Art Walk / Parking Meters

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by mawipafl

I'm sorry toops to hear of your not-fun experience! I think the lack of parking and the issue of crazy drivers depends on the part of downtown you're in with most of the problems occurring the closer to the Landing you are.

We consistently have decent luck getting on-street metered parking along W and E Duval Street, and occasionally on West Adams St. (goodness, I should keep my secrets! :-) For Art Walk nights, we head directly to the parking garage at Duval and Main and our first stop is the library to get our ticket validated. For events at the Times-Union, we usually park on W Adams. Granted, it means a little bit of a walk down Laura or Hogan, but it's such a short walk and it's offset by the free parking and the avoidance of traffic once an event is over. For events at the Landing we usually park on Duval, and again it means a short walk down Main St, but with the same benefits. I actually enjoy the stroll - it's well-lit and clean.

Jacksonville is no different than all other cities -- it has its quirks, and one can only get to know how to deal with the roadways by more-than-once visiting unfortunately. For example, I know now never to travel in the outside left lane on Ocean St because, all of sudden it seems, parking is allowed there, and it's easy to get trapped in that lane. And this type of scenario is not too friendly with share-the-road-with-bikes.

I'm almost thinking that free parking after 5 pm every weekday - including Art Walk days - would be, perhaps, a better enticement to get people downtown (other than those who work there). However, maybe that would create traffic snarls with commuters leaving and visitors coming ... dunno ... just a random thought.

Having lived in NYC and it's suburbs I know a little bit about parking, one thing that always makes me chuckle is how suburbanites always whine about not being able to park within a few feet of their destination. The problem is that there is just x amount of places to park and there will never be enough close by parking when there is an event like the art walk.

You seem to understand how to play the parking game, by parking a few blocks away you avoid paying and congestion and that is what I always do. I always marvel at that one person who circles the lot at the mall looking for that one spot close to the door.

My standard joke about parking is that I'll go into a city and have to park a few blocks from my destination and as I get there, there is an open spot right in front of the place I'm going to.

Anyway for the OP, when going to an event downtown it is more than likely that you will not find a parking place that is next to your event, so you'll either need to pay for a close spot or walk a couple of blocks, to me it's no big deal and for the art walk what's the difference, you're going to be walking anyway so if you tack on an extra block or two it should be no big deal.
and if anyone really cares I plan on checking out the next one, so I'll be the guy cruising about looking for a free space a block or 2 away.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by apvbguy

Having lived in NYC and it's suburbs I know a little bit about parking, one thing that always makes me chuckle is how suburbanites always whine about not being able to park within a few feet of their destination. The problem is that there is just x amount of places to park and there will never be enough close by parking when there is an event like the art walk.


and if anyone really cares I plan on checking out the next one, so I'll be the guy cruising about looking for a free space a block or 2 away.

Bingo on the parking! I always assume I'll have to drive around a bit or park further away and walk back to my destination....isn't that how it's supposed to be?

Once you are familiar enough, you know the "sweet spots" where spots seem to always be available and it's just as quick to park there and walk back than it is to circle around for a while.

If you're going to the next Art Walk, APVBGuy, try the garage next door to the Library that we spoke of earlier in this thread. Mawipawfl said the parking is free (validated at the library) and it's a brand new, safe garage with plenty of spaces.

[ladyjane70]

I think parking downtown sucks and I think as long as the prices are outrageous and the spaces so limited Phoenix will never have an exciting, vibrrant downtown