What an eye opener...just checked online rates for garages in the area and was blown away. Shame on me for not thinking ahead.

Anyone have any ideas for a "cheap(er)" place to leave the family truckster than $48 per 24 hour block? Checked ICON Parking online and was hoping for something better.

We plan on arriving mid-day on Saturday and leaving late afternoon on Sunday, 30 hours in the garage, which seems to jack up the rates since it is more than one "day."

Thanks for any/all help/advice you can offer.

BTW, traveling with an infant (and all her gear) so training it from Jersey City (where garages are much cheaper) is not an option.

If you go very far east - like First Avenue you might save a few dollars on the garage.

Or - if you want to park for free you could drop everyone at the hotel then drive to a residential area (upper east side in your case) and drive around until you find a free space. It will be safe until Mon AM from street cleaning laws.

The only problem is your refeence to truckster. Exactly how big is this thing?

If it's really large you may not find any spaces big enough for it (I can;t tell you how many times I watched someone try to park an enormous Cherokee unsucessfully, give up, drive away and then zip in with my Integra. (Most open spots will be for midsize cars and smaller.)

This will cost only subway fare in both directions - but might take a really long time if you have a huge vehicle.

Some hotels are now including parking with their rate. I know the Westin and Sheratons often have parking deals.

Thanks for the great info. "Truckster" was a joke...it is just a Honda wagon. Nothing too big at all.

So there are no meter rules? No meters? Or meters aren't checked on Sat./Sun.?

Thanks again.

Meters are checked everyday, including Sat/Sun. The fine is upwards of $100, so it's not worth it. Most have limits (30 min-2 h), so it's difficult to do this overnight. You can usually find parking along the streets in the 30s, 40s, and 50s b/t 1st and the river or b/t 1st and 2nd Ave. You'll have to drive around a bit, but you'll find something eventually.

Anything over 24 hrs. you're paying for 2 days. On iconparking I've seen as little as $40 for more than 24 hrs. The garages in the Murray Hill area (south of the Grand Central area) are a bit cheaper. If you get dropped with baby and gear, alternate driver if there is one can go almost anywhere in Manhattan to drop the car.

lizziea06 is a little behind the times. Meters are not enforced on Sundays in New York. So, what you might do is just park overnight Saturday, then take the car out and park it on the street Sunday morning. Actually, it's fairly easy to find parking spaces in many areas of the city on Sunday.
If you go further east, away from Grand Central, you'll find garage rates much cheaper.

Oops! Howard is right. I didn't realize that they put a new meter law into effect last fall. I guess that's what happens when you haven't driven a car in a few years

bodiaz6, if you do find a parking spot on the street, be sure to remove all valuables (like an umbrella, a book, a can of soda) and leave the glove compartment open. Remove your radio if possible. Leave the car unlocked! When you come down in the am to get your car, be sure to bring a cup of coffee for the bum sleeping in your car; and thank him for protecting your car. Have a wonderful trip in the best city in the country!

Okay, I may be behind the times on parking meters, but I assure you that it's perfectly safe to park your car on the street in most of Manhattan. Especially the streets in east 40s, due to the presence of the UN and the many embassies that line thse blocks. Bodi - as long as you stay below 96th st. on the east side, your car will be FINE.

There are meters on the avenues (north and south main streets only). The side streets (numbered residential streets - like 65, 66, 67 etc) do not have meters and most places on those streets can be parked on from cleaning time on Fri until cleaning time on Monday. Naturally you have to look for specific signs, hydrants etc - but most places can be used for parking.

The further uptown you go the easier it will be to find spots - 70's easier than 60's and 80's easier than 70's. Would not park above 96th St.

Of course it is safe to leave your car on the street! That poster was joking about the tramp sleeping in your car!

The post about the bum sleeping in the car brought a smile of recognition to my face. Many years ago (when I was young and inexperienced), I inadvertently forgot to lock my car in New York. When I returned to it several hours later, sure enough, there was a homeless man sleeping in the back seat of my car.

ekscrunchy: yes I'm joking; BUT it's based on fact. I'm a New Yorker and I know people whose car have been broken into to steal an umbrella! And don't tell me radios aren't stolen from cars. I've seen plenty of signs in cars that say "radio already stolen"; and a lot of wires sticking out of where the radio was. I'll admit its been a while since I lived in NY, maybe things have changed. ALSO, I loved your use of the word tramp (as I'm a Foder Tramper myself) but it is politically incorrect, and offensive to tramps who are willing to work as they travel, unlike bums. I once saw a real hobo (carrying all his stuff wraped in cloth, on the back of a stick-just a perfect sterotypical picture) and pointed him out to my kids. My 5 year old yelled at me for not being PC: "daddy, he's not a hobo, he's a hobosexual!" [ekscrunchy, I hope you laughed so you know I was in no way slamming you or criticising you in any way, shape or form].

my whole point to the OP was it is safer IMO to park in a lot than on the street.

No offense taken! I think I used tramp because I read it in your handle. Anyway, it IS safer to park in a garage but I would not feel too nervous parking on the street, either....let's not scare these visitors too much!

Assuming you have a good alarm system that is obvious (and it wouldn't hurt to use one of those steering wheely lock things) your car is as safe parked on the streetsof New York as almost anywhere else outdoors.

But naturally parking on the street or in an ungaurded lot is not as safe as a garage.

The bigger issue is - are you wiling to give up a couple of hours of vacation time rather than spending the money to put in in the garage?