January 15, 2009
One of the most bewildering things for tourists and locals alike in this vast city has to be our many parking garages, the varying rates they charge based on vehicle size and time of day, and simply where to park. Fortunately Margot Tohn has all the answers with her 2009 NYC Complete Guide to Parking Garages, a terrific, comprehensive and easy-to-read volume that costs less than one hour of parking your car in a Midtown garage! With a color-coded neighborhood map that allows you to quickly find parking garages by area, Tohn has rate information and insider tips to 1,100 garages and parking lots—so you'll become an expert on how to choose a garage, how to understand rates, and how to tip—as well as how to make a complaint! Most importantly, there is a parking tax calculator, and as anyone who has ever parked a car in New York knows well, this can be truly bedeviling to calculate. You'll also find major landmarks and hospitals, tips for parking in the Theater District as well as gas stations and car washes in this guide, so it's also handy for folks who are perennial alternate-side parkers and don't use garages. The slender book fits nicely in your glove compartment, and its handy companion Parking Garge Map is a brilliant laminated fold-out map showing all garages and outdoor lots, again color-coded by neighborhood. We at NYC.com keep the fold-out map in the office and the book in the car, so we know at all times how to quickly find garages when tourists ask us.
Some interesting facts we've learned from Tohn's third annual Manhattan parking garage survey:
• Manhattan has 100,000 spaces for monthly and transient parking
• Average posted price for monthly parking increased from $315 to $431
• Lower rates for transient parking can be found closest to the Hudson and East Rivers
• 88% of all garages charge an average surcharge of $10 for SUVs and oversize cars; your best bet to park that hulking vehicle for less would be above 110th Street
• 66% of garages are open 24 hours
• The smallest garage is 324 East 11th Street, with 7 spaces
13 hotels have their own garage—and you can book rooms there right here and right now at NYC.com:
Crowne Plaza, Hampton Inn, Hilton, Holiday Inn, Hyatt, Marriott, Millenium Hilton, New York Palace, Park Lane, Parker-Meridien, Skyline Hotel, Trump Parc, and the Waldorf-Astoria.
You can find the NYC Complete Guide to Parking Garages at reputable bookstores all over the tri-state area as well as at Amazon.com. You can also buy the book directly from www.parkitguides.com.
Tags:
garages, lots, new york hotel parking, parking, theater district
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Posted on 1/15/2009
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