The Long Island Railroad also has trains into NY Penn station.
Make sure you have a lock on your trailer hitch in case you can't find 2 parking spots in line.
You other option is to park near/at Newark (EWR) and taking an Amtrak train in to NYP.

Where will you be camping? You could stay much further out and take the train in.

Hotels in other boroughs don't necessarily have parking lots either. The ones that do may not allow trailers as space would still be limited

You probably won't find a parking lot within NYC on a subway line that can accommodate a car and trailer. Most city hotels---even in the outer boroughs---have limited parking. You'd have to go all the way out to JFK Airport to find a hotel with a sizable parking lot, and I wouldn't leave a trailer out in that area unattended. You'd have better luck in NJ, Connecticut, or Long Island, from where you can take a commuter train or bus into the city for a day of sightseeing. Again, Newark Airport area isn't a very good area, so I'm not sure I'd look around there either.

Hilton Garden Inn Staten Island but you'll have to rely on the ferry.

I's suggest looking at some hotels in the Meadowlands area in NJ, including Secaucus, some of the hotels there would have lots large enough and you can get a shuttle to the Path or take a bus into Port Authority and see the City.

Sorry, have to agree - that just sounds like crazy talk! While most NYC parking garages will accommodate an SUV, they can't accommodate anything larger - like a large flatbed truck, for example (too long). Not to mention that the norm in NYC is to hand your vehicle and keys over to an attendant and they park it for you, so you have no ability to go to your car unless it's to have it called up to take it out of the garage.

If you look in the outer boroughs like you mentioned, you're more likely to find a parking *lot* instead of garage, but not always. However, a parking lot is much less secure - and if it were me, I'd be very anxious leaving all my belongings locked up in a mini trailer in a city I don't know! (Call me a paranoid New Yorker, I guess.)

If you're set on coming into NYC for a few days, my first thought is to see if you know of anyone - or know anyone who knows someone - who lives outside the city with a driveway you can borrow. Even if you leave the mini-trailer in a safe situation and drive the SUV into the city - though I'd recommend taking public transit in and out of the city.

The thing about staying elsewhere in the greater metropolitan area is that towns that are large enough to have lodging will likewise be large enough to have dodgy areas; train stations inevitably end up on the "wrong side of the tracks", even someplace like tony Greenwich, CT.

What about staying at a KOA near the city for a couple of days and then paying to keep the tent trailer in the campground while you go in the city? Talk to the campground host to see if they are willing to let you do this. http://koa.com/campgrounds/deerpark/

I think the best way to do this is to park your car and trailer in Weehawken NJ, and take the ferry to Manhattan. There is a huge parking lot at the Port Imperial terminal. http://www.nywaterway.com/PortImperialWeehawkenRoute.aspx

Agree you can't stay in a NYC hotel near the subway with an SUV and tralier. Even those that have parking lots have limited parking (usually not enough for guests) and don;t have lot security - so wouldn;t be responsible for your camper.

There is no way I would leave a camper for several days in any but a manned lot - and expect it to be there and intact when you return. And that includes the lots near the ferries in New Jersey.

I assume you are coming from the west so would look at one of the large manned parking lots near a NJ Transit station (perhaps MetroPark) I'm not sure. (Most stations have small lots and are open only to locals with town pases.) That way you could leave the SUV/camper there and take your luggage on a train into the city for the length of your visit.

You could check the hotels/motels in Jersey City, Secaucus and Fort Lee - to see if any of them will take you vehicle/camper and have a secure lot - but I'm not aware that they do. And you then have to take a bus or NJ transit into the city each day (which can be a major expenditure of time and money).

I agree with replies. But, there are paid parking lots in Manhattan which might allow trailers. Mucho dollar, but it's a waste of time to park in Staten Island, or Long Island, and then trek to Manhattan... and then back again.
Try private garages, or park at JFK.

Or, this might be tricky, drive to Brooklyn. Go to Bay Parkway/McDonald ave. to 65st. where the cemetery is. Truckers park there for the night alond the road. I am not sure if you need a permit, but there are no meters.
Also, try Flatbush ave. inside of Kings Plaza Mall, and there is plenty of parking by the funeral home across the street for free.
Marine park is mostly empty, so if you can secure the vehicle, try it.

Parking lots in Manhattan will charge $80 to $100 per night for this combination - assuming the SUV is low enough that it fits in an underground garage (a reall big one might not fit at all). It seems silly to pay that on top of Manhattan hotel prices if there is anyplace else to leave this thing that is safe.

While I'm making an assumption that the OP has not been to NYC before (since otherwise they'd have a better understanding of the parking situation here), I would never recommend a newcomer to spend their visit babysitting a mini-trailer in Midwood or Marine Park. Good tips for locals, though. Glad you didn't give away mine.

My experience trying to find a midtown parking garage that would take even a pickup truck was that they cannot accommodate vehicles that are longer than your average SUV. Plus, I've got to wonder how the current level of security procedures in place in the city affects policies on storing something like a mini trailer (though I readily admit that could be making one assumption too many).

The idea of the parking structure at Metro Park, NJ isn't a bad one. Not as secure as I personally would want, but large and not in any overly shady neighborhood... Probably too far to go back and forth every day, but the OP could park there, spend a night or two in a Times Square hotel as they posted, then return to Metro Park and get their stuff. Do a google street view of the structure and area to see what it's like.

// I have to say, every time I picture a mini trailer parked on the streets of NYC, what comes to mind are the annual Christmas tree sellers, who come to town for a month or so and live out of their little trailers next to their setup.

A few things. The KOA is nearly a two hour drive to Manhattan.

Second, NYC is not a camper or RV city and it will attract attention, especially if left in the parking lot of funeral home. And then King's Plaza is a long bus ride and a long train ride to midtown Manhattan.

There is NO WAY I would ever consider driving this contraption into mid-town Manhattan. Just driving a sedan is challenge enough.

Does anyone know a parking lot on the NJTransit lines that could accommodate such a vehicle?

"A few things. The KOA is nearly a two hour drive to Manhattan."

The suggestion is NOT to commute back and forth from the KOA.
The suggestion is to stay at the KOA for a couple of days and then keep the trailer there (with the campground host's permission) while they come in for their city visit.

I would not leave the camper in a parking lot somewhere and expect it to be there when they return. A Fodorite (who no longer posts here) shared on Facebook with in the last few days that someone stole her trailer from a parking lot. It wasn't NYC environs but things get stolen.

I first asked "Where will you be camping? You could stay much further out and take the train in." and was thinking about PA or near Philly. The KOA I linked to above advertises they are the closest to NYC so perhaps the campground host would allow them to leave the camper while they came in for a NYC visit. They would have to pay the campground fees, but that would worth it if the camper were safe there.

Does anyone know a parking lot on the NJTransit lines that could accommodate such a vehicle?

As I said, I think nytraveler's suggestion of Metro Park is a good one. But maybe there's someplace closer?

I know in some plaes out west you are allowed to put a trailer or an RV in the parking lot of a mall or even a giant box store. You can't do that here. They all have signs saying patrons only or youwill be towed - and anythng left overnight often is. And mall lots are often full - they don;w want random vehicles taking up mulitple prime paring spaces.

There is some sort of camper park or ?? in NJ near the water with views of Manhattan - not sure exactly where - but I beleive it costs about $80 per night to park there. And you can get (very infrequent) public transit into the city.

http://www.libertyharborrv.com/

Many thanks to the good souls who provided great input here. You've helped us think carefully about our options. I do think we will likely stay in a KOA up around West Point (it's in that direction) and camp there one night, but go in to the city for an overnight from there. We'll un-hitch, of course, and then lock up the trailer and drive in to the city. Thanks again!

Please note that the KOA is an almost an hour's drive from West Point.

The KOA could be 3+ hours drive into the city. The point isn't the proximity of the KOA to the city. The point is ths safety of the trailer while they are gone. If I were making this choice for myself, I'd feel more confident that the trailer were safe at a KOA than a parking lot somewhere closer (or in) the city. When a KOA advertises themselves as "closest to the city" they are doing so because they know campers want to do what the OP wants to do.

Well the one in NJ is much closer to NYC and I'm not sure why the OP couldn;t leave both the SUV and trailer there. It would cost $80 per day - but would avoid the cost of bringing/hassle of bringing the SUV into the city and the $40 per night garage cost for parking that.

Don't think you can drive it around the city to sightsee. This just isn't possible unless you want to keep taking it in and out of garages at $25 a pop. Realistically there is NO street parking in areas with prime tourist attractions. (Yes, there are places where locals can park on the street, since they understand the rules and how to find a place - but even for us to find a place to park on the street in an uptown residential area can easily take 20 to 30 minutes - and that is a car tht fits into space you couldn't squeeze an SUV into)

Almost forgot, how silly of me. While mentioning the cemetery where truckers park, you could drive to the end of Bay Parkway, where the Best Buy is, and park in the parking lot for free. Then, just take the B6 to the subway.

Problem solved.

Cal_S, I'm glad we were able to help you make the most of your visit to NYC and find a solution that you're comfortable with! I can't say I'm familiar with the KOAs in the NYC vicinity (since I try to get *away* from the city to camp LOL), but google indicates the closest one in NY State is the Black Bear Campground. If that's the one you've chosen, it should take you less than 2 hours to get into midtown Manhattan, IMO a nice compromise for your situation. And you'll get to see a bit of the beautiful Catskills while you're at it! Plus, if you have the time and inclination, there is a famous discount shopping outlet nearby called Woodbury Commons: www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=7

On your way back to the campground after your overnight in NYC, you might want to check out another well-known local store, the Stew Leonard's market in Yonkers: www.stewleonards.com/html/about_us.cfm

// Pomah, I still don't think that's a good recommendation for people who have never been to NYC before. Getting to Gravesend, Brooklyn, is a feat in itself. Then getting from the Best Buy/Toys R Us into Manhattan is even more complicated, never mind that your city-bus-to-subway route will take someone about as long as commuting from West Point! And last but not least, I'm sorry but that shopping area is not the nicest: I don't even like to lock my bicycle there to queue for the Mr. Softee trucks in the summer; I'd never leave a trailer of important stuff in that open parking lot unattended!

ok, that may be so. But, the point is that it's FREE!
Compare to prices of parking in Manhattan. Yes, you have to take the bus and pay $2.25, but transfer is free.
And how far away are the other places mentioned?

As for safety; if fully loaded trucks are parked there, and people do leave their SUVs and cars at the parking lot, I dont see what the big deal is.

This is fodors. A 22 year old son away at college who doesn't phone home for 9 hours is a big deal.

Again checking back on the wonderful array of advice I've received from you good people. I hope if I ever see anyone searching for advice on visiting northern California that I will be as generous with ideas as you have been.

We have settled on a strategy whereby we camp for several days at the KOA at Plattekill, NY. The drive to NYC (Times Square) is 75 miles. The site and city is also called Newburgh on the KOA website (http://www.newburghkoa.com/). We have been to NYC several other times, so our visit will be very focused -- we only want to spend one night in Times Square (we've stayed at the Doubletree with good success before) and catch a show. Then the next morning it's back to our campsite at the KOA. We will camp a few more days after that to see the Hudson River Valley, West Point area.

I am hopeful that a late-morning drive into the city will miss rush hour. Without the trailer, of course, we will do the usual practice of having them park our car and we'll do the next 24 hours on foot, or maybe also subway (we may want to see Ground Zero, too). Then check out, retrieve our car, and return north.

If you have further counsel, or see anything knuckle-headed about this plan, your advice is still o so very welcome! Thanks again!!

If you do stay at the Doubletree Suites on Times Square, you can drop your car at the garage across the street on 47th, get your parking ticket validated at the hotel, and save $15 over the "public" parking price.

Sounds like a good plan!

Why don't you take a train into NYC and skip the whole car hassle?

http://www.cityofnewburgh-ny.gov/dpw/ferry.htm

How large is your SUV. Some of the garages don;t have room for the really large ones and all will charge a premium price -probably $50 for an overnight.

If its a normal size SUV it can go in essentially any garage.

Sounds like a good plan!

I agree!!

I'm glad to hear that you've experienced NYC before, and even know which hotel you prefer. (So many posts on this board about that!)

Given that you're such intrepid travelers, I hope you're not hesitant to take the NYC subway! On foot will get you around midtown and a bit more, but the subway is by far the best way to go longer distances, and the city buses are helpful, too. You even can transfer for free between the two:
http://mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm

Not to mention, being in Times Square places you on top of access to a majority of the subway lines all in one station!

For example, if so inclined you could walk through Central Park to the Met Museum (with a visit to the roof), then take a city bus back down 5th Avenue to midtown, passing more museums and some gorgeous homes. Or instead go to the Natural History Museum or the adjacent (and newly renovated) New York Historical Society on the Upper West Side, followed by a bus down Central Park West.
www.metmuseum.org
www.amnh.org
www.nyhistory.org

To get to the World Trade Center site from your hotel, take the downtown 2 or 3 ("red") train to Fulton Street. You can then visit St. Paul's on your short walk west to the site. (Note that most New Yorkers don't call it Ground Zero. We also don't identify our subway lines by color, but at times it can be useful.) Continue west over the highway to reach the Hudson River; if so inclined, you could then walk north in the strip of park along the river that runs almost the full length of the island.

You also instead could take the downtown R train to Whitehall or the downtown 1 train to South Ferry, either of which will put you at the very tip of Manhattan. Walk through the parks towards the west for views of the harbor -- Robert Wagner Park has terrific views of the Statue of Liberty -- and then up the west side. At any point in your walk uptown, you could hop an uptown bus or the A/C/E subway along 8th Avenue...

One more suggestion would be, after visiting the WTC site, walk back to Broadway and up to the pretty City Hall Park a few blocks north. The entrance to the pedestrian walkway over the Brooklyn Bridge begins across the street; once you cross the bridge (and maybe stop for the skyline views, an ice cream, a drink or a meal in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn), you can hop on the uptown A or C train back to Times Square. Or continue your walk by viewing the historic Promenade and brownstones in Brooklyn Heights before catching an uptown 2 or 3 train to Times Square.