gramsof1

Hi, Driving round trip from the pacific northwest to NYC then on the DC then Virginia return home via Nashville. etc. Our trip itinerary is done. Booked a hotel in North Bergen NJ overnight. Planned to drive the SUV, with car top carrier into and around the city on a FRIDAY! Ok, folks say don't drive. get a ride on something...So, if we spend Thursday night in N. Bergen and plan the sightseeing but plan to spend Friday night in Fairfax, VA, driving there after the touring of NYC, where might we park the rig, safely, with all of our stuff in it for our entire trip? I know if we were returning to stay at the hotel again, it would be good, but we are not. So wondering the next best option. Bear in mind, I am mobility challenged and I have a small service dog. I use a stroller if I have to do much walking as I need her near me. We have immunity issues in the house and as the dog needs to sleep by my head, her bed is between the pillows. Can't take a chance of her bringing something into the house. Thus, not doing the walking on the street bit, , plus she is small. So in addition to 3 possibly 4 people, I need to be able to take the stroller. What are my best options? Thanks ever so much. NONE of us have ever been to NYC before and we would like to see Ground Zero, Lady Liberty. The young women want to stand at the big corner....go to Rockefeller Center and see Broadway! Huge trip for us to celebrate our 50th anniversary. Thanks again.

Ackislander

I do not want to hurt your feelings, but in many years of trying to help people on this forum, this is one of the most difficult posts to respond to.

Let's do it in reverse.

It is a little over 200 miles from NYC to Fairfax. 200 miles on the East Coast is a lot different than the 200 miles between Nashville and Memphis. You should expect it to take 4 hours, and on a Friday afternoon and early evening, it will take longer, especially if you are doing this trip in the summer. New Yorkers, Philadelphians, Baltimoreans, and Washingtonians all try to get away for the weekend. All at the same time. On a Friday afternoon, I would expect it to take 2 hours just from Baltimore to the junction of 495 and 95 south of Washington and it could take more. So assume you leave at 7:30 PM to let the traffic disperse, and that you stop for the bathroom and cheap NJ gas at the last rest area on the New Jersey Turnpike, you will get to Fairfax around 11:30 PM to Midnight, assuming no accidents.

Back up to your Friday in NYC. You could do what you want if one of you was willing to forego his/her own sightseeing to chauffeur the others. That person would stay with the SUV while the others did their fun stuff, and that might be a nice anniversary present. Driving in Manhattan is not nearly as miserable as a lot of people make out as long as you are comfortable with moving very slowly, dealing with cyclists, and can conform to local rules on things like not blocking to box. I would leave for the city in the morning around 9 and leave the city for VA around 7:30 as listed above.

If you all must be able to see the sights, you have two problems: (1) you will need parking in mid-town AND parking downtown for the two different clusters of sights, moving the car in between. (2) Many, many garages are not going to be able to take an SUV with a roof rack, presumably a "rocket launcher" because they are in older buildings with low ceilings. So you are going to have to find, in a city where you have never been before, two parking garages with high clearances or two outdoor lots that are safe enough to leave a vehicle with all your stuff in it. I don't even know where to begin. Expect to pay about $80 total for this parking since the lots go from their half hour price to their all day price very quickly.

You need to allow some time, perhaps considerable, for the lines for Ground Zero and for the Statue of Liberty. You need to allow time to load and unload the scooter before parking, and I don't have a clue what you will do with the dog.

I don't want to rain on your parade, but it makes me anxious just thinking about this, particularly the driving after a long, tiring day of touring.

Bless your hearts for having courage if not prudence!

emalloy

Would it be possible for the physically challenged one to stay in NJ with the car and dog while the more robust members of the party take public transportation into the city? The tourists could leave early in the AM, do the high spots and be back to meet the other by noon to head south before the crowd. The physically challenged one could hang in the hotel until check out have a snack and then go to meet the NY visitors at the station.

Not an ideal situation, but perhaps better than a really trying trip to the city and out.

tomfuller

Hire someone to dog sit and watch the RV. What can the dog do for you that the 3 people can't?
Take a train into the city and back out. Park the RV near the train station.

gramsof1

Thanks all for your replies. Well, the mobility challenged one is myself and I want to see those things too. We all do. We don't want to go inside the Statue of Liberty. A drive by and a wave will do. Now considering parking outside of the ciuty and taking PATH or something into town and going on a tour bus or something. I wouldn't even consider leaving my service dog with a stranger. Since posting, I have talked to a good numbert of people who have given me ideas. NO ONE recommends actually going to ground zero. But thanks for your input.. Off to do some more research.

emalloy

I totally understand wanting to see it all after the long drive. Have you considered taking a ferry from NJ to NY? Check this site www.nywaterway.com/ I believe they even have a terminal in Bergen. Could you leave the car at your hotel for the day and taxi to the ferry and back?

ggreen

gramsof1, it looks like you've gotten some good advice both on and off this board. Given the constraints of your day trip to NYC and what you'd like to see, the ferry to a tour bus sounds like a good idea. (The PATH is fine, too.) Just know that both the ferry and the PATH are major commuter routes, so you'll want to plan about rush hours accordingly.

If you take the ferry from Port Imperial, Weehawken (just east of North Bergen), you'll see the west side of Manhattan as you glide by, and then the Statue of Liberty to your south when you dock. It looks like you could:

A) Take the World Financial Center route. Upon disembarkation, you'll be in a relatively newly constructed part of the city, meaning there are wide, well-paved sidewalks and not a crush of people. The ferry will put you just a few blocks walk to "ground zero". (And yes there's not much to see at ground zero unless you (a) like construction sites, or (b) get tickets to go into the memorial site.) However, I'm sure there are tour buses that start from there, or you could look into a "hop-on hop-off" bus.

B) If you want to get closer to the Statue of Liberty than seeing it from the tip of Manhattan, consider taking the (free) Staten Island Ferry round trip. This ferry's terminal is on the other side of the tip of Manhattan from the one I mentioned above. If you wanted to do that, I would take the NY Waterways ferry from Port Imperial to Pier 11/Wall Street instead.

C) Start in midtown. The shortest ferry crosses the river to the western edge of midtown, from where you'd need to get transportation or see if there are any tour buses that start there. However, I'd recommend either of the first two for the added bonus of getting to see so much of the city from the water!

Also note that there is a free bus around lower Manhattan that you could use to get around the places I've mentioned...
http://www.downtownny.com/getting-ar...own-connection

aprillilacs

Here's a possible plan--though it won't be cheap. Leave your car at the hotel and get a taxi or car service (the hotel should be able to book something for you) to take you into Manhattan. Visit the midtown sights you want to see, then take a taxi back to the hotel. Then drive your car south to Liberty State Park in Jersey City, park it there in the open-air lot for a very reasonable price, and take the boat to/around the Statue of Liberty. The boat will drop you back at your car and you can drive south to Virginia.

Personally I would not want to do all this in one day, but it would check the boxes on your list.

gail

What about taking a day bus tour of NYC? I know these exist and they usually involve several stops plus the drive-bys to others that you say is adequate. Unfortunately, I do not have any specific website or company recommendations - but if you are good at research they should not be difficult to find.

Or what about taking the 3-hour Circle Line boat around NYC - great view of Statue of Liberty and would solve the mobility issue (circleline42.com)

But even before that - a few questions about your mobility (I am a rehab RN). Can you walk at all? When you say "stroller" are you saying you use a wheelchair or is this really a stroller for the dog or are you small enough to use a modified stroller? And whatever mobility device you use, can you get in/out a vehicle with or without assistance and can the device be folded and stored. Is it electric powered? This all matters when determining what type of sightseeing you and your group can do.

And as far as your plan to drive to VA after sightseeing in NYC all day, getting back to NJ and then driving to VA is, bluntly put - a horrible idea. As early as noon on Friday people start exiting NYC for the weekend - so terrible traffic getting out of the city. Then you will have terrible traffic driving south towards VA, and again around Baltimore/Washington area with people doing the same thing. If someone in your group is OK driving late into the night, and you are all traffic/delay tolerant (it infuriates me), then it would be possible - but no fun at all.

gramsof1

Hi gail.....I can walk...I need something to hold onto to support my back - mobility involves major arthritis in my lumbar spine and knees. Upo hill is very difficult. The stroller I use is for the dog. Kills two birds with one stone. I can lean on it and she is closer to me so she can sense a problem (medical alert is her speciality) and I don't have to carry her. We have highly reduced immunity issues in the house too and I will not take a chance on her picking up something from the ground and bringing some kind of bug into my home, as she sleeps between our pillows. It worked just fine doing all of Disneyland and California Adventure and Las Vegas. It folds flat enough to fit between the legs as my husband sits on a bus seat. Unfortunately, our hotels are booked for 23 states anbd have been. I managed to take one night off Fairfax for the brief stopover in Manhatten., If it doesn't work and we don't get to see it all, so be it. But we can try. I found a half day tour that picks us up at our hotel in N. Bergen and takes us right back there so maybe we can skirt some of the huge traffic. More research for me. I can always just try to forego NY totally but this is most likely the only time we will EVER be this close. So it is not a done deal at this time....yet. I have almost 4 months to figure things out.

As to someones suggestion...taxi? I don't think so. We are not related to Donald Trump and have saved for 3 years to even go on this trip. Our budget is tight to say the least and NJ and possible NYC is only stop #9 of 24 on this trip. Thanks everyone for your suggestions. We will figure things out.

Happy Mothers Day to any that masy be Mothers.

aprillilacs

Glad you found a half-day bus tour from N. Bergen -- hope it will get you to the spots in NY you want to visit. If it doesn't include a boat trip around the Statue of Liberty, I still urge you to consider driving from your hotel, after your bus trip drops you back there, south on the NJ Turnpike to exit 14A,B,C. Take that toward Manhattan and get off at exit 14 B--Liberty State Park. Here's some information that might be helpful: http://www.statuecruises.com/ferry-service/welcome.aspx.

This is by far the easiest way for you to get to/around the Statute of Liberty and Ellis Island. And you can get right on the Turnpike after you come back from the island and drive on to Virginia. Have fun on your trip!

gramsof1

Thank you aprillilacs for your comments. Appreciate them and a cruise does sound good. bookmarked for reference.. Have bookmarked all the links so thanks again all! Still not quite sure if I am offended or not by the comment that the "physically challenged one" stay back while the others go sightseeing. Like only the more robust ones deserve to sightsee. That and hire a stranger to watch my service dog. Without my service dog, why bother to go at all? Some folks aren't familiar with what a service dog does......
Ok folks over and out. thanks for the advice and the links.

Ackislander

You shouldn't be insulted, just a little more realistic. You now have a number of good suggestions to work with, and you are responding well to the advice. But to do what you originally suggested would be impossible in a way that most people would consider satisfying.

We still don't know what you mean by "stroller". Is it a scooter or wheelchair (fairly big deal) or one of those push carts that you can sit on to rest? It makes a huge difference.

Good news, most (all?) NYC buses have front doors that lower to curb level and wheelchair/scooter space near the front.

gail

Ackislander - stroller/scooter was explained above. The OP can walk while holding onto something that rolls - in this case it is a regular stroller in which the dog rides.

You are likely not to have a problem, but this arrangement is so unusual that I am not sure transportation vehicles will let you use a lift, etc for a dog in a stroller. Hoping the stroller folds and someone else can carry the dog and then replace the dog in the stroller. I understand your explanation, but can also see how others might on the surface see this as a pampered pooch being pushed in a stroller.

gramsof1

To everyone....I have stated I appreciated all of the suggestions.
To Ackislander - not feel insulted when it is suggeste because I am physically challenged that I shouldn't be trying to see the sights with my family? Well, not that you mention it, I am insulted. I asked on this place because I like the Fodor's travel books and thought perhaps folks who live and or work and travel to NYC on a regular basis could give some insight. Some did, some not so much. As you can read from gail and above, myself, it is a stroller for me to push and lean on. It folds down quickly to about 7 inches.

To gail : I don't need a bus to lower so I can get on as long as it has a hand grip and every bus I have ever been on does. If the busses are equipped to be ADA accessible, it will be fine.

If folks see a licensed medical alert service dog as a pampered pooch, they have a problem, not me.

Now again, thanks everyone for your helpful comments. I have bookmarked all of the links and have been looking at them and have taken notes. I am also continuing my search.

Happy Mother's Day if it applies. Have a great summer.

nytraveler

Not to be discouraging - but to do a full day of touring in Manhattan and then drive all the way to VA is going to be an incredibly exhausting day.

Agree that taking the vehicle into the city isn't really an option - it will cost close to $100 between garages (once yuo find ones that can take something that large/high) and bridget or tunnel tolls.

I would park the vehicle at one of the manned major NJ Transit train stations (Metro Park I beleive has a manned garage and yuor stuff shuld be sae as long as yuo don;t leave it overnight) and then grab a train into Manhattan. You will need to take bus or taxi (most subway stations have a couple of flights of stairs) and I hope the stroller is folding (NYC buses require people to fold strollers - unless you request that the driver let you use the wheelchair spot).

SoL is closed for renovations and it doesn;t make sense to wait on a long ferry line just to see the outside. You can get a decent view from the free Staten Island ferry (about 1.5 hours to and fro across the harbor) or a closer view from the Circle Line 2 hour Harbor cruise - which might fit the needs of your group better.

In any case I would have paperwork indicating that yuor dog is a service animal - since here a lot of people try to take small dogs all sorts of places they aren't allowed and it can often lead to confrontations. (Pets are not allowed in any stores or restaurants or on any public transit.)

I think if you do a lot of research - checking with each venue about the options - you can probably sort out a way to see several places. (I do not reco the HoHo buses - since to see anything you have to be on top - which means climbing up and down a narrow, curving stairway.)

gail

nytraveler - under newer ADA definitions, service animals no longer have to be licensed, professionally trained, or even dogs. While the vast majority of people using service animals have a legitimate need and a trained (professionally or otherwise) animal, this has caused some problems. While the original concept many decades ago was a "Seeing Eye Dog", it then became expanded to include dogs meeting physical needs a person with a disability had difficulty with. It now has expanded such that some people have service animals to meet a mental health need.

As with most things, a few people carry this to a ridiculous extreme and make problems for everyone else. Quite a while ago there was a woman who insisted she had the right to bring a "Service Pig" on a USAirways flight because of emotional needs during the flight. Unfortunately, during the flight the pig started acting like a pig - stealing food and relieving itself in the middle of an aisle.

So there is no requirement that a service animal have a "service license", although some people choose to have their animals, if professionally trained, wear the traditional red service vest - but it is not required.