Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel to NYC

On Aug 24, 9:25*pm, (Steven M. O'Neill) wrote:
Peter T. Daniels wrote:
[PATH fares]

And no, you don't need to buy a SmartCard. The machines still sell non-
reuseable cards.

My son and I rode the PATH train 2 weekends ago. *I was
chagrined to learn that you can no longer just plunk your spare
change in the turnstile machines, but rather have to first go
to the card machine and then get a single-use paper card which
instantly becomes garbage.

That's been like three years now ...

Doesn't the machine keep the card? It did when a 10-ride card was used
up (I have a SmartCard because they gave them away free as part of the
centennial observation in Jan 08).

On Aug 24, 9:26*pm, Slim wrote:
On 2009-08-24 17:23:01 -0400, "Peter T. Daniels" said:







I made a trip from Newark to 33rd while the WTC station was closed,
direct with no transfer. *It took 50 minutes.

So that means they would have to burn two hours a day getting to/fro
m
the hotel.

Thats no bargain.

So who is suggesting they stay in Newark

There are many fancy hotels in "the new downtown" Jersey City, one
stop, 5 minutes, from WTC.

That is the time for the ride, but the trip has to be considered
"door-to-door".

You make it sound like its 5 minutes from the hotel (which could cost
just as much as one in the city) to WTC.

I guess you've never walked out the main entrance of the Hyatt and
crossed the street to the Exchange Place PATH entrance.

Thats right. I never have.

It it still takes longer than 5 minutes from the Hyatt to WTC. ;-)

Only if you include the time you wait on the platform for the train to
come.

Not exactly. What about the time getting down to and back up from the train?

Negligible.

And that time isn't counted in journey time anyway.

On Aug 24, 9:30*pm, (Steven M. O'Neill) wrote:
ATM wrote:
"Peter T. Daniels" wrote in message

There's now a W hotel in Hoboken (the only hotel in Hoboken), on the
river, a few blocks from the NJT/PATH station. Presumably they're
competitive with all the other classy chains you're talking about.

Travelocity rate for W Hotel on Oct 26 is $355 per night cheapest room. May
be for business, but unable to afford for vacation. LOL.

In Hoboken? *Sheesh!

No direct competition! Remember, Hoboken ain't the *On the Waterfront*
town any more.

ARL wrote:
We are mature couple from San Francisco.
We are taking our vacation in New York City on October 26 to Nov 1.
Please recommend 3 star hotel that is near the subway stations in Queens
or Brooklyn or NJ that is reasonably priced?

We are considering to stay at the Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel in
Weehawken, NJ on the Hudson.
But there is no MTA subway to that area, correct?
Everyday, we have to take the Waterway Ferry from the Lincoln Harbor
terminal to West 39th Street Midtown at $7.75 per person? How can we get
from this 39th Street Ferry Terminal to the MTA subway?

Thank you for your help.

Very bad idea what you're trying to do. Between the cost of the transit,
and the amount of time it takes, you won't save much, if any, money.
Also, when visiting Manhattan, it's often the case that you want to go
back to the hotel in the middle of the day, take a rest, then go back
out at night. If you have to travel back to Queens or NJ, you won't do that.

Check out "http://www.quikbook.com/special_market.asp?city=10009" and
"http://www.venere.com/new-york/new-york/".

Also check out where we stayed last time (April 2009), Best Western
Seaport Inn, which is in Manhattan, near the Brooklyn Bridge, the old
Seaport, Chinatown, and Battery Park,
"http://www.seaportinn.com/rates.php". For your dates it's 209.00 x 3
Nights + $ 319.00 x 2 Nights + $ 229.00 x 1 Night. For some reason their
own site has space, but through the Best Western site, and Quikbook,
there is no space for those dates.

It's gone up a bit (it was $199/night in April, through Quikbook) but
you're going at a peak time. Very large rooms for NYC, including a
refrigerator, breakfast included, free wireless access, and free fresh
cookies in the afternoon if you're around. About a seven minute walk to
two different subway stations. I am not easily impressed, and I was
impressed. The hotel is in part of an old industrial building, but once
you're inside you don't realize it. I also was happy that a few steps
from the hotel was _Jack's Stir Brew_ coffee, which had about the best
coffee I've ever had, and I'm a real coffee snob. If you're going to the
S.O.L. you can walk to Battery Park from the hotel. A quick walk to
Chinatown for good cheap food. Keep walking and go to other interesting
neighborhoods in the Lower East Side, on to Katz's deli, the Village,
and Union Square (there is a restroom inside Walgreen's, but none in
Trader Joe's).

Don't stay outside Manhattan if your trip is primarily to visit
Manhattan. It's not a good use of time or money.

ATM wrote:

We like your idea of booking something now in Manhattan and try to get
better deal as time gets closer. But we do not know how? All these
internet hotel booking sites requires you to PAY now when booked, and
almost impossible to cancel or changes, once you make the purchase.

Quikbook and Venere generally do not require pre-payment (though it is
required for some hotels).

Last trip to Manhattan I used Quikbook, and it saved quite a bit. But
that was in April, not peak time (though it was Spring break for many
schools so it was still crowded). You're going a a peak period when the
weather is good.

Remember, there are other parts of Manhattan than the Times Square area,
with more character, and cheaper hotels.

Peter T. Daniels wrote:
On Aug 24, 9:25*pm, (Steven M. O'Neill) wrote:
Peter T. Daniels wrote:
[PATH fares]

And no, you don't need to buy a SmartCard. The machines still sell non-
reuseable cards.

My son and I rode the PATH train 2 weekends ago. *I was
chagrined to learn that you can no longer just plunk your spare
change in the turnstile machines, but rather have to first go
to the card machine and then get a single-use paper card which
instantly becomes garbage.

That's been like three years now ...

Doesn't the machine keep the card? It did when a 10-ride card was used
up (I have a SmartCard because they gave them away free as part of the
centennial observation in Jan 08).

It did keep the card. Yup. Maybe they do reuse them?

--
Steven O'Neill
Brooklyn, NY http://www.panix.com/~steveo

Peter T. Daniels wrote:
On Aug 24, 6:54*pm, "Joseph D. Korman" wrote:
However, I'm not sure how you can get a reduced fare Metrocard from out
of town. *The walk in center is *near Wall St. *So if you're planning to
visit there, perhaps that could be your first stop. *They are open M-F
9a-5p. *Web sitehttp://www.mta.info/nyct/fare/rfcenter.htm

In Chicago 15 years ago when I got my mother a discount CTA card, it
took about a month for the request to be processed (she didn't need to
be there to get it done), but it was good forever after. It probably
works similarly here, so you probably have time to do the paperwork
before your visit.

Good guess, but too bad you didn't follow that link there you
quoted.

Sign Up for Reduced-Fare MetroCard

If you are 65 or older

* Bring proof of age - driver's license, Medicare card or
* birth certificate (one must have a photo)

* We'll help you complete your application, and take your
* photograph.

* Notary not necessary

* Leave with your new Reduced-Fare MetroCard

--
Steven O'Neill
Brooklyn, NY http://www.panix.com/~steveo

On Aug 24, 5:26*pm, "Peter T. Daniels" wrote:

For a visitor it may be easier to pay a la carte one-way fares rather
than try and figure out multi-ride discounts which may not even be a
very big saving. *A lot depends on their plans.

If they're here for five days, then they need 10 one-way fares each.
Why should each spend the extra $4.50 on a la carte fares -- for
which, moreover, they'd have to wait in line at a machine for every
time?

As mentioned, it depends on the plans. Buying an unlimited-ride card
would be a waste of money if only a few trips would be taken on it.

Further, to an outsider and one-time visitor, the multitude of fare
options, which vary by system, can be confusing and lead to buying a
more expensive ticket than necessary. For example, it seems PATH
charges an extra $5 fee for its 'smart card', which might be wasteful
for a single week's commute. I believe someone said not to use
Metrocard for PATH fares for discount purposes.


IMHO, the PATH website is a little confusing for occasional riders.
All the PATH fare website says is as follows.

"One-Way Fares

The full one-way fare is $1.75. For seniors (65 and older), the one-
way fare is $1, payable with the PATH Senior SmartLink Card. Children
ages 5 and under ride PATH free.

SmartLink is the primary fare card of the PATH system. PATH also
accepts the QuickCard, PATH Single Ride Ticket and Pay-Per-Ride
MetroCard."

It implies someone buys a SmartLink card for $1.75 to ride the train;
and that's not correct.

On Aug 25, 10:01*am, wrote:
On Aug 24, 5:26*pm, "Peter T. Daniels" wrote:

For a visitor it may be easier to pay a la carte one-way fares rather
than try and figure out multi-ride discounts which may not even be a
very big saving. *A lot depends on their plans.

If they're here for five days, then they need 10 one-way fares each.
Why should each spend the extra $4.50 on a la carte fares -- for
which, moreover, they'd have to wait in line at a machine for every
time?

As mentioned, it depends on the plans. *Buying an unlimited-ride card
would be a waste of money if only a few trips would be taken on it.

And no one suggested an unlimited PATH card.

Further, to an outsider and one-time visitor, the multitude of fare
options, which vary by system, can be confusing and lead to buying a
more expensive ticket than necessary. *For example, it seems PATH
charges an extra $5 fee for its 'smart card', which might be wasteful
for a single week's commute. *I believe someone said not to use
Metrocard for PATH fares for discount purposes.

IMHO, the PATH website is a little confusing for occasional riders.
All the PATH fare website says is as follows.

"One-Way Fares

The full one-way fare is $1.75. For seniors (65 and older), the one-
way fare is $1, payable with the PATH Senior SmartLink Card. Children
ages 5 and under ride PATH free.

SmartLink is the primary fare card of the PATH system. PATH also
accepts the QuickCard, PATH Single Ride Ticket and Pay-Per-Ride
MetroCard."

It implies someone buys a SmartLink card for $1.75 to ride the train;
and that's not correct.

I really don't care what the website "implies."

You can get a 20-ride QuickCard for $26.

On Aug 25, 9:00*am, (Steven M. O'Neill) wrote:
Peter T. Daniels wrote:





On Aug 24, 9:25*pm, (Steven M. O'Neill) wrote:
Peter T. Daniels wrote:
[PATH fares]

And no, you don't need to buy a SmartCard. The machines still sell non-
reuseable cards.

My son and I rode the PATH train 2 weekends ago. *I was
chagrined to learn that you can no longer just plunk your spare
change in the turnstile machines, but rather have to first go
to the card machine and then get a single-use paper card which
instantly becomes garbage.

That's been like three years now ...

Doesn't the machine keep the card? It did when a 10-ride card was used
up (I have a SmartCard because they gave them away free as part of the
centennial observation in Jan 08).

It did keep the card. *Yup. *Maybe they do reuse them?

That doesn't seem sanitary.

Recycled plastic soda bottles aren't reused, they're ground up and
presumably turned into the next-grade-down plastic items.