Visiting the Statue of Liberty - Ellis & Liberty Islands

My Father would like to visit the Statue of Liberty. He told me today that he was looking at hotels in Jersey City, but I thought it would be better to stay in Manhattan and visit from the NY side, instead of the NJ side.

I think that%26#39;s he just trying to cut costs where he can, but I%26#39;m trying to convince him that there will be an opportunity to see more things if we stay in Manhattan.

He%26#39;s in his early 60s, in moderately poor health (cannot walk long distances), and also quite stubborn.

Is it feasible/cheaper/safe to stay and then visit from Jersey City? or should I continue to work on staying in Manhattan?

I appreciate your replies!

Thanks :-)

Visiting the Statue of Liberty - Ellis %26amp; Liberty Islands

If you have a car, which I assume you do, and your goal is to see SOL (...and Ellis Island? Same boat, same price, but more walking), then I do think the NJ boat will be easier on your dad. The NJ boats leave from Liberty State Park and I%26#39;ve taken it as recently as last summer. I think there will be less walking because you can let him off pretty close to where you pick up the boats then go part in the (very large) lot.

Keep in mind that just the SOL will involve a bit of walking. Also, the first boat out may have dramatically shorter lines (not sure what the lines are like this time of year, but in the summer you can stand for an hour or maybe more)

I can%26#39;t remember exactly how you would get to Liberty State Park from the nicer Jersey City Hotels, in spite of the fact that I use to live in JC(!) -- but I know that it%26#39;s not hard. The hotels will be able to give you directions -- you basically jump on the NJ Turnpike Southbound.

It is true that in Manhattan you will see more and have more to do. How many days are you planning on going for? If a one day trip, forget Mahnattan -- it will be too much for your dad, as you describe him.

Visiting the Statue of Liberty - Ellis %26amp; Liberty Islands

I definitely appreciate the reply, LiveInNewJersey. I was wondering if you might comment on a few of the ';nicer'; hotels in Jersey City. I%26#39;ve never been, so I%26#39;m not familiar with the area at all.

Thanks so much!

JC has really grown since I lived there and you%26#39;ll find many posts here about the hotels in JC -- there are several nice ones.. You may also want to put out a specific post here about where to stay in JC -- I really couldn%26#39;t make a recommendation.

Here%26#39;s the national park service web site for that deals with reservations, nps.gov/stli/鈥eesandreservations.htm.

BTW, Newark Airport, which has lots of hotels, isn%26#39;t far either.

Then you could come back and have a great Portuguese or Spanish dinner in Newark%26#39;s Ironbound district http://www.goironbound.com/ (The Ironbound District is the only thing worth visiting in Newark). If you do this, though, you%26#39;ll need a high tolerance for possibly getting lost due to the confusing streets. These are all neighborhood restaraunts and very good. See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironbound