Interesting destinations on NJTransit?
September 17, 2006 5:01 PM Subscribe
I go to school in NYC, and, this next week, I get free NJTransit! How can I take advantage of this? What (if anything) in New Jersey is worth seeing?
Ahem. There are many, many "things" worth seeing in NJ. I have no idea what you're interested in, but if you just want to take the train somewhere and wander around someplace walkable, with good restaurants, cool little shops, indie movie theaters and so on, I'd recommend taking the Montclair-Boonton line to the Bay Street stop. Another interesting town is Red Bank, on the North Jersey Coast Line, and of course there's always Asbury Park for some Jersey shore flavor. Princeton is another great little town. These places are all pedestrian friendly and offer at least a few good hours of exploring. Otherwise, I'd agree with krautland that you shouldn't make any major plans. . . but not because "it's new jersey." Jeez, where's the love?
posted by katie at 5:37 PM on September 17, 2006
posted by katie at 5:37 PM on September 17, 2006
Grab a copy of Weird NJ and go crazy.
I'm from Princeton, and there's a lot to do there (it's really beautiful, too; especially in the Fall). Good sandwiches at Hoagie Haven; good ice cream at Thomas Sweet and the Bent Spoon; great art at the Princeton Art Museum. You can't go wrong. It's also right on the NJ Transit line (you have to take a "dinky" train from Princeton Junction).
posted by maxreax at 5:37 PM on September 17, 2006
I'm from Princeton, and there's a lot to do there (it's really beautiful, too; especially in the Fall). Good sandwiches at Hoagie Haven; good ice cream at Thomas Sweet and the Bent Spoon; great art at the Princeton Art Museum. You can't go wrong. It's also right on the NJ Transit line (you have to take a "dinky" train from Princeton Junction).
posted by maxreax at 5:37 PM on September 17, 2006
You're pretty much certain to be bored to tears by taking the 163/164 bus to NJ... unless you've got tickets and get off at the Meadowlands. Keep in mind that Hackensack Medical Center has a primo ER in the event you might happen to hurt yourself on your travels - AND its accessible by njtransit.
posted by blaneyphoto at 5:39 PM on September 17, 2006
posted by blaneyphoto at 5:39 PM on September 17, 2006
Brewpubs and Microbreweries. Brewbups sell beer and Microwbreweries give it out on "tours".
posted by shownomercy at 6:32 PM on September 17, 2006
posted by shownomercy at 6:32 PM on September 17, 2006
Atlantic City. Although I think you have to go through Philadelphia on the train. You could try to take one of the NJTransit casino buses from port authority (most give you like a $10 voucher for roll of quarters and drop you off right at a big casino). AC also has a minor league baseball team but I bet the season is over now.
Red Bank is of course home to Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, and it's near my favorite NJ seaside town: Seabright.
posted by mattbucher at 9:38 PM on September 17, 2006
Red Bank is of course home to Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, and it's near my favorite NJ seaside town: Seabright.
posted by mattbucher at 9:38 PM on September 17, 2006
I grew up in central NJ, and my mom now lives in Lambertville. It's a pleasant little arty town, with the more widely known New Hope PA across the river. Maybe combine it with a day trip to Princeton. And/or Washington Crossing state park.
Once you get past Flemington you realize that a lot of NJ is really pleasant farmland. Deers galore.
posted by intermod at 9:39 PM on September 17, 2006
Once you get past Flemington you realize that a lot of NJ is really pleasant farmland. Deers galore.
posted by intermod at 9:39 PM on September 17, 2006
Ha, I'm excited about the same thing because I get to go to NY! Ride the train rather than the bus, it has more weirdos. New Brunswick and Princeton are pretty happenin' college towns and both have train stops downtown. If you take the River Line (supposedly very scenic), for 2 extra bucks you can get on the SEPTA to Philly, which is always the best.
posted by larva at 12:11 AM on September 18, 2006
posted by larva at 12:11 AM on September 18, 2006
If you can get to the Hibernia Diner, you won't regret the effort. Memorable desserts, great baked goods, genuine central Jersey diner ambiance.
posted by paulsc at 1:08 AM on September 18, 2006
posted by paulsc at 1:08 AM on September 18, 2006
Beef? You better off flipping beef at Fatburger
286 Washington St @ Christopher Columbus Av, Jersey City.
posted by rxrfrx at 4:41 AM on September 18, 2006
286 Washington St @ Christopher Columbus Av, Jersey City.
posted by rxrfrx at 4:41 AM on September 18, 2006
Best answer: Well as a lifelong New Yorker who is very tempted to drop in a snarky comment, it is almost reflexive, I must admit that there is more to NJ than meets the eye.
Newark, although you can get there via PATH. The city's renaissance is real, and downtown has some interesting things, plus the Ironbound has great Spanish and Portuguese food. The Newark central library often has photographic exhibits from the middle of the 20th century. Good museum too.
Second Lambertville.
New Brunswick is interesting, because a bit scrffy around the edges, it doesn't feel like a too precious stage set. Nice urban parks around there.
Bus to Atlantic Highlands, whence you can go to Sandy Hook. Good beaches, ruins of Nike missle sites and a great northeastern barrier island biome, complete with the largest holly trees on the east coast, and huge stands of cacti.*
Second Asbury Park.
Frankly I think while Princeton is nice with nice shops, there are hundreds of identical nice upscale suburbs that are practically indistinguishable from Princeton - I don't know whether or not it is worth the hour long train trip.
If NJ Transit has a bus to High Point or the Delaware water gap there is great hiking.
I didn't know this until this past weekend but there is a river walkwalking path from the George Washington bridge almost to Bayonne, although you obviously don't need NJTransit for that.
Bayonne itself offers an interesting snapsot of a working class town in the process of gentrifying. Think Hoboken twenty five years ago. Is it good or bad? Discuss on the bus.
Well if you want the stereotypical NJ experience, I suppose you can take a bus to Paramus, which has I think six or seven malls.
* Opuntia Humifosa to be exact, and it is common along the beaches of the North East and any sandy quickly drained place in the northeast and midwest, although surprisingly non existent on Long Island. The beach environment is salty and drains so quickly it may as well be a desert to the plants. They seem to survive cold winters without a problem. Beautiful yellow flowers and edible fruits.
posted by xetere at 5:10 AM on September 18, 2006
Newark, although you can get there via PATH. The city's renaissance is real, and downtown has some interesting things, plus the Ironbound has great Spanish and Portuguese food. The Newark central library often has photographic exhibits from the middle of the 20th century. Good museum too.
Second Lambertville.
New Brunswick is interesting, because a bit scrffy around the edges, it doesn't feel like a too precious stage set. Nice urban parks around there.
Bus to Atlantic Highlands, whence you can go to Sandy Hook. Good beaches, ruins of Nike missle sites and a great northeastern barrier island biome, complete with the largest holly trees on the east coast, and huge stands of cacti.*
Second Asbury Park.
Frankly I think while Princeton is nice with nice shops, there are hundreds of identical nice upscale suburbs that are practically indistinguishable from Princeton - I don't know whether or not it is worth the hour long train trip.
If NJ Transit has a bus to High Point or the Delaware water gap there is great hiking.
I didn't know this until this past weekend but there is a river walkwalking path from the George Washington bridge almost to Bayonne, although you obviously don't need NJTransit for that.
Bayonne itself offers an interesting snapsot of a working class town in the process of gentrifying. Think Hoboken twenty five years ago. Is it good or bad? Discuss on the bus.
Well if you want the stereotypical NJ experience, I suppose you can take a bus to Paramus, which has I think six or seven malls.
* Opuntia Humifosa to be exact, and it is common along the beaches of the North East and any sandy quickly drained place in the northeast and midwest, although surprisingly non existent on Long Island. The beach environment is salty and drains so quickly it may as well be a desert to the plants. They seem to survive cold winters without a problem. Beautiful yellow flowers and edible fruits.
posted by xetere at 5:10 AM on September 18, 2006
I'm from Red Bank; email me for tips. It is a GREAT daytrip destination.
Also, you can continue down the North Jersey Coast Line from there, and almost any of the stops will yield something pleasant or at least interesting. Asbury is very cool, but in a decay-in-transition sort of way; be prepared for that. Historic, though, and with an incredble beach. Monmouth Park offers a great horse-racing track (in season) and dawn tours of the stabling areas. I'm sure there's a bus to the track from the station. BRadley Beach is a great little beach town. Spring Lake is another beach town, more of a Victorian resort, with phenomenal architecture of the Grand Old Days and lots of boutique-y shops and coffee spots. Point Pleasant Beach offers the boardwalk and an aquarium. And Bay Head is a wonderful quiet beach town on the end of the barrier island, and the end of the line.
On other lines, Montclair, Hoboken, and New Brunswick all make fine walking-around towns. Hoboken is actually a very, very active town for nightlife - restaurants, dancing, live music. It's packed with young professionals who work in NY. By training it to Newark you can get a bus to IKEA or to Liberty Science Center or the Statue of Liberty ferry. And, of course, NJ transit will bring you right into 30th Street Station Philadelphia - one of the most beautiful train stations in America, walking distance to museum row, and a world-class city.
Here's the rail system map.
Before I owned a car, I travelled over the entire state via train. There's a lot of wonderfulness to discover. Let the ignorant snark about New Jersey all they want; maybe they'll stay away. It's an incredible place, but it's crowded enough already. For a reason. ;)
posted by Miko at 7:07 AM on September 18, 2006
Also, you can continue down the North Jersey Coast Line from there, and almost any of the stops will yield something pleasant or at least interesting. Asbury is very cool, but in a decay-in-transition sort of way; be prepared for that. Historic, though, and with an incredble beach. Monmouth Park offers a great horse-racing track (in season) and dawn tours of the stabling areas. I'm sure there's a bus to the track from the station. BRadley Beach is a great little beach town. Spring Lake is another beach town, more of a Victorian resort, with phenomenal architecture of the Grand Old Days and lots of boutique-y shops and coffee spots. Point Pleasant Beach offers the boardwalk and an aquarium. And Bay Head is a wonderful quiet beach town on the end of the barrier island, and the end of the line.
On other lines, Montclair, Hoboken, and New Brunswick all make fine walking-around towns. Hoboken is actually a very, very active town for nightlife - restaurants, dancing, live music. It's packed with young professionals who work in NY. By training it to Newark you can get a bus to IKEA or to Liberty Science Center or the Statue of Liberty ferry. And, of course, NJ transit will bring you right into 30th Street Station Philadelphia - one of the most beautiful train stations in America, walking distance to museum row, and a world-class city.
Here's the rail system map.
Before I owned a car, I travelled over the entire state via train. There's a lot of wonderfulness to discover. Let the ignorant snark about New Jersey all they want; maybe they'll stay away. It's an incredible place, but it's crowded enough already. For a reason. ;)
posted by Miko at 7:07 AM on September 18, 2006
Only add on advice from a former New Jerseyan;
NJ Transit is one of the best public transit systems in the world, but like most of them (which all have their severe failings), you will maximize your enjoyment by not leaving yourself stranded. And you can very easily get stranded in New Jersey, even in a densely populated area. Leaving New Jersey is often not as easy as entering is. (especially if you enter during the day and plan to leave at night)
Make an itinerary, plan a strict mode/time of departure, and be sure to be at least 5-10 minutes early to your departure vehicle so that you don't miss it. And bring a music player / book along to enjoy the wait and the ride.
Also, have a backup departure plan, complete with additional schedule, departure point (if necessary), and local cab company numbers (if necessary). Don't count on any locals to fill in this info for you, because most likely they've never gone anywhere in their lives without driving.
posted by brianvan at 8:25 AM on September 18, 2006
NJ Transit is one of the best public transit systems in the world, but like most of them (which all have their severe failings), you will maximize your enjoyment by not leaving yourself stranded. And you can very easily get stranded in New Jersey, even in a densely populated area. Leaving New Jersey is often not as easy as entering is. (especially if you enter during the day and plan to leave at night)
Make an itinerary, plan a strict mode/time of departure, and be sure to be at least 5-10 minutes early to your departure vehicle so that you don't miss it. And bring a music player / book along to enjoy the wait and the ride.
Also, have a backup departure plan, complete with additional schedule, departure point (if necessary), and local cab company numbers (if necessary). Don't count on any locals to fill in this info for you, because most likely they've never gone anywhere in their lives without driving.
posted by brianvan at 8:25 AM on September 18, 2006
Liberty State Park and the Museum of Science are quite cool, as is wandering around Hoboken and Jersey City. Plus there are many hiking and biking options on disused railway lines. Some googling will get you started.
posted by DenOfSizer at 12:31 PM on September 18, 2006
posted by DenOfSizer at 12:31 PM on September 18, 2006
shows at maxwells!
seriously, one of the last great seedy old TINY venues
no matter where you stand, you'll have temporar hearing loss, and it's great
posted by weaponsgradecarp at 1:21 PM on September 18, 2006
seriously, one of the last great seedy old TINY venues
no matter where you stand, you'll have temporar hearing loss, and it's great
posted by weaponsgradecarp at 1:21 PM on September 18, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
if you make a plan, you're setting yourself up to be disappointed. if you just go and see where it takes you, the chances of you running into something or someone cool by accident are much higher.
that being said ... I realize it's new jersey.
posted by krautland at 5:30 PM on September 17, 2006