# Park and commute options for NYC in July **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** vacation-travel\ **Created:** [May 17, 2023, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157 "2023-05-17T09:51:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/1 "2023-05-17T09:51:38Z")
G’day! As foreshadowed and to a not insubstantial part planned on the thread below, I will be in NYC in early July for a few of days, staying LES. Now I am getting around the States in a hire car but am a bit squeamish about driving in that far to the city given no familiarity and as a Aussie being used to driving on the wrong side of the road. I’m sure we could all do without an RTA. So can anybody suggest/recommend an option(s) where I could securely park outside the city, even well outside the city, for a couple of days (Thu-Mon), catch a train, bus or ferry into my lodgings. Wander about picking up some of the sights and sounds of Manhattan for the duration then commute back out, pick up the vehicle and continue the trip? Kind regards PT > [@Squaring the US - a grand tour idea](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squaring-the-us-a-grand-tour-idea/821625/96): > > Well, for those folks who’ve had a passing interest in this long thunk about project … IT’s ON! When informed of the duration I’d be away the boss went a deathly shade of pale but he has acquiesced. The flights are booked and the car is booked. I guess there is a remote possibility that the US State department might deny my visa in taking a dim view of my social media profile, there being any number of dodgy characters on the SDMB. Fly into LAX mid June, fly out of LAX mid August, in between… ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/2 "2023-05-17T10:24:31Z")
You could look at garages in Weehawken NJ or Jersey City NJ near the PATH train or NY Waterway ferry terminals. A better option is not rent a car for the days you are in the city. Renting a car in NYC is expensive and parking is expensive. Other than that, I would just look at a railroad map (NJ Transit for New Jersey, LIRR for Long Island, or Metro North for NY and Connecticut) and find out the overnight parking situation at the various stations. Keep in mind any parking within commuting distance from Manhattan tends to be used by commuters. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/3 "2023-05-17T10:30:36Z")
You used to be able to park at While Planes North multiple days which is something like a 30 minute train ride in, IDK if that’s still the case. You do have to pay parking but overall it’s not all that much. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/4 "2023-05-17T10:33:06Z")
Cheaper than this > [@msmith537](#): > > look at a railroad map (NJ Transit for New Jersey, LIRR for Long Island, or Metro North for NY and Connecticut) and find out the overnight parking situation but a little more trouble is to drive to some parts of Queens or Brooklyn that are within easy walking distance of an elevated subway line but which don’t have any restrictions on parking in one spot for a few days. I could suggest some specific spots if you’re interested. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/5 "2023-05-17T10:50:32Z")
I don’t know what LES and RTA mean. We stayed at a hotel in New Jersey that offered bus rides to and from NYC. I went smoothly, was very comfortable, and that is the way I would go again. You are better off without a vehicle in Manhattan. mmm ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/6 "2023-05-17T10:58:10Z")
If I was doing this, I would be looking for a hotel with parking. When we go to London, sometimes for two or three days, this is what we do. The hotel parking charge is extortionate, but to my mind, worthwhile for the peace of mind, knowing that the car is safely in their sub-basement, rather than in a vulnerable public car park. > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I don’t know what LES and RTA mean. LES = Lower East Side? RTA = Road Traffic Accident. (They are RTCs over here = Collision) ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/7 "2023-05-17T11:19:33Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > A better option is not rent a car for the days you are in the city. Renting a car in NYC is expensive and parking is expensive. Noted, but I will have hired the car at LAX and driven across the continent so I’ll probably be in some autoerotic love/hate relationship with the vehicle by then. And I need to get it back to LAX. The other options are good. I’m thinking a ferry might be a very interesting option to make my way in. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/8 "2023-05-17T11:20:52Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > You used to be able to park at While Planes North multiple days Thank you. Will check. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/9 "2023-05-17T11:30:58Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > I could suggest some specific spots Intriguing, had a flashback to scenes from “The French Connection”. But it’s the getting to lower east side (LES) without causing a road traffic accident (RTA) and the getting out which disquietens me. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/10 "2023-05-17T11:51:07Z")
The car chase scene was filmed 5 blocks from where i grew up. Another thought is to enter the city from NJ to Staten Island and leave your car in a lot near the ferry dock and take the free ferry into Manhattan. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/11 "2023-05-17T11:56:21Z")
You could look into airport parking. There are several major airports around the city. If you do that, I would recommend parking on the New Jersey side to avoid the tolls on many of the bridges leading to NYC. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/12 "2023-05-17T12:18:18Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > Another thought is to enter the city from NJ to Staten Island and leave your car in a lot near the ferry dock and take the free ferry into Manhattan. Now that has real possibilities. Thank you. There are numerous options of parking lots in vicinity of the terminals but the only one found (so far) which I can contact via email is NYC DOT whose offer of “acknowledgement of your correspondence within 14 calendar days” indicates they have plenty on their plate. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/13 "2023-05-17T12:43:55Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > You could look into airport parking. This is what I would suggest – Newark Airport, but one of the parking places near the airport, not part of the airport. They will shuttle you to the airport and then take NJ Transit to Manhattan. As someone born in Manhattan and grew up in Brooklyn and Queens, I’ve never heard anyone refer to the Lower East Side as LES. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/14 "2023-05-17T12:58:40Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > LES = Lower East Side? > RTA = Road Traffic Accident. (They are RTCs over here = Collision) I lived in Brooklyn and worked in Manhattan for a few years. I’ve never heard anyone say LES before. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/15 "2023-05-17T12:59:11Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > I’ve never heard anyone refer to the Lower East Side as LES. [shrug]That’s what the hotel calls itself.[/shrug] ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/16 "2023-05-17T13:28:54Z")
I’ve had success with using Metropark. It is a large parking complex right off the NJ Turnpike with a train stop into NYC. The trains are pretty regular into Penn Station. The biggest downside to this would probably be getting from Penn Station to the Lower East Side, though subways could do the trick. There are other commuter rail stations further out in New Jersey to go into Penn Station, but I’m not sure how the parking is. New Brunswick has a parking garage across the street from the train station that I know of, and it is about an hour train ride into NYC. > **[NJ TRANSIT](https://www.njtransit.com/dv-to/Metropark%20Station)** > > NJ TRANSIT operates New Jersey's public transportation system. Its mission is to provide safe, reliable, convenient and cost-effective mass transit service. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/17 "2023-05-17T13:33:35Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > > [@msmith537](#): > > > > A better option is not rent a car for the days you are in the city. Renting a car in NYC is expensive and parking is expensive. > > Noted, but I will have hired the car at LAX and driven across the continent so I’ll probably be in some autoerotic love/hate relationship with the vehicle by then. And I need to get it back to LAX. > > The other options are good. > I’m thinking a ferry might be a very interesting option to make my way in. Wow - that’s quite a haul. What routes are you taking? ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/18 "2023-05-17T13:52:04Z")
> [@mcgato](#): > > I’ve had success with using Metropark. It is a large parking complex right off the NJ Turnpike with a train stop into NYC. Thank you. Will investigate. > [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > What routes are you taking? Link in OP to post has current route ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/19 "2023-05-17T14:12:40Z")
Yeah - but that would have required me to pay attention. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157/20 "2023-05-17T14:12:46Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > You could look at garages in Weehawken NJ or Jersey City NJ near the PATH train or NY Waterway ferry terminals. When going to Lower Manhattan, I frequently park at the Westin Hotel / Newport Centre parking lot & take the PATH in from Newport, about a one block walk > [@slicedalone](#): > > Another thought is to enter the city from NJ to Staten Island and leave your car in a lot near the ferry dock and take the free ferry into Manhattan. There is a $17 toll just to get over one of the bridges into the city & the bridges are all cashless - EZPass or pay by plate only. By the time you add in the rental car comany’s processing fee that may well be $30 just for the privlige of getting to Staten Island to be able to pay for parking along with the extra traffic & driving. > [@RitterSport](#): > > > [@filmore](#): > > > > You could look into airport parking. > > This is what I would suggest – Newark Airport, but one of the parking places near the airport, not part of the airport. They will shuttle you to the airport and then take NJ Transit to Manhattan. Long-term parking at Newark can be only $21/day. But be warned; the Port Authority is a bunch of bastards!!! Parking rates at their three airports (EWR, JFK, & LGA) are almost 50% higher if you don’t preregister w/ them at least 24 hrs in advance. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/park-and-commute-options-for-nyc-in-july/984157.md?page=2)