Ok, leaving in two days. Have the theatre tickets, the apartment is leased, some dinner reservations made and all thanks to the help of fellow Fodorites. But now there's one problem. Since we're driving into Manhattan for our one month stay on our way from Florida to Alaska (DON'T ASK)I'm not sure about our approach. Coming from the south, presumable up the Jersey Turnpike and the Lincoln Tunnel into the city(?) how do we get to our apartment at 71st and 3rd? Would appreciate any directions you can offer. We will probably be arriving mid afternoon on a Wednesday if that makes any difference specifically.

Patrick, I haven't gone that way in a while, but I believe that the tunnel will dump you out right on 42nd Street. Make a right on 42nd Street and take it East all the way to 3rd Ave (9 blocks or so) and at 3rd make a left. You can take that straight (north) right to 71st Street.

Navigating that part of town will be easy, since it's on the grid. Just remember you want your avenue numbers to go down and your street numbers to go up and you'll be on the right track. Enjoy your stay.

I suggest a slightly different route - when exiting the tunnel make an immediate right hand turn on 49th Street and then your first right onto 9th Ave. Stay to the left and turn left on W. 38th. Follow it all the way to 3rd Avenue and then straight up Third to your destination. I drive cross-town quite regularly from the Lincoln. 38th is the fastest and easiest route to negotiate cross town - less traffic tie-up than any other streets - this is very consistent. If by chance you're coming back across town to the Lincoln (e.g when returning home) head down 2nd Ave. and go back across town on 31st - to leads directly to one of the easiest means of tunnel access and is once again (in my experience) the best east to west crosstwon route in or near midtown.

Driving in NYC? Make sure you have a good spare tire!! There are potholes bigger than most people's apartments.

Patrick, you shouldn't have a problem getting to the hotel, just head east out of the tunnel, follow the directions above. Also sometimes the tunnel has different exits, with road work going on, so keep your eyes peeled. If you find 34th St turn left go east (you will pass the shopping area on 34th St, Macys's etc) and head east to 3rd Ave and turn left again up to your new neighborhood.

There are alot of parking garages in the area and you should be able to find one to park your car for a monthly rate.

Welcome to New York.

Going to 42nd St. after exiting the Lincoln tunnel and making a right, driving to 3rd Ave and making a left is the easiest way to go but probably the slowest - going across 42nd Street can be a traffic nightmare and 3rd Ave won't be much better.. Owen's suggestion is okay except he made a typo - he meant 40th St. not 49th St. Only thing I don't like about that route is 3rd Avenue - traffic can be bad until you get past 59th St. Consider this route. Go right on 40th to 8th Avenue and make a left onto 8th. At 59th Street you come to Columbus Circle. Streets come off the circle like the spokes on a wheel. First spoke is Broadway going south; second spoke is
Central Park South (59th St.) going east.
Third spoke is Central Park West going north - this is the street you get onto..
Go to 66th and make a right using the transverse road through Central Park. You will exit park on 5th Avenue -go straight ahead to 3rd and make a left to 71st. If place you are staying is on 3rd Avenue = no problem. If place is between 3rd and Lexington make a left on 71st and again no problem. But if place is on 71st between 2nd and 3rd you will have to make a right on 72nd, go to 2nd Avenue and make right to 71st and make another right.

I agree with RQF that you should avoid 42d St (and also 34th St, which is very slow) and especially 3d Ave, which is the slowest and most traffic-congested on the east side. However, I think the simplest and fastest way to your apartment is to come all the way across town on 40th to 1st Ave, make a left on 1st Ave, continue to 71st, make a left, and continue to 3d. Despite the two (long) block detour to 1st, this is much more straightforward, with less navigation, than RQF's solution, and you don't have to deal with the often heavy traffic around Columbus Circle. 1st Ave is without a doubt the fastest avenue east of 8th (something worth keeping in mind if you need to take a bus or cab uptown and want to end up on 3d Ave or east of it; I live between 2d and 3d and I always try to avoid traveling on 3d in favor of 1st because 3d is so slow).

Thanks all, but looks like maybe Caitlin is right as usual. I talked with the owner of the Allen House (where we're renting) today and she informed me that our apartment is at the NE corner of 3rd and 71st meaning we need to come across 71st from the East. She also suggested we go up 1st Avenue. As to which cross street to get to 1st, guess I'll take Caitlin's suggestion for 40th also. I know they can all be terrible as I've sat enough cabs to know that, but guess we'll take our chances on 40th. Thanks. Now for the garage. I drive a Range Rover and found most of the little garages, especially the one right across the street from us won't take that car, but we've found a couple of others that will -- $450 to $475 seems to be the rate. We found a garage last year near Lincoln Center than promised us monthly for the RR at $300. Since we won't be using the car (except maybe to drive to Peter Luger's) we may take them up on that. We looked at parking way out somewhere, but for savings of less than half the total, adding the cost of taxis back and forth, and not having the car inside, guess we'll spring for the extra money to have it near by.