Yes I am from the area and there is ample transportation from trains,Subway and path trains and the Lincoln and Holland tunnels. Harrison is closer to getting to the Bronx than shea stadium Queens. The Newark area is easier to get the stadium since it is very strong in soccer history. Especially old Cosmos fans. Long Island is a failure for the Cosmos. With in a 45 minute drive I can go to Yankee stadium,Giants Stadium, Shea Stadium and all arenas.
Simple? I know people who live in Manhattan and don't make it out to games regularly because it is a hassle to get to. You're off base.
I live in the area.. how am I off base? Of course its a hassle depending on which firm of transportation people will take to each venue. For me,by car, Queens is a hassle as it is near JFK and by the time I get there u could of went to Philadelphia. Long Island and Queens aren't the best sports venues for fans that live in the Newark basin. Going to all major stadiums without traffic is within 45 mins without traffic delays. Now to queens ...without traffic its an hour with traffic 2hrs . RB arena is in the NYC area 10 minutes by Path and 15 by car. So your incorrect on the location if RB ARENA. Google map it. If Cosmos came to Newark I'm sure they would have a bigger crowd.
I have family and friends in the area and have spent some time there. I have multiple people who have told me they don't like making the treks out to Red Bull Arena from MANHATTAN consistentlybecause it takes too long and is too much of a hassle with too many metro/train switches to get there. As for driving, there are only two roads that lead into Red Bull Arena and traffic is a mess, so no the drive is NOT 15 minutes.
I live here and you don't. Do you know the Path trains,Amtrak or NJ Transit? Turnpike or Parkway? No you don't. Because if your so called friends in Manhattan knew how to travel they can take any path train or Amtrak train to penn st Newark or just take the straight path.There are direct shuttle busses to the arena.From Harrison you can clearly see NYC. You still think RB is out if the NYC area? GOOGLE map Harrison to NYC and see what you get. Still want to prove me wrong? I'm born and raised in NJ.
From Union County I have no problem going to Yankee stadium,Giants stadium,MSG,RB Arena even Rutgers stadium in under an hour and Rutgers is farther. The only challenge is Shea stadium/Mets for Jersey fans because of either going through Staten Island or taking the Midtown route to get on the Van Wyck express. I can make it faster to Eagles and Phillies stadiums because they are directly off 95.
I lived in NJ not long ago and experienced it. It's not as easy a trip as you're making it seem. By car, with traffic, it takes a while. Getting off the highway to Red Bull Arena alone can take you, at least, 15 minutes on gameday. As for people who take transit from NYC, it takes a while no matter how you look at it. Many people in NYC have done it and many have said what a hassle it is. As for seeing NYC from Harrison, that means nothing in terms of relative distance. You can see downtown Miami from downtown Ft. Lauderdale and that's still a good 30-40 minute drive away on the highway with little to no traffic.
http://www.distance-calculator.co.uk/usa-distance-new_york_city-to-harrison.htm The distance is under 12 miles between NYC and Harrison. Ihave taken the path from Harrison direct to NYC and it us under 15 mins including stops in JC and Hoboken. Again the only hassle is Queens which is a dead zone for sports if a team isn't in championship contention.
Again, and again, and again, it's still not an easy trek if you're coming from east side Manhattan, north side Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, etc.
Right..you the same person who said the RB stadium is far and not in the NYC metro area. You get New Yorkers who trek to the Meadowlands which is farther from NYC to see the Jets & Giants yet the RB fans you know find it difficult. Then you have the Jerseyans who trek to the Bronx and Queens in baseball seasons. We live in a METRO area! Again your hopscotching the facts I posted. You don't live here so why would your posts be credible? Is the RB Arena in the NYC area? Prove to me how it is far from Manhattan?
Jets and Giants and baseball have people come out because they have had teams for DECADES UPON DECADES. MLS is still relatively young and there just aren't that many hardcore fans will to make the long treks. Talk to people in New York that go out to games. Most will tell you it's a hike and not easy to get to. In fact, I saw on Twitter some NYC-based people saying they'll be ship-jumpers and become fans of NYCFC because of the very reason of proximity and accessibility. You can keep throwing numbers out all you want, but the fact remains that on gameday, getting to Red Bull Arena from NYC is no picnic.
Most of the RB fans are NJ based same for Giants and Jets. Of course they will jump ship on proximity. Sorry if you leave from midtown Penn Station or 33RD ST PATH to Harrison Path or Newark Penn STATION is under an hour for a 10 mile trek. You don't know the area obviously as you stated the RB Arena is fat from NYC. I catch the train from Elizabeth to Penn St NY and its is never over 20 mins. When I drive to the village from union county its 20-30 mins. Its all about timing and knowing the area.
Timing? People don't have the luxury of timing when it comes to games as they are on a fixed schedule that they have no control of.
Then if they are on a fixed schedule especially on a weekend then it wouldn't make sense if they lived in proximity to a stadium since they are pressed for time and lack critical thinking. If you can't make it to a stadium that us under 15 miles away then they should take a class on taking transportation 101.
I'm tempted to ask where your "friend" lives in Manhattan to guide them to RB Arena with a $4 Metro Card.