[FlaRan]

Hello All! I am on the brink of accepting a job in mid-town Manhattan and am looking at commuting options. I think I have settled on Connecticut with a Metro-North rail commute into the city. Question: Are there problems finding commuter parking at any stations? Which stations are best? Please help. Any responses here will most likely drive my decision as to what areas to look, what realtor to contact, etc. Thanks for any and all input.

[JayCT]

You do not indicate which town you are interested in living in. Parking at train stations in Connecticut is generally at a premium along the coast. It depends where you want to live. Most stations offer day parking and there are garages in Bridgeport and Stamford. Fairfield is constructing a new station that will have 1500 parking spaces available but it will not be completed until 2009. Your realtor should be able to answer these questions. Good luck, Jay

[joanchris2000]

There is also a garage in South Norwalk, I know as of a year ago, there were plenty of spaces to be had there.

[FlaRan]

Thanks for the replies. I am open on which town. I will want to rent (I am stuck owning a house in Florida in a tough real estate market) a single family home or townhouse since I have a large dog. I was interested in Greenwich simply because I've heard of it and because I work in the financial industry. However, my commute is very important and I would rather live someplace where I feel safe (i.e., where I can comfortably walk the dog at all hours), but where I have easy access to parking at a rail station. Any suggestions are welcome. Ease of parking will help me choose a town.

[JayCT]

I am not sure how hard it is to park at the stations in Greenwich but keep in mind that rentals there will be pricey. Greenwich is one of the most expensive suburbs in the country. You can contact the town's parking authority for information on parking at the train stations. They should be able to tell you if there is a waiting list or not. Check what rentals are available on craiglist.com or in the Greenwich Times and Stamford Advocate. Good luck, Jay

[donin13]

Hi, I usually park in the Bridgeport garage when I take the train into NY. I am always terrified going back at night. My daughter and her friends are taking the train in and then taking PATH to a concert in New Jersey. The car will be parked overnight. Bridgeport seems like a bad idea. Does anyone know about the parking in Fairfield or Southport? Any idea on cost for overnight and how well lite the lots are? Thanks!

[HelloSam]

For the OP, there are always day parking spots in the big lot behind the main Greenwich train station, and at a quarter per hour, it's a bargain.

For donin13, parking is always safe at Fairfield if you can find it. Day parking is $6.00, and there are usually spots in the lot on Mill Plain Road by the 95 exit. If you leave your car overnight, you'll get envelopes to pay for two days of parking. I've left my car overnight there before, no worries, very well lit.

[toddb]

Originally Posted by FlaRan

Hello All! I am on the brink of accepting a job in mid-town Manhattan and am looking at commuting options. I think I have settled on Connecticut with a Metro-North rail commute into the city. Question: Are there problems finding commuter parking at any stations? Which stations are best? Please help. Any responses here will most likely drive my decision as to what areas to look, what realtor to contact, etc. Thanks for any and all input.

Like the other's said, depends on what town you choose. One thing to keep in mind is that you might want to focus some of your home searching on areas around the train station so you can walk instead of drive. Many of the stations are in the middle of a downtown-type of area, which are well-lit, populated by shops and restaurants. Stamford might be a good option to look into.

Just my $.02, but being that you are in Finance, you might want to do a cost analysis of owning your FL home and renting in CT, vs. taking a loss when selling your FL home and buying in CT. It could be several years before the housing market in FL recovers enough to make a good amount of $$ on your home there, and depending on the cost of the home it might not be worth it to wait.

[smackfu]

I always park at Darien. There's a commercial lot that's closer to the station than most of the town parking that has reasonable rates and that's never full. (Also, they tend to not bother paying someone to take your money past a certain time in the morning, so if you're going in late, it's free.)