Firstly, It is my personal recomendation that you avoid driving into the city if you can. Parking in Manhattan is typically hard to find. Garages are pretty expensive, with some costing up to $50.00 per day. Parkings signs can sometimes be confusing, and if you read them wrong you could, and most likely will, get a ticket which will cost you around $150.00, or get towed, which could end up costing you around $400.00. You should also take into account the cost of tolls, which can be up to $10.00. There are many, many ways to get into Manhattan without a car. You can use the New York Subway, New Jersey Transit, Long Island Railroad, and Metro North. And don’t forget that there are no Hotels that provide their own Parking lots. Your absolute best bet would be to avoid driving, but if you can’t, here are some tips to get cheap Parking.

Parking Tips

  • Pay close attention to the street signs. There are different regulations, and rules for many avenues and streets in New York City, so make sure to read them carefully to avoid tickets, and towing. There are many streets that only allow commercial parking, and you will be ticketed for this.
  • Parking is always free on sundays. While this is great, this just means that there will be more people competing for the same spots.
  • Make sure you are at least 15 feet from any fire hydrants. You will be ticketed for this.
  • Don’t forget about street cleaning, which happens twice every week. One side is cleaned on each day, and there will be signs indicating when that’s happening. A ticket for one of these violations can cost you up to $65.00
  • Don’t double park. Forgetting the fact that it could end up getting you a ticket, it clogs up the streets and creates more traffic, which we want to avoid.
  • Watch out for street parking meters. If the meter is broken, you will not get a ticket. If you do happen to get one, take a picture of the broken meter, and your car, then just bring it to court with you and it will most likely get dismissed. The fee for each parking meter will be posted directly on it. There are near 50,000 parking meters in New York City, so be careful. Also, please note the maximum time you can park at a meter.
  • Best places to find street parking are going to be quieter streets. This has mostly proven to be true for me. The heavily populated avenues will be clogged with people, and most of the time, all the spots will be taken. I would personally look on the far west, and far east parts of Manhattan, as they will most likely provide the cheapest, and best places for parking.
  • If you absolutely can’t find a spot, start looking for parking garages, as they will be your best bet for cheap parking in new york city.

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