FOCS 2012 October 20-23, 2012 Local Information

New Brunswick is located in central New Jersey and is a vibrant city of 50,000 residents, a number that triples during the business day with college students, corporate and business employees, hospital and health care workers and visitors. It is a community with richly diverse neighborhoods, a bustling downtown, and an innovative and popular cultural arts center.

Downtown New Brunswick is home to Johnson & Johnson's world headquarters, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, two premiere academic hospitals, three professional theaters, several four-star restaurants, and two four-star hotels. Today, New Brunswick has become well known for its theaters and fine restaurants. The Downtown New Brunswick website has extensive information on local attractions, restaurants, theaters and more. Many other attractions are easily accessible via car and New York City as well as Phildelphia are both just a short trip away by train or car.

Restaurants. The hotel is within short walking distance to many restaurants. The New Brunswick guide has a list of restaurants that can be searched or browsed.

Sightseeing. There are multiple opportunities for short, half-day trips or, if you decide to stay an extra day or two, whole-day activities or excursions. Below is a partial list, with links to more information.

New Jersey Calendar of Events  http://www.state.nj.us/travel/coe.htm
City of New Brunswick: events, restaurants, shopping, historical sites, etc. http://www.newbrunswick.com
Six Flags Great Adventure Amusement Park and Safari Route 537, Jackson, NJ 08527, Phone: 1-800-698-6840 Theme Park only or Theme Park and safari. http://www.sixflags.com/greatadventure/
Mountain Creek Resort and Golf (formerly Vernon Valley - Great Gorge) 200 Route 94 in Vernon, NJ 07462, Phone: 973-827-2000 http://www.mountaincreek.com/
PNC Bank Arts Center Exit 116 Garden State Parkway, Holmdel, NJ, Phone: 732-203-2500 http://www.artscenter.com/
The Stress Factory Comedy Club 90 Church St., New Brunswick, Phone: 732-545-4242 http://www.stressfactory.com
The Stress Factory Comedy Club 90 Church St., New Brunswick, Phone: 732-545-4242 http://www.stressfactory.com
New Jersey State Museum 205 West State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0530, Phone: (609) 292-6464 http://www.state.nj.us/state/museum/
Mason Gross School of the Arts - Rutgers University (dance, music, theatre arts, visual arts) 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick http://mgsa.rutgers.edu 732-932-9891
Liberty Science Center Liberty State Park, 222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07305, Phone: (201) 200-1000 http://lsc.org/
Princeton, New Jersey http://www.visitprinceton.org/

 
• Philadelphia, PA
  • http://philadelphia.com/
    A tourist mecca unto itself, it is beyond the scope of this guide to attempt to cover this great city as well as what we've already covered. Philadelphia is rich in history and culture, with such historical sites as the Betsy Ross house, the liberty bell, and the "historic mile" of over 65 historical venues. It also features museums of the likes of the Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
• New York City
  • http://www.nyctourist.com/
    Approximately a 45 minute train ride from New Brunswick to New York's Penn Station
    Public transportation into the city: leaving from the New Brunswick train station, see the websites for NJ Transit (http://www.njtransit.state.nj.us/nec.htm) and Amtrak (www.amtrak.com) New York's Penn Station is located at 33rd St. & 7th Ave.
    For public transportation within the city, check out the MTA website: http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/

  • The Empire State Building
    5th Ave & 34th Streets
    http://www.nyctourist.com/empire1.htm

  • Statue of Liberty (Liberty Island)/Ellis Island
    Catch the ferry from Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan. The ferry leaves every 30-45 minutes beginning at 9:15am. Recommended that you do this early in the day to avoid the worst of the crowds and heat.
    http://www.nyctourist.com/liberty1.htm

  • Radio City Music Hall
    1260 Avenue of the Americas
    http://www.radiocity.com/

  • Tickets for Broadway shows:
    Reduced price, same-day tickets can be obtained at the TKTS booth in Duffy Square at W 47th St. at Broadway.
    http://www.nyctourist.com/tkts_about.htm

  • American Museum of Natural History
    Central Park West at 79th St.
    http://www.amnh.org/

  • Metropolitan Museum of Art
    1000 5th Ave. (at 82nd St.)
    http://www.metmuseum.org/

  • United Nations
    First Ave. between 42nd & 48th Streets
    http://www.un.org/