Traveling to New York

[maineballet]

My dd and I are going to New York for a weekend of auditions. We are coming down from Portland Maine and I am thinking about parking somewhere outside the city and taking the train in. Can anyone tell me where is the best place? I pulled up the schedules and it's hard to tell about the parking question. Myabe some of you commuters will know the answer. Thanks in advance.

 

Maine Ballet

[ashatNYU]

Knock knock ... not a parent.

 

When I used to drive into the city a lot in college we found that parking in Hoboken or Jersey City was a good bet. In Hoboken especially there are a lot of garages and lots and the commute into the city is easy on the PATH train. I don't know about extended stay options, but just thought I would throw in my two cents.

[Nycbdancer]

Eh, not a parent but been to NYC several times with one who refuses to drive there.

 

This may or may not help much, but here's how we did it. We drove to Albany, about a hour and a half drive, and took the train from there for a full three day weekend trip to NYC with no problems whatsoever and I'm assuming it was a lot cheaper than somewhere nearer the city. Don't know if that'd work out for you, but since you're coming from Maine, it might be a possibility.

 

Happy New Year's and Good luck with whatever you choose.

[gbna]

Go to Boston. The competition is easier, but if you must, here are the trains. Try New Haven CT

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/mnr/

[BW]

If you decide to drive into NYC and park, you may find these two threads, found in the General Questions section of the SI forum, helpful in re parking: NYC Tourist Info and Auditioning at City Center.

[Treefrog]

Since your drive down from Maine will pretty much parallel the Amtrak route from Boston onwards, you have your pick of stations. You can park in Providence and let Amtrak do the driving for you, or drive most of the way -- say, to Stamford, CT or Rye, NY -- and then train in.

[vagansmom]

Since you're coming from Maine, it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to drive to NJ, which is south of NY. You might as well drive straight into the city for that matter.

 

Stamford, CT's a great station to take the train from. I used to do it all the time in the days when I was afraid to drive in. It's very safe nowadays, there's always plenty of people around, and because it's a hub, there are lots of trains. It's not large so you won't feel overwhelmed either. My 20 year old daughter takes this train into the city, frequently alone, all the time and often at very weird hours.

 

You'd be taking a Metro North train into NYC. They have both express and local trains to NYC. Stamford train station has a parking garage that's reasonably priced as far as such things go, and I feel safe arriving back at my car no matter how late at night. There's plenty of security.

 

I found that Rye and New Rochelle were too small, I didn't feel especially safe when I was the only one waiting at the station, and parking was a pain.

 

Driving into NYC isn't as bad as you think as long as you choose a good route. If you get up the courage, send me a PM and I'll give you the best route.

[msd053]

I would have to agree with vagansmom. Driving into Manhatten is really not that bad. If you are coming in for the weekend were is your hotel? Some have ready parking available. You can even get lucky sometimes and get on the street parking. If you are staying outside the city and driving in for the audition you may just want to consider parking at Lincoln Center if your audition is at SAB. It is not the least expensive but is convienent and you don't have to valet park. You park your car and lock it.