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Visiting New York City

Started by brianreynolds, December 31, 2016, 01:14:11 PM

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brianreynolds

I have visited Manhattan a few times, always brought my car with me into the city.  My vehicle seems to be an asset everywhere else, but a liability there.  I am planning a visit in mid-late January, and I want to do it differently this time.

Three goals:  Take in the "Exhibitionism" (Rolling Stones multi-media career retrospective) exhibit in Lower Manhattan, visit the MOMA, and travel to and through the two easternmost counties on Long Island.  I have already noted that MOMA and Industria are both near the "E" line.

This is the general plan thus far, subject to refinement:  I would like to book a motel room east of the city (probably for two nights) that balances three competing needs: moderate cost, no parking issues, close to public transportation into the city.

My first travel day would take me from Michigan to this yet-to-be-determined location on Long Island.  In the morning, I would head into the city, see the sights, then return in the evening.  The following morning, I would move on to the next stop, probably in Massachusetts.

What location (or locations) on Long Island would provide a good balance?




empirestate

Check for hotels around Flushing Meadows Park (Citi Field, etc.). There are familiar chain brands both in Flushing proper (east of the park) and in Corona (west side). Some of the Corona hotels are branded as "Laguardia Airport", but don't get one too close to the actual airport, or you won't be near good transit. For example, I see the Holiday Inn on 114th St. has some rates in January that aren't too far off the national average for that brand.

It might depend on what you consider a parking "issue". In Corona, you can find on-street parking quite nearby, and the hotels certainly have on-site options for a fee. But such a fee may well offset the higher fair of commuter rail should you opt for something farther out in Queens or Nassau.

ixnay

Quote from: empirestate on December 31, 2016, 10:19:57 PM
Check for hotels around Flushing Meadows Park (Citi Field, etc.). There are familiar chain brands both in Flushing proper (east of the park) and in Corona (west side). Some of the Corona hotels are branded as "Laguardia Airport", but don't get one too close to the actual airport, or you won't be near good transit. For example, I see the Holiday Inn on 114th St. has some rates in January that aren't too far off the national average for that brand.

It might depend on what you consider a parking "issue". In Corona, you can find on-street parking quite nearby, and the hotels certainly have on-site options for a fee. But such a fee may well offset the higher fair of commuter rail should you opt for something farther out in Queens or Nassau.

The Comfort Inn on Maurice Ave. (2 blocks off the LIE) in Maspeth has free on site parking (at least it did when I stayed there in 2008 and took the shuttle to Woodside to catch the 7 train to a Mets game [they were still in Big Shea at the time]), if you're looking for something closer to midtown than Corona/Flushing.

ixnay
The Washington/Baltimore/Arlington CSA has two Key Bridges, a Minnesota Avenue, and a Mannasota Avenue.

dgolub

Quote from: brianreynolds on December 31, 2016, 01:14:11 PM
My first travel day would take me from Michigan to this yet-to-be-determined location on Long Island.  In the morning, I would head into the city, see the sights, then return in the evening.  The following morning, I would move on to the next stop, probably in Massachusetts.

What location (or locations) on Long Island would provide a good balance?

Long Island proper doesn't have a ton of hotels.  (The locations that other people have mentioned are in Queens, which is an outer borough of the city.)  There is a Hampton Inn in Garden City that's good, but it's not within walking distance from the train station and finding station parking will probably be difficult.  Also, many Long Island towns require you to be a resident in order to park at the station, and I don't know if that's the case there.  I'm pretty sure that there are a couple of smaller hotels in Great Neck that are within walking distance of the station, so that might be worth looking into.

Duke87

#4
Something worth considering: if your aim is simply to clinch Nassau and Suffolk counties, and there's nothing in particular road related you're looking to see out there, you could find a hotel room in New Jersey or the mainland part of NY (Bronx, Westchester) and use the Long Island Railroad to clinch those two counties. Pick a line, ride it to the first station in Suffolk, catch the next train back.

This means an extra round-trip train ticket but it also saves you the round trip toll to get onto and off of Long Island ($16 unless you have a NY E-Zpass). Add in less gas and vehicle wear and it's cost competitive.

Also, a few useful tips with regards to the commuter rail trains:
- NJ transit has the same fares around the clock, so it doesn't matter when you ride
- Metro-North and LIRR have "peak" fares during rush hour in the peak direction. These are clearly labeled on the train schedules. Avoid these if you want to save some money. Note that this is M-F only so nevermind this if it's the weekend when you're here.
- that said, if it is the weekend, you can buy a "CityTicket" for Metro-North and LIRR trips that begin and end within NYC, which is cheaper than the regular off-peak fare.




Edit to add:

There are a couple ferries which will take you from Long Island to points on the southern shore of CT. You can drive through Long Island en route to Massachusetts without turning around if you use one of them. They're a bit pricey, though.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

empirestate

Quote from: dgolub on January 01, 2017, 08:53:07 AM
Quote from: brianreynolds on December 31, 2016, 01:14:11 PM
What location (or locations) on Long Island would provide a good balance?

Long Island proper doesn't have a ton of hotels.  (The locations that other people have mentioned are in Queens, which is an outer borough of the city.)

Yup, I was referring to locations in Queens, which is of course on Long Island, but not "in" Long Island, insofar as the term refers to the non-NYC counties. The OP being an out-of-town visitor, I granted him the broader definition as opposed to the one used by locals. (Interestingly, though, I granted him the locals' definition of "east of the city", which would mean "east of Manhattan". Queens, of course, is not east of the city–it is within the city.)

Quote from: Duke87 on January 01, 2017, 11:25:38 AM
- Metro-North and LIRR have "peak" fares during rush hour in the peak direction. These are clearly labeled on the train schedules. Avoid these if you want to save some money. Note that this is M-F only so nevermind this if it's the weekend when you're here.

Metro North also has it in the morning off-peak direction, but that will be irrelvant here. (It also pertains only to trains actually terminating or originating at Grand Central or Harlem.)

ixnay

#6
http://www.mta.info/ for subway, Metro-North, LIRR, and toll info for bridges and tunnels entirely within the five boroughs.

http://www.njtransit.com/hp/hp_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=HomePageTo for NJ Transit steel wheel and rubber tire transit info.

http://www.panynj.gov/commuting-traveling.html for toll and other info re the bridges and tunnels linking NYC to NJ, and info re PATH trains from Newark to 33rd St. or the WTC.

ixnay
The Washington/Baltimore/Arlington CSA has two Key Bridges, a Minnesota Avenue, and a Mannasota Avenue.

1995hoo

When my father's mother died, we stayed at the Floral Park Motor Lodge, a motel on Jericho Turnpike in Floral Park, just over the Nassau County line from Queens. It's a half-mile from there to the Floral Park LIRR stop and you could leave your car at the motel. It was fine when we stayed there, nothing special but it was clean and perfectly serviceable under the circumstances. I don't know how it is now, of course.

From looking at a map, it appears the closest subway stop is probably on the Archer Avenue extension, the E/J/Z trains. We didn't use the trains when we stayed there because the funeral home was in a different direction.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

brianreynolds

Quote from: Duke87 on January 01, 2017, 11:25:38 AM
There are a couple ferries which will take you from Long Island to points on the southern shore of CT. You can drive through Long Island en route to Massachusetts without turning around if you use one of them. They're a bit pricey, though.

Thanks.  I checked out the ferry to Connecticut from the far east end, and I am leaning in the direction.  Pricey, yes, but worth it for the experience and the new roads.  I've already traveled the corridor in Connecticut a few times, nothing new available.

Alps

Roads-wise, the most notable sights on Long Island are the Long Island Motor Parkway (http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/ny/limp will guide you to each segment and provide a preview) and various stubs - NY 135 at both ends, particularly south, and I-495's east end chief among them. Isolated button copy may or may not still exist and you probably shouldn't count on it.

cl94

I'd second getting something in Westchester if there isn't a ton you want to see on the Island. Cheaper and much easier to get into the City. Several Metro-North stations have ample metered parking (see here for a list of Metro-North lots), with North White Plains in Westchester or Poughkeepsie/Beacon in Dutchess being good spots to catch a train for a day in the City. NWP is 45 minutes out, Poughkeepsie 2 hours. LIRR parking, on the other hand, is only resident permits unless you're in the Hamptons (and then it's a 2-3+ hour ride each way). Grand Central is also a lot easier for a tourist to navigate than Penn Station.

Button copy on the Island is very limited. Westchester still has a TON.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

Duke87

Quote from: cl94 on January 02, 2017, 09:59:31 PM
LIRR parking, on the other hand, is only resident permits unless you're in the Hamptons (and then it's a 2-3+ hour ride each way).

Not true. There are plenty of stations closer to the city that have parking which does not require a resident permit. Stations that are fully resident permit only tend to be stations with small parking lots where there isn't enough room for all of the local regular commuters to get a space if other people start taking them. Also, there are instances where the resident permit requirement does not apply on weekends.

If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

brianreynolds

Quote from: empirestate on January 01, 2017, 01:02:51 PM
Yup, I was referring to locations in Queens, which is of course on Long Island, but not "in" Long Island, insofar as the term refers to the non-NYC counties. The OP being an out-of-town visitor, I granted him the broader definition as opposed to the one used by locals. (Interestingly, though, I granted him the locals' definition of "east of the city", which would mean "east of Manhattan". Queens, of course, is not east of the city–it is within the city.)
The presumption that the OP would misinterpret colloquial terms is a correct one.  Thank you.

cl94

Quote from: Duke87 on January 02, 2017, 11:41:28 PM
Quote from: cl94 on January 02, 2017, 09:59:31 PM
LIRR parking, on the other hand, is only resident permits unless you're in the Hamptons (and then it's a 2-3+ hour ride each way).

Not true. There are plenty of stations closer to the city that have parking which does not require a resident permit. Stations that are fully resident permit only tend to be stations with small parking lots where there isn't enough room for all of the local regular commuters to get a space if other people start taking them. Also, there are instances where the resident permit requirement does not apply on weekends.

My experience is in the towns of Hempstead and Huntington, both of which are 100% permit and have been for decades. Neither have particularly small lots. That big garage in Huntington? All permits.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

ixnay

#14
Here's parking at and near a station in Oyster Bay town...

http://web.mta.info/lirr/images/stationmaps/bethpage.pdf

and parking at the next station towards the city from Bethpage, also in Oyster Bay town...

http://web.mta.info/lirr/images/stationmaps/hicksville.pdf

ixnay
The Washington/Baltimore/Arlington CSA has two Key Bridges, a Minnesota Avenue, and a Mannasota Avenue.

dgolub

Quote from: cl94 on January 03, 2017, 12:32:45 AM
Quote from: Duke87 on January 02, 2017, 11:41:28 PM
Quote from: cl94 on January 02, 2017, 09:59:31 PM
LIRR parking, on the other hand, is only resident permits unless you're in the Hamptons (and then it's a 2-3+ hour ride each way).

Not true. There are plenty of stations closer to the city that have parking which does not require a resident permit. Stations that are fully resident permit only tend to be stations with small parking lots where there isn't enough room for all of the local regular commuters to get a space if other people start taking them. Also, there are instances where the resident permit requirement does not apply on weekends.

My experience is in the towns of Hempstead and Huntington, both of which are 100% permit and have been for decades. Neither have particularly small lots. That big garage in Huntington? All permits.

Ditto for the Town of North Hempstead for the most part, although Roslyn is an exception, or at least it was the last time I parked there, which was several years ago.

cl94

Quote from: dgolub on January 03, 2017, 08:54:53 AM
Quote from: cl94 on January 03, 2017, 12:32:45 AM
Quote from: Duke87 on January 02, 2017, 11:41:28 PM
Quote from: cl94 on January 02, 2017, 09:59:31 PM
LIRR parking, on the other hand, is only resident permits unless you're in the Hamptons (and then it's a 2-3+ hour ride each way).

Not true. There are plenty of stations closer to the city that have parking which does not require a resident permit. Stations that are fully resident permit only tend to be stations with small parking lots where there isn't enough room for all of the local regular commuters to get a space if other people start taking them. Also, there are instances where the resident permit requirement does not apply on weekends.

My experience is in the towns of Hempstead and Huntington, both of which are 100% permit and have been for decades. Neither have particularly small lots. That big garage in Huntington? All permits.

Ditto for the Town of North Hempstead for the most part, although Roslyn is an exception, or at least it was the last time I parked there, which was several years ago.

I should probably clarify- there is a small amount of non-permit parking at some stations, but it fills up fast. Unlike MNRR, which owns most of its large parking facilities, LIRR owns few spaces.

That being said, there are a couple of stations with daily fee or free parking. See this list. The only station with any significant amount is Ronkonkoma and it comes close to filling up every day.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

Duke87

#17
Quote from: cl94 on January 03, 2017, 12:06:00 PM
Unlike MNRR, which owns most of its large parking facilities, LIRR owns few spaces.

Tangential nitpick: in New York. Metro-North does not own any of the parking facilities, or any of the railway infrastructure at all for that matter, in Connecticut. Like in Long Island, the parking facilities are mostly owned by the municipality they are in. Unlike in Long Island, however, there are spaces which don't require a permit at every station (as far as I'm aware), and a sufficient supply of them to meet ordinary demand at most of said stations.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

cl94

Quote from: Duke87 on January 03, 2017, 11:08:04 PM
Quote from: cl94 on January 03, 2017, 12:06:00 PM
Unlike MNRR, which owns most of its large parking facilities, LIRR owns few spaces.

Tangential nitpick: in New York. Metro-North does not own any of the parking facilities, or any of the railway infrastructure at all for that matter, in Connecticut. Like in Long Island, the parking facilities are mostly owned by the municipality they are in. Unlike in Long Island, however, there are spaces which don't require a permit at every station (as far as I'm aware), and a sufficient supply of them to meet ordinary demand at most of said stations.

Internally, I consider the New Haven line to be its own animal, same with the NJ Transit lines in Orange and Rockland. A good amount of the NY stations have MNRR parking and yes, most if not all have metered parking regardless of ownership. A few of the busier stations can fill up if you don't get there early enough (Poughkeepsie, Beacon, Southeast and North White Plains in particular), but it's generally not that hard to find a spot. My dad (grew up in Levittown) tells stories about having to get to Wantagh insanely early to have a chance at a spot and, if not early enough, they'd have to go to Bellmore or Merrick and Wantagh isn't short on parking.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

brianreynolds

Quote from: ixnay on January 03, 2017, 07:51:49 AM
Here's parking at and near a station in Oyster Bay town...

http://web.mta.info/lirr/images/stationmaps/bethpage.pdf

and parking at the next station towards the city from Bethpage, also in Oyster Bay town...

http://web.mta.info/lirr/images/stationmaps/hicksville.pdf

ixnay

This is good and useful information.  Thank you.

brianreynolds

My thanks to all who have responded. 

In previous visits to the area, I have stayed on the Jersey side twice.  Both were good visits, but I am looking for new scenery, thus will pass on the Jersey option.

I hadn't really considered Westchester before, so I looked pretty carefully at that possibility.  I didn't find much in cost savings there, but it looks like a nice place to visit.

At this point, I am leaning toward staying somewhere in Nassau County, mostly because I have not been there before. 

New roads and new towns are never boring the first time through.  Thanks again.

ixnay

Quote from: brianreynolds on January 04, 2017, 12:34:41 AM
Quote from: ixnay on January 03, 2017, 07:51:49 AM
Here's parking at and near a station in Oyster Bay town...

http://web.mta.info/lirr/images/stationmaps/bethpage.pdf

and parking at the next station towards the city from Bethpage, also in Oyster Bay town...

http://web.mta.info/lirr/images/stationmaps/hicksville.pdf

ixnay

This is good and useful information.  Thank you.

You're welcome.  And don't forget the other transit links I provided.

ixnay
The Washington/Baltimore/Arlington CSA has two Key Bridges, a Minnesota Avenue, and a Mannasota Avenue.

Conn. Roads

I agree with the public transportation plan for you. My home is upstate, past Albany. When appointments occur in NYC, the train is best. Sometimes it's Amtrak out of Albany, but sometimes Poughkeepsie for Metro North. It's just easier. Beside that, I drive a pickup truck. In NY it has to be registered commercial. Many expressways exclude commercial vehicles, even though we're not talking semi rig. Since I don't know what you're driving, it seemed worthwhile to mention.

RobbieL2415

If you're coming from east of the Hudson and don't mind a subway ride to get to Manhattan, there's a parking lot I discovered yesterday that's attached to the Brooklyn Museum.  It's actually open to the public, though and the rates are half as expensive as in Manhattan ($18 for ~8 hours).  Plus it's right a subway stop.  Super convenient.

cl94

Quote from: RobbieL2415 on January 28, 2017, 10:50:49 PM
If you're coming from east of the Hudson and don't mind a subway ride to get to Manhattan, there's a parking lot I discovered yesterday that's attached to the Brooklyn Museum.  It's actually open to the public, though and the rates are half as expensive as in Manhattan ($18 for ~8 hours).  Plus it's right a subway stop.  Super convenient.

Or if coming from the north, New York Botanical Garden has a garage open to the public. $9 for the day if in by 10 AM on weekdays, 8 AM weekends and out by 9 PM, else $15/day. It's adjacent to a Metro-North station and a few blocks from the subway. I have parked here on occasion. http://www.nybg.org/about/parking-garage.php
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)



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