Transportation to NYC
 

We are staying at Residence Inn East Rutherford,NJ during Aug 31st to Sept 2nd. We have been to NYC quiet a few times and are just here to do mild sightseeing with other friends. My questions are:
# For Friday night say after after 9pm, if I just want to drive into NYC to see Times square, where is the cheapest place to park for an hour or 2 and get back to the hotel?
# For Sat, is it easier to take the bus from NJ in the morning and get back at night or just drive in and park if parking is cheap on Saturdays? We will be just visiting Statu of Liberty, Empire State Bldg, Ground Zero and other such things in a day.
# So if you suggest public transportation, then what is the best option for 3 adults and 15 mth kid wiht stroller? Is there any kind of subway pass for bus and train or ad hoc tickets or....anything else?
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Preeya

Should find everything you need in here preeya.

Ellis island or stature of liberty is pretty much half of your day if not all. You need to be there as early as possible (8-9am) to secure and early departure. Lines at empire state building will be long too.

I would let others fill you in on best parking as a former non driving New Yorker I can't really help you on this one.

I would do ellis island boat trip, come back to go to Roy's New York and then stroll over to ground zero.

For the child, I would consider a quick zip up to the central park zoo. That might mean cutting out the boat trip to ellis island. You can see the statue of liberty from battery park though, that could even be a drive by. Just a thought, afternoon in the park can provide a nice slice of the city with street performers and the odd celeb in the park LOL.

Do not even consider bringing a car into NYC - on any day. There is no place free to park in the tourist areas - you have to use a garage every time you park - and the rates are from $20 up for a couple of hours.

So - 3 sights, 3 garages - $60 minimum for parking.

To find garages - get rates and reservations check out iconparking.com.

To visit Statue of Liberty you need to buy timed tickets to the ferry (thus avoiding one of 3 long lines). The other long lines are security for the ferry and another line on the island before entry. It's best to get an early - before 9 am ferry - and it will take a good part of the day.

Also - do not reco the Empire State Building. Again, lines are horrendous. Instead do Top of the Rock. The views are at least as good - and again, you can get timed tickets, avoiding waiting online for long periods with a now cranky toddler.

Separately, I would not take a toddler in a stroller to Times Square. It is just too frantically busy - with sidewalks so crowded people sometimes walk in the street. Esp at night, people are likely not to notice and perhaps trip over a small stroller.

For transport into the city I would contact the hotel to find out the closest bus stop and what the schedule is. Since these are commuter buses not sure what room they would have for a stroller (city buses have room for the small foldable kind) - so you would have to check on that.

Once you get into the city you can each get a metro pass for subways and buses - but these aren't valid outside the city. Also - be aware that most subway stations have stairs only - no elevators - so toddler and stroller have to be carried up and down.

Frankly, for 3 adults a baby and stroller you may be better off with a cab in the city unless the journey is really long. It would definitely be cheaper than driving a car in.

Actually, since you're coming over Labor Day weekend when New Yorkers clear out of the city for one last summer hurrah, I think you could drive in and park on Saturday (you don't want to be on the road, in OR out of the city on the Friday of a long holiday weekend!) but...
You'd need to park in a residential neighborhood(upper east side or upper west for example) and then take subways downtown. Parking downtown near the ferries is always tough.
You also have to be patient and willing to circle around looking for a parking spot, Unfortunately, there are parking meters on all the avenues and they are operational on Saturdays so you'd have to find a spot on a side street. There are no meters on Sundays so that would be easier, but it looks like you won't be here that day?

So looking at your responses, my questions are:
1) I can find online tickets to Statue of Liberty ferry and Top of the Rock which I can buy before hand?
2) I would avoid going in Friday night with the baby, but my husband and friend would go for Times square, what is your suggestion for parking then around Times square? Are there any street parkings? Or any discount parking at night?
3) What is your recommendations for Sat sightseeing in a day? Morning Statue of Liberty, then lunch, then Brooklyn Bridge?, then Top of the rock?? Anything else? There is a first time friend who has not been to NYC with us.
Thanks.
Preeya

I have never done it but you can go from NJ, go to the SOL link and get directions. That would be easier.

No - you cannot park on the street near Times Square and since many people drive in to go to shows the garages don;t offer discounts then. Try iconparking.com for info.

If they want to drive to the upper west side - 80's or 90's they can find a free place to park on the side streets (but read the signs VERY carefully) and it shouldn;t take more than 15 minutes or so driving around. They could then subway to Times Square.

Your plan for Saturday sounds extremely ambitious with a toddler - I can;t help but imagine that you wil have a very hot and cranky child by about noon.

I don't nec. agree about not bringing in the car over the Labor Day weekend. The problem on Fri. night might be leaving the city, not coming in. But if you want to drive, just as you get out of the Lincoln Tunnel in Manhattan.if you follow signs to 42 st. there's a big park and lock multi level garage. If you'd rather valet service, go to iconparking.com and find the cheapest option near Times Square and reserve it. I see prices as low as $12-15 in the Times Square area for a few hours of parking. Their lot on 43 st b/w 5th & 6th aves. is on a good block.

If you plan on actually visiting the SOL (vs. just passing by) it is a time consuming trip but you can park at Liberty State Park in New Jersey to get to Ellis Island and then Statue of Liberty. It should be faster from the NJ side. I think you can continue on to Manhattan from the statue, but you'd then need to get back to Liberty State park from Manhattan. There's a way to do it by train, but I'm not sure how. You could try the trip planner on njtransit.com

Otherwise, I'd suggest looking for parking near the PATH train (like a subway but connects NJ to NYC) that goes to the World Trade Center stop in Manhattan.

For your latest ??

1)Yes, you can buy tix online in advance on the respective websites. I don't think buying Top of the Rock is necessary. There are usually people handing out discounts outside the venue.
I actually think if you just want to see the statue from a distance, take the free Staten Island ferry or one of the boat cruises that pass it and don't require the time consuming security checks.

2)I've answered this above.

mclaurie and preeya, there's certainly more traffic leaving the city that Friday than coming in, but that also means that the Lincoln Tunnel has more lanes designated outbound than inbound(4 outbound 2 inbound, instead of the usualy 3/3 split). And the traffic in the Times Square area will be fierce from midday and into the early evening.
I wouldn't hesitate to drive in on Saturday, but Friday evening seems much tougher. After 9 pm will probably be better, but I personally wouldn't bother.