PAX Parking thread

VThornheart

Parking Rates: (Subject to change, based on the best information I could find)


* Hyatt

* Valet

* 33/night
* In/out privileges

* Self Parking

* 26/night
* NO in/out privileges

* Roosevelt

* Valet

* 22/night
* In/out privileges

* Sheraton

* Valet

* 35/night
* In/out privileges

If anyone finds out more, especially about any non-hotel lots in the area that may be cheaper, let us know by adding it to the list!

EDIT: Last year's PAX Map:

http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman/viewit.html

Hopefully can be updated... you there ctishman?

Coldbrew

nice info. Even if it changes, its definitely something to consider when trying to figure out total prices for staying in a hotel lol. thx

VThornheart

n/p! Aye, they are all subject to change, but they give a good reflection of relative costs at least. I'd really like to know the prices for parking in regards to public lots in the area, but that seems to be hard to come by on the internet. I'm betting that the public lots in the vicinity would be a lot cheaper though.

Anyone in the area up for doing some investigation?

whypick1

I know there was a PAX GoogleMaps file compiled last year that had parking information that (I believe) BigRed got by walking around downtown and looking at prices and asking attendents about hours.

Finally found the thread, thanks to Mr. Disabled-Search-Function.

Thanatos

Public lots in that area are generally ridiculously expensive. I'd say probably around what those places charge, if not a little worse. I paid about $13 to park for 2 hours for a couple of job interviews I went to in that area.

VThornheart

Ouch! That's brutal. =(

VThornheart

whypick1 wrote: »

I know there was a PAX GoogleMaps file compiled last year that had parking information that (I believe) BigRed got by walking around downtown and looking at prices and asking attendents about hours.

Finally found the thread, thanks to Mr. Disabled-Search-Function.

Ah, sweet, good find! And well done Red!

I only saw one parking place on the list (the Convention center itself), but the 24$/day parking is a darn good price by comparison to everyone but the Roosevelt so it's good to know about... and those other resources are useful as well.

Perhaps we should bump that thread up from the grave? I imagine most of its' info would still apply.

Qs23

So here's an odd question...

I've got a really tall van that I'm going to be using for the CCST. How many of these parking places have a max height requirement? (i.e. parking structures and underground parking)

VThornheart

Ah... how tall are we talking here?

I imagine that all of the hotel parking at least would be underground and/or in parking structures, and may have a pretty strict height requirement. Most hotels seem to do it that way in urban areas that I've seen.

There may be some "outdoor lots" though in the vicinity, which should accommodate your situation. We'll have to scout out for some.

Moe Fwacky

VThornheart wrote: »

whypick1 wrote: »

I know there was a PAX GoogleMaps file compiled last year that had parking information that (I believe) BigRed got by walking around downtown and looking at prices and asking attendents about hours.

Finally found the thread, thanks to Mr. Disabled-Search-Function.

Ah, sweet, good find! And well done Red!

I only saw one parking place on the list (the Convention center itself), but the 24$/day parking is a darn good price by comparison to everyone but the Roosevelt so it's good to know about... and those other resources are useful as well.

Perhaps we should bump that thread up from the grave? I imagine most of its' info would still apply.

I'm not big on raising year old threads from the grave, especially since most of the usefulness lies in the map itself. I would recommend linking the map in the OP of this thread for now, and maybe somebody can convince ctishman to update the map for us, if it is needed.

VThornheart

Moe Fwacky wrote: »

VThornheart wrote: »

whypick1 wrote: »

I know there was a PAX GoogleMaps file compiled last year that had parking information that (I believe) BigRed got by walking around downtown and looking at prices and asking attendents about hours.

Finally found the thread, thanks to Mr. Disabled-Search-Function.

Ah, sweet, good find! And well done Red!

I only saw one parking place on the list (the Convention center itself), but the 24$/day parking is a darn good price by comparison to everyone but the Roosevelt so it's good to know about... and those other resources are useful as well.

Perhaps we should bump that thread up from the grave? I imagine most of its' info would still apply.

I'm not big on raising year old threads from the grave, especially since most of the usefulness lies in the map itself. I would recommend linking the map in the OP of this thread for now, and maybe somebody can convince ctishman to update the map for us, if it is needed.

Good point, I'll throw that at the top o' the thread.

That_Guy

Last year I ended up spending more to parking my car than I did for the actual pass to PAX. I would NOT recommend driving if you can avoid it. I fully intend on taking public transit down to PAX this year.

Moe Fwacky

When you drive as far as I do, parking is the least of the expenses (minus the PAX pass, of course).

Seattle Thread

Qs23 wrote: »

So here's an odd question...

I've got a really tall van that I'm going to be using for the CCST. How many of these parking places have a max height requirement? (i.e. parking structures and underground parking)

Most are 6-feet-ish, 7-feet at best.

Seattle Thread

Also, note that there is zero long-term street parking Downtown--there are a few metered areas, but all of them become tow-away zones from 4PM - 6PM. Unless you want to move your car each day, or just find a place to park outside of Downtown and hoof it to your accommodations, a lot would be recommended.

That said, meter fees are only collected from 7AM - 6PM. Outside those times all street parking is free, though 30-Minute Load and 3-Minute Passenger zones still stand, and you will be towed.

Coldbrew

yeah parking in downtown seattle is a bitch and then some, and its going to be impossible to avoid any sort of fees. Most of the parking garages, from what ive seen in the past, have really short height limits, and my dodge dakota barely fit in them. Even the garages for some of the smaller hotels are really small and not easy to navigate with bigger vehicles. Also note that many of the public garages are pay-per-hour and have automatic systems. To be honest I would recommend parking at the garage under the convention center, I did that all 3 days last year cuz our hotel was on the other side of the city, and the fees were not bad at all.
Hope that helps a bit...

Qs23

well I'm looking at the 7 ft mark with my van and over that if I decide to keep the spoiler...

Granted I could always lower it.

Moe Fwacky

That and we could remove the spoiler for parking. I'd hate to desecrate the A-Team van by not driving across the country with the spoiler on.

VThornheart

Well, the Roosevelt site (I think it was the Roosevelt) mentioned that there were other parking services nearby. If one of those happens to be an open air lot, you'll be set... even if you have to walk a bit (even a mile, or take the bus to get into town), you can leave it there for the duration of PAX and just walk/take the bus during the actual stay.

I hear the buses go out as far as the Seatac airport, so if you guys don't mind taking a bus into town and not having the bus during the actual PAX stay itself, you could do that as a good option.

Coldbrew

You should Photoshop a "PAX-Team" logo to put on it or something similar.

BTW, keep in mind, if you are checking into a hotel, most of them don't require you to pay for parking.

EDIT: To add to VThornheart's post before mine, you may want schedule/routes for the local transit. Go HERE and under "Area Maps" click on Seattle. That will show you a PDF map of downtown Seattle, the streets the buses run down and stuff. You should be able to get more precise info on that site if you add addresses of the convention center, your hotel, etc. I don't really know because I don't use it, but I hope it helps some of you. Also, that's the community transit, which would be better if you are staying a little farther away. If you are within the city you will probably use Seattle transit, their buses run like everywhere. HERE is a link to that website, click on the top link for the Seattle map, that shows much more routes within the city. You can also click some of the links to the left to find wider area maps and what-not. This should help even more!
Note the convention center is marked on both maps. The second one is much bigger and the convention center is marked as Convention Place Station.

Moe Fwacky

Um, every hotel in downtown Seattle requires you to pay for parking, unless you don't plan on parking there or have no car to park.

VThornheart

he may mean like normal highway hotels, like the ones you see on the outskirts of major cities as opposed to inside of them. Sadly, Moe is correct: downtown areas usually charge for parking. =( Now if you have a hotel on the outskirts or suburbs, you have a much, MUCH higher chance of free parking.

But since most everyone'll be at those downtown locations, we're looking for alternatives. I think your public transit map is a good start, because that'll probably be the most inexpensive option (park out of the downtown area at a public lot, then bus in, stay for PAX, and bus out).

Coldbrew

Yeah the public transit is a good option, it saves you from getting lost by driving too, cuz Seattle has an insane amount of one-way streets, and is easy to get lost in. BTW when I stayed at the Sheraton a while back they never charged for parking, that's why I said they don't, but oh well, no biggie.
Edited my last post BTW...

Moe Fwacky

Those one way streets aren't that hard to get used to. Every other street goes in the same direction. It didn't take long to figure out.

Coldbrew

Yeah but for people that happen to be driving around there for their first time it can be a headache. I've driven in the city enough times to be used to it, but I still hate it. You just have to pay attention, really... And don't get a hotel that's one block from Aurora Ave, we made that mistake last year. :P

Moe Fwacky

But... last year was my first time driving in downtown Seattle.

Coldbrew

... Stop mocking me!! :P

moving on... Everybody take a bus if you're in a hotel that's not close enough to the convention center, it's cheaper!

KaitouAyashi

Also, should you choose to use a public lot, consider the following:

*that you will likely be moving your vehicle at least once per day depending on the rates

*distance to and from the convention center or hotel

*nighttime safety concerns (is your lot near a dark alley or the Greyhound station, will you be walking alone, how late will you be getting to your car)

*be smart: don't leave anything valuable visible! This includes CDs, stereo, swag bags, etc. Lock it in your trunk. At least one person last year had their car broken into.


We're okay forking over the cash for parking because for us, it's worth the safety, peace of mind, and in/out privileges.

proXimity

Possibly consider parking somewhere along a bus route that runs late (make sure and check, as a lot of them don't), and you can usually park for free on some side street then.

Shauk

is this a bad thread to gloat that I live on 12th ave and am walking to the convention? rotten tomatos go that way -->

dyaballikl

i parked at this lot last year that was about 6-7 blocks east of the entrance of the wsctc (over the freeway), all i had to do was call the number, sign up for an account (kinda odd, but ok), then i parked each day for like $7. i thought something was wrong at first, but i parked there for every hour of pax, plus 1 or 2 on either end, and was fine. i can get more info if anyone pm's me about it (i don't get much time for the forums these days)

VThornheart

Coldbrew wrote: »

Yeah but for people that happen to be driving around there for their first time it can be a headache. I've driven in the city enough times to be used to it, but I still hate it. You just have to pay attention, really... And don't get a hotel that's one block from Aurora Ave, we made that mistake last year. :P

Don't worry... I think most people who don't do much "downtown" driving (regardless of the city) take time to get used to one way streets.

First time I drove in a bonafied downtown area was when I moved to Sacramento. I ended up driving the wrong way down L street (one of the major streets), not realizing it until a car was in my lane going the wrong direction. I veered off, and the guy was shouting "You're going the wrong way!!!" :shock:

BigRed

View the PAX google map thing.

I got parking info for it, all of which is still accurate. The prices havent changed.
Oddly enough the WSCTC itself is the cheapest place to park thats closest to PAX. The hotel parking is retardedly expensive.

Park further away and Bus in if possible to save on parking. There are a few park and rides around that you could bus in from. Otherwise if you want to be nearby and you are driving, save around $100 for parking for the 4 days of PAX. (thurs-sun)

End of thread.

Moe Fwacky

What's the height restriction on the WSCTC's garage?

BigRed

Moe Fwacky wrote: »

What's the height restriction on the WSCTC's garage?

6'8 I beleive.

Mostly because some of those low spots are awfuly close to my head... but not quite :P

VThornheart

BigRed wrote: »

View the PAX google map thing.

I got parking info for it, all of which is still accurate. The prices havent changed.
Oddly enough the WSCTC itself is the cheapest place to park thats closest to PAX. The hotel parking is retardedly expensive.

Park further away and Bus in if possible to save on parking. There are a few park and rides around that you could bus in from. Otherwise if you want to be nearby and you are driving, save around $100 for parking for the 4 days of PAX. (thurs-sun)

End of thread.

Sorry about that, just trying to help. I didn't know that said Google map existed until it was brought up a couple days ago, after the thread started. =(

BigRed

VThornheart wrote: »

BigRed wrote: »

View the PAX google map thing.

I got parking info for it, all of which is still accurate. The prices havent changed.
Oddly enough the WSCTC itself is the cheapest place to park thats closest to PAX. The hotel parking is retardedly expensive.

Park further away and Bus in if possible to save on parking. There are a few park and rides around that you could bus in from. Otherwise if you want to be nearby and you are driving, save around $100 for parking for the 4 days of PAX. (thurs-sun)

End of thread.

Sorry about that, just trying to help. I didn't know that said Google map existed until it was brought up a couple days ago, after the thread started. =(

Its alright :P the google map thing should be updated and put in a new post... but thats up to the owner of it.

I can try and find my orginal list of parking stuff and see if I can post it in here if the google map thing isnt going to be updated for 08

VThornheart

BigRed wrote: »

VThornheart wrote: »

BigRed wrote: »

View the PAX google map thing.

I got parking info for it, all of which is still accurate. The prices havent changed.
Oddly enough the WSCTC itself is the cheapest place to park thats closest to PAX. The hotel parking is retardedly expensive.

Park further away and Bus in if possible to save on parking. There are a few park and rides around that you could bus in from. Otherwise if you want to be nearby and you are driving, save around $100 for parking for the 4 days of PAX. (thurs-sun)

End of thread.

Sorry about that, just trying to help. I didn't know that said Google map existed until it was brought up a couple days ago, after the thread started. =(

Its alright :P the google map thing should be updated and put in a new post... but thats up to the owner of it.

I can try and find my orginal list of parking stuff and see if I can post it in here if the google map thing isnt going to be updated for 08

Sweet, good dealin' 8-)

Shauk

just remember to move your car out of the convention center garage after 6pm if you plan on going to the concert, since that closes at midnight and the concert goes until 2 am I believe.

I missed a good chunk of freezepop due to that nonsense but meh.

Qs23

Shauk wrote: »

just remember to move your car out of the convention center garage after 6pm if you plan on going to the concert, since that closes at midnight and the concert goes until 2 am I believe.

I missed a good chunk of freezepop due to that nonsense but meh.

Wait... why would I do that again?

VThornheart

Ah, were you leaving that night Shauk? That might've been why. I imagine (correct me if I'm wrong) that if you're planning on staying until Monday morning it'd be okay to leave the car in the convention centers' lot until that morning.

But I could be wrong on that: maybe they close the lot when there's no convention actively going on or something?