USVI-On-Line

Sorry, I didn’t read your post carefully enough to realize you are coming in from Denmark.
I travel to Japan every year out of EWR. Normally for me, it takes about 2 hours to get back to the apartment in Manhattan from EWR once the plane lands. That is by taxi. I’m usually dead tired after a long flight and can’t even bare the thought of taking a train or bus to Penn Station and then cab from there to the apartment. However, some people are tough as nails. My friend flew from Japan to EWR, took a train to Penn Station, and then took the subway, including one transfer (my goodness!), to get here with a HUGE suitcase and a guitar. Since he was a visitor, he did not waste time and went out for a show and drink an hour after he got here from the airport. I, personally, could never do that… I don’t have that much stamina.
I don’t know how tough you are though. If you are energetic enough, I still think you can do some sightseeing or shopping and have a nice dinner in the city. If you are more laid-back, you can still have a dinner and maybe a little bit of walk-around. The city is pretty safe. There are areas where you better not hang out, especially late at night, but I highly doubt you will be walking around those areas.

I also vote for staying in NYC. If you stay in Jersey, you'll have to go back and forth to Manhattan twice, which will eat up your time and some of the savings you'd enjoy at a cheaper hotel. Since you'd have to be back at the airport by 1 p.m. or so, you'd barely get to the city before having to turn around and leave. Stay in the midtown area, because Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and even the Empire State Building (a little farther away) are within walking distance. A good source for hotel discounts is www.quikbook.com, and last-minute bargains are sometimes available at http://hotels.travelzoo.com/new-york-hotels/

Don't waste valuable NYC time shopping for stuff like lotion, maybe not even for crocs. Not with the amazing stores available in the midtown area, expensive though they are. For a good selection of restaurants in the cuisine and price you desire, look at www.menupages.com. You can click on the area of your hotel and find restaurants close by that have been rated by visitors.

I know this is a difficult decision, so my suggestion is to maximize your time in the city. I just got back, and you're going to love it -- and boy, what a contrast to the Virgin Islands!

Robin

Thank you all of you. I really appreciate your advice and proposals.

Waterguy. I am glad you recommend me to try to ask questions here. The only reason, why I have not done it before, is that you seem to be so familiar on this board. And I feel like a stranger –
not an American, not perfect in English, totally Newbie (I did not know this word before, I have seen it here). But I can see now that it does not matter.

Shopping
I am so glad to hear that I can buy Crocs on STT or STJ. I know, I can buy cheap copies, but I am perhaps a little naive, think that the originals are better! Concerning bug repellent. Even though I always try to save money if possible, it’s not because I want to save some few dollars, I want to buy it in NYC. I am just not sure that the stuff, I want, is available on STT or STJ. I will bring some repellent with me from DK, but like the idea that you also have some with sun block in.
Does anybody know if the famous Ruth on STJ has this type?
Also I have read so much about these Neat Sheets, so I definitely need to buy some. I have found the Home Page, but cannot see, if they will send them to DK and also prefer to buy them “overthere”. Betty, have you seen them too on STJ? Or do you know, Pia?
If I can have the most important things on STJ, we can save time in NYC and concentrate about seeing some sights.

Luggage checked in to St. Thomas
We would like only to have some carry-on luggage with us, but my husband, who has been on business trip some times to USA, are not sure, if it’s possible to check-in for STT. But now we will try to ask Continental, or perhaps it’s possible to keep it in the airport? But I have to tell that when we travel, we usually only are allowed to have 20 kg(44 lbs) check-in luggage and 5 kg(22 lbs) with us. So we are not used to bring a lot of luggage.

Staying in Newark or in NYC
One of the reasons I ask for proposals about that was that my husband prefers to stay on a hotel in Newark. He says, it takes extraordinary long time to come in and out of an airport in USA, and we will be tired, when we arrive. So he thinks that we should take the train to NYC, be there for some hours and take the train back in the evening. I can understand that, but feel that to be in NYC, is to stay in the city overnight. Also as some of you notice we can have a few hours there the next day too. Some of you agree with my husband and some of you agree with me. I am still not sure what will be the right. But if we can buy the same things in STT or STJ as in NYC, it saves some time, and if we succeed in only have our carry-on with us, it will not be so difficult with the train, and if we can find this double decker bus with a guide late afternoon too, it’s an easy way to see some sights, and if there is no thunderstorms, so that the plane arrives late,then I am still for NYC (also because I know now that it’s safe to go out in the night).

That leads me to a new question. Perhaps we should not decide now, where to stay, but wait and
see how and when we arrive . Continental will either find a room for us on a hotel near the airport or give us 90 dollars. So we will always have a place to stay, but cannot decide which one.
Will it be possible to have a room on Manhattan 29th of June without reservation in advance?

Trip report
If people like to have a trip report from me, I will write one, and you will be welcome to laugh of my mistakes with the English language.

Linne

Hi Linne
You are now a member of our forum family. The double decker buses run all the time there is a bunch of places in Time square to get the tickets and they even have people on the street corners with hand held computers to by from. We won't laugh at your grammer we might laugh with you on some of the fun things you do in the islands. I hope you have a great time and become addicted like the rest of us so that when you aren't on them you are thinking of them. If you ever get to the middle of the USA give me a shout and I'll show you around.
Tom

Here are my "two cents" (an American expression for an opinion), Im a native NY'er, from what I see everyday, the City is packed with tourists. I can't remeber a time when NYC has been so popular, and we aren't even in summer yet. That being said, I persoanlly would not chance trying to find a hotel room in NYC without a reservation. Also, beware of what Continental might consider " near Newark airport". They could stick you some place out of the way and getting back to the airport for public transport to NYC might be a chore.

I can understand your Husband's point about being tired after the long flight however many hotels have 3 or 4:00PM check in times so you might get to the hotel in Newark and get stuck waiting for the room. If that's the case wouldn't it be better to be stuck in NYC than Newark? Trust me the answer is definitely not Newark. If you came directly to NYC, you could give the hotel the bags and then be off exploring.

May I make a reccomendation for a hotel, The Shelbourne. It's on Park Ave in the 30's, just a little out of the way to make it cheaper, but the subway is right around the corner.

Pickles is right, figure on 2 hrs from touch down to midtown so you need to figure that in both ways.
The best way to see NYC is on foot, given the crowds, don't count on being able to get into too many venues in one afternoon. For example the wait to get up to the top of the Empire State building could be more than an hour. The idea of the double decker bus is a good one.

Good luck and enjoy

Hi Linne

Sorry I do not know if they sell "Neat Sheets" in St John or St Thomas, maybe Pia or Ruth could answer that question!

I would take the $90. from Continental and book your own hotel. I once had that experience with another airline with a layover at LaGuardia in NY and they put me in a slum welfare motel, it was very scary as I was by myself!

Betty

Linne

I just looked at Hotwire.com for the June 29 and 4 star hotels in midtown manhattan range from $183-223. for one night. This should give you a base of what to expect. 2-3 star hotels were not much cheaper.

Good luck!
Betty

Gromit, I am glad to hear that you like Danish clogs.
We have many sorts of clogs here both cheap and expensive(security clogs), but I think that you can find them cheaper than 115 dollars here.

Pickle, sorry I haven’t seen your post on page 2 before now. I am sure that we - like you - will be dead tired when we arrive, but I hope that
I will have more stamina than usual because I am going to see an exciting city!Do you really think that we can be in NYC 2 hours after arriving to the airport? My husband says it takes such a long time to go through. Perhaps it’s easier for the Americans?

Robin, Sailorgirl and Betty, I am glad that I have your votes for staying in the city, and I will follow your advice and make a hotel reservation in advance. I have been looking on both Shelburne and another hotel, I have been recommended, Belvedere and they both look nice. But I have also been looking in Hotwire.com and I am a little confused. You are right Betty. It seems as if you can have a room on a 4 star hotel in Midtown for less than 200 dollars. It’s very cheap. I do not know this Hotwire. Can you trust them?? I also tried Quikbook.com and there I found a Best Western President Hotel to 245 dollars. Another suggestion on this board is Sheraton, which also have a reasonable price. But I do not know, where to find the best location. And again, can I trust Quikbook?

Waterguy, thank you for your welcome and further information about the bus.

Linne

Hi Linne
I have used Hotwire and have had good luck with them I haven't ever used Quikbook so I can't give you any help there.
Tom

linne,
Normally it takes about 2 hours for me to get back to the apartment in Manhattan after touch down. You are right - it may take longer for visitors/non-U.S. citizens to get through immigration. Even so, I can’t imagine taking more than 3 hours to get to midtown.
Physically, EWR is closer to Manhattan than JFK to Manhattan. When we leave Manhattan for EWR by taxi, it usually takes as quick as 25 minutes or as long as 45 minutes, and this is avoiding rush hour. For us, it always seems to take a little longer from EWR to Manhattan, though. I guess it doesn’t matter if you are taking trains.

When my husband and I went to Barcelona (changed plane in Amsterdam), we got there around noon and were leaving for Mallorca the next day. Although we were very tired from long flights, we DID walk around Barcelona that afternoon (how could we not!) and had a nice dinner too. I don’t consider myself particularly energetic – I get tired easily. However, when I’m traveling places, especially for the first time, I seem to have extra energy. I’m sure it’s true for many people.

When are you going? Don’t forget to do your trip report when you get back.