This is a tough one. Is there a doorman at your buddy’s place? If so, leave it there. If not, check Grand Central or Penn Station to see if they have lockers or a storage facility (might be like 10 bucks or so). But security in NYC is tight…so that might preclude that idea. It would suck, but I guess you could just lug it around – it might not be too bad…and will keep you in a place for longer which might let you get to know it better (like a park). Hope this helped a bit. Good luck. I live in NYC and it’s a tough situation to be in!

Ask the guy you will be staying with. He might have a neighbor who can hold it, or maybe the super can let you in the apartment. Of course if there is a doorman they will have a room to hold it on. If his workplace is near where you might want to tour a little, maybe just drop by his office, say hello, and leave the bag there for a few hours.

I was in a similar boat a few years ago and we used this place. It was pretty painless and affordable.

As a New Yorker let me tell you, if you’re trying to drop a large bag off somewhere you might wind up with the Homeland Security Agency tailing you. Kidding, but also pointing out realistically what you will be facing.

There aren’t many places where you can rent space for a bag large enough to be a burden but one in 12 people in NYC seem to be carrying a big rolling bag behind them. It’s par for the course. The weather might not be too pretty but it’s a beautiful time of the year to take a large bag for a stroll through Central Park.

The YMCA has lockers, and I believe the bus and train stations do also. If you are flying, there may be a locker area there, you can check.

Once when I lived in NYC I got locked out on my way home from a trip and my boyfriend (whom I lived with) was nowhere to be found. I went to see a movie at the Angelika. That killed a good couple hours (and the movie was pretty great).

Bulk mail it before you go there, or locker at penn station.
But I would just go with plan A. It will be the least expensive.
Or you can meet your pal at his job and maybe he has a locker or someplace safe to put it till he gets off of work. Maybe the trunk of his car.

No doubt, @Pandora has your answer here. Ship the baggage beforehand. Locker at Penn works too. Funny I just played that game last weekend.

Leaving the bag with the super or doorman is the best bet.

Depending on where your buddy lives relative to which airport you’re flying into and the time you arrive, your best bet might be to head to where he lives, find a bar or coffee shop nearby, and read/drink while you wait for him. It could take you a bit to get from the airport to where he lives. Otherwise, you are going to have to deal with the hassle of having to go back to where you checked the bag from your buddy’s place and then back again, probably wasting the same amount of time as waiting someplace near his apartment.

Thanks for all the advice!

I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to leave it with him, which is why I was looking for options. He was working around 44th St in Manhattan and lives in Brooklyn. (JFK -> Manhattan -> Brooklyn would eat up most of the time I had).

Turns out I was able to leave it, so did and wandered around town unencumbered.

Take the clothes for your friend and take them to a UPS store and send them next day air. It’ll be cheaper than taking that huge bag on the plane. And it will get their the day after you arrive. Just take a carry on with you.

As for the advise to not check the bag b/c that costs money, I generally don’t fly on carriers that charge for checked luggage if I can help it… =)