How does a cheapskate park in Old Town Pasadena?

December 31, 2009 10:59 PM

Questions about working and parking in Old Town Pasadena, CA. I'm new to the area - what are my cheapest parking options? I don't mind walking. Although ... I will sometimes be getting off work between 11 pm and 1 am, so I'd rather walk through well-lit and well-trafficked areas.

So far, I've been taking the bus. However, my work schedule has changed and I will soon be getting off work after the last bus. Monthly parking at Paseo Colorado, One Colorado, and the Park & Walk lots run around $80-100 a month. Are there cheaper options somewhere? Or is there no such thing as being a cheapskate parker in/around Old Town?

Street parking seems to involve moving every two hours, and that's far too often for me to be excusing myself from work for car-moving purposes.

Is Colorado Blvd still active, well-lit, and well-trafficked at around 11 pm to 1 am? Is the walk from Colorado Blvd to a nearby no-time-limit side street (does this exist?) too dangerous? If I take the Metro Gold Line to get to Pasadena - what about the walk from Colorado Blvd to the Del Mar or Memorial Park stations?

posted by Xere to Travel & Transportation around Pasadena, CA (2 answers total)

There are nooooo free/unlimited parking sites anywhere near Old Town. All of the streets adjacent to Old Town are metered with 2-hour limits, and this was arranged by the city on purpose, as you might imagine. Not a good bet to try to chance it either. The $80 structures are your best option if feeling ultra safe is your main priority--it won't be cheaper anywhere else except for the lots where it's illegal to park unless you're a customer (etc.), and you WILL get tickets, as Pasadena Parking Enforcement is extremely active (trust me on this, don't ever chance it, because they are up and down those streets all day long making thousands of dollars). The other options, if you aren't working every single day, are $5-a-day lots that are scattered around Colorado and one off of De Lacey, kind of behind the schoolhouse structure. Those may work out to be cheaper, depending on how many days you'll need to park per month.

The Memorial Park station is ridiculously convenient if you're headed to Old Town (a couple blocks' walk, literally), but I've had some unpleasant experiences there myself and wouldn't, in all honesty, feel great about going there at midnight. If saving some cash is most important, get a monthly metro pass and take the train in from somewhere that has some potential free parking (South Pas Mission station springs to mind).

I work/live/park right around this area too, so if you want to talk in more detail about it, feel free to MeMail. :)
posted by so_gracefully at 11:55 PM on December 31, 2009

Sorry can't help with the parking, but I can help with the reminiscing about what Old Town used to be like.
posted by notyou at 11:32 AM on January 1, 2010