Art,
I for one love Continental Gold status. I made silver in March of last year and gold in October. Yes, life was better before EUA but I'm not complaining. So far under EUA, I'm batting 10 for 12 on upgrades. However, I never touch EWR so maybe that's why I don't have too many problems with it. The lack of service to ISP would be the big issue. I have no idea where express flies into from there. If you can get to CLE non-stop on a regional jet then I think you would have a good chance with upgrades since the Cleveland hub is considered the best for upgrades.