Help a visitor to Secaucus get to NYC for the evening.
August 21, 2012 6:48 AM   Subscribe

Secaucus and NYC evening travel questions

My job will be taking me to Secaucus, NJ for a week so I'm curious if it's possible for a few evening trips to Manhattan. Most days I'll be working 14+ hours in a cold datacentre, but for my sanity and to break the monotony of working in a business park alone I'd like to give myself an evening or two in NYC, which I've never visited. According to this thread I can easily take the 320 bus into Manhattan. Is this bus reasonably on schedule (it says it should take 20 minutes) at 6-7pm or does rush hour kill it? I don't mind 30-40 minutes but I don't want to waste my evening on a bus. FWIW I currently live in downtown Toronto, so I'm not afraid of taking public transit/subways/buses/trains. So if there are alternate/better routes I'm ok with it.

Also, any tips on good bars with craft brews, decent restaurants on an expense account, or places that are fun to visit off the tourist track in the evening would be appreciated. I'm not really interested in Times Square or other tourist traps.

Also, good lunch spots in Secaucus?
posted by hylaride to Travel & Transportation around Secaucus, NJ (13 answers total)
 
Can you get to the Frank R Lautenberg train station in Secaucus? Because that'll definitely be your best bet on getting into the city quickly and timely from Secaucus during rush hour.
posted by Grither at 6:50 AM on August 21, 2012 [1 favorite]


Seconding taking NJ Transit train from the Secaucus, NJ station into New York Penn Station.

The trains are much more reliable time-wise and I believe they run more frequently than the buses.

Do note that you should ensure that you buy your ticket before boarding the train; there is a $5 surcharge for purchasing your ticket on the train from the conductor. I also recommend buying your return ticket at the same time.
posted by de void at 6:54 AM on August 21, 2012


Though the bus would put you closer to the Pony Bar, which is an awesome craft brew pub on 10th Ave and 46th St. 5-7 minute walk from Port Authority, maybe 20-25 minute walk from Penn Station.
posted by Grither at 6:54 AM on August 21, 2012


Take a NJ Transit train from Secaucus to NY Penn Station. It's about a 15 minute ride.
posted by amro at 6:55 AM on August 21, 2012 [1 favorite]


Oh, on the NJtransit website, it's just called Secaucus Junction Station, and you want to make sure you go to New York Penn, not Newark Penn. Here's the schedule on a weekday:
06:02 PM Northeast Corridor #3738 06:15 PM 13 minutes
06:11 PM North Jersey Coast #3266 06:25 PM 14 minutes
06:14 PM Morris & Essex #6364 06:27 PM 13 minutes
06:22 PM Northeast Corridor #3866 06:35 PM 13 minutes
06:32 PM North Jersey Coast #3458 06:43 PM 11 minutes
06:49 PM Montclair-Boonton #6258 07:02 PM 13 minutes
06:57 PM North Jersey Coast #3270 07:10 PM 13 minutes
07:03 PM Northeast Corridor #3868 07:16 PM 13 minutes
07:13 PM North Jersey Coast #3512 07:27 PM 14 minutes
07:23 PM Northeast Corridor #3870 07:36 PM 13 minutes
07:29 PM North Jersey Coast #3272 07:41 PM 12 minutes

$4.00 one way, $8.00 round trip.

And the recommendation for Pony Bar above was NOT a recommendation to take the bus. Just an oddly worded recommendation to go to the Pony Bar.
posted by Grither at 7:01 AM on August 21, 2012 [1 favorite]


Despite Secaucus' proximity to Manhattan, you're correct to assume that rush hour traffic will make the trip into the city longer than one would otherwise expect given their distance.

One possibility: stay over the weekend, after you're done with work, and explore the city at your leisure.
posted by dfriedman at 7:06 AM on August 21, 2012


The train is about 10-15 minutes and will cost $4 if you buy the ticket in the station. If you can't do that then you can try the bus, see more info here.

It's also worth noting that if you find yourself in Jersey City or Hoboken after hours and then want to get into Manhattan you can just take the PATH train.
posted by Wretch729 at 7:07 AM on August 21, 2012


Response by poster: Thanks guys!

I'm not sure if I'll have a rental car or will be relying on taxis or even exactly where my hotel will be, but maybe I'll press the company to get me into Union city. It seems roughly the same distance as the area of Secaucus that has the hotels and it looks like a better place to stay?
posted by hylaride at 7:34 AM on August 21, 2012


Here's an idea: stay in Weehawken, NJ and take the ferry to Manhattan.
posted by dfriedman at 7:55 AM on August 21, 2012


Yes, there's a ferry at Port Imperial, and the ferry connects to the Hudson-Bergen light rail if that's at all helpful.

It's worth noting in case you're not familiar with the topography that this area is dominated by the Palisades - the cliffs along the NJ side of the Hudson. Secaucus is down in the flats on the western side of the Palisades. Union City is on top of the Palisades, as is the Jersey City Heights neighborhood to the south. I believe there's a staircase at the Port Imperial ferry and there's an elevator between the Heights and Hoboken but in general you can't just look at a map and assume it'll be easy to walk between two points.

I would guess that staying in Secaucus and taking cabs to the train station would be the most efficient thing but it'll still be time consuming.
posted by yarrow at 8:05 AM on August 21, 2012


Stay in Secaucus, take a cab to/from the train station and take the train into the city. The bus is conveniently located but may take a long time because the rush hour approach to the Lincoln Tunnel is nuts on a good day. By 7PM it should be easing up a bit, but it can still end up being a long wait.
posted by bedhead at 9:44 AM on August 21, 2012


Oh, one more thing.... you may find that taking the train in, and taking the bus home is the optimal route. Getting on a bus later at night (so, no traffic) that drops you off within a block of your hotel vs train to taxi to hotel might be quite a difference, especially if there are no taxis at the train station when you arrive...
posted by Grither at 9:51 AM on August 21, 2012


Response by poster: Thanks again guys!

As a follow up I found out I'll be allowed to rent a car, so I can probably drive to Frank R Lautenberg station. It looks like evening rates are $5 , so that seems reasonable for me to get there though it means having to take it easy on the beers in the city. First world problems... :-)
posted by hylaride at 10:46 AM on August 21, 2012


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