We got into Jersey City, did our 5-day stay at Liberty Harbor RV, visited son, DNL, and grand child (plus ate gigantic sandwitch at Carnegie deli), and got out just fine.
Because of other commitments in the DC area we came up the NJTpk but the suggestion to come in more from the west and in on I78. Since we were going up the Hudson valley going out on I78 worked great.
We usually walked to the PATH rail station (about 8 blocks) and took the train into NYC and then Metro around the city although a ferry ride down the East river and then one across the Hudson to come home was fun (and my feet really did appreciate it ;D)
The Worm... :'(
I discovered that the driver's side fuel/house batt bay door lock wouldn't open when I stopped to fuel (there is a $.25/gal difference between NY and NJ). The black handle moves up and down but feels different and doesn't unlock the door. I suspect the less than smooth roads as we came close to NY have jarred something loose. The last time I opened that door was DC.
I have read some of the forum discussions about how to get into the bay. It sounds like I will have to remove some of the gasket along the bottom and fish for the lock actuator bar. Then try to pull it laterally away from the lock mech. itself to unlock.
We have about 4 days to rest here and then 10 or so at the next stop so I may not work at it immediately but it will worry me all that time. :-\ Or.......
All suggestions and tricks gladly accepted.
TIA
Elliott,
Use another door to become familiar with how the mechanism works. Maybe a bent wire coat hanger is the tool of choice...not sure, I've never done this type work.
On the other hand...what's in that compartment that you need to get into during vacation? Fill up the fuel tank from the other side...you're on vacation and need to chill and enjoy until you get home. Don't worry...be happy ;D
Peter
Snip: The black handle moves up and down but feels different and doesn't unlock the door.
Having been there and done this, you can remove the two screws holding the bottom-center latch-pin in place and open the door. In my I used a vibrating saw (Fein Multi-Tool) to cut the nuts and part of the bolt, replacing them with new after adjusting the cables that actuate the latch.
Elliot & Mary,
We would like to stay at Liberty Harbor RV for a month next year. Do you have any recommendations on making reservations, getting a good site, etc. Does the RV park seem generally safe?
We have heard about difficulty getting to the entrance. Can you give us specific do's and don'ts on coming in to the area.
You mentioned I-78 from the west, so I guess that is the recommended route. Any thoughts since you just did it from the Interstate to the RV park.
Thanks,
Barry & Cindy
My stay was fine but you must understand that it is no frills, just a big parking lot with electrical and water. Waste is via a dump station. It almost looks like a prison camp as it is fenced in with a guard tower as it isn't a good part of town. The walk to the train was 8 blocks in a seedy industrial area. I wasn't comfortable for my wife and teenaged daughter. Having said that, there are a lot of rigs there, so there are a lot of people. There is a marina that is part of the complex. There is also a quonset hut looking structure that is a nightclub so Friday & Saturday night it is loud. Outside the fence...in another fenced area is a commuter lot for people in Jersey who work in Manhattan. The ferries run all day M-F...not on the weekend. It is a 20 minute boat ride to literally the foot of Wall St. Be standing on the dock when the boat pulls up. The gate goes up, people rush on, the gate comes down. They don't wait for you to walk down the dock. Don't miss the last ferry from NY. It is 9:50 PM and it is a $60 cab ride back.
Barry & Cindy
Here is a Google Maps aerial of the park:
Google Maps (http://tinyurl.com/LibertyHarborRV)
As Dwayne says, you are in a big, flat gravel parking lot. Power and water where you would expect then. I suspect some sites are slightly wider than others but ours was wide enough to park the jeep in the slot next to the coach and still open the lift-up bay doors.
There is a pretty good reservations site at
Liberty Harbor RV Park - Online Reservations - (https://www.sunrisereservations.com/reservation/selectSiteCriteria?cgId=143#)
that you can play with. (note: site A10 has a powerpole in the middle of the back edge-don't ask me how I know ::)).
The WiFi option on the form is meaningless. They have a weak access point and you pay online to the provider if you choose to use it. It does not get factored into the rate you pay MHRV.
Zoom out on the map a little and you can see (a long block to the north) the green field and then the light-rail line that goes to Exchange Place where you can catch the PATH train to WTC. (They are building another hi-rise at the top of that field).
We didn't use the light-rail.
Zoom out a touch more and follow Marin Blvd to Christopher Columbus Dr. The round building you see on the NE cornor is the Grove ST PATH station. We would walk to there and catch the train under the Hudson to the World Trade Center.
We though the park was great. We expected to leave the coach during the day and the parking lot ambiance was fine. We never felt insecure, neither leaving the coach, at night, nor on the walk up to the train. With the cost of NY hotels what they are we loved it.
I-78 crosses I-95 (NJTP). Coming from South or West you will wind up on the I-78 Extention East of 95. I got off a little too early but I think you want the Holland Tunnel exit and get to the right to make a right onto Marin Blvd. The LHRV site has a couple of direction lists. They gave me the best info about how to get OUT too.
We came up the NJPK and it was fine. It suited the stops we made. There is the issue of the tolls. As (Jon I think said), the additional fuel cost of swinging to the West up I-81 and then I-78 might be less.
I got NY EZ-Passes through the mail before we left. There is a special rate for MHs and the device was free. Get one for the coach and one for the toad but keep the car one in its pouch while towing. When NY posts the tolls from NJ I can tell you what we paid.
HTH ask more questions if I havn't answered all of them.
Peter
you are correct-that is just about what I have decided to do (until I run out of other things to worry about)
elliott
Elliot, This is the way to give info, I have no intention of going to NY ( ever ), but if I do this is the kind of detail that is really helpful.
Thanks
Gary B
Concur with this post about LHRV park . Would add that Hoboken is a 10 minute drive from park, great market, nice restaurants and clubs.
Would also add there is a restaurant/bar adjacent, never tried it.
Finally, a ferry leaves from the harbor at the site and takes you to the foot of Wall Street.
Dwayne, Elliot & Mary & Tim,
Thanks for the details. Just what we were looking for. Now we feel comfortable making plans.
About 16 years ago, we lived in Manhattan upper Eastside for almost a year on a corporate project and thought it would be nice to go back again. Living in Liberty Harbor RV Park makes getting into the city a little different but more comfortable & affordable.
Barry & Cindy
RE: bay door. On mine there is a about 3/4 inch hole in the bottom of the bay. You might see if a long rod or screw driver can do anything.
Eric
My very first job out of college was with Colgate-Palmolive working at the then Jersey City operations (gone now & replaced by high valued real estate). This was a complex that covered about 16 square blocks in the area between Exchange Place and the LHRV Park. Went to school in Hoboken's Stevens Inst. of Tech (just 1968 -1969) then NJIT for the rest...then NYU when at Colgate and traveled from Exchange Pl. to the World Trace Center for MBA three times a week for a coupe years. Great memories. Some day I'll go back.
Peter
We paid the following tolls (towing toad).
The route was
I-95 out of DC to I-695 to go over FSK Bridge. $9.00
(Baltimore restricts propane tanks in their tunnels)
I-95 to Wilmington, DE 18.00
NJTP to Jersey City 38.10
Leaving from Cherry Hill RV in DC there is a 105 mile difference between swinging out to the west to Harrisburg and the direct shot up I-95.
See E-ZPass - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-ZPass) for the states that honor EZ-Passes and the options you have for getting one. While they all accept the EZ-Pass device, there are significant differences in the cost of obtaining and keeping one.
HTH
YMW(ill)Vary
elliott
Liberty Harbor is a fine place to stay. Very easy to get into the city if you want to drive too. You are right by the tunnel to get in. I have down it a number of times. The area is not really seedy but for people who are not familiar with a big city it might seem that way. There are some seriously seedy spots in places but you have lots of people around there at night especially on the weekends. Hoboken has become a yuppie place to live. The people in Manhattan call them the B and Ts for bridge and tunnels but they have the NYC Skyline for their view at half the cost.