What if you have a day to spend sightseeing but need to store your luggage? Your options are rather limited, but there are solutions.
Most of Manhattan's finer hotels have a luggage storage room. If your hotel does not store luggage, you might ask the concierge of a nearby one that does. You might also find that a generous tip can possibly help find you a solution if the hotel clerk hasn't got an answer. However, less expensive hotels might not be of any help at all, at which point you need to consider other options.
On a similar note, if you just stepped off a cruise ship and have eight hours before your flight, what to do? If you are the persuasive sort and well-dressed, you likely could store your luggage at a four-star hotel simply by approaching the concierge. Again, a generous tip would be in order, in addition to any fee the hotel might charge.
A mention of places that currently do NOT store luggage: The Port Authority Bus Terminal; LaGuardia Airport; and Newark Airport. Advance airline check-in does not function here as it does in some European countries, whereby your luggage can be delivered to the airline 24 hours in advance. Thus, an early trip to the airport would be a waste of time anyhow. Some foreign carriers do make special arrangements for their first-class passengers; inquire of the airline.
Although JFK airport does have two luggage storage facilities, unless you intend to fly into JFK and fly out again from JFK, it's a waste of your time to travel so far just to store your luggage. This service is most useful if you have just arrived after a long-haul international flight and have a day to spend before your onward connection. The facility operates 24 hours per day, and charges $4.00 to $16.00 per day depending on the size of your luggage. For more information, phone (212) 643-1369the size of your luggage. For more .
Pennsylvania Station does store luggage, but the facility can be hard to find. Do ask a uniformed Amtrak employee for assistance at the station if you have difficulty finding it. Generally, you need to be able to present a train ticket to use this service, but not always. Costs are moderate. This option is most useful if you intend to travel via Amtrak, or if you will take NJ Transit/AirTrain to Newark Airport. Perhaps less stressful and more convenient would be New York Luggage Storage which offers luggage storage, luggage forwarding, and a modest self-storage facility. They charge $5 to $10 per bag per 24 hour period and are open daily from 8 am to 11 pm.
In sum, with a bit of planning you can arrange to store your luggage should you find you have a day or so to spend in New York minus your possessions. A final note: Always lock your luggage before storing it!Obviously under no circumstances should you leave any valuables your luggage (camera, passport, money).
270 West 36th Street
New York, NY 10018
A,C,E,B,1, train to 34th street
212 643 1369
New York Luggage Storage