2 couples will be on a road trip and will be driving from New London (CT) to NYC for a night and we're trying to decide on the best kind of transportation to take into the city. We'd prefer to park outside of the city and take the train or bus in but not sure where the best (cheapest, safest and easiest to find) place is to park to depart from. We'll be staying at the Wellington in Midtown Manhattan and then will be departing the next afternoon to continue on our road trip to PA.

Check out the NJ Transit Park N Ride link: http://www.njtransit.com/sf_bus_parkandride.shtm

I'd click on Hudson County (the closest county to the Lincoln Tunnel entrance)and see your options (which i'll give my opinions on here):

Port Imprial Ferry: nice but a little pricey. You can park for $6/24 hours and take the Ferry into NYC which is a nice way to travel, but will cost ~$10/pp round trip. Shuttle bus wil then drop you off at numerous locations throughout the city.

North Bergen Park N Ride: 10 minute bus ride into NYC via the Lincoln Tunnel. Probably your best bet. Parking should be ~$5/day (never done it, so this is a guess). Bus fare about $2. Just make sure the bus schedule is convenient for when you think you may be traveling.

Thanks!

Call me crazy but I think that with your projected itinerary you'd be better off to drive into the city, get some moderately priced overnight parking and then continue driving the next day. There's no truly simple and easy way to get from New London CT to the NJ area across from NYC without going through the city. If you do a park 'n ride you still have to deal with luggage transport and the cost of getting all four people over to the city and back, not to mention the time it will take to do this. What time of day do you expect to arrive and depart NYC? If you leave New London early (perhaps between 7 and 10 AM) you'd be coming into NYC from 278 (BQE) on the Triborough (59th Street) bridge late morning or mid-day. This is the easiest time of day for traffic approaching the city as you're not in rush hour. You could drop off two people at the hotel with luggage, pop around the corner and head across town to 11th Ave,. There's a discount parking area there that offers a shuttle bus back to most points in midtown. Cosy should be less than $20 for up to 24 hours with tax included. When you're ready to leave (perhaps late morning the next day?), just have all four of you get the shuttle back to the parking lot, head straight down 11th Ave and right into the Lincoln Tunnel entrance by 41st Street. This is a an easy way to get out of the city and will take you straight out to Rte 3/46 and into Rt 80 to head to central PA. If you're heading towards Philly there's a NJ turnpike entrance a few miles after you enter NJ from the tunnel. When I consider all other options this makes far more sense than park n' ride for your particular needs.

We'll be departing New London CT for NYC around 8am on a Tuesday and then we'll be heading back out of the city the following day after the 1pm Yankees game, bound for Gettysburg. This is our first trip out to the East Coast, so the simpler the route the better! Thanks everyone for the options!

Suggest you consider driving right into the city. By the time you arrive traffic should not be a major problem. There is a parking lot at 61st and 11th Ave. (West End Ave) where you can park for around $20. I believe the parking lot provides a shuttle bus that would take you 57th and 7th, two short blocks to the Wellington. If there is no shuttle service a taxi to the hotel would cost less than $6. The train to the city from the suburbs would cost much more. Driving into the city would also be a time saver. After the game you would be at your car less than 15 minutes after checking out. If you park outside the city it is going to take at least one hour or more to get to your car. Then you have to fight traffic getting to and out of the city, possibly another hour or more. Getting to the parking lot is not a problem. Take 95 towards the GW Bridge. Get off at the last exit in the Bronx (181st St). Head south (Downtown) on the West Side Highway. When you get to 56th St. make a left onto 56th. Go one block to 11th Ave., make a left and go 5 blocks to the parking lot. To get to the Stadium from the hotel - walk to 57Th and 8th. Enter the subway and take a D train to 161st Street - subway is across the street from the Stadium. Subway trip is less than 20 minutes - a lot faster than a taxi