Hi everyone,

I live here in Delaware and will be going into NYC this weekend... the Valentine's treat for my fiancee. =)

We are staying at the Sheraton Tower by the Theater District and their valet parking is not cheap. I have heard rumors, however, that there are places to park in NJ and you can take the train right into the city.

Does anyone how to do this? Where to drive to, park, which train to take, etc?

Does anyone have another idea on saving some money, rather than paying the valet for three days... which I believe is $47 per day.

I looked at Amtrak but that is not cheap, either.

NJ Transit is the best deal on public transportation.

Not sure which train stations are free parking and which are pay parking.

I would suggest the Metropark station in Iselin, NJ, exit 131A off the Garden State Parkway. It is right off the GSP, has a large parking garage, and has parking for $9/day. You would then take any NJ Transit train to New York Penn Station (not Newark Penn Station) for $8 each way (or $13.75 round trip if you're traveling at non-rush hour times, including all day Sat, Sun, and President's Day). Some trains may be express so will be a bit faster (check the schedules when you get to the platform). The NJ Transit website is http://www.njtransit.com, so you can get more details there. You could also check out the Hamilton station, which is farther south (near Trenton) and has a large parking garage as well.

Enjoy your trip,
Paul

Where in Delaware do you live?

You can take SEPTA R2 (which stops in Wilmington, Newark DE plus several other towns) into Philadelphia. Get off at 30th streee station and change for R7 to Trenton NJ. From Trenton NJ, you can pick up NJ Transit which goes into Penn Station NY.

Not fast, but defintiely cheaper than driving into the city.
http://www.septa.com/

Before you decide to park in New Jersey, have a look at iconparking.com and bestparking.com for more favorable rates nearby.

Also, call the hotel and ask for the self-parking rate in their garage. Usually, it's considerably less than the valet rate and you park in the same garage used by the hotel.

Also have a look at www.nywaterway.com

Keep in mind that, if you park in NJ, then head for NYC, you'll be hauling your bags with you.

I find the most reasonable rate on Icon or BestParking within a reasonable walk from the hotel, then my husband drops me and the bags off at the hotel, parks the car, and walks back to the hotel. By that time, I have room keys. We do the reverse when leaing.

You can opt for even lower rates if you don't mind a taxi or bus ride back to the hotel.

I think you've gotten all the possible options. I'll just mention that the nywaterway.com option might be quite romantic and a nice way to start the weekend. Drive to Port Imperial ferry terminal in Weehawken, NJ. Parking there is $10/day and then take the ferry over to Manhattan. The co. then has a free bus that will take you very close to your hotel.
http://nywaterway.com/Home/RidetheFe...5/Default.aspx

The ferry ride is not cheap ($7.75/person), but it's probably the nicest way to get to Manhattan.

For me, parking the car, taking a ferry, then bus, with luggage, in winter weather, would not qualify as "romantic" or a nice way to start the weekend.

And, departing for home, I think it's worth quite a bit extra to just load the bags in the car and head home, rather than drag bags on bus, ferry, retrieve vehicle from parking lot...