Terminal Illness

We spent very little time today standing still. So far New York is a lot of waiting around for someone to pick you up and drop you off somewhere else. We arrived in Newark at about 11:30. Then, my friends, we began the real journey. I present to you: How to get from Newark, NJ, to Port Authority, Manhattan, NY, for $4.40.

1. Take the shuttle from your hotel to the airport.
2. Take the Airtrain to terminal C.
3. Go downstairs and outside to lane 2 and take the airport shuttle to P6.
4. Leave P6 parking area and back track, cross the street to the bus shelter.
5. Wait.
6. Take NJ transit bus 107 to Port Authority. (Jon is waiting for the 107 above).
7. Arrive bounced, but not broken in Manhattan for the cheapest price possible using public transportation.

After navigating through the above steps we walked to the Times Square subway station and rode to the end of the line at Staten Ferry. We waited at the Ferry Terminal for a free boat ride past the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Brooklyn Bridge. But you can’t just stay on the ferry to get back. You have to disembark and wait in the terminal for another ferry on the return trip. (But you can’t beat free!)

We walked past Battery Park, but not really in it because of construction in the area, and made our way to Ground Zero through the financial district. While I think we felt like we needed to go there to pay our respects, there isn’t a lot to see right now. The days of mangled wreckage and smoldering steel are long gone and rebuilding is well underway. It just looks like a work zone. We did see the bronze mural, which I think is called the “Wall of Heroes” and a place where people burn candles and leave mementos. To others visiting the city, I would say don’t go to Ground Zero right now unless you feel like you need to. Sidewalks are closed, jackhammers and bulldozers are loud, and it’s a pretty congested area as everyone else is also taking the detours around the construction. The bustle really takes away from any silent reflection or solace you might be looking for.

Again we found ourselves under ground and returning to Port Authority. Once there we explored the terminal a bit to find where we would be catching our bus to get back to Newark. We also went ahead and bought bus tickets for tomorrow and Wednesday, so we won’t have to wait in line again. We ate dinner on 42nd Street and hoofed it to Times Square and took pictures. All this only to return one last time to the Port Authority bus terminal to get back to our hotel (see above instructions, only read them in reverse :) . Luckily the hotel had warm chocolate chip and walnut cookies waiting and a cool, comfortable room.