TIP: Doesn't Newark Sound Like New York?

I heard from two people recently that their travel agents dissuaded them from flying via Newark airport to New York. One was from Sydney and the other from Singapore. The agents said that since Newark was in another state - New Jersey - it would be much more difficult and take a long time to get to Manhattan.

This is completely daft.

Newark, hands down, is the better airport in the area for any self-respecting traveller, including those flying into New York. It's cleaner, brighter, has better signage, shorter lines and most importantly, nicer immigration people. And it takes about the same amount of time (and only a few bucks more by cab) to get into Manhattan as it does from JFK airport.

It also has a really nice train that goes straight to Manhattan's Penn Station. Once you arrive at the airport, take the AIRTRAIN (from any terminal) to the Newark Liberty Intl Airport TRAIN STATION. Get a ticket to NEW YORK PENN STATION on NJ TRANSIT. (Amtrak is also available but much more expensive). It's about 11 bucks one way. Once you're on the train, which is pretty comfortable, only thing to pay attention to is the fact that "Newark" can sound like "New York", and there is a "Newark Penn Station", which you shouldn't get off at. New York Penn Station is the last stop. The whole journey, including airtrain is about 30-40 minutes, and then you're right smack in the middle of Manhattan.

Oh, and of course, Newark is also great because the direct Singapore Airlines flight is based there - SQ obviously knows what it's doing.