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Newark Skyline

Due to its proximity to New York, as well as its reputation for seediness (and that's putting it mildly), Newark is often overlooked in favor of Goliath-like Manhattan 5 miles east as well as commuter havens Jersey City and Hoboken. In truth, the city is a gem in the rough. The downtown area has retained much of its turn of the century architecture as seen in buildings like the recently renovated art deco Eleven80 apartments (at 1180 Raymond Boulevard). Another architectural gem is the gothic Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The city is also a major transportation hub so there are plenty of ways to get around. While things are safer now than they were a few years ago, thanks in large part to a very committed mayor, none of this is to say Newark is Disneyland. Car thefts and muggings are still frequent occurrences in some neighborhoods more than others.

Despite being so close to New York or having almost the same letters, Newark is in New Jersey so you are subject to the laws of the state of New Jersey. There exists a Newark (New York) but it is a small rural town in central New York state so don't make the mistake of addressing someone in Newark, NY if what you are looking for is in the Newark close to New York City.

When taking the New Jersey train, realize that New York and Newark both have "Penn Stations". It is sometimes easy to mistake the conductor saying "New York" for "Newark" (and vice versa), so be aware so you don't accidentally get off at the wrong station.

Newark, New Jersey is pronounced Noo-wirk, as opposed to Newark, Delaware which is pronounced Noo-ark. Locals will often pronounce it "nork".

[edit] Understand

English is the main language, but the Ironbound area of Newark is home to a significant Brazilian and Portuguese population.

[edit] Get in

Newark is a transportation Mecca and is very easy to get into and out of.

[edit] By plane

• Newark Liberty International Airport, (IATA: EWR) [2], is about 5 miles south of downtown. It is a major hub for Continental Airlines and serves several other domestic and international carriers as well. If you do not have a car, take the bus or the AirTrain Newark monorail (running between terminals and to connections to NJ Transit and Amtrak) to your destination. Airport information can be obtained by calling 1-888-EWR-INFO (1-888-397-4636) OR +01-973-961-6000.

There are non-stop flights to New York Newark Liberty Airport from the following cities (some cities may be seasonal or only offer service certain days of the week): Acapulco, Aguadilla, Albany, Amsterdam, Antigua, Aruba, Asheville, Athens, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Bangor, Barcelona, Beijing, Belfast, Belize City, Berlin, Bermuda, Birmingham, Birmingham, Bogota, Bonaire, Boston, Bristol, Brussels, Buffalo, Burlington, Calgary, Cancun, Caracas, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Copenhagen, Cozumel, Curacao, Dallas Fort Worth, Dayton, Delhi, Denver, Detroit, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Fayetteville, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Frankfurt, Geneva, Glasgow, Grand Cayman Island, Grand Rapids, Greensboro, Greenville, Guatemala City, Halifax, Hamburg, Harrisburg, Hartford, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Ithaca, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Krakow, Las Vegas, Leeds, Lexington, Liberia, Lima, Lisbon, Little Rock, London, Los Angeles, Louisville, Madison, Madrid, Manchester, Manchester, Memphis, Mexico City, Miami, Milan, Milwaukee, Minneapolis St Paul, Moncton, Mont Tremblant, Montego Bay, Montreal, Montrose, Mumbai, Munich, Myrtle Beach, Nantucket, Nashville, Nassau, New Orleans, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Orlando, Oslo, Ottawa, Panama City, Paris, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Port of Spain, Portland, Portland, Porto, Providence, Puerto Plata, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, Quebec, Raleigh Durham, Richmond, Roatan, Rochester, Rome, Rzeszow, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Jose Cabo, San Juan, San Pedro Sula, San Salvador, Santa Ana, Santo Domingo, Sao Paulo, Savannah Hilton Head, Seattle, Shanghai, Shannon, Singapore, St Johns, St Louis, St Maarten, St Thomas Island, Steamboat Springs, Stockholm, Syracuse, Taipei, Tampa, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Toronto, Tulsa, Vail, Vancouver, Warsaw, Washington, West Palm Beach, Wilkes-Barre and Zurich [3].

There is a shuttle service called Super Shuttle located in the airport that will take you to your hotel for around $48. You do have to make reservations ahead of time though. Their phone number is 973-961-2255

[edit] By train

Newark Penn Station (not to be confused with New York Penn Station) is located just a few blocks from the heart of downtown Newark. It's a beautiful old McKim Mead & White building and worth visiting just on its own. It is served by Amtrak [4] and New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line, and Raritan Valley Line, [5], with easy connections to New York, Philadelphia, Trenton, and points south and west. A PATH [6] train (the Red Line) connects Penn Station with Jersey City and the World Trade Center in New York City. Connections to other PATH lines can be made to Hoboken and 33rd Street in Manhattan. The Newark City Light Rail runs two lines in Newark, both terminating at Penn Station. The Newark City Subway Line (formerly called the #7 City Subway and shown on maps as the blue line) has service to Branch Brook Park and Grove Street, Bloomfield, NJ. The Newark Light Rail Line (the orange line on maps), completed in the summer of 2006 operates between Penn Station and Broad Street Station. New Jersey Transit's Montclair-Boonton line, Morristown line and Gladstone Branch serve Broad st. station .

[edit] By car

Route 21 (McCarter Highway) runs North-South along the railroad tracks a few blocks east of downtown. I-78 skirts the south edge of town and I-280 cuts across the North. Route 1/9 comes across the Pulaski Skyway from Jersey City and Manhattan (via the Holland Tunnel). Take the Raymond Blvd. exit and drive along the Passaic River into downtown.

[edit] By bus

Newark Penn Station is also the city's bus terminal and is served by NJ Transit buses, as well as Greyhound and others.

[edit] By boat

[edit] Get around

There is a network of municipal buses. Taxis are also available.

The bus fares are relatively cheap, under $2 for adults and under $1 for children. There are a few different bus lines that come through Newark and most stop a Newark Penn Station.

[edit][add listing] See

• Newark Museum, 53 Washington Street, Phone: (973) 596-6550, [7]. Year round: W–F: 12PM–5PM; October 1 – June 30: Sa,Su 10AM–5PM; July 1 – September 30: Sa,Su 12PM-5PM. The Museum complex incorporates 80 galleries of art and science, a mini zoo, planetarium, cafe, auditorium, sculpture garden, schoolhouse and the Ballantine House, the restored 1885 mansion that is a National Historic Landmark. Adults $7, Children, Seniors and Students; Planetarium add: Adults $3, Children, Seniors and Students $2.
• Military Park, Broad Street between Rector Street and Raymond Blvd, Phone: 973-733-9333. A park downtown that was originally a militia training green in the 1600s. Wars of America monument is an imposing work of Mount Rushmore artist Gutzon Borglum. In the summer on Thursdays, the park hosts Common Greens, a farmers market.

[edit][add listing] Do

• New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center Street, (888) 466-5722, [8].
• Symphony Hall, 1020 Broad Street, Phone: 973-643-8468, [9]
• Prudential Center, Mulberry Street (Across From Triangle Park and 1 Block west from Penn Station), [10]. It hosts New Jersey Devils hockey games, Seton Hall University basketball games, New Jersey Ironmen MISL (indoor soccer) games and concerts.
• New Jersey Historical Society, 52 Park Pl. Tue-Sat 12-5. Phone: (973)-596-8500, [11].

[edit] Art Galleries

• Aljira: A Center for Contemporary Art, 591 Broad St. Wed-Fri 12-6, Sat 11-4. Described by the New York Times as "a feisty alternative art space in Newark, often shows artwork that has a razor-sharp social and political edge." Phone: 973-622-1600, [12].
• City Without Walls, a contemporary art gallery at 6 Crawford St. Wed-Fri 12-6, Sat 1-6. Phone: 973-622-1188. [13].
• Gallery Aferro, a contemporary art gallery at 73 Market St. Thu-Sat 12-6. Phone: 646-220-3772, [14].
• Gallery Twenty-One, a contemporary art gallery and Cuban cultural center at 611 McCarter Highway. Phone: 973.424.1700. [15]
• Red Saw Gallery, a contemporary art gallery at 585 Broad St. [16]

[edit] Learn

The Newark Public Library: A great facility to explore, pick up a book, and learn a little something in the city. [17]

[edit] Colleges and Universities

Drake College of Business

Essex County College

Rutgers University Fdu

Rutgers College of Nursing

Seton Hall Law School One Newark Center

• New Jersey Institute of Technology [18]

• New Jersey Medical School (UMDNJ) [19]

[edit] Work

[edit][add listing] Buy

• There are no real malls in Newark but there are malls near by that the buses in the city will take you to for a relatively cheap fare.

[edit][add listing] Eat

Newark is known for its Portuguese and Brazilian food. There are quite a number of such restaurants, most of which are inexpensive to moderate in price.

[edit] Budget

• Mi Gente Cafe, 7 Central Ave, Phone: 973-621-9090

• Ferry Street Barbeque, 89 Ferry St., Phone: 973-344-7337

[edit] Mid-range

• Brasilia Grille, 99 Monroe St, Phone: 973-589-8682, [20]. M-Th 11:30AM-11PM; F-Sa 11:30AM-11:30PM; Su Noon-10PM.

• Brazilian Bakery, 44 Ferry St, Phone: 973-465-4455

• Boi Na Brasa, 70 Adams St, Phone: 973-589-6069

• Seabra's Rodizio, 1034 McCarter Hwy, Phone: 973-622-6221

[edit] Splurge

• Iberia 80-84 Ferry St.Newark, N.J. 07105

• Iberia Peninsula 63-69 Ferry St. Newark, N.J. 07105

• Don Pepe 844 McCarter Highway Newark, NJ 07102

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit][add listing] Sleep

Airport hotels serving Newark Airport are inexpensive ($50+ booked online; $69 walk in). Multiple transfers (airport shuttle to airport; #62 to Penn Station; PATH train to the city) are required to get to New York city, and services are of low frequency. Expect 1.5 to 2 hours each way from your Newark airport hotel to Manhattan.

[edit] Budget

[edit] Mid-range

• Courtyard Newark Liberty International Airport, Route 1&9 South, +1 973 643-8500, Fax: +1 973 648-0662, [21].

• Best Western Newark Airport West, 101 International Way, +1 973 621-6200, Fax: +1 973 621-6266, [22].

• Fairfield Inn & Suites Newark Liberty International Airport, 618 Routes 1 & 9 South, +1 973 242-2600, Fax: +1 973 242-6560, [23].

• Holiday Inn, 160 Frontage Road, +1 973 589-1000, [24].

• Newark Liberty International Airport Marriott, Newark International Airport, +1 973 623-0006, Toll-free: +1 800 882-1037, Fax: +1 973 623-7618, [25].

• Robert Treat Hotel, 50 Park Place, +1 973 622-1000, Fax: +1 973 622-6410. Recently renovated, runs free guest shuttles both to Newark Penn Station as well as to Newark Airport. Rooms facing the back of the hotel have views of Manhattan and rooms facing the front have views of Military Park and Broad Street. On a relatively safe downtown street with NJPAC across the street. [26].

• SpringHill Suites Newark Liberty International Airport, 652 Route 1 & 9 South, +1 973 624-5300, Toll-free: +1 888 887-8123, Fax: +1 973 624-3355, [27].

• Newark Liberty International Airport Marriott, Newark Liberty International Airport, ☎ 973-623-0006, [28]. checkin: 4pm; checkout: 12pm. Offers space for meetings and wedding receptions.  edit

[edit] Splurge

[edit] Contact

[edit] Newspaper

The main newspaper of Newark (and New Jersey) is the Star Ledger [29]. New York City area newspapers are also widely available (New York Times, New York Daily News, New York Post).

[edit] Stay safe

Newark is not unsafe as long as you are careful. It was the car-theft capital of the US in the 1990s after Miami when the craze hit, but the trend has gone down since then. Downtown Newark is crowded and very safe during the day. It empties out at night and may seem creepy but as long as you stay in well lit open areas you will be fine. The Ironbound district is pretty bumpin' on nights and weekends and is probably the safest part of the city, behind Downtown and Forest Hill. The South and Central Wards have heavier crime rates and it pays to be more guarded in those areas.

Remember, the best advice to be given about doing business in 'stickier' neighborhoods is just keep your wits about you. If caught in a confrontation, act confident, no matter how scared you might actually be. Afterwards, make yourself scarce, fast. If all else fails, remember that money and material things can be replaced, while lives cannot.

[edit] Cope

[edit] Get out

The obvious place to get out to is New York City. The cheapest way ($1.75 one-way) to get there is via the Port Authority Trans Hudson (PATH) line [30], which will transport you from Newark Penn Station to World Trade Center station or another line which goes along Manhattan's West Side (mostly 6th Av.), starting at Christopher St. and ending at 33 St.

Hitchhike

Believe it or not, it is possible to hitchhike out of the New York Metro area. If you are trying to go long distances, your best bet is to take NJ Transit or Metro North far enough to put you well into the suburbs, preferably to a stop that puts you near (i.e. within walking distance of) a major highway such as an Interstate. From there, get to an on-ramp and put out your thumb. Be advised, however, that New Jersey state laws on hitchhiking are notoriously ambiguous, and you may be hassled by local police, so use common sense and discretion.

If you're trying to go west into Pennsylvania, your best bet is to take NJ transit to Mt. Olive, which is only a 5 minute walk from I-80, which generally carries a good amount of long-distance traffic going west.

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