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March 21, 2009
BH Parking/Garage question
OK. This may be the dumbest question ever posted here, but we're the Coloradoans who are moving to BH this summer, and have a lot to learn. Here's the question: What does one do there for parking? Stretside? Garages? How much does long-term parking cost? Is it safe to park outside? Do most people sell their cars when they move to NYC? I can't find any info, and parking isn't even shown as a 'topic' here. Any help will be appreciated, please. Thanks much!
Comments
Parking in Brooklyn is an adventure/nightmare/reason to leave the city/a good way to kill an hour/etc. I don't live in the Heights, but in answer to your questions - yes, it is for the most part safe to park outside (things of course can and do happen...). Long term parking is expensive and not always very convenient -- you're probably looking at $300 a month or more in the Heights. Yes, lots of people get rid of their cars (gotta love the natives who never learned to begin with!) but cars are convenient here just like everywhere else. Maybe find some parking garages in the Heights and call them for their rates?
Posted by: slopenick at March 21, 2009 2:00 PM
Thank you. Am digging to find parking garages. Mostly finding only blogs of nightmare stories, so your first sentence is well supported with anectdotal information. :-) Will continute the effort. Thnx!
Posted by: HoldYourHorses at March 21, 2009 2:07 PM
Brooklyn heights zip is 11201 - here is a google search.
Plan to walk several blocks to a parking garage.
Good luck!
Posted by: SenatorStreet at March 21, 2009 2:39 PM
You should also consider getting a spot in a garage that is a short (10min?) walk or 1-subway stop ride away.
I park at the discount parking garage on DeKalb near flatbush for $215/month. It's about a 10-15min walk from my place. I generally commute via subway during the week and then park on the street over the weekend when I use the car.
I think its generally safe to park outside, although my car did get keyed once last year. I have the garage spot to just protect my car from being outside all the time, especially in the winter with the snow, salt, etc.
Posted by: jdoo at March 21, 2009 3:08 PM
i lived in north Bklyn Hts for a few years with a car and it was really tough > borderline crazy. Street parking is NOT recommended unless you have lots of spare time to search/move it. I street parked a tiny vw golf for 1 year before getting so frustrated, that i put the car in a garage.
opposite side street parking is twice a week and it's common practice to move your car back over about an hour before and just sit in the car waiting.
parking is a little easier on the weekends because Bklyn Hts has a large portion of residents that leave for the weekend. but by sunday afternoon it's packed solid again.
i did have many summer sunday afternoons where i circled for over an hour looking for a spot. in that nabe, you will quickly learn not to use your car at all, for fear of losing your precious parking spot! after having my car towed 3 times for being "too close to a hydrant" i decided to just suck it up and pay for a garage. (retrieving your towed car from the navy yard is very expensive. $250+ including the ticket.)
parking garages are expensive in the heights because of proximity to the courts, and of course, the financial district. i paid $300+ at the indoor garage at love lane, and that was back in 2001...... best of luck!
Posted by: bowl of dicks at March 21, 2009 3:13 PM
one thing i will add is that if you are dead set on owning a car in nyc, sell whatever car you have now and get the tiniest one you feel safe in.
oh and ....if you decide to park it on the street, it will get trashed pretty quickly (bumpers)..especially in the hts where space is really tight. just sayin.
Posted by: bowl of dicks at March 21, 2009 3:23 PM
Yeah, those first few dings/scratches on a new car hurt pretty bad... NYC definitely eats cars.
Posted by: jdoo at March 21, 2009 3:28 PM
Nighmare for parking one of the worse places to find parking in Brooklyn and they won't hesitate to give tickets....
Posted by: PC at March 21, 2009 5:04 PM
I have to agree with PC. Parking in Brooklyn varies from neighborhood to neighborhood with Brooklyn Heights probably the toughest area of all. Narrow streets (yards on either side of corners are off limits to allow fire engines access) + many goverment employees (cops, judges, bureaucrats) who exploit their parking privileges at the expense of local residents combine to make it a real bitch. Find a garage or give up your car and buy bicyles.
Posted by: 1929 at March 21, 2009 7:30 PM
YOU ARE ALL AWESOME TO SHARE SO MUCH GOOD INFORMATION! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I have a SUV that's not exactly a compact. I think I need to reorder my priorities, vehicle-wise, and decide whether or not selling the SUV and just renting a vehicle for trips might be a better plan. THANK YOU, EVERYONE! Beer's on me, when we get to BH!
Posted by: HoldYourHorses at March 21, 2009 8:51 PM
glad we can help. if you don't plan on using the car very much we have what's called "zip car" (idk if that is something that they have out in Colorado) you should google it and see if it's something that would work for your needs. i have friends who swear by it.
FYI-in general, all parking garages in nyc will charge like $50 extra per month to store an SUV which is considered "over sized".
there is a GREAT website that shows all garages in the city with their rates. www.nycgarages.com
Posted by: bowl of dicks at March 21, 2009 9:30 PM
I live in Brooklyn Heights and use the garage below the Court House Apartments on the corner of Court St. and Atlantic Ave.
Costs about $375 for my Civic, not sure what an SUV rate would be.
The garage under the Cadman Plaza apartments in the north Heights apparently has quite the waiting list (but rns about the same cost per month).
I'd say ditch the SUV and get a ZipCar account. There is a ZipCar garage on Montague and Clinton.
Posted by: christopher at March 21, 2009 11:03 PM
Do not keep your SUV. You will go insane trying to drive and park a big SUV in Brooklyn Heights.
I would consider anything larger than say a Honda Accord to be too large to be practical in the city.
Posted by: jdoo at March 22, 2009 11:28 AM
also consider outdoor lots. there is one at the end of henry street, butt up against the brooklyn bridge. i parked my car there once and i thought it was cheapish for the nabe.
Posted by: bowl of dicks at March 22, 2009 11:45 AM
In my opinion, after living for many years in Brooklyn, and upper Manhattan before that, it is worthwhile to have car --a small, inexpensive car. You'll be glad you have it for trips to Home Depot or a big trip to, say, Fairway, and -- very important -- for getting out of town. I love NY more than life itself, but you must leave it occasionally to restore your sanity.
But do trade in the SUV for something smaller. I find my little Subaru Impreza Hatchback is a perfect city car.
Things are not as bad as they were in the crack heyday, years ago, when people would break into your car and steal change from the ashtray, or even the ashtray itself, but it is still best to use a car in the city that is inconspicuous, and low on the list of "most stolen." And NEVER leave anything of value in your car unattended for any period of time.
I do not see it as much any more, but we used to put signs in our street-parked car windows: "nothing of value inside" or "Please don't break window - door is unlocked." This was in Park Slope and just off Flatbush Ave. in Prospect Heights.
Posted by: cpchkp at March 22, 2009 5:05 PM
I used to live there and parked at Macy's garage. The monthly rates are cheaper then in other place since it is a bit subsidized by Macy's. But it is not open 24x7.
Posted by: bobjohn at March 22, 2009 5:43 PM
I park on the street in BH. It's not a big deal if you can do it during the day. Takes a half hour a week. You have to move it on weekends too to reposition, but it's not hard to find parking on the weekends and you'll probably be using the car anyway.
If you can't do it during the day (or hire someone who will), you have to park in the morning, sit in your car for a long time and then hustle to get back and repark in the evening and again sit. That's too hard.
Posted by: Ringo at March 23, 2009 9:00 AM
Had a car for about a year in BH and the day I got rid of it was one of the happiest of my life. I'd definitely ditch the SUV; I'd also price out what the cost of an occasional rental/Zipcar would be. Could easily be more economical to rent depending on how often you'll need a car. (And your definition of "need" will likely change in NYC anyway.)
Good luck!
Posted by: BklynJace at March 23, 2009 11:52 AM
You'll want to commit suicide after a few weeks of trying to park your SUV. And yep, it'll cost extra to park it in a garage. Not to mention, if it's at all fancy it's not a great idea to park if on the street--eventually, someone will break in and steal parts, if not the whole car. And it'll get scratched, dents, dings, etc. You should have a "beater" if you're going to park in on the street in the city. Garaged cars can, obviously, be nicer.
I'd strongly recommend against selling it and buying another, smaller car. A lot of times, you'll want a different kind of car depending on what you're doing. For instance, you may want an SUV/Van to pick up a free dresser someone is giving away on the brownstoner boards. But if you're going away for the weekend, or just doing a run for some things to stock your pantry you may want something smaller with better gas mileage, that's easier to maneuver in the city. If you buy another car, you'll be constantly like "dang it! If only we had the old SUV, we could get that awesome free dresser! Now we have to spend $300 and have it delivered...this is a loss!"
So, I'd recommend selling it and banking the cash in a car rental account--that way, you won't feel like you "gave up" your car, you just traded it for MANY cars!
Just a word of warning, for long weekends, holidays, etc you have to book your care WAY in advance. The city cleans out.
Posted by: lookin fer stuff at March 23, 2009 12:35 PM
You'll want to commit suicide after a few weeks of trying to park your SUV. And yep, it'll cost extra to park it in a garage. Not to mention, if it's at all fancy it's not a great idea to park if on the street--eventually, someone will break in and steal parts, if not the whole car. And it'll get scratched, dents, dings, etc. You should have a "beater" if you're going to park in on the street in the city. Garaged cars can, obviously, be nicer.
I'd strongly recommend against selling it and buying another, smaller car. A lot of times, you'll want a different kind of car depending on what you're doing. For instance, you may want an SUV/Van to pick up a free dresser someone is giving away on the brownstoner boards. But if you're going away for the weekend, or just doing a run for some things to stock your pantry you may want something smaller with better gas mileage, that's easier to maneuver in the city. If you buy another car, you'll be constantly like "dang it! If only we had the old SUV, we could get that awesome free dresser! Now we have to spend $300 and have it delivered...this is a loss!"
So, I'd recommend selling it and banking the cash in a car rental account--that way, you won't feel like you "gave up" your car, you just traded it for MANY cars!
Just a word of warning, for long weekends, holidays, etc you have to book your care WAY in advance. The city cleans out.
Posted by: lookin fer stuff at March 23, 2009 12:35 PM
If you don't use it too much the garage at Smith/Atlantic/Schermerhorn has good monthly rates but you pay $5 each time you exit. Decent deal if it's for weekends only.
We had a car for a while. Now we use zipcar for short errands (mostly Fairway) and Avis or Enterprise (both have branches nearby) for getting out of town. Expect to pay through the nose for that. On summer weekends rates can go to $120 or $150 per day and you have to plan weeks in advance. All car rental coupons have fine print that says "not valid in NY metro area." Even though it's cheaper than owning in the long-term, it causes us to question the value of every expedition.
Posted by: zgori at March 23, 2009 12:39 PM
I lived in the Heights for about 3 years. I found it a much easier time to park it across Atlantic Ave. in Cobble Hill.
Posted by: mrkknox at March 23, 2009 4:09 PM
If you don't need it, get rid of it. Parking on the streets is a hassle. And Brooklyn Heights had the highest rate of parking tickets issued city-wide last year. Zip Car really is a nice alternative. Their website has an interesting owner vs. rent comparison feature.
The largest parking lot in the Heights is at 75 Henry St. It will run you $350 per month to park an SUV in a non-dedicated spot, and $440 per month for a dedicated spot on the lowest level. It has 24 hour access. As mentioned, there is a waiting list, but the garage seems less full these days due to the meltdown, so that may have changed. The tel number is on the Central Parking site given above. Ask for the manager, Jean.
Posted by: buttermilk channel at March 23, 2009 4:15 PM
As you can see, the general consensus is to get rid of the car. We actually have a car that we keep in a garage. It's a completely, utterly frivolous luxury.
The only people in Brooklyn Heights I know that have cars actuallyuse them for commuting -- e.g., they work at a hedge fund in Connecticut or are doctors working at a hospital that is not conveniently near a subway.
That being said, if you really want to have wheels of your own, get rid of the SUV (which I assume is less than five years old) and buy a used sedan or small wagon. I'd sell it there, pocket the money and then look around after you get here.
You want something that is manuevarable and reliable, but not too nice. We have a 12 year old camry (less than 60K miles), and it works great. (You can see from the mileage that it is not an overly used car.)
Posted by: Boerumresident at March 24, 2009 10:44 AM
I am totally impressed with this site- and with the generosity of you members who've spent your time sharing this very helpful information. Thank you all! I get the message loud and clear. My VERY steal-able (Top 5 in most stolen vehicles! Gulp.) pearlized white, frou-frou Cadillac Escalade is going! Zip Cars and Enterprise, here we come!
Another thing I thought of in the consideration is the amount we'll save by not having to carry high insurance on an SUV!
Thanks, everyone! I'm sure I'll be back soon with another dumb newbie question. Maybe I can pay it forward and help out someday when I've earned my 'BH local' stripes. :-)
Posted by: HoldYourHorses at March 28, 2009 3:57 AM
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