Dropping Off Sister For College in NYC. Driving from Texas. Need Advice. (New York: appliances)

[ekarl17]

Hello,

I have a long story before asking you the question.....

My parents and I will be dropping off my sister for college in New York City. She doesn't know what college she is exactly attending (NYU, Pace or St. John's). Still deciding and weighing all the factors. My sister and I (17 and 21) have been to NYC last November and stayed at a hotel near Central Park for about a week while "visiting" the city and of course all her colleges. It was a great unforgettable trip for both us since it was our firstime traveling alone. Well now this time, we are planning in driving from Katy,TX (Houston Suburb) to NYC in August. My question would be...what is the best option to park our car either free or very inexpensively in Manhattan since we also plan to travel to local attractions while helping my sister move to her dorm at either at one of the mentioned universities.

Thank you guys so much for taking your time!
Karl
Texas A&M 2011 Whoop!!

[bluedog2]

Originally Posted by ekarl17

....... My question would be...what is the best option to park our car either free or very inexpensively in Manhattan since we also plan to travel to local attractions while helping my sister move to her dorm at either at one of the mentioned universities............

Doesn't exist unless you find a hotel( there are some) that includes free parking.
Don't be parking a car loaded up with stuff though.Best to go to the dorm first and unload.

[Coney]

Do not expect to be able to just pull your car up next to the dorm building in NYU or at Pace and just start unloading. There is no place to leave your car. You will be able to do this at St. John's. I suggest you buy most of what you need after you arrive in NY and ship the rest. That Bed, Bath, and Beyond college shopping offer will work for you if she goes to St. John's, but not if she attends school in Manhattan. I am not even sure if there is a BBB in Manhattan and even if there is, it will be hard to lug all that stuff from the store to the dorm unless you get a cab and have a bunch of people to help carry it all.

[TurtleCreek80]

There are two BB&B's in Manhattan (6th Ave in the 10's is closest to NYU). They deliver same-day for a small fee. Container Store is also on that stretch of 6th and also delivers.

There is absolutely NO need to drive from Texas. When I moved to NYC (from Texas), I packed & shipped all my clothes and personal belongings (pictures, etc) via UPS and flew up to the city. Once here, a few trips to BB&B, Crate & Barrel, and Bloomingdale's later, I had everything I needed from furniture to mattress/bedding, kitchen appliances, etc.

Parking in Manhattan is easily $20-30/day.

[bmwguydc]

Are you planning on parking the car and then touring the city, or will you need the car? I ask because it's less expensive to park on the far west side (west Midtown) or northern Manhattan. And, will you need a regular spot, or will you need an SUV or Minivan or luxury car spot? All of those can have surcharges at Manhattan garages, and there are garages that cannot accommodate larger SUVs and vans. Some hotels don't have terrible rates for guests, and some do offer in-out privileges with daily parking charges.

Check rates, and you can also book in advance, on Bestparking.com if you want to arrange your own parking for the vehicle.

Street parking is difficult in many areas, and it's only free until you get hit with parking tickets that could have easily paid for the parking garage, so a garage is better. And, your vehicle is safer in a garage, since vandalism can occur in any neighborhood.

ETA: If you are unloading and don't have a designated zone, you may park in front of a hydrant, but it must be during daylight hours; and the driver may not leave the vehicle. If the driver sets foot outside the vehicle, you are parked, and subject to citation; however, if you stay in the driver's seat with the keys and all relevant documentation to move the vehicle legally if required to do so, you are legal. Also, this applies in a regular parking zone that has a hydrant, not a hydrant covered by any other type of no parking regulation. Pay attention to the signs. Here's a link for information, NYC parking ticket codes (relevant section for this exception is 40): http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/par...olations.shtml One other issue with this is you cannot leave the vehicle open, you must take things out of it, close it up so that it can be moved at a moment's notice, go inside, and come back to do the same.

[latikeriii]

You're an Aggie..nooo. As a Longhorn and former Texan, I agree with everyone above, parking is almost impossible. What you can do is unload your car at an off-peak hour and then parking it in an outer borough. Look up NYC's parking website(as listed above) in an area that has no parking restrictions. Long Island City, Queens close to the #7 subway which is only one stop from Grand Central has lots of unrestricted parking. I even left my car over there for a week and didn't get a ticket. However, it'll probably be hard to find a parking spot after 5-6pm. It is a pretty safe area though.

[ekarl17]

Thank You Guys!! Yes I am an Aggie haha. Well sorry if you missunderstood me but here is the plan

:my parents and I plan to drive there because they wanna see where my sister is staying? We will get a hotel in the Upperwestside on 96street and broadway and try to leave the van there (ossibly a parking garage, since it seems afer according to the grateful comments!!)and then ride the subway around the city but to actually drop off my sister's belongings then I guess we will drive, of course that depends on what university she decides to go in. She is still deciding.

Thanks

[taydev]

I'm from TX also and that is a looooong drive! Good luck with the road trip and finding a spot in the city. I had to pay $35 for parking per day during my visits. I didn't even use the damn car anyway lol! I walked and took the train the whole time! congrats to your sister, i'm trying to enter NYU myself.