Need suggestions for commuter rail stations with parking
 

My daughter and two friends are planning a weekend in NYC and are considering driving from New Hampshire to a town outside the city where they might find an inexpensive hotel for one night, then take the train into the city the next morning. They would spend the second night in the city, then return the following afternoon to the station to pick up the car.

Any suggestions for suitable locations with reasonable hotels near stations with parking would be greatly appreciated.

New Haven would be a good option from New Hampshire. It is the last stop on MetroNorth, the commuter rail line that arrives in Manhattan at Grand Central Station.

I can't advise on motel options near the station. You may not need to stay right next to the station, just a short drive from the station so they can drive there first thing in the morning and park.

Try these:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-help-asap.cfm

http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?Q=259406&a=1390

Thanks, ellenem. We'll look into New Haven.

I might also suggest Stamford. Likely to have more trains and a shorter trip if you can get an express. Will require a longer drive. There is a Marriott almost across from the station. Might be able to leave the car there.

FYI, Stamford is on the same train line as New Haven. The train ride from New Haven to Manhattan is about 1 hr 40 min, while the ride from Stamford to Manhattan is 40-60 minutes depending on the train you choose.

The cheapest fare from New Haven is over $25 round trip. Additionally some Metro North commuter parking lots are permit only and others may not allow two day parking.

Check the parking at White Plains and North White Plains. It is a faster and cheaper communte into the city with places to stay.

From Metro-North Website:
Parking areas at Metro-North stations are under local town, village, or county control or are operated by LAZ Parking, which can be reached at 888-682-PARK (888-682-7275). Go to Metro-North station information for details.

Are they afraid of driving into the city or of the costs?

Here's a MetroNorth map (the commuter railroad that services the areas north of Manhattan). When you click on a town, it will give you information on parking at that station. http://www.mta.info/mnr/html/mnrmap.htm You should also be able to get fare pricing.

I think this plan sounds better than it would actually be. In order to avoid a pricey train ride for 3, they really have to get pretty close to Manhattan. Once they do that, I wonder what they've gained by staying in 2 different places. Tarrytown is a relatively short distance on Metro North and has a number of hotels. They could stay there both nights unless they're planning on a very late night.

As an alternative, they might check pricing for a hotel that's just outside Manhattan a train ride away and stay there for both nights. The Country Inn & Suites in Long Island City is 1 subway stop from Bloomingdales in Manhattan. They have some free parking (but don't guarantee it) and include continental breakfast in their room rate.

Another idea is to park the car outside Manhattan at say the Port Imperial ferry terminal in Weehawken, NJ and spend both nights in Manhattan. There are a number of sales on travelzoo.com for weekends, esp. in May.

One heads up- at least one of the girls should be 21 or over to check in to most hotels. If they're not 21, they need to pick hotels very carefully.

Can't they get a ride to Boston and take the train from there? Sounds much less complicated.

Megabus or Bolt Bus from Boston can be very inexpensive--about the same cost or cheaper than the commuter rail ticket from New Haven

Thank you all for so much wonderful and helpful information. They are planning to drive since they need to stop somewhere in CT en route home. Someone has suggested to them that they stay in Secaucus NJ and take the train in. The Crowne Plaza has rooms for $135 and they have a complimentary shuttle to the train station. All of them are over 21, but none have been to NYC on their own. Again, thanks for taking the time to help.

"“Someone has suggested to them that they stay in Secaucus NJ and take the train in.”

That doesn’t sound like too much fun to me. They should stay in the city.

www.bestparking.com is recommended for finding parking prices.

How long do they expect the ride to take that they are thinking of waiting until the next day to go into the city?

I would suspect the person who suggested Secaucus has never actually driven from Connecticut to Secaucus during rush hour, at the same time as a Yankee game, on a day when their is construction on the Cross Bronx, Cross County or Tappen Zee.

If they want to drive down, the simple question should be how far to they want to drive and how long they want to be on the train. The closer you get to the city, the shorter the train ride. But, the more risk of dealing with bad traffic during the drive.

There are numerous option. As I live in NJ and have made the brutal drive many times to Greenwich, the Secaucus option should not be among them.

I'm with Ryan, if you are cominng from Boston, you do not want drive the extra time and spend extra money to stay in NJ.

Look into the Marriott in Teaneck NJ. It is off I 95, parking is free and there is NJ transit bus service from there to Port Authority running from about 5am - 1am. Tickets are $8.50 roundtrip and ride is 15-35 min depending on traffic. Nearby they can also visit several malls in Paramus, if they like that sort of thing.