Need Your New York/New Jersey Expertise, Someone

[folksnake]

Hi Folks-
Been lurking a long time, avid listener for a number of years...I've been researching this issue with little success, and it dawned on me that this might be the best place to ask. Not sure why it didn't occur to me earlier...

I live out here in west/central Maryland, and want to take a trip up to New York--mostly to hit some museums. Ideally, I'd like to drive up and park somewhere, then take NYC transport to my destinations. But I have no clue as to where I can park my car, safely and relatively cheaply. Is there somewhere in New Jersey that would work? Or do I have to go into the city and park at a garage somewhere?
 
Tell me how to do this, I'm a complete naif when it comes to New York--

Thanks!

[TL]

Well, you can always try to find street parking.  3rd and 2nd Ave up around the museums (70s/80s) have plenty of meters, and you can walk to Whitney, Met, MoMa, etc.  Other options are trying to street park in Hoboken, where you might find NO-metered street parking, and take the Path train to 23rd or 33rd St., and take the subway up to museums.  Here's a really good and informative MTA subway system map:  http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm
If you're not super pressed about dough, there are pay lots all over the place and most of the big museums have their own.  Once you're at, say, the Met, you can walk to the Whitney, The Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim, (all in the general Central Park vicinity between, like, the upper 80s and lower 70s), and if you're up for a little more walking, the MoMa, Lincoln Center, and other stuff are down in the 50s.

[Jason]

Jersey City has zoned residents parking to prevent people from doing just this, I'd imagine Hoboken might be the same.

[Andy]

based on my limited knowledge, I would think you would want to park outside of Manhattan and ride a train in, if not just for the hastle of trying to navigate and the fact that drivers can be assholish in the city.  I would also think that for someone who is not familiar with the  area, it might be quicker to park on the outskirts and ride in.

Then again, I have no idea where you could park that would be safe, so I'm probably of no help at all to you.

[Laurie]

I'm curious: how much does the average NYC parking garage charge? What are the daily and monthly rates? I work in Downtown Miami, which is kind of a crap area except for the Wynwood artsy fartsy area/Design District. Seriously, there's nothing but homeless folks and office buildings over here. And there's a couple of blocks filled with clubs, bars, and homeless people, but most of the clubs are pretty lame-o and filled with girls who dress like hookers and guys who put giant rear spoilers and $20,000 rims on their tiny $5,000 Hyundais. Even Studio A kind of blows, simply by virtue of its ownership -- a dude from the musical group Fannypack (the folks who brought you "Camel Toe" & "718") and the fellows from the Motherfucker party in New York. I mean, there's a place called Studio B in Brooklyn owned by the same people and opened after Studio A Miami's debut. No one wants to come to Miami and play, so even Studio B is better than its sister club in Miami.

Anyhoodle, the garage adjacent to my building charges approximately $120-140 a month for parking privileges, and the daily rate is $40 per day. Also, there's a waiting list to get a decal for monthly parking privileges. Seriously. It's fucking ridiculous.

I'm just curious how much it costs to park in a city where there's actually cool things to do on a daily basis.

[chrisfoll577]

Anyhoodle, the garage adjacent to my building charges approximately $120-140 a month for parking privileges, and the daily rate is $40 per day. Also, there's a waiting list to get a decal for monthly parking privileges. Seriously. It's fucking ridiculous.

I'm just curious how much it costs to park in a city where there's actually cool things to do on a daily basis.

it's about the same, ranging around $40 a day for your average garage in new york, but i recall some having discounts on sundays.

as for parking and riding the train into new york, i've only done it from the other side of the city in stamford, ct coming from boston.  it's relatively easy, you dont have to put up with insane traffic in a new city, and you're a short subway ride away from the sights when you leave the terminal.  i'm not that familiar with nj transit, but i do remember a large train station with a big garage called metropark on the southwest outskirts not too far from the garden state parkway. 

it sounds like a nice trip and has gotten me thinking about taking a day trip to ny soon.

[folksnake]

Thanks, everybody!

I can drive in Manhattan, I suppose, but I'd like to avoid it if possible, of course. It does seem like trouble...

I suppose I could take Amtrak, but it's like 200 dollars or something, and I have to get to BWI airport--or downtown Baltimore. I'm about an hour from them both.

I had this picture of parking at some lot somewhere in Jersey, and taking a train in. Or maybe even parking at Liberty State Park and taking a ferry to the statue, and then on to Battery Park. By the time I had transfered between a few ferries and the subway up town, it might be time to turn around and go home.

Mrs. Cocker: in my netwanderings, I saw that the Metropolitan's parking garage charges up to $40 a day--up until midnight. I assume that the meter keeps ticking, and after midnight you roll over into a new, and even more costly, day.

Of my options (as I see them: Drive own car, Amtrak, Greyhound, private charter bus; aeroplane) the cheapest, and easiest, is the private bus thing. A local carrier has trips up to New York for about $50, but they're infrequent, sadly.


 

[TL]

Take the ferry!  Get off the grid - it's awesome!  Take to the World Trade Center and the world of subways is your oyster!  There are a few side streets in Hoboken that are unzoned, but they also have a few parking garages that are much cheaper than Manhattan garages.

[chrisfoll577]

Take the ferry!  Get off the grid - it's awesome!  Take to the World Trade Center and the world of subways is your oyster!  There are a few side streets in Hoboken that are unzoned, but they also have a few parking garages that are much cheaper than Manhattan garages.

this post made me smile since it reminded of me of my favorite TL/Rx song!  it's a perfect soundtrack to my walks over the longfellow to work in cambridge.  the ferry is a nice idea, hoboken is a cool little city and one of my favorite places in the area plus you get a great look at the skyline from the hudson on your way to manhattan.

[Forrest]

Okay. It's time somebody stepped in with an actual inside scoop. So:

Tenth Avenue between 30th and 50th Streets. Cheap metered parking.

West 40s--west of 9th Avenue. Free street parking most weekdays.

If you're willing to do a little block-circling and get off the tourist-beaten path, you can park in Manhattan for next to nothing.

[folksnake]

Hey Forrest-
Thanks! those meters you speak of: how long do they run? In other words, is there a (somewhat) standard maximum length of time, so that you can load them up with money and walk away for a long time? Meters in my part of the country are usually about 2 hours, max.

[KickTheBobo]

I find parking in Brooklyn somewhere around the Graham - Lorimer stops on the L to be really easy. As long as it isn't a street cleaning day, you're all set. I've left my car there for days at a time with no problem, and it's FREE. Use a club, just in case.

[Susannah]

Wouldn't it be just as easy for him to park in one of the free lots at a train station on the NE Corridor Line (maybe Metropark, Rahway, etc.) or the Raritan Valley line? (Westfield, Cranford, etc.?)

www.njtransit.com

[Denim Gremlin]

Wouldn't it be just as easy for him to park in one of the free lots at a train station on the NE Corridor Line (maybe Metropark, Rahway, etc.) or the Raritan Valley line? (Westfield, Cranford, etc.?)

www.njtransit.com

some of those lots are permit only, Westfield for example, or they have time limits and you'll get ticket if you're there all day.

maybe if you came from a town that's good enough to have a train station you'd know that.....

[Josh]

Laurie, there are some cool sneaker stores Downtown. And what's that vegan place? Golden Carrot?


When I worked downtown I took the Metrorail/Metromover. What's the bus situation from Miami Beach like?