Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, and the county seat of Essex County. Newark has a population of 281,402,making it the largest municipality in New Jersey and the 65th largest city in the U.S. Newark is also home to major corporations, such as Prudential Financial.

It is located approximately 8 miles (13 km) west of Manhattan and 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Staten Island. Its location near the Atlantic Ocean on Newark Bay has helped make its port facility, Port Newark, the major container shipping port on Newark Bay and for New York Harbor. Together with Elizabeth, it is the home of Newark Liberty International Airport, which was the first major airport to serve the New York metropolitan area.

Newark, NJ - A Revitalized City with Top Attractions and Entertainment
By Frank Dalotto

In the shadows of New York City, just five miles and a seventeen minute train ride away, Newark, New Jersey has plenty to offer visitors, or the New York City tourist who chooses to visit or stay nearby at less expensive restaurants, and hotels.

This is not a city to spend a considerable amount of time in, but it's an excellent destination for a day trip or weekend getaway, or even for the budget conscious tourist looking for a place to stay when visiting NYC.

One of the nation's oldest cities, after Boston and New York, Newark was a thriving 19th-century industrial giant and at the turn of the century made huge investments in cathedrals, museums, parks, a major art deco train station, and other art deco architecture, that today stand as world class attractions.

Newark also has a good Subway system. The system is a subway-surface light rail line which runs underground downtown and above-ground in outlying areas. The line is 5.3 miles long and runs between Newark Penn Station and Grove Street in Bloomfield.

After World War II, similar to other urban U.S. cities where loss of manufacturing jobs and urban decay began to occur, Newark experienced similar decline that continued until it reached bottom with 1960s riots. Since then the city has been slowly climbing back.

While its churches, museums, schools and public buildings are certainly to be admired, they also are off the tax rolls and with brings an unusually high burden of tax exemption that has held back the pace Newark's revitalization programs.

Since the sixties, the city has made great strides forward with a major drop in street crime, a downtown that can be walked around, and the development of major downtown entertainment venues and hotels that bring to Newark an arena, a professional NHL Hockey team, a 6,200 seat minor league baseball stadium and a performing arts center with a concert hall and theatre that attracts the world's best performers. Coincident with the development of entertainment venues, office skyscrapers have risen as homes to corporate employers and jobs. These are all attractions that can be easily accessible by public transportation or car with plenty of safe, affordable downtown parking. The hub of rail transportation is the restored Penn Station, an art deco landmark, used by over 70,000 commuters per day.

Major Attractions Cherry Blossom Festival The second largest Cherry Blossom display in the Unites States with the National Cherry Blossom display in Washington, DC being the largest and usually occurs about two weeks earlier. Held in Branch Brook Park, there are over 2,700 cherry trees. The blossoms can be best enjoyed by a casual walk or picnic in the park. The cherry trees usually flower in the second and third weeks of April. This is a week long festival with many events including a 10K race, trolley bus tours, and family Day with Japanese cultural activities, including demonstrations on origami, bonsai, ikebana, and martial arts.

Contact: 973-268-2300

Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart

The fifth largest cathedral in North America. The French Gothic structure took more than fifty years to build and earned Basilica status from Pope John Paul in 1955. Located near Branch Brook Park on Ridge Street, the architecture closely resembles two of the world's great cathedrals at Cathedral Notre Dame at Chartres in France and the Cathedral of Rheims in Germany.

Contact: 973-484-2400

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center

Houses two venues that attract the world's best performers in Prudential Hall, one of the world's great concert halls, and the Victoria Theater. It is also home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

Contact: 888-GO-NJPAC

The Newark Museum New Jersey's largest museum provides experiences in the arts and natural sciences. In operation since 1909, it includes an 1885 brick-and-limestone restored mansion, the Dreyfuss Planetarium, and a zoo with more than 100 animals. Take an inspirational journey through 80 galleries of world-class collections including American, Asian, African and Classical. Take a walk through the beautiful sculpture garden, visit the museum shops and enjoy a delicious lunch or snack at the cafe.

Contact: 973-596-6550

The Prudential Center This new 18,000 seat arena is one of the finest in the country and home to the New Jersey Devils NHL hockey team and other college basketball, indoor soccer, concerts, family shows and special events.

Contact: (201) 507-8900

Riverfront Stadium A new $30 million 6,200 seat, state of the art stadium, is the home of the Newark Bears minor league baseball team. Situated in the downtown area, the stadium enjoys a terrific urban setting surrounded on three sides by the city with a view of the Manhattan skyline off in the distance.

Contact: 1-866-55-4BEAR

Hotels

Hilton Newark Gateway

The hotel is located in the heart of the downtown business district in the prestigious Gateway Center. The Hilton hotel is directly connected to Penn Station and the Gateway Center, which makes it very convenient for travelers to reach it via Amtrak, New Jersey Transit or PATH.

Contact: 1-973-622-5000

Robert Treat Hotel

The contemporary and elegant Robert Treat Hotel is located in the heart of the downtown district with views of New York and the city's skyline.

Contact: 1-800-637-7200

Restaurants

The Ironbound section, is a Portuguese neighborhood with Ferry Street, being its commercial hub, is noted for its moderately priced Portuguese, Spanish and Brazilian restaurants. In the mood for an ethnic lunch or snack? Try one of Ironbound's cafes and bakeries. Enjoy a sandwich or some pastry and a cup of dark South American coffee. With the revitalization of the city, new restaurants are beginning to emerge that offer the diner a variety of different dining choices.

Adega Grill - Spanish-Portuguese
130-132 Ferry St
973-589-8830

Casa Vasca - Spanish-Portuguese
141 Elm St.
973-465-1350

Maize Restaurant - Traditional American fare
Robert Treat Hotel, 50 Park Pl.
973-639-1200

Theater Square Grill - Creative American fare.
New Jersey Performing Arts Ctr.
1 Center St.
973-642-1226

Frank Dalotto is a freelance writer and travel consultant and is the owner and editor of New Jersey Leisure Guide and a travel consultant for Leisure Travel Mart.

He is a member of ASTA (American Association of Travel Agents) and CLIA (Cruise Line International Association).

His academic credentials are:
MBA, Pace University
BSEE, University of Missouri

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Breaking Into the “brick City”: Newark Travel Tips

Author: Elyse Morgan

For business or pleasure, Newark is a prime destination for travel within the Tri-State Area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Newark is the most populous and commercially active city in New Jersey, as it is the seat of Essex County and a major shipping port for New York Harbor near the Atlantic coast. Newark Liberty International Airport also happens to be the first major airport to serve the New York metropolitan area and one of the largest airports in the country.

Once you have secured your airfare to Newark, you will soon be able to enjoy a city overflowing with Colonial history, American heritage and central to anywhere you would want to be in the Tri-State Area. Located just 5 miles west of Manhattan and 2 miles north of Staten Island, Newark offers prime access to the sights and attractions of New York City with a more relaxed and refined environment to return to at the end of the day.
Colonial Legacy: New England’s Newark

Newark happens to be the third-oldest city in the United States, with colonial roots dating back to 1666 when Connecticut Puritans established a settlement that was originally known as Milford. Take a visit to Military Park in downtown and catch a glimpse of the Wars of America monument constructed by the artist Gutzon Borglum of Mount Rushmore fame. Military Park was also an actual military training zone for soldiers and colonials in Newark’s early days of the 17th century. For a bit more history and some science, visit the acclaimed collections of the Newark Museum, which includes works by Georgia O’Keeffe, John Singer Sargent, as well as a world-renowned Tibetan collection. Make sure to reserve an entire day as the Newark Museum’s grounds are also home to a planetarium, café, sculpture garden and the Ballantine House, a National Historic Landmark built in 1885.

A Newark Rebirth, One Brick at a Time

Newark was the site of the infamous 1967 riots, fueled by racial inequality and staggering poverty. Since that time the city has suffered considerable flight of capital until the 1990s when development projects hit the streets. Today, Newark is a multimedia and multicultural experience, offering state of the art performance spaces and brand new sporting facilities.

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center is a new addition to the city’s landscape, hosting top Billboard acts alongside international orchestras and theater. The Lincoln Park/Coast district is now a Cultural District with an Arts Park, the Museum of African American Music and the magnificent Symphony Hall. Additionally several of Newark’s 1920s era skyscraper and art-deco buildings have been glamorously restored. The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart happens to be one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the United States, brimming with an unimaginable amount of brilliantly intricate stained glass.’

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