Getting around New York City for most people usually means either riding the subways or taxicabs. Well, we went around the city and did neither and instead decided to be adventurous and drive around with the kids.
It certainly was quite an experience. We always rode the subways on previous NY trips before the kids. But, we were staying in Long Island visiting family for this trip so we had a rental car. Train and subway fares would have added more to our already pricey rate for the rental car coming from Long Island so we decided to make use of having a car.
We also decided to drive because we thought it would be a bit easier with the kids and walking around. Well, we couldn’t have been more wrong. It was a very stresstful drive through the city and from the city to JFK airport. We used to live in Los Angeles and have driven the crazy, hilly San Francisco streets. Heck, we even survived driving through “we honk for everything” Puerto Rico but nothing compares to NYC. By the way, we saw $350 penalty for honking signs in NYC. It makes me wonder how they enforce that.
We drove on a Saturday and on a Tuesday so we got a feel for both light and heavy traffic. Our GPS was going crazy since it couldn’t quite get a signal with the surrounding tall buildings. The Google maps on our Iphones was also too slow to react and pinpoint our location.
The large number of buses and taxis on the streets (many of them with one-way directions) and some pedestrians who don’t seem to care about crosswalks and signal lights were all contributing factors to a stressful experience trying to get around Manhattan.
My husband found a Best Parking website for parking garages around the city with great discounts. The site shows various garages near your specified location and their rates. They have them for other cities too. On our first night of sightseeing, we parked close to Times Square for $10 (for 3 hours) which turned out to be a good idea and a reasonably short walk. On our 2nd day of sightseeing, we parked on 55th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues for $15 from 10 AM – 4PM. It was a great location to walk to nearby 5th avenue, Central Park and Top of the Rock. We just printed out the coupon and showed it to an attendant.
Living in Southern California, we hardly have toll roads and those are mainly used by commuters. We had to cross to NJ for Liberty park and paid $18 in tolls to get back to Long Island via the Holland Tunnel and Midtown tunnel. Wow, sticker shock! We initally set our GPS to avoid toll roads. Don’t do it! Our GPS couldn’t find a way to get us out other than routing us to a route which could have added another hour.
Those tunnels will make anyone become claustrophobic by the way. We’re not used to long tunnels so it was a bit nerve-wracking driving through them.
It was a harrowing experience but we came out in one piece. In hindsight, we will never drive in NYC ever again. We plan to park in one of the boroughs and take the subway into the city next time. So, we hope our experience will be a lesson learned for someone.
Tips for getting around:
- Don’t drive. If you absolutely have to drive, go to this site for best parking spots or go after 6 PM or 10 AM for better prices on garages. While you’re at it, turn the GPS off. Get a map and have someone navigate the old fashioned way.
- Find the nearest free park and ride outside of Manhattan and near a train/subway station and take the train/subway into and around the city. It may costs a bit more than having the rental car and paying for everyone’s fare but it will be worth every penny.
- Though a bit pricey for a family, Hop-on Hop-off bus tours may also be a good alternative. There are quite a few tour companies so it may help to read reviews and compare costs on each one.
- If you will be riding the subways and you have a smartphone, get the Metro app. This is an invaluable tool to help navigate the subways showing shortest routes, transfers and trip durations. Also, look into day passes for the subways to save money.
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Wow!! You guys are brave! I don’t think I’ll ever drive in NYC.
I’m really looking forward to perusing the rest of your NYC series. Aside from WDW, NYC really is one of my favorite places to be. I haven’t been in a few years, and the kidlets have never been. I’m itching to go back, and we almost decided to head East for spring break, but a friend wanted to hit WDW for their first trip, so we’re headed South East. Haha!! Oh, well, I’ll live vicariously through your posts until we decide when to “start spreadin’ the news…”