Jersey City is an exciting place to choose for your SutureStar workshop. Between workshops, this city offers the aspiring RNFA fun travel experiences and unforgettable views.
Lower Manhattan from Jersey City. Photo: King of Hearts / Wikimedia Commons
The first of those views may be right at your home base hotel, the DoubleTree by Hilton. Located just a block from the Hudson River waterfront, directly across from Lower Manhattan, the hotel offers great views of New York City from some of its guest rooms.
Although Jersey City is definitely urban, one of its best features is the 1,212-acre Liberty State Park, bordered by water on three sides, offering stunning views of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan. The park is less than 20 minutes away from the DoubleTree by car and less than an hour using foot and public transportation.
Liberty State Park
The historic Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal (CRRNJ) sits at the north end of the park. Here untold numbers of immigrants boarded the train after being processed on Ellis Island, prior to setting forth on their new lives all over the United States. From the terminal building, a two-mile promenade offers sweeping views of the Hudson River, with plenty of benches for taking in the view. Or rent a bike and cycle on the park’s ample system of bike paths.
Take a moment to visit the Empty Sky – 9/11 Memorial. And there’s an interactive science museum, too. With nearly 300,000 square feet of exhibits, art and the largest IMAX Dome theater in the US, you won’t want to miss the Liberty Science Center.
From the park you can catch a ferry to Ellis Island, where more than 12 million immigrant passengers were welcomed to the US between 1892 and 1954, or visit the Statue of Liberty up close.
Paella Valenciana at Lisbon Restaurant
If dining is your way of experiencing new places, you’re in luck. Jersey City is home to many flavors, from American to Korean, Indian to Filipino—come hungry! Within 15 minutes of the hotel by foot and/or public transportation you’ll find the Lisbon Restaurant, a cozy place offering Portuguese specialties; Grove Square, a hip New American bistro; elegant Porto Leggero Italian Restaurant; and many others. Only five minutes farther away, in next-door Hoboken, is La Isla, a taste of Cuba. And you can get breakfast all day long at the Brownstone Diner and Pancake Factory, about 15 minutes away by light rail.
Sea the City jet ski rentals and tours
Crave more excitement? Check out the Kayak Eco Tours, available at Liberty State Park’s Nature Interpretive Center. Or power around on jet skis with Sea the City, a company that offers jet ski tours of New York Harbor and a Manhattan circle loop, allowing the aspiring RNFA and friends to see iconic tourist attractions from water level.
Times Square, New York City. Photo: Terrabass
And speaking of Manhattan, the DoubleTree Hilton Jersey City is a five-minute walk from the NY/NJ PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) rapid transit system, which will whisk you across the river in just 10 minutes to the Big Apple. With a little time and curiosity, the adventurous RNFA student can enjoy incomparable tourism in Manhattan, from neighborhood exploring to world-class shopping, galleries, museums, dining, street food, sports and entertainment.
Call 800-922-7747 for availability and register today! Note: SutureStar Workshops fill up fast (specialty workshops, such as CV and OB, are even more limited).