I'm looking for luggage storage in NYC near the american museum of natural history

December 14, 2011 7:43 PM

I'm looking for luggage storage in NYC near the american museum of natural history

I have to catch a greyhound shuttle at 7pm, and I need a place to store luggage while I explore the city one last time. I'm staying at Brooklyn and planning to swing by Grand Central station to check out the Apple Store around 10am, get some lunch, and then spend the rest of the day around the museum. I'm going to try to see if the museum will hold my luggage during the day. In case they do not, though, can you suggest some hotels that will take luggage, for a fee? I will need to store one carry-on and a coat, and will keep my backpack since it has my laptop inside. Expedia search shows many hotels nearby, so I wanted to ask if there was a specific one you had good experience with.

posted by eliluong to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (8 answers total)

I would just call the museum and ask them if they'll hold your items in the coat check, since it's not a ton of stuff. They probably would. This happens in a big tourist city.
posted by elizeh at 8:00 PM on December 14, 2011

Previously. It doesn't look very good, I'm afraid - many hotels have a post 9/11 policy of not taking luggage. The most common solution seems to be to find a friend who works or parks in midtown who can babysit your bag in their office or car trunk. Port authority (Greyhound bus terminal) does NOT have any lockers, nor does Grand Central any longer.

Here is the AMNH's coatcheck description; I would definitely call ahead and double check.
posted by ceribus peribus at 8:21 PM on December 14, 2011

Yeah, what you're envisioning does not really exist, though perhaps it should. Sorry.
posted by dfriedman at 8:49 PM on December 14, 2011

This is pretty much the same as this previous question.
posted by grouse at 8:53 PM on December 14, 2011

I tried to check my (small, hard-side carry on) bag in the coat room at the MoMA in the summer of 2009, but they wouldn't let me. I was totally bummed at not getting to visit the museum since it was one of my main reasons to go to New York. My companion and I went to the restaurant next door (part of the museum) for a nosh. The restaurant totally checked my bag AND told me that they would hold it until they closed! So, if the museum won't check your bag, see if the restaurant in the lobby(?) will, if there is one.
posted by bendy at 8:58 PM on December 14, 2011

Best answer: Schwartz Lockers in Midtown. It's really close to Grand Central. Just leave your bag there. Museums have coat checks. Anything bigger than a coat they don't want to take. They might, but it's a gray area, you never know until you're there.
posted by gertzedek at 9:33 PM on December 14, 2011 [3 favorites]

and will keep my backpack since it has my laptop inside

You'll want to check with the museum about whether they'll let you bring a backpack into the galleries, I don't think you can at the Met.
posted by Jahaza at 7:40 AM on December 15, 2011

Response by poster: I ended up going to Schwartz Lockers, since it costs around $10, same as hotel tip. It is close to Port Authority station, too, so that was useful. I think AMNH did not store luggage because there were some people lugging luggage around. Dropped my backpack and coat at the coat check-in with no problems.
posted by eliluong at 5:34 PM on December 16, 2011