Amtrak to NYC from Wilmington question

Can anyone tell me if there is ample, secure, long term parking at the Wilimington, DE Amtrak station? We will be taking the train to NYC and will be in Manhattan for 4-5 days. Any other options? We are coming to DE from AR, with a visit to NYC before returning to the DE beaches.

Amtrak to NYC from Wilmington question

There is parking at the station available at $10 a day, but I believe it fills up during the week with commuters--so depending on the day of the week and time you arrive, you could have a problem.

If your main concerns about not driving into NYC are the traffic, costs and parking headaches (all absolutely understandable), here%26#39;s an option to consider--drive an additional 1.5 hours to Metropark in New Jersey. Parking is plentiful there ($5/day), and you can take the NJ Transit train into New York at a fraction of the cost of Amtrak.

http://www.njtransit.com

Amtrak to NYC from Wilmington question

The other poster suggested taking NJTransit instead of Amtrak from Wilmington.

Ordinarily, I would definitely agree---less expensive train, less expensive to park.

Ordinarily, I%26#39;d also suggest going from Hamilton instead of from Metropark.

It is not as far to drive, and if you go up I-95, connect with I-295 and take the exit for the Hamilton station, you avoid all the tolls going into and out of New Jersey.

However, last time I visited the Hamilton station, there was some temporary construction, which reduced the overall number of parking spaces---and in particular, there was no parking for anyone except monthly parkers, except on the weekends.

So be sure that before you divert from Wilmington to either Hamilton or Metropark for that matter, than you check in about the _current_ parking situation there!

There was a concern about the parking filling up in Wilmington. This was definitely a problem in the past.

This may be less of a concern now that a new parking garage has opened up at the Wilmington Station, but it would be good to call the station to ask. Amtrak may be able to give you a direct number to call the station office there.

tubman and ptcfromde - thanks to you both for your suggestions. We will most likely drive into NJ and take the transit but will certainly do some research before picking a station.

If you can%26#39;t find a space at Hamilton or any of the other stations near the start of the line, you will always find parking at Metropark. It%26#39;s one of the largest parking facilities on the East Coast with about 5,000 spaces and folks coming and going constantly (unlike other stations which fill up in the morning and stay that way until the evening).

Not sure how qickly the parking garage fills up but it is safe!

If you haven%26#39;t already purchased tickets use the code below!

Get a 50% discount on a your companion%26#39;s fare when you pay full fare on your roundtrip Amtrak ticket to Wilmington. Use Code V679. There are no weekend or time of day travel restrictions but seats are capacity controlled. Three-day advance reservations are required and this discount is not permitted on Acela Express or Metroliner services. The discount code is effective for travel 1/03/06 through 12/14/06.

--for more info go to www.visitwilmingtonde.com and click on Getaway Packages