A luxury train service from NYC to ACNJ? You betcha. This isn’t your bus full of blue-hairs. Borgata, Caesars, and Harrah’s all chipped in for this. Read all about it from the NYT cityroom blog
. For more information about the service, cleverly called “ACES” (Atlantic City Express Service), visit their website.
South Ferry, a look into the past
The MTA has been working on reconstruciton of the South Ferry stop at the southern terminus of the 1 for some time. 
The station was in pretty bad shape, and since it had been built in 1905 when trains were shorter, was unable to accommodate current train lenghts. While not uncommon for the MTA to reconstruct or remodel a subway stop, this project uncovered artifacts of Lower Manhattan’s past. It has slowed completion of the project (set to reopen in Feb 2009) but produced some interesting peices of the city’s origins.
Redbirds, How I Miss Thee
Not too long ago, the old Redbird fleet of subway cars was retired. This YouTube video shows the last Redbird in public service arriving at 42nd Street (a 7 train from Willets Point). Once retired, the MTA built a fish habitat off the Jersey and Delaware coasts. Only in Jersey…
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZFek5hgjMjk" width="425" height="344" allowfullscreen="true" fvars="fs=1" /]
Second Ave Subway
Congestion on the 4/5/6 feeding the Upper East Side has been a problem for as long as I can remember. First proposed in 1929, the Second Ave Subway (SAS) 
was designed to supply another major subway line to this always popular neighborhood. However, the project has been a joke for a long time: always discussed, never built. Finally in 2007, this first major addition to the NYC subway since the 1940s began. The project started and stopped several times over the years, so the current design includes digging new tunnels as well
as reclaiming old tunnels and sections of track that were partially built. Information about construction and the progress is available on the MTA’s website for the SAS. There’s also a decent wikipedia entry on the subject that gives the sorted history of the project that almost was for 80 years.
New York Subway, How I Love Thee
So if you hadn’t guessed, I’m a freak for the subway. Lots of cool links, images, and resources out there about it. I particularly like nycsubway.org. A great collection of information about the trains we love to hate. Metrobits also has a nice photo tour of the subway, as well as great info about New York and other subways/metros worldwide.
Parking in the city
So you must drive in to the belly of the beast. While often a pain to get there, if you 
get the timing right, it’s not so bad. But once you’ve crossed that bridge/tunnel and arrived in Manhattan you need to find parking, right? And how do you know if that lot you just found isn’t the most expensive place in the neighborhood? Try BestParking.com. Also for Boston, DC, and Philly. Nice. And remember, L’il Kinney sez: don’t get ripped off.
Driving to the City – Part 2
The other recommendation I often make if you want to end up in lower Manhattan, the village, SOHO, or Brooklyn, is to take the Pulaski Skyway (US 1) to the Holland Tunnel rather than I-78/NJTP Newark Bay Extension.
Not only is it free, it often has less traffic, no trucks allowed, and quicker merging at the tunnel. The Pulaski is also a cool 1930s era highway project and there are some cool views of the skyline from the road. But those are best for the passenger, since there are only two very narrow lanes on the elevated highway, and exits/entrances from the road are in the middle.
Driving to the city – Part 1
There are 2 routes i take to the city. If i want to park at Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) in midtown, I take the NJTP eastern spur to exit 16E, then 495 to the tunnel. When approaching the tunnel, it is best to be in the middle tube, right lane. That puts you in the best spot when you get out of the tunnel. Once in Manhattan, you need to merge right pretty fast to turn east on 40th street and get in to the parking deck, but if you are too far right you can get stuck on dyer ave south, which is no good.
Parking in Hoboken
An alternate suggestion I often give to the question of where to park when going to the city is to take the PATH from Hoboken. 
Another Google map shows directions and locations. You can park at the station or on the street. Street parking requires feeding a meter and the lots charge, but it is super easy and cheaper than the city. These directions show how to get there via the Pulaski Skyway. View Map
Parking in Secaucus
I’m often asked where to park when going to the city. I used to work in Harmon Meadow, where they have a mall with a free parking deck that is monitored by security.
The bus from Harmon Meadow to NYC (NJTransit 320) takes about 10-15 minutes, is only a $8.25 round trip, and runs pretty late into the evening. I’ve made a map in google maps to illustrate where to get it.