Parking in Downtown Denver

Having lived here 3 years and not being a high roller, I’ve figured out some very good parking arrangements (read: cheap) that I’m going to share with you. Some are tips, some are sneaky spots and the last is a service I just discovered that seems pretty worth it. So here it is:

Somewhat Obvious Tips:

• Don’t pay the meters on Sunday or Holidays, it’s free.
• Many of the “loading zones” and “taxi cab” spots have hours posted and you can actually park there in those not specified, read the signs!
• Park somewhere that has street sweeping once a month? Sign up for reminders from MyMotorMaid for free and avoid those pricey tickets (more than a meter ticket!)
• You can actually get a ticket for parallel parking too far from the curb. The rule of thumb is less than a foot, so re-park if you are too far away.
• Check out the Downtown Denver Partnership’s www.experiencedowntowndenver.com map (choose transportation) to find other options.

Sneaky Spots:

• Denver Pavillions Parking Garage (enter on Welton/15th): If you see a movie (or can make it into the theater), you can validate your ticket for up to 3 hours – voila! free parking downtown!)
• Tabor Center Parking Garage (enter on Larimer/17th): Just walk into the Cheesecake Factory front desk and ask a host/hostess for a validation for the parking garage. I’ve never been asked if I ate there and I don’t think they care, but if you feel guilty buy a slice of cheesecake and grab your ticket – it’s much more satisfying than paying for parking!

Cool Service: Park By Phone is a service that lets you essentially phone in your parking lot or meter payment. You just pay $5.95 upfront and then park in any AMPCO system lots (the site has a list). Then when you park instead of paying there you just dial the number for the place and it pays your lot fee for you. The great thing is it’s usually a cheaper rate than what the lot lists, plus you can always pay by credit card (get your points) and don’t have to fumble with cash/change. It’s a 10% surcharge at the end of the month for the service – but my friends who use it say they still spend less overall (the $12 lot down the street costs them $5 a day plus 10%).

Do you know of other sneaky spots that you’re willing to share? Let us know…