When parking in New York City, shop around

My wife and I went into New York City Sunday for a play and dinner. Before we left, I went online to find out where the most convenient parking garage was. The closest was only a block from the theater. Then I decided to find out if there were any others that were midway between the theater and the area in which we planned to have dinner.

I was pleasantly suprised to come across a Web site for Icon Parking Systems, http://www.weparknewyork.com/ which operates garages all over Manhattan. It allows you to click on a section of the city or put in a specific address, and it brings up a list of all its garages in the vicinity. It also lets you calculate the cost of parking at each garage, based on the day and times of day you expect to be there.

After I provided the required information, it called up six different locations within a five or six-block radius. The prices ranged from $50 to $10. I chose a $12 garage that was about four long blocks from the theater. Half-expecting to pay more than that when I actually parked there, I was pleasantly surprised again. The tab was actually 12 bucks.

It was nice not having to spend more to park than to eat in New York for a change.