I've been talking about this for years, but I'm finally going to get one of those new-fangled jet planes and come out to see the Jets play this season. I'm looking at one of the following games - Arizona (Sep 28), Cinci (Oct 12), St Louis (Nov 9) or Denver (Nov 30). I plan on flying in on the Saturday and getting a late evening flight home after the game (all 1pm kickoffs so it should be okay to make a 21:35 flight from Newark) I'm looking at staying the Saturday night at a basic HoJo outside Newark and getting to the stadium by cab. Does anyone see anything drastically wrong with this? Is Newark a hotbed of muggers? Will it cost me a thousand dollars to get a cab to the game on Sunday? Will it take me eight hours to get out of the stadium after the game? If anybody sees any potential snarl ups I'd welcome the advice and I can change my plans accordingly! Also, it would be great to meet up with some Ganggreen members! I'm planning on getting a ticket from the Ticket Exchange on the Jets website but if any Ganggreen member will have a spare ticket to any of these games I'd happily pay for it! It's going to cost me about $1,000 in total to do this but it will be a chance to see the Jets in person for the first time since 1988 (at KC in my student days), plus I'll be able to say I saw Brett Favre play!
I'm not a Jersey guy but I know that Newark should be avoided if you can do so. Have you considered staying in one of the neighboring burbs and then taking a NJ transit bus in?
Agreed. Find a chain hotel/motel closer to the stadium. You might even be able to catch a deal staying in a NYC hotel, and then just take the bus from the Port Authority to the stadium (there's more to see and do in NYC than in Newark, and the bus will be cheaper than a cab; even if you have pay a few more bucks for the room, it will be a better experience).
I always stay at the Fairfield Inn next to the stadium. The prices are extremely reasonable for a nice hotel and the stadium is a walk away. Also, the bus that heads directly into NYC passes right in front of the hotel. Also is in a descent area..not like NEWARK. I might be going to the Cardinals or Bengals this game also..maybe we could meet up and have a pint! Here is the link http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ewrsc-fairfield-inn-east-rutherford-meadowlands/
Stay away from Newark...(and Charles De Gualle in Paris for that matter). Why not stay in New York for a week or so? I went in 05, and i'm going again this year. So much to see but perhaps it's because i'm a simple guy from the suburbs in Denmark
Thanks for all the good advice! I wish I could afford to stay for a week, Kramer, but it has to be a short trip I'm afraid! KOZ and others, thanks for the warning about Newark - I think I'll stay either on Manhattan or in East Rutherford. Great tip on the Sports Authority bus Jetcane, I may well do that and I would think there'll be a fair number of Jets fans onboard on Sunday morning. CanadaGreen, that hotel is perfect but fully booked for the games I've narrowed in on! There are others available within a couple of miles of the Meadowlands so I still have options. It's looking like the Arizona game at the moment! Thanks again for all the advice guys!
Hey just make sure that you take the "Port Authority" bus, not the "Sports Authority" bus, as Sports Authority is a local sports merchandise store. If you're trying to be economical here and keep things under a certain $ amount, I have to be honest and tell you that a typical Manhattan hotel in the fall is going to run you upwards of $250 a night in alot of cases- you might be able to break that # in half by staying near the stadium, but it's still very commutable for you to to back and forth into the city and take in a few sights. FYI the stadium and outlying areas is depressing swampland. Outside of the hotel bars, there is absolutely nothing to do or see.
Newark has many some very good points. Some fine restaurants, the arts center, the new stadium, etc. Don't believe everything you see in Harold and Kumar movies. Those movies are hysterical and great, but you don't automatically get mugged when you walk in Newark. That said, I totally agree with the suggestion to stay in Manhattan. You'll likely spend more on the hotel, but you'll have a billion things to do, all accessible by cheap mass transit. Then to get to the actual game take the Port Authority bus for a $10 round trip. It takes like 10-15 minutes to get to the game by the bus. Getting out can be a bitch, though. Last year at, say, half of the games the lines for the buses were huge. And sometimes there's traffic getting into the Lincoln Tunnel. But it's not that bad, and it's dirt cheap, and then you can drink all you want at the game and not worry about any driving. Go Jets!!!!
Well, be careful with the Nov. games because they could be moved to Sunday night and stay at the Glenpoint in Teaneck where the Jets stay and its a 5 min. drive to the stadium
Should you choose to stay in scenic Newark I'd like to point out a few of the highlights- The Hospitality Committee Your Stately Accomodations Your Rental Car- The Day After
Hey you don't think that they give out the title of "Car theft capital of the world" to just anyone to you?
A friend of mine from college grew up in Newark. He wouldn't leave his house unless it was to get into a car...no bullshit. One of the best guitar players I've ever met.
