Should work out fine.

Depending on when you are coming, they sometimes have construction on the Newark Bay Extension of the NJ Turnpike also known as I-78 East towards the Holland Tunnel. So be on the look out for that.

Try to budget extra time.

Since the PATH takes the pay-per-ride Metrocards, buy one to share with your son.

If you are staying at the Courtyard, you should take the PATH towards 33rd St in Manhattan not WTC. This will leave you one block from the ESB.

I don't really know any specifics (I stayed at the Hyatt, a different PATH stop), but just wanted to let you know that you'll have no problems getting to where you need to be. Using the PATH is very simple--we also used one card and shared it, and staying in Jersey City saves you money and keeps you out of all the crowds.

When we went into town it was a Saturday afternoon and had no problems at all with traffic.

Empire State building has great views. Just make sure you give yourself enough time, I've read in some posts here on TA that people can wait 2+ hours sometimes.

I'm jealous of you. We went for a few hockey games and wanted to get back to both NY stadiums before they go, but we just didn't have the time this summer. Oh well, guess we'll just have to go to the new oens next year.

Thanks for both of your responses. I needed some validation of the plan, because time will be tight and I didn't want to have to go to "Plan B" unexpectedly.

If you don't mind, tell me a little more about the Metrocard. So, I just buy one that covers us both? Is that good for the day, or just one trip at a time? And do I just buy that at the outgoing station (Jersey city)?

Also, thanks for the tip on taking PATH directly to 33rd St. I might still go to WTC just to see it (was there in Nov 2001 to see the aftermath, and would be interesting to see the changes since). But I propbably will skip WTC unless anyone thinks it is very worth seeing at this point in history.

The pay-as-you-go Metrocards do have an expiration date, but it won't impact you. I have one that is expired, so the next time I'm in the city, I'll go and get a new one with the amount transfered over.

You should be able to buy one at a machine at the PATH station, but I can't say for certain. You definitely can buy them at any subway station in NYC.

You can buy Metro cards at any PATH station. They are good for use on the PATH and the subway in NYC.

There are 2 different types of Metro cards. One works with a declining balance where you load your money on first and it subtracts from that total everytime you swipe it. All turnstiles will tell what the balance is every time you swipe. Up to 4 people can use this card at the same time. PATH rides are $1.75 each and subway rides are $2 each.

The other is an unlimited card. You pay one price and get unlimited rides. I know they have a 1-day pass. With this option, though, you will have to buy 1 card for you and 1 for your son. Also, the unlimited cards do not work on the PATH, so this is probably not a good option.