David Rankine of the Black Rock Riders gang recently visited New York City and shared a great tip for traveling there cheaply. Basically, it's stay in New Jersey and take the ferry over to the city. Here are the details:
In New York City even dumpy hotels/motels are $400-$500 a night. I stayed in Jersey City across the Hudson for $89 at the Econolodge. In the morning, for $7, I took the high speed ferry across the river with the Wall Street tycoons on their way to work. If I rode through the tunnel, the toll would have been $8. You don't get to take your bike on the ferry, but if you have to stay a couple of days you can save big bucks. The ferry links with the NYC public transportation system.
Anyone searching for a motel/hotel on Yahoo Travel or Orbiz would notice that rates on the other side of the Hudson are much lower. The trick is knowing that you can take the ferry from Jersey to 39th st or Wall street for small bucks. The ferries sail from Weehawken and Hoboken about every 20 minutes and take about 15 minutes. It's helpful to have a GPS to find the motel on the Jersey side. The one I used was on Route 1 in Jersey City.
Thanks David!
