What can we say about this place called Gotham? The City that Never Sleeps; the land of skyscrapers; the economic engine of the world. We're heading to the Big Apple!
For a select few, this year’s JOE Pre-Trip will visit NYC and nearby, from Tuesday, Aug. 27 to Thursday, Aug. 29. Led by natives who know the city as well as their grandmother’s matzot-ball soup, this trip will introduce both newbies and seasoned visitors to some of the city’s most intriguing destinations.
You’ll get to choose one of the following day-trips:
After our individual choices, we’ll converge on a sunset cruise on the city’s famous Circle Line Tour Harbor Lights Cruise, followed by a kosher, vegetarian dim sum dinner at Buddha Bodai One in Chinatown.
On Thursday morning we will head to the wilds (so to speak) of New Jersey. You will have a choice checking out the Meadowlands via Kayaking, Pontoon Boat Eco Cruise or a Guided Birding Walk.
We’re basing this trip just over the Hudson River in New Jersey, where lodging is affordable, parking is easy, and the city is only a short train ride away.
La Quinta® by Wyndham Clifton/Rutherford hotel is conveniently located off of NJ-3 and the NJ Turnpike. The hotel is 14 miles from New York City and 16 miles from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Come Sunday or Monday and stay in the same hotel to explore “the City” at your own pace, taking in time to see a lot more sights. While no organized activities are planned until Tuesday evening, there are a ton of activities you can do on your own. Try window shopping along Fifth Avenue or visit world class museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum or the American Museum of Natural History. Take in a Broadway Show, go to the top of the Empire State Building, explore the world famous Bronx Zoo or hop on the Cyclone at Coney Island. Contact Pre-Trip@MosaicOutdoor.org if you need more ideas. Mosaic will advise on other early participants if you desire to coordinate activities amongst yourselves.
6:00 am – 8:30 am Breakfast in the Breakfast Room adjacent to the hotel lobby (included for those staying in the hotel)
6:45 am Tour option group WE1 meets in the lobby to depart hotel promptly to walk to Delawanna NJ Transit Station to catch the 7:20 am train.
7:15 am Tour option groups WE2, and WE3 meet in the lobby to depart hotel promptly to walk to Delawanna NJ Transit Station to catch the 7:54 am train.
8:00 am Tour option group We 5 meets in the lobby to take the No. 191 Bus at 8:25 am to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
8:30 am Tour option group We 4 meets in the lobby to take the No. 195 Bus at 8:59 am bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Then enjoy following options:
We1 Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
We3 9/11 Memorial/Museum of Jewish Heritage & Museum at Eldridge Street/ Lower East Side Walking Tour
Evening Activities
We7 Circle Line Harbor Lights Cruise
We8 Self-Guided Walking Tour of Times Square
Then enjoy the following options:
Th1 Meadowlands Eco Cruise
Th2 Meadowlands Kayaking
Th3 Meadowlands Birding Walk
Lunch on your own. Many choices of restaurants in Clifton in the immediate vicinity of the La Quinta Inn.
It is approx. 30 to 50 minutes drive time from Newark Liberty International Airport to LaQuinta Inn and Suites.
If arriving Sunday August 25 or Monday August 26, all transportation is on your own. Check in time is 1:00 pm.
Tuesday arrivals are welcome to arrive at La Quinta Inn and Suites 265 Route 3 East, Clifton, NJ any time after 1:00 pm on Tuesday, August 27th.
Mosaic has reserved a Go Air Link shuttle between Newark Liberty International Airport and the La Quinta Inn and Suites in Clifton, NJ.
Go Air Link will meet your flight if you land by 3:00 pm
The Go Air Link is a 14 passenger van and at $23 (includes 10% tip) is less than half the average taxi fare it would cost you to go to the hotel. You must pre-register via your Mosaic Registration Site to use the Air Link Shuttle.
If you're unable to meet the Go Air Link, taxi service is available to the hotel at the approximate cost of approximately $50-$55 per person. Call Atlantic Taxi at (201) 970-7471 or Mayflower Taxi at (201) 724-2183.
Click HERE for details how to get from the airport to the hotel via Train.
We will be using public transportation exclusively on Wednesday due to heavy traffic congestion and the very high cost of parking in NYC. Mass transit is the best way to get around a large city like New York, whose transit system is second to none!
It is possible to take NJ Transit from Newark Airport to Delawanna Station with a change at Secaucus Junction. It is not recommended unless you're traveling light. Also, when you disembark in Delawanna Station, you will have a 15-minute walk to the hotel. A taxi ride will cost you between $15-$25.
Personal cars may be needed to take people to Glatt kosher restaurants on Tuesday evening and the birding walk on Thursday morning. Mosaic insurance requires use to be restricted to only pre-approved drivers. If you would like to become an “approved driver”, please contact a Pre-Trip Chairperson, Marlisse Marcus and Peter Small as soon as possible. Drivers will be reimbursed for their expenses.
Everyone who registers for the Pre-Trip will receive round trip NJ Transit tickets and for those going to the Statue of Liberty, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail tickets. Your train tickets will be distributed to you at the Meet the Leader meeting on Tuesday evening. You must attend the meeting on Tuesday night to get your train tickets for Wednesday and Thursday.
NJ Transit will be used again on Thursday morning between Delawanna and Secaucus to take us to the Eco Cruise and kayaking activities being organized for us by the Hackensack Riverkeeper from Laurel Hill County Park in the Meadowlands.
Finally, and most importantly, please be on time for all events and stay together as a group. The train waits for no one. We will leave the hotel promptly at the scheduled time. If you miss the train or get separated from the group, it will be your responsibility to find us or risk missing some or all of the day’s scheduled activities. Again, we will not wait for anyone!
The Mosaic shuttle will leave promptly for camp on Thursday, August 29th at 2:30 pm. Please meet outside the lobby with your luggage by 2:15 pm. The shuttle WILL NOT WAIT FOR ANYONE who is not ready for pickup when the Shuttle beparts from the hotel. Anyone left behind because they were not waiting for the Shuttle at the appointed time will need to arrange their transportation to camp and forfeit the cost of the Mosaic Shuttle.
Cost of Mosaic Shuttle: Round trip/$65 One-Way $40. (Round trip will return you to the airport after the main event.)
The La Quinta Inn & Suites, Clifton, J is conveniently located at 265 Route 3 East in Clifton, NJ. The La Quinta Inn includes complimentary breakfast, WIFI, indoor swimming room, and exercise room. The La Quinta Inn & Suites, Clifton, NJ, is within easy walking distance of excellent bus and train service that will get you into Manhattan in just 30 minutes. Several good restaurants are within a five-minute walk of the hotel. There is even a sixteen screen Multiplex, only a 5-minute walk from the hotel. There are several Glatt kosher restaurants two miles away that can be reached by advance notice with the hotel courtesy van.
$219 per person - Double or Couples Occupancy
$371 per person - Single Occupancy
$152 Extra per day for Single Occupancy on Sunday or Monday
$90 Extra per day Double Occupancy for Sunday or Monday
**Note: We can only guarantee room rates until July 30th. Any rooms booked after July 30th will be based upon availability of a room from the hotel and prices may go up.
All prices are USA Dollars.
Please register for the Pre-Trip while you register for the Main Event on the Registration Page. You must participate in the Main Event to be able to attend the Pre-Trip.
Pre-Trip Chair-People: Marlisse Marcus and Peter Small at Pre-Trip@MosaicOutdoor.org
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