I run a state registered passenger car service, Brian's Express LLC. (single member) I am offering to provide transportation to my class-mates, with or without a guest, for the same low fare, beginning with pickup at Newark Airport and continually until every classmate has satisfied his/her surface transportation needs for the big five ooo Reunion.
My vehicle holds 4 passengers max.
Suggestion: call me in advance to book me for ALL the trips that you KNOW you require car service. 908-463-8475-cell, if no answer, text me with your request and leave a voice mail, then try my home phone, 908-486-5062. I reluctantly require that a booking either be cancelled or moved to another time. My reason for this is partly because after I commit my company to provide service at a given time I often receive more requests from others to provide service during the timeframe previous committed. So naturally I have to turn down that second request and before I can perform the original booking its cancelled and my company loses two fold. Now my company insists that no cancellation is accepted unless I am compensated by the cancelling party for my loss, which is the time portion of the fare, (the estimated time required to perform multiplied by $10 per hour.
Please carry, and keep charged, the same cellphone number that you use when you book me. I will save it so I can reach you when necessary, for instance to notify you I am waiting for you and where I am waiting.
A. The fare to pick up at an agreed-to time from Newark Airport to Dolce Basking Ridge, per classmate, is $22, which includes gas, tolls, time and guest.* Gratuity is optional.
B. Fare to pick up at Newark Airport if I start driving from the hotel, (worst case), and ending back at the hotel is $25 per classmate and inclusive as in A. above.*
C. On Friday, for a ride from the Hotel to the original Chatham High Tour and back to the Hotel, roundtrip w/b $30 for only one classmate inclusive as in A. above. Two classmates may ride roundtrip for $20 each. If no guests take this ride, and 4 classmates go roundtrip, the price would be $15 per classmate, roundtrip.
D. On Friday, if I have no booking to the CHS tour, you may book a ride from and to elsewhere during that time window**.
E. On Friday, after the tour event is over, pickup at the hotel to a booking location other than those on the schedule of events**.
F. Saturday, (Note: I won't be staying at the Hotel), I will accept booking(s)for the walking tour of historic downtown Chatham. That roundtrip fare will range from $30 to drive only one classmate, to $20 each for two classmates, inclusive per A. above. If no guests join that ride, and 4 classmates go solo; roundtrip, that fare would be $15 per classmate.
Brian's Express will depart the Hotel for the Walking Tour between 9:45 and 10:00am. Before the tour splits up for lunch, tell me at what restaurant or any other spot in the Main Street neighborhood at which to pick you up between 1:15 and 1:30pm to go back to Gail and Dayle's wine and cheese in the Hotel courtyard.
G. Saturday, from about 3pm - 5pm, my car service priority will be to bring classmates to the hotel from locations in the immediate vicinity. Perhaps the Morristown Train Station time and distance from the hotel should serve as a radius to define "immediate vicinity. I will be "in the building" to party with you all starting at 6:00pm on Saturday night. Brian's Express will resume servicing the Class's bookings starting around 11:15pm Saturday evening.
H. On Sunday June 2, if you intend to take the Circle Line Tour Cruise, the Reunion Invitation mentions a train trip to New York Penn Station. That would be the eastbound train from Morristown Station. The Timetable is called Morris and Essex and it includes two distinct if not 100% separate sets of tracks. One is named the Morristown Line and that is a one-seat-ride to New York Penn Station. The other set of tracks is named the Gladstone Branch for your information only. You won't need to use any info about the Branch except if and when you are reading the timetable you will see blank spaces and a separate column filled with departure times for the Branch between Gladstone and Summit and again after your train leaves Newark Broad Street Station eastbound to Secaucus Junction and your destination, New York Penn Station. (then take either the A, C, or E Subway one stop to Port Authority at 42nd Street, then walk three blocks to Pier 83)
I have an alternative mode of not only getting you to the Circle Line in Midtown, but some side benefits that might add to your enjoyment of the reunion experience. But I want to orient you to the ways of NJ TRANSIT during this projected train ride to the Circle Line Cruise off Manhattan's Hudson River Midtown Pier 83 on 42nd Street. Some of it is repetitive of the above synopsis, but lay back and enjoy it. It might keep you from getting lost. I worked for NJ TRANSIT for 17 years as a contracts manager and I had to travel frequently on business throughout the state and NYC, so I learned how not to get tripped up while using their (NJ TRANSIT) facilities.
(1) The Morris & Essex Lines timetables that are displayed in glass cases on the Morristown Station Platform and also inside the station building), show a bolded, capitalized MD (translated "Midtown Direct") in the headings of almost all columns containing departure times of Morristown Line trains. The Morristown Line's trains, that run eastbound through the Morristown train station, are "one-seat rides", (no transfers necessary) to New York Penn Station, a.k.a. Midtown.
(2) Be advised that the train schedule reflects the eastbound merge, at Summit Rail Station, of those 'Morristown Line' tracks that you remain onboard with, and the eastbound 'GLADSTONE BRANCH' tracks. The eastbound Gladstone Branch passengers de-train at Summit Train Station and transfer to the soon-to-arrive eastbound Morristown Line train that you are already riding. At this point your train proceeds to run through and stop at various Essex County train stations. You want to stay on the "one-seat-ride" train to New York Penn Station, right? So when the your train pulls into Newark Broad Street Station and a bunch of people get off, you stay on the train because you and your train are going to continue to Secaucus Junction and then to New York Penn Station. Then you de-train and board one of the subways, A, C, or E, heading (UPTOWN) to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, one stop away. After that it’s all leg work. Get off at P/A and walk west down 42nd Street straight past 9th, 10th and 11th Ave's to 12th Ave, which is also the West Side Hwy. There's your Circle Line Tour.
Sunday Morning: Buffet Breakfast at Hotel - Checkout
Prepare to leave town for home or go to the City for the Cruise, or whatever suits your fancy. If you take my car service for any local venue that day, you can lock up your bags in my trunk until I pick you up from where you direct me to, and drive to the Airport or another destination of your choice.
Now my alternative mode of getting from the Hotel to the Circle Line and description of the side benefits I referred to. the recently-constructed Port Imperial at Weehawkin, NJ, specifically a Ferry Pier there on the Hudson River operated by NY Waterway. There is also a cozy neighborhood nearby called The Shoppes at Port Imperial. There you will find boutiques and gourmet eateries and a waterside promenade. Since this is right on the riverbank of the Hudson River, you get a totally unobstructed view of Midtown Manhattan. The view is awesome any time of day and after dark the view of Midtown is mesmerizing, partially because you're probably quietly sitting still on a park bench, with or dreaming of your sig. other. Out-of-towners miss the approach to this destination cause they turn off to take the Lincoln Tunnel into Midtown, oblivious to the gentrification of this neighborhood, (that's putting it mildly), the breathtaking views and amenities. The Hudson Bergen Light Rail Line (HBLR), the crown jewel of NJ TRANSIT, also runs at the foot of the Palisades and cost seniors a $1.05. If you don't change your mind once you get there, the one-way fare for the ferry across the river to 39th Street for seniors is $8.25.
If you use my service to get to Port Imperial I recommend that you also book me for a ride to Newark Airport. My service is a "one-seat-ride" and I can get you to the Airport in a half hour. and if you choose to use the available rail options you have to wait for and transfer through 4 rail lines, the light rail to Hoboken, the PATH to Newark Penn Station, the Northeast Corridor commuter rail to the Airport Monorail Station, and then take the Monorail to the Airport proper and your flight, There is an HBLR station stop, (called Port Imperial), right across the street from the above-mentioned Ferry Pier. The HBLR Line, three stops to the South, connects with Hoboken Terminal. From Hoboken you can take the PATH to Newark Penn Station, then walk down one flight of stairs to the Platform facing Track #4 from which you can catch a train, (on the Northeast Corridor line toward Trenton on Track #4), south one stop to Newark Airport Monorail if you are flying back home. If you use NJ TRANSIT commuter, a.k.a. heavy rail at any time to get around, buy your ticket either from a ticket agent or from a ticket vending machine around the station before you board the train (if they're available) because they charge $5 more to buy a ticket from the conductor on the train if there was a way to get a ticket back at the Station. Also, if you go by train to Newark Airport, it costs $8.75 and part of that price, $5, represents the cost of the Monorail ticket. So if you don't save the train ticket you paid $8.75 for, you gotta buy another $5.00 ticket at the Monorail Station to get out of Monorail jail. After you de-train at the EWR Monorail station, Take the escalator upstairs, present your train ticket which included the $5 for the Monorail ride to the Airport terminal and to get past security and then get on the Monorail. There is no conductor on the Monorail to ask questions about which stop you should get off at, so know which Terminal Letter, A, or B, or C your flight originates from ahead of time and you can avoid a big delay. Most likely the Monorail only makes one pass in front of the three Terminals and then returns to the Monorail Station stop.
There is secure parking at the Port (on the Jersey side) for people from out-of-town who want to take the NY Waterway Ferry across the river and dock at Pier 79 on 39th Street, three short blocks away from Circle Lines. The crossing takes 9 minutes and the Ferry departs every 20 minutes.
Here is a web address for the Ferry that goes from Port Imperial, NJ to Midtown Manhattan Pier #79 at 39th Street.