My girlfriend has gone to NY for the Republican Convention but she doesn't have a place to stay. I've looked online at a bunch of different hotel sites and haven't found anything available at reasonable rates. She is willing to stay out of the city (NJ, Long island, etc) and travel in if public transportation is available (bus, train, subway, etc).

Is anyone familier with the outlying areas and can direct us to something cheap but safe? She would like to be @ $60/night. I don't think that is possible but who knows?

Thanks.

BF

$60 per night isnt gonna buy anything here except a roach motel. you could try the east/new brunswick NJ area...rt 18 only about 30 minutes outta NY

I just found an Econo Lodge near the Newark Airport for $59. Tried to ask them about transportation to the Garden but couldn't communicate with them. Does anyone speak English anymore?!?

There are a couple hotels in Raritan Center, Edison NJ which is 5 minutes to Metuchen Train Station. 40 mins Straight into Penn Station.

Or Woodbridge Hilton, which is miutes from Metro Park Station 35 mins right into Penn.

There is a train stop at EWR or she could hop a train from Newark Penn Station to New York Penn station. Trains run almost every 10 minutes during rush hour and every hour to EWR after rush. Penn Station in NY is going to be a mess next week, if she is going to the convention I'm sure she has proper ID, without she will not get into the station which is below the garden. We've already been told we need to make sure we have id and proof of employment in NYC in order to get onto the trains bound for NYC. Hopefully that scares enough people off that my commute won't be too bad next week.

She could easly get a cab from anywhere around ewr to Newark Penn Station. It's not far but not someplace you would want her walking. That would be cheaper than taking the train from EWR.

Thanks for all the help, guys. She got lucky and is sharing a room tonight with a woman she met at the convention center today. She will be working Monday morning at 4 AM(!) signing in all the volunteers so she may be able to find another room with some one. If not, then she will get one on the rooms in Jersey.

Thanks again for the suggestions!

I hate to ask the obvious, but why would anyone working the convention travel across country without a reservation and then expect to get a deal in the most expensive city in the country during a national convention???? Sorry but being a NY girl I just sort of wonder what one was thinking
Donna AKA Ms PatriYacht

By the way I am glad she got a room and is safe, but I still am shaking my
head on this one. Hope it all works out.

Donna, I was a bit skeptical about this myself as I am from NH and also lived in the South Bronx for a year. I told her about room costs in NY but she is a very determined and resourceful person and always seems to work things out. I am more of a planner myself and if I didn’t have all my ducks in a row I probably wouldn’t make the trip. She is also very dedicated to the cause and is founder and president of a grass roots organization called LA For Bush (www.laforbush.com). She also works for the California Republican Party as a Field Rep in the South Bay area. In fairness to her as well, the NY Republican Party people were supposed to arrange housing for the volunteers but something didn’t work out. They may still come through and she does have a room for tonight. She can probably stay in the same place through the week so she won’t be stranded but would like to keep expenses as low as possible.

She managed to get into the convention center with no credentials and found the people in charge of all the volunteers. So she was first in line for duty assignments and will get an all access pass to see everything. She is really good about things like that and I admire her for it. Security is very tight and it is a credit to her to be able to get past several layers of security and into the building. On the other hand, it’s kind of scary to think that is she can do it, how many others can too?

So anyway, looks like it is working out and thanks for your concern and the other responses.

baja fresh ... WOW, I know it's not what this thread was about, but your comments above are hard to believe, but if they're true ... the understatement of the year is that it's "kind of scary to think"