Should You Begin at Newark Penn?

You may recall that earlier this year, I ranted about never taking another redeye domestic flight, and perhaps you've made similar resolutions to never take another one, vows which somehow fade when you realize how much you can save between cashing in fewer air miles and foregoing a hotel night.

Yep, that's what we did...again...and this time we added a fast stopover to change planes halfway through the flight, just to be certain we disrupted any possible deep sleep.

Surprisingly, Julie and I both managed to nod off during the flights, and the next morning after departing our home in sunny Redondo Beach, we arrived in Newark, New Jersey.

Newark has an iffy reputation, and most vacationers make a point of getting across the river from Newark into New York City or to some other destination as quickly as possible.

This time, however, we decided to book an airport area hotel, Hilton Newark Penn Station, where we headed directly from the airport...well, almost directly.

It turns out there are at least a half dozen Hiltons near the Newark Airport, and the first shuttle we took didn't go to the right hotel.  This minor diversion could have actually been prevented by simply paying $5 for the Air Bus to Newark Penn Station, from which we could have walked through the mall to our hotel.  That would definitely be the way to go in the winter months, rather than standing on a curb waiting for a shuttle van.

While not the Ritz, our Hilton Hotel was very nice and quite comfortable for considerably less than most hotels in downtown Manhattan.  The friendly staff acceded to our request for early check-in, and we took a nap before going to meet our youngest daughter Amy at New York Penn Station, which is an easy train ride from Newark Penn.

Amy led us to Pennsy's, a food court at NY Penn adjacent to Madison Square Garden, where NY Rangers fans were arriving to attend a hockey game.  Outside, a DJ blasted dance music for thousands of partying young people.

There were several choices for food, and we selected Pat LaFrieda's, which among flowery prose intended to lure diners to other Pennsy eateries had a more direct pitch: "Eat My Meat."  Amy ordered the Steak Salad, which is a good-sized tossed green salad with essentially a sliced steak on top.  Figuring that Amy as a Knickerbocker must know what's up, I followed suit.  It proved to be a delicious, tummy-filling choice, and at $12 seems like a bargain in pricey NYC.

After dinner, I ordered a Coney Island micro-brew, Julie a glass of wine and Amy a club soda at Pennsy's corner bar, and we spent another hour or so chatting at our table.

We wanted to see Amy's new apartment in Harlem, so we headed over there for a brief visit before heading back to our hotel, where we got a good night's sleep.

While breakfast wasn't included in our room rate, being at the station meant there were plenty of restaurants a short walk away, including McDonald's, where we were able to try the new Chicken McGriddle (the McAnswer to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles), another great value at $1.99.

Well-rested and fed, we were able to easily board the train taking us to our oldest daughter Gina's new home in Wynnewood, Pennsyvlania, in the suburbs of Philadephia, where she recently moved with her husband Laszlo and daughter Emma after accepting a wonderful career opportunity at Drexel University.

Birds play in indoor puddle of Newark tracks.

By the way, there are lots of great cruises from New York City and Cape Liberty, NJ, including seasonal trips to beautiful Bermuda and Canada/New England as well as year round itineraries to the Bahamas, Florida and the Caribbean.

Or, if you want to go to or from Europe without quite as much jet lag, transatlantic crossings Queen Mary 2 and other ships offer elegant alternatives embarking from ports near Newark.

At New York Penn Station, we spotted a Big Bus, the hop-on, hop off tour
we would take before boarding Caribbean Princess in Brooklyn a few days later.