Driving into Manhattan on a weekday?
 

We are planning to drive from Boston to our hotel in Times Square (hotel is on 43rd street) on a Thursday next week, and we are wondering if traffic will be manageable. I've driven into this area on a Sunday, and I know that does not compare at all. Also, I have looked up parking on www.iconparking.com and know the locations, but was also wondering if they will be fully booked on a weekday. Our other option is to park our car in Stamford and take the train into the city. In terms of cost, it will be about the same between parking and the train tickets. Thanks for your input.

If you are arriving in NYC between roughly 10am and 3pm, it should be OK. There's almost always traffic in the city during the workday (deliveries, lots of taxis, busses, etc), but as long as not the morning rush hour, the approach into the city should be managable.

Naturally the best time to arrive would be in the middle of the night, but I guess that may not work for you.

I don't know about parking, I supposed you could call the lots and ask.

While it won't be as bad as during commuting, you can expect some congestion midtown between 10 and 3.
If you have the option, come into the city on the West Side. And, if you don't have too much luggage, I suggest you park first (in a lot that's further west of midtown towards the Hudson River) and then walk to your hotel.

Driving in should be fine. As others have suggested try to arrive after 10 AM. I do it frequently and never have a problem parking in a lot. There are so many in that area that I don't even see them filled on matinee days.

Thanks for all your responses. We will enter the city on the west side to make it a lot easier, park and walk to our hotel. Also, I called icon parking, and they told me to do the "guarantee parking" online and I will be guaranteed a parking. We're definitely driving into the city. Thanks again.

You might consider driving to the hotel first, let one party out with the luggage (or leave luggage with doorman and get a receipt) go park the car and walk or cab back to the hotel. The cheapest icon parking rates will be on 10th-11 aves. Very commercial area. They're fussy about vans fyi.

Traffic in Midtown is HORRIBLE during the week between the hours of 7:30am and 8:30pm -- I work in Rockefeller Center and previously worked in the Times Square area for 10 years. Believe, I know. Cross-town streets are extremely congested and it's just an overall nightmare. By ALL MEANS, take the train.

If you park beyond 10th Avenue on the West Side, you will not encounter the situation described by the previous poster.
My suggestion of parking the car first will also save you from being in the congestion.

I don't know, Howard. It can be terribly packed river-to-river on most days.

We drive into NYC all the time from NH, usually on a Wednesday or Thursday, typically arriving between 5-6PM, with little trouble other than the occasional slowdown just ahead of the Triborough and a bit of traffic on the FDR and in Midtown. I would not decribe the traffic as HORRIBLE or a nightmare (certainly nothing like Boston).

We also use iconparking.com - you can "book" online - your receipt guarantees you a space (and the rate).

My husband drops me off at the hotel with the luggage, then parks the car. I call him on the cell phone with our room number. When checking out, he goes after the car at meets me at the hotel entrance with the bags.

The best directions to the hotel are usually at the hotel website (you must be aware of one-way streets and "no left turn" intersections).

It's much easier to drive directly to your hotel. You can pack everything you want and not worry about hauling it on a train then to the hotel. Sometimes, we bring our own coffee pot and a small travel fridge.

To be perfectly honest, I find Manhattan much easier to drive in than other cities such as Boston. I drive in quite often at all times of day and night. Most of it is an easy to follow grid. The idea of leaving your luggage at the hotel prior to parking is an excellent idea.

I just must have bad luck then! It took me 45 mins in a cab to get from 56th and 10th to 37th and Park yesterday at 7:30pm.

Sometimes it is just the luck of the draw. In recent years we've driven around the city quite a bit and not been scared off.

I drove in on Tuesday at 10:00 am and it took me 1 hour door to door from my office 20 mins west of Newark in NJ, no traffic at all! Some volume going through the Lincoln tunnel & cross town to Madison Ave., but by no means enough to warrant not driving!

Don't be intimidated. Follow the parking suggestions given above, try to avoid rush hours and you'll be fine!

Your car is probably going to parked for you by the hotel staff, but the real nightmare you should be worried about is finding a parking spot every where else around Manhattan!
I would just take the train from Boston, or just fly!

I don;t think they need anyplace else to park the car - you just put it in the lot and leave it there until you leave for home. And this is the best way to go - I drive to Boston frequently and it is much faster and more convenient than either the train or the plane.

As long as you enter Manhattan after rush hour (after 10 am) and stick to the west side highway you should see little traffic until you get to local streets - and that will be for only a couple of blocks.

Michele is correct that crosstown traffic is awful - but you won;t be going crosstown - so it's not an issue.

Also, I frequently drive my car in the city (I know this seems like madness - but I take it to the office on the way to going to a client in NJ) and have found that many cab drivers are hopeless in terms of keeping out of traffic. I can often do a Manhatan trip way faster than they can - because they don't use the no-turn crosstown streets or just drive staight into consrtuction zones instead of avoiding them. (I can;t figure out if its just incompetence or an attempt to push up the fare - I think primarily the former.)

Michelle, your experience with that cab ride proves my point. It took so long because you were going CROSSTOWN!
As to whether you should drive to the hotel first before dropping off the card depends on exactly where the hotel is located on 43rd Street. So, Nena, where? (If you're not sure, give the address and we can figure its location from there.) If the hotel is close to Times Square, then you really shouldn't take the chance of getting stuck in traffic.

Thanks for all the replies! HowardR, our hotel is the Westin New York at Times Square and the address is 270 West 43rd Street. We definitely will go via the West Side Highway to get into the area.

Your hotel is at the corner of 43rd & 8th.
Since 43rd is one way, east to west, it's not easy or convenient to get to the front of the hotel, since it means you'd have to drive around/through Times Square. 8th Avenue isn't much better, as it is one way going north and is usually very busy.
I stick with my original recommendation of parking the car first, as long as you don't have too much luggage.

The westin's a very nice, brand new hotel but it's soo crowded all the time! they once gave me a huge corner room with great views of my beloved Manhattan, even though I'd only paid for a standard room!

The "Hevenly" bed and shower are great too!

I've stayed there three times and I thought it was great untill I discovered another new hotel nearby.

You might want to know that the area west of 8th avenue tends to get kind of seedy at night.