BY SYLVIA GARSON, Kids Can Cook TV Show
The best kept secret hideaway is just a hop skip and jump and a fifteen minutes bus ride to New York City, and is also known as Harmon Meadow in Secaucus, New Jersey.
With very convenient bus stops centrally located, reasonably priced, with many bus stops in front of each hotel with buses leaving every 20 minutes, so you can park your car and take the bus. (Just under five dollars for seniors round trip).
All the great places to dine are all within walking distance of each other, as you head to Chili’s with its great chicken wings, and French fries.
Just a short walk down the road from the Marriott Hotel, which also contains the Outback and as you pass Red Lobster, you will see a small mall in a circle which contains a wonderful salad restaurant, with every kind of salad, all made fresh by hand, known as Salad House.
When you enter towards the round circle of the mall just past Chili’s, you will see the Salad House and at the end of the circle of the mall you will see the very lovely hotel by the name of the Residence Inn.
Once you enter the Residence Inn you will be welcomed by a large self-contained fireplace just inside the lobby. Off to the side is a large coffee bar with all the amenities that you can help yourself to.
Just across the road from the Marriott, also in walking distance is another large mall that contains Sam’s Club and Walmart. When you enter Sam’s Club, which is the first place you will see and the Walmart is just next door. Sam’s Club has some great fast food, where else can you get those great giant pretzels cooked your way for just a dollar? The pizza at Sam’s Club is also really good and a large slice with a giant size soda is just under five dollars, or a hot dog also with a giant soda.
The kids will have fun putting a quarter in the fun water machine as they watch how the bottle zooms around and pops out. Where else can you get a bottle of water for a twenty-five cent quarter?
On your return you will want to take the 320 bus back to Harmon Meadow in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Once you arrive in New York City, getting around is fairly best on the local NYC buses and here is a tip to help you get around: all the streets have street numbers. So, for example, if you are heading uptown at 42nd Street, the next street numbered to go uptown would be 43rd and then 44th Street, and then there are avenues to go from west to east. So, for example, when you arrive at port authority, which is at 42nd and between 8th and Ninth Avenue, which is on the West Side. So, if you wanted to go to the East Side right there you would take the bus at 42nd Street headed to 6th Avenue and Fifth Avenue and Madison all the way to Second Avenue, etc., etc.
To go downtown you could take the number 11 on Ninth Avenue and the same bus returns the 11 bus on Tenth Avenue to return. And if you walk towards 7th Avenue you could take the number 7 bus to also go downtown towards 14th Street and once on Fifth Avenue you can take a NYC bus to the Village.
It is best to travel by bus, and you will need quarters for the bus which is one dollar and thirty-five cents for seniors and 1.75 for adults. Also, you can ask for a transfer to go from west to east and from east to west. Stay alert for you are in New York City.
