I have been many times in NYC but I never had a car to get around. Is it a good idea to rent a car during a weekend? Can I parking on the streets saturdays and sundays?

It's only a good idea if you're planning to go away for the weekend or do daytrips. Interestingly, they announced on the news tonight that Sunday parking will now be free (no meters) but I didn't hear when that will start. Sat. is a problem to park.

Metro North had plenty of day trips out of the city on their website.

As mclaurie said, where do you want to "get around"? How did plan to use the car? It's sheer folly to try to use it to get around the city.
The no-meters-on-Sunday regulation goes into effect sometime next month, I believe.

A car is a horrible way to get around Manhattan during a weekend, and totally unnecessary. NYC's public transportation is 24/7 and the best in the world (not to mention the availability of taxis).

Unless you plan to leave NYC and explore the Hudson River Valley or Long Island, forget about renting a car.

A car in Midtown Manhattan is a big giant PIA.

Anywhere else on Manhattan island it is just a PIA.

No - you can;t park on the street easily - except in residential neighborhoods - so you would still have to take the subway wherever you want to go.

Avenues are metered on Saturday and Sunday - $1 per hour - one hour limit and parking on side strets in midtown/downtown is close to impossible.

The car is a good idea only if you plan on putting it into a garage wherever you go - minimum $25-$30 for the first hour.

nytraveler, I assume you mean $25-30 for the first day, not hour. Hey, not even New York is that expensive!

If u were staying in any borough other than manhattan then yea but it's a no for me also. It's very if not impossible to find parking in manhattan for free or even at the meters because it's $.25 for 10 mins and it's usually just for an hour. Everywhere is a red parking sign, be afraid of those because if u violate that sign the car will be at the impound. Parking lots are usually $10-15 the 1st hour. If your a visitor it's much better to just use the subways.

Howard -

Yes - a lot of them are in midtown. I often had to visit a client near 42nd and third and all the garages in that area had a $25 or + minimum for an hour. (It's less if you park all day and come in before 9 am [early bird special] - because they can stick you upstairs until 5 or 6pm and you're less trouble. But when you come in for an hour or two in the middle of the day they really soak you.

While there may be some garages that charge those outrageous rates for an hour or so (though I've not personally seen any that charge that much), the OP is not looking for short-term parking and by giving the $25 rate for an hour would be misleading him/her.
It would not be THAT difficult to find a garage that would charge that much for any entire day.

If you're driving in Manhattan, I can't imagine it would be worth the time and the expensive to rent a car. The subways are likely faster, and, depending on where you're going and how much driving you'll do, you may spend more on parking than on cab fare.

Perhaps a little more info about your plans would help us answer the question?

DONT bother getting a car in NYC. 80 percent of new yorkers dont even own one for the simple fact that it takes longer to travel in a car than by subway!

Bryan
http://www.tpvp.com

Thank you to all. I will not rent a car. I just thought that it would be a good and funny way to move around Manhattan during weekend, most of all after dark.

Bad idea!

INCREDIBLY bad idea. I have never once considered driving in Manhattan. Like San Francisco and Boston, a car is actually a huge liability in NYC. Besides, I think it's much more enjoyable to "go native"-- walking, taking the bus, subway or cabs. And cheaper than trying to park a rental!!