Parking info/deals

[Eric T.]

It seems with all the tolls and ridiculous parking prices, the gorverning body of Manhattan is trying to doing everything in its collective power to thwart the traffic problems facing the city...

So my question is... Does anyone have any ideas or tips for someone driving to the city for a visit? Staying at the Hitlon Times Square 6/15-6/17 and catching a show on broadway 6/16 @8pm. Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.

p.s. driving from Virginia

[dahammer]

parking prices are governed by the law of supply and demand, not Mayor Bloomberg :)

The parking rate at the Hilton is probably close to $50 per day. You're coming in through New Jersey, you could use NJ Transit Park and Ride and take a bus into the Port Authority bus terminal or a train into Penn Station for a whole lot less than your parking fee. A few years ago, I parked at the Princeton Junction train station for $3 per day and the off peak train fare was around $10 round trip, I skipped the taxi line and walked to my hotel.

[Eric T.]

How exactly does the Park & Ride System work (i.e. where in NJ should I go to park)?

[thereuare]

Park and Ride is just a term for parking your car and then taking mass transit (usually train or bus) into NYC.

If you go here: Train Schedule you can select a departure station from the dropdown menu and then click station info. From there click parking which will give you the parking options at that station. If you're not familiar with the stations you can also click the MAP on the right to see the possible locatiosn along your route. (most likely the NorthEast Corridor or the Jersey Coast Line)

For example. Metropark is one of the largest Park and Rides in the area. If you select it from the dropdown menu you can then click "Station Information" and then Parking. Clicking the #1 link shows you that at that lot there is monthly parking only... but click the #2 lot and you'll see that parking is available for $5/day. You can then go back to the original page to see the train schedule and fare for the dates/times you want to travel.

There are also park n rides for busses, but train is quicker and after traveling from VA i think it would be much more enjoyable to get on a train than a bus.