DH is flying into NYC (probably JFK) for a day meeting and then needs to drive to CT and then back to Boston - so he will be doing a one-way car rental.

Should he rent car at JFK, drive to meeting - where is there parking nearby? Then continue trip (overnight will be in Waterbury, CT).

Or take cab to meeting, rent car at downtown location (any suggestions close by) and then continue trip.

He is OK driving himself in NYC, has GPS, and plenty of time to get lost unless it snows.

Sounds like a business trip. In that case, it might be a reasonable thing to rent at JFK and drop in Boston.

For parking garages near 2 Park Ave., try using this website:

http://nyc.bestparking.com

You can plug in the date, time and address and get estimates of parking fees, and, in some cases, make a reservation.

BTW, driving in NYC is a heck of a lot less aggravating than driving in Boston.

Since it usually costs a lot more to rent a car in Manhattan than at the airport, I suspect he'll do better driving into the city and paying for a couple of hours' parking. But it's a straight shot out of the Midtown Tunnel over to 2 Park Ave., so it's a particularly easy trip.

If he wants to take a taxi into town, I recently rented from Alamo on 31st/Lex for $62 per day. That's about a 5-minute walk from 2 Park Ave. For that kind of price, he could afford take a taxi into the city.

A final option (probably the most expensive) would be to rent the car at a Metro North station in CT.

Driving into NYC is a pain, as is driving out, which is why I sometimes rent near a train station so I don't have to drive into or out of Manhattan.

There is no right or wrong answer imo. It's really what he's happiest doing. If it's a business trip and cost will be expensed, he should do what's most comfortable for him. Depending on where in Ct. he's going, I'd seriously consider taking the train if it stops near his destination and he only has 1 stop to make.

If he wants to rent a car and doesn't really care where, I'd either rent it in Manhattan after the meeting or somewhere on the way to Ct. or in Ct. Sometimes renting in Manhattan is no more expensive than at the airport (and sometimes it's even less w/o airport taxes). Driving from JFK if you're not familiar with it can be a hassle and if it's rush hour, ugh.

Here's an article from NY Magazine listing some car rental locations near train stations.
http://nymag.com/bestofny/fun/2008/halfcar/

Hmm. 2 Park Ave. That sounds like near Union Square. there's a pking garage one block away on Irving place right near 17th St.

Hmm. 2 Park Ave. That sounds like near Union Square. there's a pking garage one block away on Irving place right near 17th St.


Park Avenue starts at 34th Street. Park Avenue South runs from 17th Street to 33rd Street.

!Aja', Sen~or Adu! Me equivoque'. Gracias

De nada

2 Park Avenue is NOT near Union Square. The numbering on Park Ave starts over in Murray Hill. 2 Park Ave is at 33rd Street.

Where is he going in CT? It may be easiest to cab into Manhattan from JFK and then take Metro-North from Grand Central (right near 2 Park Ave). Also, there is a Hertz station at the Stamford Metro-North station (express stop). So, he could just cab from JFK to 2 Park Ave, then take the train to Stamford and rent a car from there.

Gail, I'd actually do what lisettemac suggests and have him wait to rent the car in Stamford.

This might actually be a faster alternative than renting a car either at the airport or in Manhattan. Plus, he doesn't have to negotiate the very confusing (to me) roads to get out of Manhattan. I've done it several times now, and I get completely stressed out.

If he doesn't have a lot of luggage, he might even consider taking the Airtrain/LIRR combination into Penn Station instead of a taxi. It can often be faster if you are traveling during rush hour, and then it's a short taxi ride or a 15-minute walk to 2 Park Ave from Penn Station.