Secaucus to NYC for beginners?

January 20, 2007 10:58 PM

What is the best way for a first-time to NYC tourist to get from the Meadowlands Exposition Center area in Secaucus, NJ to Manhattan?

We will be staying in Secaucus in a couple of weeks but want to visit New York City and do all of the touristy things. What is the best way to get from Secaucus to NYC?

I was considering buying a couple of days worth of the red bus passes but after reading other posts, now I'm not so sure. We only have three days to site see and don't want to waste a bunch of time wandering around lost. We did fine riding the subway in Washington DC. How does the NYC subway compare for someone who's never been there before?

posted by rcavett to Destinations: Getting There (6 comments total)

Might want to check out the Secaucus transportation website: http://www.secaucus.org/transportation.html

Best bet is probably to take the train straight into Penn Station from Secaucus on NJ Transit. Wherever you are staying can recommend the best way to get to the train station there.
posted by zachlipton at 11:43 PM on January 20

I don't think either the New Jersey Transit buses or the MTA buses are red, and I don't think the red double-decker Grey Line buses go to Secaucus.

The Secaucus New Jersey Transit train station isn't all that close to the Meadowlands, so I think your best bet is taking a New Jersey Transit bus into Manhattan. The 320 has a stop right next to the convention center and will take you to the New York Port Authority bus terminal, which is a long block and a half from Times Square.

From the port authority bus terminal, you could catch the Gray Line tour buses, but I personally think doing it on foot and with the subway is more fun. The Grey Line buses are fun to ride if you want to tour a particular area, but they're too slow and run too infrequently to make a satisfying method of transportation, in my opinion.

The NYC subway is older than the DC subway, and it's also larger and more complicated, but having visited DC and lived in NYC, I think the NYC system is easier for people who are just looking to wander around town (as opposed to commuters). There are more stops on the NYC system, they're closer together, and I think they're easy to find.

If you take a surface street map and a subway map of Manhattan, I don't think you'll have any trouble getting wherever you want.
posted by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 11:54 PM on January 20

IIRC it's one stop on the train to Penn Station.

On the other hand, a quick JFGI-ing reveals this recommendation to get the NJ Transit bus 320 to the Port Authority bus station.
posted by genghis at 7:24 AM on January 21

The train station in Secaucus is only one stop to NY, but it's in a pretty empty area of Secaucus and isn't particularly easy to get to from the Meadowland, so you're probably better off taking the New Jersey Transit bus; you'll just want to make sure that you know which gate it leaves from to come back, because there isn't really a central listing of that (though you could probably ask someone there).
posted by Godbert at 7:56 AM on January 21

You're going to want to use the NJ Transit buses, I think. Your hotel will very likely be able to give you the best information and in fact may have a shuttle to the Meadowlands.
posted by blaneyphoto at 10:03 AM on January 21

I visited NYC and stayed in Secaucus over the New Year. It's really easy to travel between on the 320 New Jersey Transit bus mentioned above. Coach bus, $2.65 one way, 10-15 minute ride if there's no traffic. You're dropped off at the NY Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT), which is very central and connected to the subway. You can buy NJ Transit tickets from a machines in the PABT.

The NY subway can be confusing but not impossible. Take the time to study your route and read all the signs.

Don't forget that NY is a great walking city! So much to see - have fun!!
posted by exquisite_deluxe at 5:10 PM on January 21