Budget Parking in NYC

[happily single]

I would love to take the kids to NYC during a weekend this December. Sadly it will cost too much to take the train or bus (over $300 round trip). So we will be driving from RI. Does anyone have any suggestions on someplace safe and budget minded to park?

Also I'm open to all suggestions, but the kids are 12 (dd); 10 (ds) and 5 (ds) so most likely we will just be walking around, checking out Rockefeller Center, Toys R Us-DOES ANYONE KNOW THE COST FOR THE FERRIS WHEEL-, We might try Senedipity (spelling) if I can find an on-line menu-I've always wanted to try the frozen hot chocolate.

Thanks!

 

[bamor]

The best way is to take the Metro North.
We do this all the time from RI.
Park your car in Westport, CT.......follow the directions from the Metro North website. IF they tag your car it will be $4.00 a day. We have never been charged for the weekend.
Adults are around $20.00 each ROUNDTRIP to Grand Central Station. Kids are $1.00 each with the family fare.
It should take you about two hours to drive to Westport and you'll have about one hour on the train.
If you are looking for a hotel, there are fantastic deals on www.travelzoo.com for NYC lodging. Also, a favorite of ours, esp with kids is www.radiocityapartments.com which is steps from Rockefeller Ctr. Clean and comfortable. A taxi from Grand Central to Radio City Apartments would run about $6.00, btw.

 

[bamor]

More info here for you....
www.menupages.com for menus listed by area
With kids in Times Square, check out John's Pizza on 46th.
Vynl might be another idea as well. Chinese anywhere would be good.

www.hopstop.com will help with walking and subway directions.

Am Museum of Nat History and the Met Museum of Modern Art are both SUGGESTED donation only. Do yourself a favor and pick one and check them out. Both are near Central Park.
Check both the Central park and Bryant park websites for listed activities.
The Staten Island Ferry is free and a great way to view the Statue of Liberty.

The Ferris Wheel is $4.00 per person if I remember correctly. The lines can be long. Try to get there when the store opens in the am.

There are also some great deals on broadway shows. LOVED Mary Poppins.
Check out www.broadwaybox.com for deals.

 

[5forDiz]

Stay in NJ, Jersey City - Hoboken area; leave your car parked at your hotel and take PATH or ferries to NYC. You'll probably do so much better on hotel rates and depending upon hotel, you may even have an amazing view of Manhattan.

Best wishes on you planning.

 

[DisLaw]

A great an inexpensive place to park on the weekends is in the Hippodrome parking lot in midtown, a great location for walking around. On Satudays it is $17 all day and on Sundays $10 all day, which can't be beat. It is very safe, clean, indoors and we use it all the time.

http://www.parkfast.com/

The lot is on 44th st between 5th and 6th avenue which really places you right in the middle of the action.

Have fun!

 

[eliza61]

I would love to take the kids to NYC during a weekend this December. Sadly it will cost too much to take the train or bus (over $300 round trip). So we will be driving from RI. Does anyone have any suggestions on someplace safe and budget minded to park?

Also I'm open to all suggestions, but the kids are 12 (dd); 10 (ds) and 5 (ds) so most likely we will just be walking around, checking out Rockefeller Center, Toys R Us-DOES ANYONE KNOW THE COST FOR THE FERRIS WHEEL-, We might try Senedipity (spelling) if I can find an on-line menu-I've always wanted to try the frozen hot chocolate.

Thanks!

Depends on what you consider budget. You are going to be right in the middle of midtown Manhattan. If you're going during the weekday I would budget $25-30 bucks for parking. some times if you get there before a certain time (I think 10:00 am) you can get a deal.

 

[happily single]

Thank you soo much for your responses and suggestions. I love the idea of driving to nj and taking the train-the kids have been wanting to take a train for a while, but I also love the idea of parking in NYC. My ds10 has special needs and if the crowds are too much for him we can just hop right into our van (which is familiar to him).

I'll let you know how everything goes-I'm thinking of 12-12-09

 

[DisLaw]

Just wanted to ad that driving in and parking is really the easiet thing with much less hassle in my opinion. My kids love the train too, but to be honest usually even after gas and parking you are paying more to take the train, especially if you use that garage I suggested at $17 or $10 on the weekend. Plus you are rushing to catch the train at the end of the day when you can just jump in your car whenever you are ready to leave. My kids too love just being able to sit comfortably in their car, watch a movie, etc so even if I have to deal with traffic etc, its nice that the kids are relaxed and comfortable.

I have done both, but the car is usually the easiest. Plus if you have done any shopping you don't have to lug your packages all over town and on the train, just pop them in the trunk.

Have fun and I hope it works out!

 

[Lewisc]

A great an inexpensive place to park on the weekends is in the Hippodrome parking lot in midtown, a great location for walking around. On Satudays it is $17 all day and on Sundays $10 all day, which can't be beat. It is very safe, clean, indoors and we use it all the time.

http://www.parkfast.com/

The lot is on 44th st between 5th and 6th avenue which really places you right in the middle of the action.

Have fun!

+1 They even have clean restrooms.

 

[dfchelbay]

I would love to take the kids to NYC during a weekend this December. Sadly it will cost too much to take the train or bus (over $300 round trip). So we will be driving from RI. Does anyone have any suggestions on someplace safe and budget minded to park?

Also I'm open to all suggestions, but the kids are 12 (dd); 10 (ds) and 5 (ds) so most likely we will just be walking around, checking out Rockefeller Center, Toys R Us-DOES ANYONE KNOW THE COST FOR THE FERRIS WHEEL-, We might try Senedipity (spelling) if I can find an on-line menu-I've always wanted to try the frozen hot chocolate.

Thanks!

Many hotels have underground parking. Call hotels and ask if they allow non-guests to park if their structure isn't full. Otherwise, our condo is at 49th and Broadway, and there are many places to park around there. It's called the theater district. Check hotels and parking structures in that area. It's about $20 per day for the underground parking.

 

[MrsPete]

Do you need any minor mechanical work done on your car?

Make an appointment with a mechanic in NY. Drop your car off when you arrive in town, and make plans to pick it up two days later. You'd have had to pay for the work anyway, and you won't have to pay for parking. Be very clear about WHEN you'll be able to return to pick up your car.

I've never done this in NY, but I have left my car to have an oil change in another big city.

 

[czycropper]

I have to agree with DisLaw - it's just as easy to drive in and park than it is to take a train then a subway-we live in Central New Jersey. I always drive in (about an hour drive) and if we ever take the train we take it from Newark (which is a 45 min. drive); then wait for a train; then take the subway from PennStation to mid-town and it adds almost an hour to get to midtown. But, I always drive in after rush hour.

I drove to 55th & 7th Av. at the begining of Nov. on a Wed morning and it took an hour 10 minutes door to door. It only took me 55 minutes to get home on Thurs. at around 2 pm - so if it timed right no problem. I will say that we either walk or take the subway if we go anywhere other than midtown.

Have fun!

 

[flagdaytwins]

I have so much to say about this subject. Random:

I use to work for Metro-North and am a fan of taking the train in FROM NEW HAVEN. I don't recommend driving south of New Haven on I-95. It's a horror show.

For me, it's not about the parking fee in NYC - it's the looooong drive from the city back to RI/MA. It's so nice to plop yourself on the train and close your eyes.

When we drive, we take the parkways down and pick up the Henry Hudson Parkway. It's a beautiful ride, better scenery than the train.

The Museum of Natural history has a nice garage.

 

[MaryKLady]

Budget Parking in NYC? I'm sorry, I'll regain my composure now.

There is nothing budget about NYC...but it sure is fun! I agree with the other posters. You're better off parking outside of NYC and taking mass transit in. Especially because you don't want to be driving in the city around the holidays...it's crazy on a normal day!

Good luck and have a great time

 

[flagdaytwins]

Meant to add.....please don't take the train from New Jersey. You would be going out of your way.

Drive 2 hrs or less to New Haven (no traffic), then the train for 1.5 hours (no traffic).

If you are doing Toys R Us and THAT AREA then taking the train isn't a bad thing, it's a few block walk from Times Square (and you can catch the express subway to GCT from T Square).

What driving route would you consider?

 

[snookiedoodles]

I just drove in last night to see a play...$40 for four hours...I wish I knew about the hippodrome!!!

Also, if you own a bank of america card or have an account there, on certain weekends, usually the first weekend of the month, they have museums on us..

They are free!!

The Intrepid and Musuem of Natural History are usually on the list!

 

[micheleq]

Budget parking in NYC is usually an oxymoron! There are some websites that you can search and see what the cheapest parking is (the parking garage chains list all their locations), but also remember that there are surcharges for vans and SUVs in many garages now ($15 extra).

Either park at your hotel in the City or take Metro North from anywhere in the CT suburbs (I don't know how secure the lots are in New Haven, I wouldn't leave my car in Bridgeport fro a weekend). Westport is a good option, Fairfield has free parking on the weekends as well, or go down to Darien/Noroton Heights, lots of parking down there (Noroton Heights is right off the highway too, very easy). No need to drive from RI to NJ to then take the train back north to NYC. The NJ Path train is essentially the same as Metro North. And Metro North goes into Grand Central Terminal, another site to see!

almost forgot the Metro North website for fares and schedules www.mta.info/mnr/

 

[hipchickie]

A great an inexpensive place to park on the weekends is in the Hippodrome parking lot in midtown, a great location for walking around. On Satudays it is $17 all day and on Sundays $10 all day, which can't be beat. It is very safe, clean, indoors and we use it all the time.

http://www.parkfast.com/

The lot is on 44th st between 5th and 6th avenue which really places you right in the middle of the action.

Have fun!

awesome tip - thanks!

 

[diznee princess]

I would love to take the kids to NYC during a weekend this December. Sadly it will cost too much to take the train or bus (over $300 round trip). So we will be driving from RI. Does anyone have any suggestions on someplace safe and budget minded to park?

Also I'm open to all suggestions, but the kids are 12 (dd); 10 (ds) and 5 (ds) so most likely we will just be walking around, checking out Rockefeller Center, Toys R Us-DOES ANYONE KNOW THE COST FOR THE FERRIS WHEEL-, We might try Senedipity (spelling) if I can find an on-line menu-I've always wanted to try the frozen hot chocolate.

Thanks!

Hippodrome is great look online for a coupon, but you can also go to Central parking website and also Icon parking websites. Google them.

They have coupons you can print out and you can choose which garage you want. Most coupons are 10-15 dollars up to 10 hours and some up to 12 or even 15 hrs on the weekends. Read the fine print on hrs. You can also print out driving directions and maps.

Make sure you read the address right, when you arrive sometimes there are two garages on the same street that look the same.
The addresses are posted on the inside wall just as you approach the garage entrance. You sometimes can't see it till you get right up to it.
You can also double park, hop out real quick and show the coupon to the attendant to be sure its the right place.

We do this right before we go into the city every time and Icon is really good about getting back past the 10 hr mark too. I have never been charged more. They are really good about it.
We have a Suzuki XL7 suv and we do not get charged an suv surcharge ever.

I'm not sure which one, but one of those companies have online reservations for free. Which means if you reserve a space in the garage of choice, even if its full you are guarenteed a space & with coupon too. Just print and bring res with you.

If you are going to Theatre district pick this area when looking for garages, if museums pick more uptown ones, and seaport/soho area, downtown.

BTW, the last time we were there in Feb, the ferris wheel in TRU was 5.00 per person. That is in midtown theater district. The Disney store on 42nd street is near there too. Madame Tussauds on
42nd is a fave of our kids. Ice skating in Central Park or Rockafeller Square is another.

 

[diznee princess]

[QUOTE=snookiedoodles;34397146]I just drove in last night to see a play...$40 for four hours...I wish I knew about the hippodrome!!!QUOTE]

WOW 40 dollars parking!
if you go to Central parking garages or Icon online, they have a discount coupon you can use with play tickets. Just give up a stub and the coupon and parking is around 10 dollars after 6 pm enter or anytime weekends.

Also you can look on Playbill.com for current play coupons or codes and parking deals being offered.
Seasons of savings may also be going on right now and they offer parking deals with play tickets/stubs as well. (seasonsofsavings.com)

I believe too, every first or second Tuesday of the month you can get kids night on broadway deals. KNOB offers 1 child up to 18 yrs free with every adult ticket purchased. They arrive as 1/2 price tickets. They also offer free childrens meals with adult purchase at participating nearby restaurants and discounted parking of 10.00 for the evening.
Used to be once a year around Feb. but I think they made it a regular event every month now.