MU @ St Johns Road Trip - Suggestions Needed

[Macallan 18]

Going to the MU at St Johns game on 12/29 - starting to look into tickets - anyone that has made this trip before have suggestions?

What's a good section to target for seats? Stubhub has a few first 10 row seats for $75, but don't mind sitting a little further back if the sight lines are good.

Will be taking the PATH in from New Jersey, any advice on quickest route to the arena after the PATH?

Anything else ya'll would suggest doing before/after the game? I'm free that day so can get in early if there is a particularly good restaurant, bar, attraction to check out.

Much appreciated!

[JWags85]

So the game is at Carnesecca which makes things a bit trickier, in all facets.

I went to the game there back in 2019.  We sat probably 25 rows up on the higher side.  Sightlines were fine, its a band box with no seating on either end of the court, so its all pretty straight on.  That being said, above row 10 or so, its bench seating and the labeled seating areas are quite narrow.  When we went, we unfortunately were between 2 groups of, ahem, larger people and we were packed in and not very comfortably.  We ended up finding tickets on Stubhub, during the game, in the 3rd row for like $25 and moved down at the under 8 in the first half.  Just an heads up

As for getting there, its kind of a pain public transit wise.  Whether you take the E or the LIRR, you will get off at Kew Gardens for the MTA or Jamaica for the LIRR and need to take a bus (or Uber) to campus.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I was thinking of going as it fits my schedule but I have never been to Carneseca and heard it was not easy to get to public transportation-wise which means I's have to drive which may be the easier option.

[pbiflyer]

We just toured Hofstra earlier this year. Was planning on dropping into St Johns, but it was a pain to get to even though we were on the LIRR already.

[Macallan 18]

As for getting there, its kind of a pain public transit wise.  Whether you take the E or the LIRR, you will get off at Kew Gardens for the MTA or Jamaica for the LIRR and need to take a bus (or Uber) to campus.

Thanks for the heads up regarding seating. Buying the lower level seats sounds like the way to go.

It looks like it is a 2.4 mile walk from the station to the arena, do you know what the area is like? If the weather is nice I don't mind making that walk, especially if there are bars and shops along the way to stop in at along the way. If it is just an industrial corridor, I'll take the Uber.

[JWags85]

Thanks for the heads up regarding seating. Buying the lower level seats sounds like the way to go.

It looks like it is a 2.4 mile walk from the station to the arena, do you know what the area is like? If the weather is nice I don't mind making that walk, especially if there are bars and shops along the way to stop in at along the way. If it is just an industrial corridor, I'll take the Uber.

I'd say take the Uber.  Its not industrial but its pretty non-descript urban.  Parts of Queens are obviously very cool, and there is some decent stuff adjacent to SJU campus, but the station is adjacent to a pretty major interchange and the walk east from it reflects that.  Not exactly a super interesting cultural adventure IMO.

[drewm88]

I'd say take the Uber.  Its not industrial but its pretty non-descript urban.  Parts of Queens are obviously very cool, and there is some decent stuff adjacent to SJU campus, but the station is adjacent to a pretty major interchange and the walk east from it reflects that.  Not exactly a super interesting cultural adventure IMO.

Non-descript urban is a good way to put it. If you're interested in a meandering walk through neighborhoods, they're decent. If you're going straight down Grand Central or Union, you're not missing much by skipping the walk.

[Disco Hippie]

Unfortunately there's no easy way to get to the St. John's Campus via public transportation from Manhattan, let alone Hoboken which is where I assume you'll be coming from if you're taking the Path.  It's definitely in a transit desert, by NYC Standards.  I'd argue that the St. John's campus, even though technically still within the city limits, is for all intents and purposes really in Long Island.  It's definitely in a far far outer borough neighborhood.

That said, here's the most direct way to get there via public transport from Hoboken.  Give yourself 2.5 hours to be safe:

Path from Hoboken to 34th St    20 Min

Walk from Path to Penn Station  10 Min

Another 10 Min to find the E Line once you get to Penn Station.

Take a Queens Bound E Train from Penn Station to Union Turnpike Kew Gardens:   1 Hour 10 Min

Allow another 10 min to walk up from Subway Station and get your bearings to find a Lake Success / LIJ bound Q46 Bus.

Allow at least another 5-10 min for Q46 Bus to arrive.

Then another 15 min bus ride from Union Tpke/Kew Gardens Subway Stop to 173rd St/Union Turnpike which is right outside Carnesecca.

I'm sure there are nearby places the SJU faithful go before/after games, but I'm not familiar with them and honestly they're probably not places you'd want to go to either.   Not saying they're in a bad area or anything but there just isn't a lot around there.

Since it's an 8P Tip, you might want to think about maybe hanging out in the Boerum Hill / North Park Slope or Carroll Gardens area of Brooklyn late that afternoon.  That's a neat area full of young professionals very close to Barclays Center and there are plenty of good places around there.  From Barclays you can take an LIRR Train from Atlantic Terminal/Barclays to Jamaica Station (15 min) and just UBER to Carnesecca from Jamaica from there.   Carnesecca is about about 2.5 miles from Jamaica.

Here are some good places:

The Brooklyn Inn - Iconic Bar worth a visit in Boerum Hill

Henry Public - Brooklyn Heights
https://www.henrypublic.com/

The Long Island Bar-Brooklyn Heights
http://thelongislandbar.com/#info

St. Gambrinus Beer Shoppe (Closest to LIRR Atlantic Terminal / Barclays CTR)
http://stgambrinusbeer.com/

If it were me, I'd hit Brooklyn Inn, then St. Gambrinus, and then train it to Jamaica and Uber to the game.   Just a suggestion. 

Getting Back to the Jerz from out there will be another adventure entirely.   Have fun when you're in town!

[Billy Hoyle]

You'll definitely want to sit in the lower level on the same side as the teams since those are chairbacks. The rest of the seating is bleachers.

You can take the F Train to Jamaica/179th Street and then a bus or Uber/Lyft or the E or F train to Kew Gardens/Utopia Parkway then take the Q46 bus or a Lyft/Uber. The Q46 will drop you right at the back of Carnesecca. Campus is not reasonably walkable from either.

If you want to meander around a cool neighborhood on the way, get off at 71st/Forest Hills. Nice commercial strip on Austin Street, the old US Open stadium, and some beautiful Tudor homes in Forest Hills Gardens right behind Austin. You can also take the LIRR to Forest Hills.

I highly suggest dinner at Acquista Trattoria across from campus. The owner is a former SJU soccer player and legit Italian.

[Miss Katie’s]

You'll definitely want to sit in the lower level on the same side as the teams since those are chairbacks. The rest of the seating is bleachers.

You can take the F Train to Jamaica/179th Street and then a bus or Uber/Lyft or the E or F train to Kew Gardens/Utopia Parkway then take the Q46 bus or a Lyft/Uber. The Q46 will drop you right at the back of Carnesecca. Campus is not reasonably walkable from either.

If you want to meander around a cool neighborhood on the way, get off at 71st/Forest Hills. Nice commercial strip on Austin Street, the old US Open stadium, and some beautiful Tudor homes in Forest Hills Gardens right behind Austin. You can also take the LIRR to Forest Hills.

I highly suggest dinner at Acquista Trattoria across from campus. The owner is a former SJU soccer player and legit Italian.

One of my closest friends from MU lives in Forest Hills.  I love Austin Street, the gorgeous old homes, cobblestone streets, etc.  Some great restaurants there as well.  I agree with your recommendation.