Mid-Atlantic - 5.5 hour layover in Newark...time for anything?

Well, I went from worrying about making my connection to a 5.5 hour layover with the adjustment recently made to our flight next Friday. I know it's unlikely, but is there time to go into the city (or anything else worthwhile) if we have a 5.5 layover at Newark? Lunch somewhere besides the airport would be ideal before our eight hour trip to Copenhagen.

For great food in Newark, there are plenty of incredible Spanish / Portugese / S.Am. restaurants in the Ironbound section. (Not the fanciest neighborhood, but the food is awesome.)

The area is an easy walk just east of Newark Penn Station, which is a quick NJ Transit train ride from the airport.

i second portuguese food in Newark. go to penn station then when you walk out the door you just walk up ferry st and you will find a ton of options. I recommend Brasilia grill (http://www.brasiliagrill.com/) on Monroe st. probably the best brasillian bbq i have ever had. The neighborhood is actually pretty cool as well. It really has the feel like your in Brasil or Portugal. you really forget your in Newark.

If your not meat eaters, fornos of spain has some great food as well. If you want to sit outside, Adega grill is a great option as well.

If your not meat eaters, fornos of spain has some great food as well. If you want to sit outside, Adega grill is a great option as well.I second Adega Grill.

Just be aware that it's $7.75 each way per person from the airport to Newark Penn Station (the big hit is the $5.50 to get on AND off the airtrain).

I also very highly recommend the Portuguese or Brazilian food options in Newark, but if you're not there at a meal time, you can also consider the Newark Museum (http://www.newarkmuseum.org/). This is an art museum with quite a good collection and interesting temporary exhibits. Mr travelmad478 and I made a special trip there last year to see an exhibit of cartoon and comic-strip art, and were very pleasantly surprised by the breadth of the whole collection. The museum is about a 10-15 minute walk from Newark Penn Station.

Newark sounds like a great option, and one that is seldom taken advantage of. (My own experience in Newark is limited to taking a train from Newark station and attending hockey games at the Prudential Center.)

If you do want to go into Manhattan, however, you do have time to do so: it takes less than an hour by public transportation, so assuming you've already checked in for your flight to Copenhagen, you could have two-and-a-half hours or so in Manhattan, assuming an hour to travel in each direction, and still get back to the EWR an hour before your flight time (which is plenty of time if you've already checked in).

If you take public transportation, you would arrive at New York Penn Station. If you want a meal, Keens Steakhouse (http://www.keens.com/) is a great NYC steakhouse within walking distance. (There are lots of good non-steak options for non-steak eaters, too.) You also could walk or take a quick subway ride up to Times Square and walk around for a while, or take the subway up to Central Park for a stroll if the weather is nice.

You can also take New Jersey Transit bus #62 from the airport to newark penn station and it is only $1.35

I second Adega Grill.

Just be aware that it's $7.75 each way per person from the airport to Newark Penn Station (the big hit is the $5.50 to get on AND off the airtrain).