What Is the Best Way to Find Parking in New York City

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Find Parking in New York City

Are you currently on your way to visit New York City for the first time? What Is the Best Way to Find Parking in New York City? Are you a relatively new resident to New York City that’s primarily going to be taking a car to work? If so, then you need to know the ins and outs of how to find parking in New York City.

Doing so can help you lower the costs of parking, ensure a parking space when you need it, and help you beat out other people for a spot.

See below for an in-depth guide on how to find parking in New York City, and the best ways to lock in a spot, as well as a cost-friendly rate.

1. Use a Parking App

As you’ll undoubtedly find when you go to park in New York City, parking spots are at a premium. With over 8.5 million residents (that doesn’t include visitors) in the city, it’s easy to see why parking can be hard to come by.

For that reason, you’ll need to take preventative measures. If driving a car is your best means of transportation, then you will want to download a credible parking app.

Doing so can help you in several ways. First, it can help you find the best rates for parking within the area that you’re looking for. So if you’re going to Madison Square Garden for a Knicks game, you can find reasonable prices before tip-off.

Second, it can help you reserve a spot before they’re all spoken for. This is especially important for those of you fighting NYC traffic to get to work on time. You won’t have time to peruse around looking for an open spot if you’re trying to get in the building on time.

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Use the best parking app on the market to lock in your parking ahead of time. With a little preparation, you can save yourself a lot of money, time, and frustration.

2. Consider Parking Garages

Another trick that savvy New Yorkers will tell you is to always have a few parking garages in your back pocket. 

Other than using a parking app, parking garages are the only certainty that you have of getting a spot in New York City. Everywhere else, the availability is up in the air.

However, parking garages shouldn’t be option A, as they can be expensive. You’re essentially paying a higher fee for the convenience and certainty that they bring you.

Start by assessing your destination and familiarizing yourself with a few parking garages in the area. For example, use a virtual map (Google will work fine) to assess the closes garages to your place of work. Memorize them.

Believe it or not, there might be days, especially during the Holidays, where even the parking apps are out of options. If you know the closest parking garage, you can plan to park there instead.

Parking garages guarantee you a spot. They only have a finite inventory, so if they were to run out, they wouldn’t let you in, thus saving you time.

3. Know the Holidays

It’s relatively well known that New York City suspends parking meter regulations during the holidays to make way for the crazy amount of traffic that they bring.

What’s not as well known is that only certain holidays fall under this rule. The Holidays can sometimes change from year to year, but generally, they include:

  • Memorial Day
  • Labor Day
  • Christmas
  • Thanksgiving
  • New Year’s Day
  • Independence Day

Notice a few distinct days missing from that list: the day after Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve, and Christmas Eve.

Local traffic enforcement has a heyday every year slapping tickets on unsuspecting visitors and residents who assume those days are holidays and that parking is free. It is not.

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Take the time to familiarize yourself with the 6 major legal parking holidays in New York City. It can save you from costly tickets or, in major cases, getting your car towed away.

4. Go Compact

If you don’t require an SUV or truck to perform your job, try to go with a compact car. It can help you on your journey to find open parking spots.

Many New Yorkers will tell you that taking a bigger vehicle, even wider sedan models, can cost you a prime spot closer to your destination. It can also cost you the opportunity to park in that parking lot at all. 

Try to use a compact car as much as you can so that you can glide right into any open parking spot that you see.

5. Be Opportunistic

Just like the New York Stock Exchange, drivers need to be bullish about any parking spots that they see. If you aren’t going to take our advice on using parking apps, then you’ll have to be opportunistic about the spots you find.

If you see an opportunity to park somewhere, don’t second-guess yourself. New York drivers are happy to cut off anyone that hesitates. They have no shame.

Please realize that we’re telling you to be opportunistic, not reckless. Don’t endanger yourself, your passengers, or the other drivers on the road for a parking spot. It isn’t worth it.

Find Parking in New York City With These Tips

Now that you have seen an in-depth guide on the best tips to help you find parking in New York City, be sure to use them to your advantage.

We highly suggest downloading a parking app. It’s the best way to save time and money looking for limited parking spots in NYC.

Be sure to browse our website for more articles on New York City, as well as many other topics that you will enjoy.