Travel to NYC for Rutgers 11/10
Curious to hear from anyone who has traveled to NYC for a weekend and made a day trip to Piscataway for the game. Is it doable or worth it? At the surface it seems like a fun and economic trip ticket-wise (assuming football tickets are cheap and hotel rooms being cheaper than usual in November). Would be traveling from Chicago.
Would most likely need to be a day game for the itinerary to work out. I cringe at the thought of having to endure the 2016 night game in the pouring rain, though watching a 78-0 beatdown would be extremely entertainment with Jabrill scoring several TD’s and Garret Moore’s running in for a 2pt conversion.
Would appreciate any feedback!
Tickets between Ohare and NYC (Newark being the obvious airport choice) are often economical. I'd recommend checking out Airbnb for good lodging options if you don't mind some of its unique characteristics; you can save a lot of money that way.
Depends on how much adventure you want and what you want to pay for, really. I have a hard time imagining a visit there without a trip into NYC, but YMMV. Of course, one can make the trip into the city without mortgaging a first-born child if one uses transit and plans ahead.
Think hard about how you want to get around. I have no idea what transit is like to Piscataway but as you know from living in Chicago there are certain areas where you save a lot of money and hassle by skipping your own car and just hodge-podging it with transit and ride-sharing.
You can take a train from Penn Station to New Brunswick, which will drop you off in the heart of Rutgers. I’m sure they run busses for non students on game days, but am not sure the exact stop is.
The train station is in a part of town where you’ll have many food and drink options (can eat pre/ post game)
Nj Transit will say it’s probably 1:00 on the train, but I’d budget 1:15 to 1:30 each way (most likely will be local service).
I've done the trip twice from DTW. There is a train from campus to NYC (Penn Station like jblaze mentioned). It takes about a half hour if you can get the express train. There is also a train from the Newark airport to either NYC or Piscataway. On the Rutgers end, the train station is on the south end of campus and there is a lineup of buses before the game that will transport you free of charge to the stadium.
Our first trip, we stayed on campus and took the train to NYC a couple times. Last time we stayed downtown and only went to Jersey for the game. We are planning the same routine this year. There a lot of Michigan fans attending the game. When we got back to Penn Station it was a pretty cool sight seeing a sea of maize and blue chanting, "It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine."
Getting around NYC is easy: cabs, Uber, and subway. Trains between the two sites are frequent and ultra-easy. It is a great trip and by far the best thing about Rutgers joining the conference.
This actually sounds pretty fun, I might make the trip if work allows.
I’m planning on a Thursday PM to Sunday trip (travelling from DTW to NYC or Newark).
Thinking about Thursday night, Friday in NYC, then bussing or train to New Brunswick for Saturday night stay in AirBnb or hotel.
I’m curious to know about ticket purchase timing, secondary vs. primary market etc. (M tix are available from Rutgers Athletics site right now).
If you're staying in the city there's no reason for Newark to be the "obvious" airport choice. LGA is the closest to Manhattan of the three and you can take the LIRR from JFK into Penn Station as well.
Newark benefits because it's a United hub just like Chicago so they run a lot of flights. Plus, if you stay in NJ to save money it's much easier to get to and from the airport.
If Delta is still running flights from OHare into the Marine Terminal at LGA, that's the way to go. It's by far the best airport experience in NYC. It's a small terminal used only for commuter flights between NYC and Boston, Chicago, and DC, and has none of the enormous hassle of LGA's other terminals and none of Newark's occasional huge security lines (even with Pre-check).
LGA and Spirit FTW.
Yes to this. Also Newark airport is just awful. I’d stay out of Jersey as much of the trip as possible. We stay at the Row when we travel to NYC. Super adorable, and most importantly clean.
Professor Thom's, a main Michigan bar in NYC, rented a number of buses to take people to the game two years ago. There was tailgating before the game too. I would consider reaching out to Pete Levin, one of the owners, and asking if he is going to do the same thing this year. You might enjoy connecting with a bunch of Michigan fans when going to the game.
Some notes on the game two years ago: The trip back felt long. Looking it up on the map now, the stadium isn't what I would consider close to New York. It's about an hour from the City, but you hit the tunnel traffic to get into Manhattan and that can be tedious.
I thought the storm and the blowout was great because you could walk to the first row behind the Michigan bench. That was unique and due to the circumstances, but it was fun.
If you are driving to NYC, and not trying to connect with alumni groups, I'd think about staying in the Sunset Park / Bay Ridge area (Southern Brooklyn). There is off-street parking and the traffic would not be as bad. You would be going across Staten Island to get to Brooklyn, not through the tunnel. Check out the Best Western Gregory Hotel.
Finally, I'd be surprised if it was an economic trip ticket-wise and in other ways. It's still New York and it is expensive, and it's not the greatest game in the world. I'd opt to go to the Northwestern game first if I were down for traveling.
My wife and I are planning to go to the game - driving from Ann Arbor it looks like now. It'll be our first time there. I'd be grateful for any recommendations on good locations for tailgating, where there are a lot of Michigan fans. It's never too early to plan ahead!
New Brunswick is a nice town and you can certainly go out and eat/ drink on Friday night. If you want to save a bit of money, than any of the chain hotels near Piscataway should be fine. The "nicest" hotel in the area is a Hyatt in downtown NB (so you can get an idea of prices).
Rutgers people do tailgate and take that more seriously than the game (I mean they have been terrible for so long). My guess is that the stadium will be >50% Michigan fans (unless we suck or Rutgers is undefeated), so you can probably tailgate in any of the designated lots (check the website for tailgate lots and get the appropriate parking pass). You can also post here a week or 2 before the game to see where people you "know" are, but it will be very M friendly.
Have a crazy feeling this will be a lame BTN night game again
Almost certainly. And Rutgers will have every recruit in NJ there to watch them lose. I’m expecting Rashan to get a few TD carries and Peppers will come back and finally throw out of the wildcat.
To himself though
For a road game, this is the one you want to be a night game. That allows you to spend most of the day in NYC if you so choose. Also, the previous two were night games so the precedence has been set.
Curious to hear people's thoughts on securing tickets. I'm in CT, and hoping to host some alum friends and make a trip out of it. (If that doesn't work, we'll just have to try basketball at Mohegan Sun the next weekend.)
It’s Rutgers, it’s not worth it.
Well, go for the Rutgers game, but stay a bit because you're within earshot of New York City. That second part makes it worth the trip honestly.
Manhattan is B1G territory. Be prepared to endure lots of on-street heckling and taunts. Expect to see the proud block R everywhere you go. The tradition runs deeper than the subway.
At that time I was in Smyrna. I was on my honeymoon. Lying on gorgeous beaches https://worldcams.tv/united-states/new-smyrna-beach, drinking cocktails, having fun. What a beautiful time, you know. Like such trips and places. I should definitely do it again.
December 13th, 2019 at 8:05 PM ^
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