[wookie]

Yeah, I use the merrit (rt 15) turns into the Hutchinson PKWY which takes you almost into the city.

The merrit/hutch run parrallel to 95 so if there is horrible traffic you can easily take a different route. Only drawback to the parkways is that it is harder to split lanes (the road is tighter). If you are going on a Friday night or returning on Sunday afternoon (especially on Sundays), you are going to be tempted to split lanes when you are close to the city. I generally don't split lanes on the parkway because of the tightness and the traffic is less predictable, but I've never had a problem filtering on 95.

Don't forget your easy pass (if you have one), it makes the tolls much easier to deal with.

Also, I park my bike right on the street. If you are in halfway decent neighborhood your bike should be okay (I bring a light bike cover which helps). Of course, who is going to bother a sportster.

One more thing, I usually fill up with gas before I get to close to the city. Not a hugh amount of gas stations in the city (actually it only seems that way when you are trying to get the fuck out of Manhatten with a horrible hangover on a hot summer day and you are leaving hours later than you planned, but hey what other way is there to leave NYC.). If you need gas, 1st Ave is a good area to look for filling stations.