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Pre-Trip Wednesday, August 27th

Note: Below is a tentative list of possible activities.
The final schedule will likely change as the event draws nearer.
Activities may be added, deleted, or modified.

Wednesday Morning

6:00 am – 8:30 am - Breakfast in the Breakfast Room adjacent to the hotel lobby (included for those staying in the hotel)

6:45 am - Tour option group WE1 meets in the lobby at 8:36 am to take the No. 112 bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
7:00 am - Tour option groups WE2 and WE3 meet in the lobby. They promptly depart the hotel to walk to East Elizabeth NJ Transit Station to catch the 7:41 a.m. train.
8:00 am - Tour option group We 5 meets in the lobby at 8:36 a.m. to take the No. 112 bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
8:00 am - Tour option group We 4 meets in the lobby at 8:36 a.m. to take the No. 112 bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Click HERE for details about public transit between the hotel and NYC

Daytime Activity Options

WE1 Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on Statue Cruises from Liberty State Park, NJ. Your cruise ticket will include entry to the Pedestal and the newly opened Statue of Liberty Museum. Lunch is available at the Statue of Liberty Café or Ellis Island Café (pay as you go). Visitors can take ranger-led or self-guiding tours of Liberty Island. Audio tours that can be used on Liberty Island and Ellis Island are available as part of the ferry ticket. More about the Statue of Liberty on FAQS page

During the afternoon, we’ll spend a few hours touring the Museum of Immigration on Ellis Island, the entry point for 12 million immigrants between 1892 and 1954. The National Museum of Immigration has 30 galleries and exhibits chronicling immigration history to the United States.

Highlights include the baggage, registry, and hearing rooms of the American Family Immigration Center, a computerized genealogy center.

Patience and understanding are expected. There could be extended wait times to clear. After clearing security, expect to spend about 3 hours on each island. You will need to choose your time wisely.

We'll depart Ellis Island on the 4:25 pm ferry to the Battery in time for our evening cruise.

Note: Tickets to climb the Crown of the Statue of Liberty are NOT included in this Tour due to restrictions applied to said tickets. We suggest coming on Sunday or Monday to tour the statue on your own and buying your tickets at least several months in advance. 

 

 

  • Tour Cost $TBD  (Advance Registration)
  • Please bring adequate water, sunscreen, walking shoes, money for lunch, and plenty of patience!
  • Two security screenings. Thirty minutes before boarding the ferry and 30 to 90 minutes before entering Pedestal.
  • No large bags are permitted on the ferry. The pedestal does not allow backpacks, food, drink, laptops, long umbrellas, or tripods.
  • Locker facilities are available for rental at $2.00 (quarters only). Bring change! Locker size dimensions are 12” L x 12” W x 18” D. Lockers are located near the secondary screening building.
  • Tour Duration 6:45 am ~ 6:00 pm
  • Lunch is available at the Statue of Liberty Crown Café or Ellis Island Café
  • Transportation: Public Transportation NJ Transit Rail and Statute Cruises included, New York Waterway $7.00, MTA Subway. Single-Use Metro Card $3.00
  • Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Tour YouTube
  • Click HERE for more info

WE2 Jewish Lower East Side Walking Tour

Eldridge TempleThe first stop this morning will be dedicated to honoring those who were killed in the National September 11 Memorial dedicated to remembering the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The names of those who died are engraved on two bronze panels flanking the Memorial pools. The pools are each nearly an acre in size and mark the footprints of the Twin Towers that once stood on that site.

The next stop will be the Museum of Jewish Heritage, where we will explore modern Jewish history, life, and culture. You can learn about Jewish life in the 20th and 21st centuries before, during, and after the Holocaust. The museum tells the story of the Holocaust through first-person histories and personal objects. A special exhibition on the Auschwitz death camp will be on exhibit.

We’ll board the No. 4 or 5 subway at Bowling Green and head uptown to Chinatown for lunch. Lunch is at Chinatown’s Buddha Bodai Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant (not included in the base price). Try the dim sum, spring rolls, and tasty noodle dishes.

After lunch, we will stop by the restored historic Eldridge Street Synagogue. A 19th-century landmark with stunning architecture that initially opened its doors to a wave of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, it recently reopened as a vibrant arts and education center for all ages and backgrounds, with exhibitions and tours of the restored synagogue.

Take a guided tour of the synagogue, followed by a guided walking tour of the Lower East Side. The Lower East Side was once home to the largest Jewish population in the world as Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe streamed in to settle in the crowded tenements that lined the street. With your knowledgeable guide, you will stroll the neighborhood streets visiting old synagogues, Yiddish newspaper buildings, socialist hot spots, and the best pickle shop in New York.

Our final food stop will be at Yonah Schimmel’s on Houston Street, which is known for its scrumptious knishes. How about a kugel, a latke, or a classic New York egg cream?

We’ll walk over to Washington Square Park and see New York’s version of the Arc de Triumph. Then we’ll board the subway at W. 4th Street and, head up to 42nd Street and walk over to our evening activity, the Circle Line Cruise at Pier 83.

  • Cost $TBD
  • Duration: 7:15 am – 6:00 pm
  • Lunch: at Buddha Bodai One (kosher vegetarian) - Pay as You Go 
  • Cost: New York Waterway $7.00 and MTA Single Ride MetroCard $3.00 - Pay as you go
  • Bring comfortable walking shoes and money for lunch
  • This tour involves a lot of walking, some of it along very crowded, narrow streets in possibly hot, humid conditions. If you do not like crowds, do not sign up for this tour.
  • Click HERE for more info

Wednesday Evening

WE4 Circle Line Harbor Lights Cruise

Circle Line Cruise6:00 pm—6:15 pm All groups will meet in front of the Circle Line Cruise Ticket Office at Pier 83, 43rd Street and 12th Avenue, to regroup and begin boarding. Pier 83 is the dock for the Circle Line Harbor Cruise.

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm The Circle Line Harbor Cruise. See the City the way it was meant to be seen from the water, admiring the stunning evening lights of New York's celebrated skyline and landmarks. Narrated by informative and entertaining guides, this tour aboard NYC's most iconic and state-of-the-art boat is an unforgettable experience.

Sail down the Hudson River, passing the colossal Hudson Yards, impressive Chelsea Piers, and the towering One World Trade Center, before rounding the spectacular tip of southern Manhattan and ultimately cruising only a few feet away from the magnificent Statue of Liberty.

Get your camera ready for some of the best selfie opportunities of your life. And you won't miss a thing as our award-winning tour guides narrate the story of New York City as you sit back and relax in the comfort of one of our state-of-the-art boats. 

Food will be available on board for purchase at the Circle Line Café. It will include sandwiches, salads, hot dogs, and chips. Beverages include soda, juice, bottled water, iced tea, lemonade, coffee, and hot chocolate. Wine and beer are also available for purchase.

  • Bring money to purchase dinner, a sweater, or a light jacket, as it could be cool or windy on the water.
  • Meet at Pier 83 @ W. 43rd Street Circle Line Ticket window @ 6:00 pm
  • Tour Cost $TBD Advanced Registration Only
  • An add-on beverage package, including an open bar throughout the cruise and one food item per package, including a pizza, loaded nachos, a hotdog, a pretzel, or garden salad, is available. Click HERE for the beverage menu (tax/fees to be added, NOT included in base price).
  • Tour Duration: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
  • Circle Line Café – Pay as You Go. No outside food is permitted on the Circle Line
  • YouTube 1 | YouTube 2
  • TripAdvisor (4.5 stars, 865 Reviews)
  • Interactive map of the cruise
  • Click HERE for more info

WE4 Self-Guided Walking Tour of Times Square

Times SqaureSelf-guided a walking tour of the Theater District and “Times Square – Crossroads of the World.” Our walking tour will include the Theater District, the “Great White Way” – Broadway.

Leaving the Circle Line, walk north on the Hudson River Greenway to the USS Intrepid at W. 46th Street, where we will stop for a photo op.

Walk east on W. 46th Street to Broadway. As we turn right on Broadway, we enter the heart of Times Square and its razzle, the dazzle of lights and billboards. Stop to watch an impromptu on-street performance. Meet some of the colorful cartoon characters and perhaps the “Naked Cowboy.” Pass the famous TKTS booth in the “heart of Times Square,” where half-price tickets to Broadway Shows may be purchased. Pass iconic movie theaters where many Broadway stars performed, such as the J Barrymore Theater (Broadway & 47th Street), Lunt Fontaine Theater (Broadway @ 46th Street), and Paramount Theater at Broadway and 44th Street. Look up at the Times Square Building on Broadway at 43rd Street to see the Waterford crystal ball lit up by LED lights above and viewed by millions each Times Square.

  • Wear comfortable walking shoes. Dress appropriately for the weather.
  • 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm
  • Transportation: Walk to Times Square, then take the NJ Transit bus to TBD 
  • Click HERE for more info

9:00 pm—2:00 am Travel back to the hotel at your discretion. The Port Authority Bus Terminal is just south of Times Square, and Bus #112 is non-stop to the bus stop near the hotel. The last bus is at 11:35 pm, or go to Penn Station to catch the last train at 1:22 am. See below for details. 

Public Transit

  • Click HERE for details on Public transit, either by bus or train. 
  • Click HERE for a map of bus and train locations around the hotel.

Bus

Train: 

Contact

Contact the Pre-Trip Co-Chairperson at Pre-Trip@MosaicOutdoor.org for questions. 

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