Newark -- what to do in town?

[Gerard]

I have a short overnight stay (10 pm to 2 pm) in/near the Newark airport in March (to take advantage of good/cheap flights). Is there anything fun/pleasant to do in/near Newark itself? It seems I can get a better cheaper hotel in Newark proper than at the airport, and it's just a short city bus ride away. I read fear-filled reports about Newark, but I read the same things about downtown LA or Baltimore, and I have no problems with those cities.

[Empire Business]

I prefer to fly there to visit NYC.  I have never hung out in Newark, because there is a bus straight into the city (and back) for about $8.  It's not particularly well indicated as I recall, but ask an airport employee, they all know where it is.  For a hotel, perhaps your dollar will go farther in Newark.  But for the doing stuff portion, it may not be too cost/time prohibitive to get to NYC.

[Honest Abe]

1. Don't get mugged
2. Profit
3. ???

[brewer12345]

Not far from the train station (walking distance) is the Portuguese (Ironbound) district.  There are lots of interesting restaurants, bakeries, wine shops, etc. worth looking into. If you are into seafood, Seabra's Marisquera is the place I would go.

If you are in Newark Terminal C, there is a fantastic Columbian café in the left-most spoke of the terminal.  This is down where the international flights are, but you can just walk down there.