and the food in their restaurant hasn't been good.  If I have paid a lot of money for a lousy meal I can get very cranky and unruly, more so than usual.

Fest chairman Jim Pierson is a vegan so his food choices are especially limiting at these hotels.  I think he packs his own food to bring.

nancy

When it was announced the festival was to take place here, I expected that food choices would be limited. However, as Nancy pointed out, the weekend is not about the food, and there's virtually no time to go out to eat anyway without missing something. Given that we know there aren't any convenient, inexpensive places to eat, we can make other arrangements. Those of us who don't have to fly can bring coolers, and those roomies who live elsewhere can share in that. A fridge in the room is the best bet. I think we can tolerate cold sandwiches for a weekend. Perhaps a meal or two at the hotel won't be too outrageous either.

[ProfStokes]

I'll be flying in from CA and I always cram everything into a carry-on bag so that I don't have to worry about losing (or these days, paying extra for) luggage.  Do you have any suggestions, Nancy, for food I could pack that would pass TSA inspection? I was planning on bringing cereal, crackers, peanut butter, and dried fruit.

ProfStokes

[michael c]

isn't newark n.j. one of the most dangerous cities in the country?

yikes!

[adamsgirl]

Newark is, quite bluntly, a hell hole. It is crime-ridden and very dangerous. You don't want to be traveling around in that city. Sticking close to the hotel is very much advised.

[D_Friedlander]

If you have a vehicle and can drive out towards cities like Paterson and Passaic for the occasional meal, they have some skanky areas, but in my experience, some better sections with pizza places, diners, FF, and malls with food courts.  You just have to remember where to pick up those exits!

I wonder if JP ever inquired about group rates in Atlantic City, though at the time he made the arrangements, they may not have given him a big break.  NOW, however, they would probably be more accommodating.  Like most of the hospitality business these days, they could use more business, whatever the source, and there would be stuff to do and cheap food places right on the boardwalk during breaks in the Fest "action."

[Teresa]

Actually food is always a concern for me anywhere I go.  I think about it constantly whether I am rocking out at a Bruce Springsteen show, Dark Shadows fest or sitting on a beach somwhere.  I guess because I am hypoglycemic I always worry about not eating regularly when I am away and the cost too.