Time to get married on layover?
May 12, 08, 8:37 am
#1
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Time to get married on layover?
Hi all,
I have a layover at Newark on Friday July 25 of about 6 1/2 hours. What I would LIKE to be able to do is take US Helicopter into Manhattan. According to their schedule, the first flight we would be able to make would arrive at 13:25. City hall to obtain the marriage license is 1.4 miles away at 1 Centre St. We would then have to go 2 blocks up to 60 Centre St to obtain a judicial waiver to get married in less than 24 hours after license was obtained - the court said this could be done in an hour or less. Then, would I have enough time to go 0.7 miles to the Brooklyn Bridge and have a civil officiant perform a QUICK ceremony before making it back to the heliport 0.7 miles by 16:30/16:45 for a flight back to EWR?
Our flight out of EWR is international to BRU at 18:30, so that should be plenty of time for boarding if we are back at EWR by 17:10, right?
THANKS so much for all your input,
Alma
I have a layover at Newark on Friday July 25 of about 6 1/2 hours. What I would LIKE to be able to do is take US Helicopter into Manhattan. According to their schedule, the first flight we would be able to make would arrive at 13:25. City hall to obtain the marriage license is 1.4 miles away at 1 Centre St. We would then have to go 2 blocks up to 60 Centre St to obtain a judicial waiver to get married in less than 24 hours after license was obtained - the court said this could be done in an hour or less. Then, would I have enough time to go 0.7 miles to the Brooklyn Bridge and have a civil officiant perform a QUICK ceremony before making it back to the heliport 0.7 miles by 16:30/16:45 for a flight back to EWR?
Our flight out of EWR is international to BRU at 18:30, so that should be plenty of time for boarding if we are back at EWR by 17:10, right?
THANKS so much for all your input,
Alma
Welcome to FlyerTalk, ADKOP!
May 12, 08, 9:21 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: NYC
Posts: 8,410
Best first post ever!
Sounds pretty tight to me. Assuming your flight is on time, the helicopter isn't impeded by weather, there's no significant wait at 1 Centre (which is the city admin building across the street from City Hall--not City Hall itself) for the license, and each of you, your beloved, your officiant and anyone else who will be with you will be wearing good walking shoes (and physically capable of walking a couple miles over a few hours), you can probably do it. But if any one of those assumptions proves false, it may throw a wrench in the whole thing.
As for logistics, I'd take a car service from the heliport to 1 Centre and then have them pick you up after the ceremony to take you back to the heliport, and I'd recommend doing the rest on foot. The only other question is where exactly to have the car waiting for you near the bridge, since they can't pick you up on the bridge itself (I'm assuming the ceremony would on the bridge itself, not just in view of it).
And if you tell us exactly when and where, you can probably drum up some witnesses from this forum.
Sounds pretty tight to me. Assuming your flight is on time, the helicopter isn't impeded by weather, there's no significant wait at 1 Centre (which is the city admin building across the street from City Hall--not City Hall itself) for the license, and each of you, your beloved, your officiant and anyone else who will be with you will be wearing good walking shoes (and physically capable of walking a couple miles over a few hours), you can probably do it. But if any one of those assumptions proves false, it may throw a wrench in the whole thing.
As for logistics, I'd take a car service from the heliport to 1 Centre and then have them pick you up after the ceremony to take you back to the heliport, and I'd recommend doing the rest on foot. The only other question is where exactly to have the car waiting for you near the bridge, since they can't pick you up on the bridge itself (I'm assuming the ceremony would on the bridge itself, not just in view of it).
And if you tell us exactly when and where, you can probably drum up some witnesses from this forum.
May 12, 08, 12:26 pm
#4
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
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It will be tight but doable, assuming you don't have to wait to get the license. I've heard horror stories about that aspect of the process in NYC to the point that we got our wedding license up-state the Friday prior to our wedding rather than doing it in advance at city hall. Basically the three hour window you've given yourself depends on no lines at any point in the process. On the plus side, it is going to make a great story! Oh, and you will most likely have the full SSSS treatment getting back on the helicopter, so figure you need 10 minutes for that to happen.
Assuming that you're at EWR at 17:10 you'll have no problem boarding the flight to BRU on time.
Welcome to FlyerTalk!
And I would definitely come out to watch the race between sites (and help if necessary) if you shared the date.
Assuming that you're at EWR at 17:10 you'll have no problem boarding the flight to BRU on time.
Welcome to FlyerTalk!
And I would definitely come out to watch the race between sites (and help if necessary) if you shared the date.
May 12, 08, 12:35 pm
#6
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I think you'll have enough time to get the license, but if there are waits, you may not get to do the wedding. I remembered I had to wait at least 10 min to get the lic, and longer for the actual ceremony.
Good luck. As long as you have a back up plan if things get too delayed.
Good luck. As long as you have a back up plan if things get too delayed.
May 12, 08, 1:09 pm
#9
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: NYC
Posts: 8,410
Analise,
I'm pretty sure the heliport in question is the Wall St heliport at 6 E River Piers. If you google map from there to 1 Centre St, it's 1.4 miles (although it's only 1 mile on foot).
That said, I think you're probably right that subway may be a better bet. The Whitehall St. R/W station is just a couple blocks from the heliport, and it's only a couple stops from there to the City Hall stop, which is a few hundred yards from 1 Centre. Alternatively, the Bowling Green 4/5 stop is a just a couple blocks farther than the Whitehall St stop, and that will put you right in front of 1 Centre (at the Brooklyn Bridge 4/5/6 stop). Taking a car service is the other option (US Helicopter can arrange one), but getting to 1 Centre can be challenging because of all the weird one-way and blocked-off streets in the area around City Hall.
Again, just to be clear, 1 Centre St. is not technically City Hall (it's across the street).
I'm pretty sure the heliport in question is the Wall St heliport at 6 E River Piers. If you google map from there to 1 Centre St, it's 1.4 miles (although it's only 1 mile on foot).
That said, I think you're probably right that subway may be a better bet. The Whitehall St. R/W station is just a couple blocks from the heliport, and it's only a couple stops from there to the City Hall stop, which is a few hundred yards from 1 Centre. Alternatively, the Bowling Green 4/5 stop is a just a couple blocks farther than the Whitehall St stop, and that will put you right in front of 1 Centre (at the Brooklyn Bridge 4/5/6 stop). Taking a car service is the other option (US Helicopter can arrange one), but getting to 1 Centre can be challenging because of all the weird one-way and blocked-off streets in the area around City Hall.
Again, just to be clear, 1 Centre St. is not technically City Hall (it's across the street).
May 12, 08, 2:37 pm
#10
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Actually, I'd do the car service. Having arrived into that heliport a few times, it's a trek to get to the subway. Have a car waiting for you (or you really should be able to find a cab sans much ado) have it take you up the FDR to the BB exit, and you should be able to get right off at the top of Park Row, seconds away from your destination. Better yet, hire a car (or a limo!, I know a great Maybach service) for the 3 hours, and have it wait for you at each point.
May 12, 08, 3:17 pm
#12
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: NYC
Posts: 8,410
Originally Posted by stevenshev
Actually, I'd do the car service. Having arrived into that heliport a few times, it's a trek to get to the subway. Have a car waiting for you (or you really should be able to find a cab sans much ado) have it take you up the FDR to the BB exit, and you should be able to get right off at the top of Park Row, seconds away from your destination. Better yet, hire a car (or a limo!, I know a great Maybach service) for the 3 hours, and have it wait for you at each point.
While I would consider taking a car service from the heliport up to the part of Park Row that's open to cars (by J&R Music World--not the part behind 1 Centre, which is closed), I would definitely recommend walking from 1 Centre to the courthouse and then to the bridge rather than trying to have a car navigate that tangle of jam-packed streets. And walking+subway from the heliport to 1 Centre will actually probably be faster than taking a car. The car would just be for convenience.
May 12, 08, 3:57 pm
#13
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I see your point vis a vis not taking a car from 1 Centre to the bridge, but, really, trust me when I say it'll take far too long to walk from the Heliport to the Subway. And also, the streets really aren't that bad around there. So long as you don't attempt to turn into the Federal Courthouse (and, plus, it's presumable that the driver of a decent car service would know what he was doing) it's easy to loop around to the entrance to the bridge (pedestrian or vehicular).
May 12, 08, 11:31 pm
#14
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Folks,
The edifice located at 1 Centre Street is the Municipal Building which all of you must have temporarily forgotten. I say this only so that OP doesn't start wandering around.
OP,
I'm not saying this is impossible, but it does seem difficult. The Marriage Bureau has notoriously long lines to the point of newspapers running stories on the problem at least once a year. (A new city initiative is underway to shorten the wait.)
You need to clear security in the Municipal Building. Then you need to clear security in the Supreme Court building (60 Centre Street, the building shown at the opening of "Law and Order").
I am an attorney although I do not practice domestic relations law. It would seem to me that a "judicial waiver" is one that is signed by a judge. I think expecting to see a judge and leave with a signed order in one hour is very unrealistic barring some emergency circumstances. I'm not saying I never accomplished this only that the number of times it happened were few enough to call it rare.
Incidentally, I am not even considering what the law says the grounds are for the judge to grant or deny such an order.
Good luck.
The edifice located at 1 Centre Street is the Municipal Building which all of you must have temporarily forgotten. I say this only so that OP doesn't start wandering around.
OP,
I'm not saying this is impossible, but it does seem difficult. The Marriage Bureau has notoriously long lines to the point of newspapers running stories on the problem at least once a year. (A new city initiative is underway to shorten the wait.)
You need to clear security in the Municipal Building. Then you need to clear security in the Supreme Court building (60 Centre Street, the building shown at the opening of "Law and Order").
I am an attorney although I do not practice domestic relations law. It would seem to me that a "judicial waiver" is one that is signed by a judge. I think expecting to see a judge and leave with a signed order in one hour is very unrealistic barring some emergency circumstances. I'm not saying I never accomplished this only that the number of times it happened were few enough to call it rare.
Incidentally, I am not even considering what the law says the grounds are for the judge to grant or deny such an order.
Good luck.
May 13, 08, 5:10 am
#15
Join Date: May 2005
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Sorry to rain on the parade here.... First read Landing Gear's post.
Note... The line at the Municipal Building alone can take 1/2 to 1 hour just to get in the building. THe lines plural to get the license are always long and they work VERY slowly... THis is the MUNICIPAL building..
Supreme Court has long lines for security and you first have to go to the pro se clerk with a motion prepared ahead of time for the waiver. Think notaries , affidavits etc. Then it is submitted to a clerk who review it and sends it to a Judge who may or may not even read it for hours or tell you to come back the next day. Forget pleading for time. THis is not a priority case. Besides what are the grounds for such a waiver? Why would a judge sign it.
After you get the "waiver" it is back downstairs to have it entered.
Most important question Who is the "civil officiant" that will perform the marriage. Certainly not the city clerk, they will not leave the Municipal Building. You would have to arrange ahead of time for someone capable of performing the ceremony..
Note... The line at the Municipal Building alone can take 1/2 to 1 hour just to get in the building. THe lines plural to get the license are always long and they work VERY slowly... THis is the MUNICIPAL building..
Supreme Court has long lines for security and you first have to go to the pro se clerk with a motion prepared ahead of time for the waiver. Think notaries , affidavits etc. Then it is submitted to a clerk who review it and sends it to a Judge who may or may not even read it for hours or tell you to come back the next day. Forget pleading for time. THis is not a priority case. Besides what are the grounds for such a waiver? Why would a judge sign it.
After you get the "waiver" it is back downstairs to have it entered.
Most important question Who is the "civil officiant" that will perform the marriage. Certainly not the city clerk, they will not leave the Municipal Building. You would have to arrange ahead of time for someone capable of performing the ceremony..
