i agree with the others that harrison is a good option - it's a straight shot down I-280 from parsippany, and you don't have to deal with the holland/lincoln tunnel traffic or the parking issues around NYU. the area around the harrison PATH station can feel desolate late at night since no one lives within a few blocks of the station, but it isn't dangerous. as long as you use basic common sense, you shouldn't have to worry about your safety.
also, parking near the station is relatively easy. there are plenty of metered spots near the station that empty out after 5pm - and if i'm not mistaken, these meters are free after 6pm, so you'd only need to insert the minimum number of quarters to take you to 6:00. there are also free street spots in harrison if you're willing to walk 10+ minutes north, northwest, or northeast of the station. and you could always park at one of the many pay lots near the station, although the costs would add up after a while so i'd only do that if you're pressed for time and no meters are available.
if you do decide to drive all the way into the city, you should definitely try to carpool to cut down on costs. just be aware that traffic into the city during the late afternoon rush hour can be really heavy (even though it's technically against the flow of traffic), especially on thursdays and fridays, when it could take well over an hour from parsippany. earlier in the week, late afternoon traffic into the city tends to be lighter for some reason, although you really have to listen to the traffic reports beforehand to verify this.
as another poster mentioned, there are many streets in manhattan that become free legal parking after 6pm or 7pm (depends on the street). there are also a number of metered spots in the nyu area - some need to be paid until 10pm, some until 6pm, and so forth. although i probably wouldn't recommend driving into the city unless you have a ton of experience driving
and parking in manhattan, you do stand a much better chance of nabbing a spot quickly during the 5pm-7pm timeframe than you would beforehand or afterward. just be sure to read the street signs very carefully.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Just1Lion
if you take the PATH from Harrison, you have to switch trains in Journal Sq (or maybe exchange place) to get to the 33rd street line. right? atleast you used to. its been a couple of years for me.
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yeah, the transfer is at journal square, not exchange place.
the OP would ride the PATH train from harrison to journal square, then walk across the platform at JSQ and catch the 33rd street-bound train. get off at 9th street and then walk a few blocks to NYU.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dsmgvr4
I graduated from NYU in 1999 and used to go from NJ to NYU via Newark Penn to PATH to Journal Square and switch to PATH toward 33rd but get off at 9th....walk out the station and turn left to go toward Washington Square Park. Doesn't the PATH go STRAIGHT to 9th from Harrison? I believe the line was HARRISON----Christopher st-----9th----14th----23----33rd. It may have changed since 9-11, not sure
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during my entire lifetime, the PATH train has never gone directly from harrison to christopher/9th/14th/23rd/33rd streets. passengers who board at newark and harrison have always had to switch trains at JSQ.
perhaps things were different back in the '60s or earlier, not sure.
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