what do you do if you drive 2 hours & discover parking lot full?

[ToniCounter]

There are two Amtrak stations near me. According to the website, 1st one has 30 long term parking spaces. The 2nd has 75 long term parking spaces. These two stations only 2 or 4 long distance trains each day(2 leaving in the afternoon and 2 at 1AM and 3AM ) There are no long term parking places in these two airport-less towns. Street parking is not allowed in town between midnight and 5AM, according to the parking enforcement office at the PD.

If we drive to either of those stations and find the long term parking lot to be 100% full, what can we do? Or is this a very risky plan?

Thanks!

 

[neroden]

I usually have someone drop me off and pick me up, which avoids all these problems.

Which cities are you looking at? Someone might know another place to park in one of those towns.

 

[MikefromCrete]

Sell your car to the first guy walking by?

 

[Fred Wis.]

In the small town I use, the station manager suggests letting the local police dept know you are leaving your car, and they have been helpful in recommending safe parking when the main lot is full. A phone call ahead of time, can save some anxiety on the day of departure. Of course this is a small Midwestern town.

 

[SarahZ]

Are there any hotels nearby? They might let you park for a fee.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Parking in the overflow lot at the station.

The grass.

Ok only time I see parking lots filled is on Thanksgiving weekend. If you post your station and your travel times. We would have a much better advise.

 

[KmH]

A location in your profile would be helpful, or stating which stations you're talking about.

MikefromCrete - - u rock buddy!

 

[Asher]

What is the name of the town?? Somebody may be able to help if you fill in the blanks.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

If we drive to either of those stations and find the long term parking lot to be 100% full, what can we do? Or is this a very risky plan?

Alex, what is to drive back home, and post a complaint thread here?

For me, all my Amtrak trips are for pleasure and vacation, neither of which, I want any additional stress. So, I agree with the others, find a way to get to the station other than using your car. Run a guilt trip on a friend to drive you there. Take a bus. Personally, I do both; get a friend to drop me off at the local bus station, and then take the bus to the rail station. My friend is an ex con so I can pay him in cigarettes.

BTW, it would also stress me out, having my car sit in some strange parking lot, over night.

 

[fillyjonk]

I drive 2 1/2 hours to the nearest station. If I got there (I always allow extra time) and the lot was full, I'd go over to the local police station and ask them where would be a safe, non-ticketed long term spot. (It's a small town). I've never found the lot full but there's a first time for everything. I know when there was construction at the station some years back they were instructing people to park in a block of spots near the downtown shopping area.

Asking a friend to drive me some 120 miles - and then pick me up later - that's an imposition I'd be unwilling to make on any of my friends. I'd just strive to find alternate parking.

 

[crabby_appleton1950]

Asking a friend to drive me some 120 miles - and then pick me up later - that's an imposition I'd be unwilling to make on any of my friends.

Cash can be a good incentive, since you're talking about a round trip of 240 miles.

 

[notned]

There's the pickup too. 480 miles.

 

[happy2meetu]

My wife and I are leaving from Toledo in early November to Washington DC. We are driving 3 hours to the station. Is parking ever a problem at this station? Thanks for the help.

 

[fillyjonk]

Asking a friend to drive me some 120 miles - and then pick me up later - that's an imposition I'd be unwilling to make on any of my friends.

Cash can be a good incentive, since you're talking about a round trip of 240 miles.

I dunno. Might almost be cheaper to rent Enterprise ("we pick you up") one-way each way.....

Most of my friends work full time and it would be a serious imposition for me to ask them for a drive. I know **I** wouldn't want to have to drive someone there and back.

(I also used to do the Greyhound-taxi-big city station route. No more. Not ridin' the "dog" any more, I'm too old for that craziness)

 

[neroden]

My wife and I are leaving from Toledo in early November to Washington DC. We are driving 3 hours to the station. Is parking ever a problem at this station? Thanks for the help.

The entire city of Toledo is mostly made of parking. I have never heard of any problems finding parking at the Toledo station. There are 70 long-term spaces.

 

[me_little_me]

Here's a possibility. Ask the forum members if any of them live within taxi distance, would they allow you to park at their place.

Another possibility (which we used on a non-Amtrak trip where we were traveling from NC to Michigan and my son coming from Alabama). We called a church near where we would meet in Tennessee and asked if he could park in a far out space in their lot. They let us do so. Worked out great.

 

[ToniCounter]

My wife and I are leaving from Toledo in early November to Washington DC. We are driving 3 hours to the station. Is parking ever a problem at this station? Thanks for the help.

Toledo airport must have long-term parking lots, right?

Take a taxi from the airport to the Amtrak station?

 

[Montreal Ltd]

The airport and the train station are at the opposite ends of Toledo. They even have different exits from the turnpike.

 

[printman2000]

We have to drive four hours to our nearest station which is Lamy. I have never worried about there being no parking so thanks for giving me something else to worry about.

 

[ToniCounter]

The airport and the train station are at the opposite ends of Toledo. They even have different exits from the turnpike.

don't know anything about Toledo...

but when I used to take Amtrak out of DC Union Station on long trips, I parked at DCA(Nationa) airport daily lots. Way cheaper than Union Station parking garage.(by as much as $10 per day) I just leave the car, get on the shuttle to the Metro station, and get off at Union Station.