New Yorkers, help please!!

I have never been to the city so I know nothing about it! 4 of us are taking the Gem out of Manhattan 03/29/17. We have tentative plans to drive south from Maine the day before. Explore the 9/11 memorial, central park, etc the afternoon and evening, stay at a hotel close by, drive to the terminal in the morning and park at the terminal for the duration. Here are my questions:

How should we get around the city the night before? Drive ourselves around or park at the hotel and get a taxi, what? What Hotel should we stay at? Should it be outside the city? We really need any help you can provide.

First of all, do not drive in Manhattan between tourists spots. It's a bad idea. Traffic is a mess and you'll be driving at rush hour. Parking is difficult. Lots are available, but you won't find easy in and out type lots. You should drive into the city, park the car at the hotel, and then take public transportation to the tourists sites that you are interested in.

About hotels, you are coming midweek in March. That means that you'll be looking in the $250 and up range for hotels in the city. Parking could be $50 or more for a single night. If you can afford that, find a hotel in the Times Square/Theater District. I suggest this area because tourists like Times Square. You can walk to the empire state building, Rockefeller center, times square and central park all from that central area. If you can't afford those prices, then you have options. Long Island City in Queens is less expensive and is easily accessible on the subway. It is a nice enough area, but in general Queens is not really the most pleasant spot for tourists. You can also stay in Westchester County around White Plains which feels more like Maine. There are reasonable hotels that you can find for about $150 per night, but then you have to ride Metro North. Metro North will cost up to $26 round trip per person, so think about whether you are saving money or not.

For transport within the city on your one day, you have three options. Taxi, Uber or Subway. Different people have their preferences. I personally hate New York taxis. They are dirty and drive like mad. Uber can be better, but it isn't as easy finding the car if you don't know exactly where you are (be warned that when you are using your phone's GPS it may be a block or more in the wrong direction since it can't get clear signals in midtown due to the skyscrapers). I personally like the Subway. It is predictable and if you learn how to read the map, easy to use. The subway map is confusing with the multiple train lines on the same path, downtown vs uptown, local vs express. If in doubt, ask for help. While they don't always seem the friendliest, if you have a subway map, most New Yorkers will help you (to identify a New Yorker, look for someone with a briefcase who walks quickly while not looking at anyone in the face and avoid anyone wearing logo tshirts or carrying cameras or shopping bags). Subway rides are $2.50 each person. It's easy to get north south. It's hard to get east to west on Manhattan. The subway entrance at Times Square is at 42nd street and hard to spot.

Midday traffic isn't that bad to get to the cruise terminal. There isn't very good public transit, so driving is ok. There is parking at the pier. Be careful driving in the city. People jay walk, so you'll have to honk at people in intersections even when you have the green light. Also bicycles come up from all directions at high speed. Taxis, black limos and various trucks will hit you if you get in their way and do unpredictable things. In general I suggest for someone who has not driven in the city much, do as little driving as you can. New York has the best public transportation in the country, taxis/uber aren't expensive and the subway goes most places.

You have no idea how much this helps! Seriously!! We will drive to the hotel, park and not use the car again until morning! If we stay near Time square, we can get to the park by foot and only have to take the public transportation to Ground zero!! Now to find a hotel........:/

Ditto to what Roseflyer said.

Let's get practical. Hotel budget? 4 people - 1 or two rooms? Type of beds? On top of the hotel are you willing to pay $50+ to park near the hotel and then $400 to park at the pier?

Where are you coming from in Maine? Do you have Ezpass? Do you have good driving directions?

Hotels are easy. Pick a three star or better hotel and they are all similar. You'll find outdated lobbies, and some hotels with conference facilities or not. Rooms tend to be similar. My personal recommendation is the Residence Inn Times Square/Central Park. The lower half of the hotel is a Courtyard and the upper Residence Inn. The hotel is new and rooms have fantastic views. If not, just find your favorite brand or look for price. If you are within 5 blocks of Times Square, you are in a good spot. Expect smaller rooms in Manhattan than you are used to, so trying to squeeze four people in a single room is not fun.

Ditto to what Roseflyer said.

 

Let's get practical. Hotel budget? 4 people - 1 or two rooms? Type of beds? On top of the hotel are you willing to pay $50+ to park near the hotel and then $400 to park at the pier?

 

Where are you coming from in Maine? Do you have Ezpass? Do you have good driving directions?

Carol, I was hoping for 1 room. Its just for 1 night. 2 queen beds would work. I forgot about hotel parking but yes, we would have to. We are coming from Central Maine. (The waterville area) I believe I have your "stickered" driving directions and plan to follow them to a T! No ez pass.

Hotels are easy. Pick a three star or better hotel and they are all similar. You'll find outdated lobbies, and some hotels with conference facilities or not. Rooms tend to be similar. My personal recommendation is the Residence Inn Times Square/Central Park. The lower half of the hotel is a Courtyard and the upper Residence Inn. The hotel is new and rooms have fantastic views. If not, just find your favorite brand or look for price. If you are within 5 blocks of Times Square, you are in a good spot. Expect smaller rooms in Manhattan than you are used to, so trying to squeeze four people in a single room is not fun.

thanks for the recommendation. I will look into it.

Parking will cost, do some research on that, as said many hotels are very small, we always stay at Michelangelo which has huge rooms but is not cheap ( smallest room is over 400 sq ft

great location 51st and 7th, Also agree on do not drive after parking use either taxi or Uber or subway, we really like using Uber in NYC should get a app for your phone, get tickets ahead of time for WTC museum and take the tour, if it is a clear day get ticket5s to go to top ( approx. 30 a person) You can walk to times square, centeral park and Rockerfeller center from hotel

Just a timeline check since we do drive up to Maine & Boston on a semi-regular basis, this is a 7+ hour drive for all practical basis, with fuel & restroom stops + eating en route to save time. Unless you leave at 5 or 6 AM to try to work around the rush hour traffic coming southbound on the Turnpikes - by the time you get into the midtown Manhattan & Time Square hotel, park & check into the hotel & then go to the 9/11 Memorial - it's going to be 2 PM or later, assuming there's no major traffic tieups coming toward NYC (and taking the parkway, crossing Westchester & onto the Henry Hudson Parkway, down the West Side Hwy is the best route/way to avoid the commercial & bus traffic on I-95 ... just be mindful that on the Merrit Parkway, they do sometimes have midday constructions & shut down 1 of 2 lanes between the AM rush & PM rush; so coming across on I-84 & down the Hutchinson River Parkway is sometimes the better way to drive in ... as I do this sometimes on a weekday to/from CT. Too early to figure out the optimal route - Google Map/Nav, the night before leaving & Waze can be a lifesaver with integrated traffic & road updates, once you plotted the POI and waypoints, etc. (get your passengers to act as navigator/co-driver to look ahead in real-time)

Please think thru your sightseeing plans realistically if you are going downtown (south) to see the 9/11 Memorial, as that's another 30 to 45 minutes of travel time by subway (that's a 2 to 3 hour tour for most, without rushing) #Since, Central park - as large as Golden Gate Park in SFO - is another 30 to 45 minutes by subway going back uptown (north) and your timing is pretty tight.

While looking at hotels in the area to stay, you might want to call the front desk on the local number (not 1-800) and ask about any special parking discount or arrangement ... that $50 overnight rate might be on the low side in the area, before the 18% taxes/surcharge - and they typically charge extra $10 or more for a SUV, mini-van or "over-sized" vehicle as they defined it; and, whether it's for any given 24 hour perior, or whether it's day 2 after 7 or 8 AM, etc. as indoor/underground parking below some of these hotels aren't cheap. Edison Parking and Central Parking Systems, among others - often managed these parking facilities and once you have a short list of hotel choices - lookup online any special parking offers nearby, you might save a little money by parking 2 or 3 or even 4 city blocks from the hotel - downside, need to walk back to the hotel & cutting into your tight sightseeing time in NYC. Parking lots closer to 9th or 10th Avenue, almost by the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, tend to have "better" rates if book ahead online using the coupon, just make sure to read the disclosure & fine prints, i.e. code words like "Special Event exclusions" as it's near the annual NY Auto Show at the JJ Convention Center.

Happy planning for your cruise ;)

As pointed out your timeline is a concern. Where exactly are you coming from in Maine?

Reasonably priced hotels in NYC with 2 queen beds are an issue. Look at Hampton Inn North at 851 8th Ave and La Quinta on 32nd St for your dates. La Quinta is less expensive, but Hampton Inn should be easy to get to from the Henry Hudson/West Side highway. If you get some parking advice, it might be possible to park your car once in a single location somewhere between the Hampton Inn and the Cruiseport for less than the $450+ you are looking at to park at the hotel and the port. Both hotels are located near subways that will take you directly to the World Trade Center area. You can easily walk from the Hampton Inn to both Central Park and Times Square.

... I forgot about hotel parking but yes, we would have to. We are coming from Central Maine. (The waterville area) ... No ez pass.

Google Map is showing 6.5+ hours (that's without stopping ... in one of my sibling's Hybrid, sure thing. LOL)

As pointed out your timeline is a concern. Where exactly are you coming from in Maine? Reasonably priced hotels in NYC with 2 queen beds are an issue ...

See above, that's north of Freeport - you are in the greater BOS area & know inside out, would they skip most of the commuter traffic on the outer Beltway & just go westward onto the Mass Tpke to come across in the morning.

Daily surcharges from all the parking operators in Manhattan are now $15 for SUV, minivan & oversized, yikes - plus 18% taxes. Did a quick price lookup, base parking with taxes will run about $320 for 8 nights worth - not seeing anything better within easy walking distance in the mid/high 40's. La Quinta area might have cheaper parking & I will look later.

With coupon, they can park for 24 hours for about $50 with taxes unless it's SUV, etc. Might be better off doing rooftop parking - if it's the GEM, it's currently discounted to $30 daily or $210 for the week with taxes/fees & no surcharge for SUV/minivan. Leaving the vehicle in a hotel-affiliated lot might yield them a special rate, but subject it to dings & dents & bumpering, etc.

Google Map is showing 6.5+ hours (that's without stopping ... in one of my sibling's Hybrid, sure thing. LOL)

 

 

See above, that's north of Freeport - you are in the greater BOS area & know inside out, would they skip most of the commuter traffic on the outer Beltway & just go westward onto the Mass Tpke to come across in the morning.

 

Daily surcharges from all the parking operators in Manhattan are now $15 for SUV, minivan & oversized, yikes - plus 18% taxes. Did a quick price lookup, base parking with taxes will run about $320 for 8 nights worth - not seeing anything better within easy walking distance in the mid/high 40's. La Quinta area might have cheaper parking & I will look later.

 

With coupon, they can park for 24 hours for about $50 with taxes unless it's SUV, etc. Might be better off doing rooftop parking - if it's the GEM, it's currently discounted to $30 daily or $210 for the week with taxes/fees & no surcharge for SUV/minivan. Leaving the vehicle in a hotel-affiliated lot might yield them a special rate, but subject it to dings & dents & bumpering, etc.

I missed the Waterville reference. That's at least 2.5 hours from me and I'm 4 hours from NY. They are on a 10 day Gem cruise, so they need 11 days parking. If Gem parking is still discounted, that's a good deal.

The major congestion on I495 around Boston would most likely be in the Lawrence/Haverhill area. However jams can happen anywhere. Didn't the OP say they don't have an EZpass? That will delay them a bit paying I95 tolls in ME and NH and the Mass Pike toll in MA. They will also have to watch for the bill from the Henry Hudson toll, because if they don't pay it, they will have car registration issues later on and perhaps additional surcharges. Don't really know how that works, but there are stories out there.

No pit stop with 4 people is fast. I'm guessing at least 7.5 - 8 hours to make the trip. Leaving at 6 am, the ETA in New York would be 2 pm. You definitely want to arrive before 3 when the traffic starts for the afternoon commute.

I'd be planning to do the 911 Memorial between 5 and 7 and Times Square later in the evening. Central Park could be seen the next morning.

Would flying be an option? It seems it would be less of a hassle. Get an early Flight into LaGuardia, get a car service to take you to the hotel, and you should be settled in by noon. Your sightseeing options seem aggressive. I would pick out the top three and look into those, it take s time to get to each place and you don't want to rush when you are there. Then the next morning have the hotel get you a car service to the port. Even with the flight, car service twice, it would seem to me that it should be less $$ AND less stressful.

Would flying be an option? It seems it would be less of a hassle. Get an early Flight into LaGuardia, get a car service to take you to the hotel, and you should be settled in by noon. Your sightseeing options seem aggressive. I would pick out the top three and look into those, it take s time to get to each place and you don't want to rush when you are there. Then the next morning have the hotel get you a car service to the port. Even with the flight, car service twice, it would seem to me that it should be less $$ AND less stressful.

Cost for four people ($136-180+/pp rt) plus airport transfers and airport parking from Portland ME to EWR, LGA or JFK for 5:45 am or midday departures. Really looks to be way too early or a bit late.

Cost for four people ($136-180+/pp rt) plus airport transfers and airport parking from Portland ME to EWR, LGA or JFK for 5:45 am or midday departures. Really looks to be way too early or a bit late.

Well, our fight is at 5:30 am, once at the hotel, I can still lie down and take a nap with no worries about parking, traffic jams, and just hop a cab to our destination.

Would you be paying for airfare for all 4? To me it still would be cheaper than parking your car at the terminal for the duration of your cruise. Plus any other travel expenses----tolls, gas etc. Plus any traffic problems. Driving into Manhattan, especially by the Times Square area is a nightmare. It could take you at least a half an hour just to circle the block at times.

OP - We too are from Maine and leaving later this month from Manhattan Cruise Terminal and had the same questions/concerns. Take a look at Concord Coach Lines - they run twice daily from Portland to NYC (6:30am and 12:00pm; return trip 8:30am and 2:00pm) for $69pp each way and parking in Portland is $4/day. We have Carmel scheduled to pick us up when we arrive and take us to our hotel, etc (approx $15 each way). Hope this can help!

OP - We too are from Maine and leaving later this month from Manhattan Cruise Terminal and had the same questions/concerns. Take a look at Concord Coach Lines - they run twice daily from Portland to NYC (6:30am and 12:00pm; return trip 8:30am and 2:00pm) for $69pp each way and parking in Portland is $4/day. We have Carmel scheduled to pick us up when we arrive and take us to our hotel, etc (approx $15 each way). Hope this can help!

I second this plan!

Haven't heard from OP, I priced for better parking rates in the midtown West area, no dice - lowest rate for 24 hours of parking is $30 or higher, taxes included on some with coupon specials - prepaid in advance only. Surcharge for minivan/SUV is $10 to as high as $20 a day, ouch !! If MCT continued to offer the parking special next year (by NYCruise) - the discount will bring the maximum $400 pier rooftop parking to $300 for the duration of their cruise - plus 1 extra day of parking at/near their hotel of choice. Midtown West/Macy's area not any cheaper for parking.

The deluxe motorcoach RT services is a good option and the driver(s) will arrive relaxed & ready to sightsee.

Otherwise, driving down still seemed like reasonable over the cost of 4 RT plane tickets plus other charges - and these are small, regional commuter jets prone to delays & cancellations. I would pick JetBlue to JFK vs. Delta to LGA because of that airport's ongoing isssues with construction (next Spring, should be better - "should") or else, United to EWR ~ $185 and up, comparing fares on K---K site.

Cash tolls in this area's highways for those driving without EZ-Pass are just awful, easily 15+ minutes delayed at each manned toll plaza for a stub and for payment. We just zipped thru on those high speed EZ-P lanes without really slowing down & get our discounts, where given. When I drive in a rental car, I just put my regular EZP onto the windshield of the rental (with a holder) & then go.

Tips/suggestion to OP, borrow a friend's EZ-P or get your own soon, plenty of time to do this before your cruise - it will easily save you up to an hour's worth of travel each-way ... or more.

I agree strongly on getting or borrowing an EZ-Pass if driving.

Wanted to add that the 9/11 Memorial takes only an hour if you don't want to visit the museum. The museum adds 1-2 hours.

If you visit Central Park and want to get the character of the park, visit during the day or early evening. Walk in from 59th at 6th or 7th Avenues. Make your way toward the Mall and the Bethesda Terrace. This is where performers and vendors set up. Visit the nearby statues if that interests you. There are some lovely guides to Central Park online or reply here if you'd like mine and I can post it on a google docs share.

I agree strongly on getting or borrowing an EZ-Pass if driving.

 

Wanted to add that the 9/11 Memorial takes only an hour if you don't want to visit the museum. The museum adds 1-2 hours.

 

If you visit Central Park and want to get the character of the park, visit during the day or early evening. Walk in from 59th at 6th or 7th Avenues. Make your way toward the Mall and the Bethesda Terrace. This is where performers and vendors set up. Visit the nearby statues if that interests you. There are some lovely guides to Central Park online or reply here if you'd like mine and I can post it on a google docs share.

I would love your guide to Central Park!

Please consider bus or Amtrak. If you have never driven in NYC - it is not for the faint or heart OR the inexperienced.

Hi, there--I am from NH and would highly suggest you consider taking a bus into NYC. I take the C and J line from Portsmouth all the time--direct service, 5 hours, $80 one way, clean bus, excellent driver, and you can park free at the bus terminal in Portsmouth. Bus goes to Port Authority and you can take a taxi from the taxi stand out on the street to the terminal (10 minutes from there). Or, look at Concord Coach bus from Portland--same kind of service, but I think you have to pay to park in Portland. Much easier and leave the driving to someone else. I used to live in NYC and would drive home (7 hours), so now when I go back to the city to visit, I just take the bus. For car service in the city--if you want to hire private car service--use either Carmel or Dial 7. Check out their websites. I used them when I lived in the city. Yellow taxis in NYC would be fine, really, if all you need is to get to the terminal. I use them all the time when I go back to the city. Have fun and good luck!

Hi, there--I am from NH and would highly suggest you consider taking a bus into NYC. I take the C and J line from Portsmouth all the time--direct service, 5 hours, $80 one way, clean bus, excellent driver, and you can park free at the bus terminal in Portsmouth. Bus goes to Port Authority and you can take a taxi from the taxi stand out on the street to the terminal (10 minutes from there). Or, look at Concord Coach bus from Portland--same kind of service, but I think you have to pay to park in Portland. Much easier and leave the driving to someone else. I used to live in NYC and would drive home (7 hours), so now when I go back to the city to visit, I just take the bus. For car service in the city--if you want to hire private car service--use either Carmel or Dial 7. Check out their websites. I used them when I lived in the city. Yellow taxis in NYC would be fine, really, if all you need is to get to the terminal. I use them all the time when I go back to the city. Have fun and good luck!

Hmm, now you have me second guessing.

I've been to NYC many times and other than 2 times when I arrived by train, I've always flown. Despite visiting many times, there is no way in the world I would ever want to drive there, even if just to a hotel to park, and then leaving the next day. (Boston is a cakewalk, compared to Manhattan.) Manhattan traffic and drivers can be brutal, and as someone said, it's not for the faint of heart! Given the cost of parking at the pier for a week, parking overnight at a hotel, plus gas and tolls, I would absolutely do whatever was necessary to take the crack-of-dawn flight and use a car service to get to/from the airport and to/from the port. In total you might end up spending a little more, but not that much, and it will be SO much easier and less stressful. Just my .02. :)

If you're driving in and out on the weekend, traffic on the roads you'll be on is pretty light, except right at the pier where you may have to wait a few light cycles.

Midtown traffic and midweek traffic are dreadful, but getting to the pier in NYC from the north is simple and easy. We do that drive on the weekends a half dozen times/year.