parking

[laurasaurora.livejournal.com]

hello, i'm sure this is a super annoying question, but the memories have been down all morning on this community, so figured i'd just ask.

we'll be hanging out in davis square this evening, coming from arlington. the options are 1) park at alewife and take the T one stop ($10 total) or 2) park somewhere nearish to davis square and hopefully save a few bucks. my feeling is that if i can park in davis square for less than or equal to $10, i would do it.

so, can anyone tell me what the rates are at the parking garages, i can't seem to find any information via googling. is there street parking? how reasonable is it to expect to find a spot either on the street or in the parking garage? the general feeling on the parking situation? we don't mind walking a few minutes if there is a good spot to park in the general area.

thanks!

EDIT: you guys are awesome, thank you so much for all the ideas. i think we'll probably play it safe with the 77. that way we can both drink too. :D

Comments

[arcanology.livejournal.com]

If you don't have a Somerville permit, you are generally not going to find a legal parking spot near Davis on a Friday night (because the limited supply has already been found). If you do have such a permit there are all sorts of side streets that are now open to you, but parking is not really what you would call "copious" in any case.

If you're the sort of person who doesn't mind spending an hour circulating looking for parking, you can probably snag a s

[signsoflife.livejournal.com]

There are, by design, no parking garages in or near Davis Square. Parking on street or in the municipal lots is free in the evening after 6, but parking is tight. Legal non-residential parking stretches all the way up Holland St., though, so you should be able to get a space about a five-ten minute walk away.

[ron_newman]

Park in the part of Arlington closest to Cambridge or Somerville, then walk to Davis. That won't cost you anything.

[ron_newman]

Or: park on East Arlington streets near Alewife station, and take the T in from there. I assume that if you live in Arlington, you can park anywhere in Arlington.

[signsoflife.livejournal.com]

Anyone can park anywhere in Arlington, so long as you don't do it overnight. The residents of East Arlington near the T have been agitating for resident-only parking on their streets exactly because they get filled up with commuters. I don't think it's a problem at night, though, though I may be mistaken.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

If you come before 6, it's pretty easy to snag a spot in Davis. After, it gets sticky.

You could park on the street closer to porter and walk 5-10 minutes to Davis and it would all be free.

OR, can't you just take the bus from Arlington?

[ron_newman]

and that last sentence is the best advice of all. Take the #77 bus, which runs along Mass. Ave. every 10-12 minutes. Get off at St. John's Church. Walk up Dover or Day street to Davis Square.

Bus fare is 90 cents per person per ride. (there are free bus transfers available, but that doesn't apply in your case)

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

I find that there's a lot of "churn" that happens between 4 and 6 PM, when the "day parkers" who work in Davis leave, and before the evening restaurant-and-bar crowd arrives. YMMV.

[ron_newman]

If you take this advice, be sure to bring plenty of quarters to feed the meters. Meters end at 6 pm.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

I heard at one point there was a plan to extend them till 8pm. did that ever gain any traction, or is that dead?

[ron_newman]

That will start in July.

[unferth.livejournal.com]

If you don't feel like paying to park at Alewife or taking your extremely slim chances of getting a spot in one of the municipal lots, you could always take the 77 bus down Mass Ave. It's a short walk from Mass Ave to Davis Square, and it's probably faster than trying to drive to Alewife.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I was just about to say that. Take the 77 From Arlington Center, and get off on Mass Ave at Dover or Day or Chester Street, and walk the two blocks into Davis.

Or, it's a zippy little 15-minute bike ride, a bit more if you're on the west side of Arlington. On pleasant nights I have, in fact, walked it in 45 minutes.

Davis + cars = fuggetaboutit. The bus is your best bet here.

[jadelennox]

Or the 87, if you're on the Medford side of Mass Ave between Arlington Center and Somerville. Takes you right into the square. Though on the way home, it will only take you as far as the Arlington border.

[mrpet.livejournal.com]

I don't know when Arlington starts ticketing (I think it's 1am). They do not allow overnight parking.

[cutieperson]

now i know why i never have trouble finding a spot in/near Davis; everyone is so convinced there's no parking that they don't bother trying, thus reducing the number of cars there.

seriously, it's not hard to find spots. there's a lot on Day street, another off of Holland, and usually plenty of parking on Highland.

[ron_newman]

All of which can be jammed full if there's a popular concert at the Somerville Theatre.

[dreamgirly19.livejournal.com]

agreed. granted i usually walk down the street from my house but everytime i drive there is spaces to be had

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

I concur with what others have said. I tried to find parking in the Davis Square area at 5pm on a sunday recently and it was really difficult and took quite a while. It's going to be worse on a friday. Take the 77 bus -- it runs often.

[ron_newman]

On a Sunday, parking should be easy, because residential permit rules don't apply on Sundays. You can park anywhere.

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

That's what we ended up doing -- parking on a side street. But it still took a while (a good 15 minutes or so) of going from lot to lot and then down side streets to find something.

[lena-a-mermaid.livejournal.com]

I sometimes drive around a couple of times to find parking, but I always end up getting a space. I wouldn't change my plans out of fear of not finding parking. There are a lot of metered spaces and there are a lot of non restricted parking spaces on Holland, College and Highland. Its not impossible. I think you will find a parking space.

[dphilli1.livejournal.com]

park on endicott st in teele and walk. I used to live on endicott and there is always parking there. its only a mile from davis.

[ron_newman]

(Responding to edit)
Just don't miss the last #77 bus. It leaves Harvard Square at 1:00 am, or when the last outbound Red Line train arrives, whichever is later.