A Harley is a motorcycle, right?

May 10, 2008 2:47 PM

Please help me enjoy the Harley Davidson 105th Anniversary tickets I just bought!

My partner is a big Bruce Springsteen fan, so even though we're not Harley types, I just bought tickets to the Harley Davidson 105th Anniversary festival in Milwaukee at the end of August, where Bruce and the E Street band are headlining. Unfortunately, I've now found that every hotel within 50 miles of the city is booked solid. I live only 1.5 hours away in Chicago, so we could drive into Milwaukee just for the day (or just for the Bruce concert), but even then, I'm worried about finding parking and navigating the city in general. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

posted by pitseleh to travel & transportation (8 comments total)

Well, this is quite a broad question. For the 100th, there were people renting out their houses and apartments. You might check on Craigslist for those, or the local paper (jsonline.com). But if I were you, I'd just take the train from downtown Chicago and then take a taxi or bus to the concert site. (It's one bus - route 10 - check ridemcts.com). Downtown will be safe to walk at night with all those people. Obviously, check Amtrak to see what is the last train back.
posted by desjardins at 3:06 PM on May 10

One word is your answer. Amtrak. Twenty bucks. You cannot beat it.
posted by yclipse at 4:23 PM on May 10

Thanks for your responses, and I apologize for the vagueness of my question. My biggest concern is that we will drive into the city and end up without a way to park, so ideas for parking, alternatives to parking, or reassurance about the parking situation would all be welcome.

Amtrak is a great idea, but I just checked online and their last train from Milwaukee to Chicago leaves at 7:30, before the concert even starts.
posted by pitseleh at 7:29 PM on May 10

As someone who attended the 95th and 100th anniversaries (guh. Elton John? really? i'm still in denial about that one) and also a long time resident of brewtown i can assure you that finding parking is going to be trivial. That's not to say that it's going to be right near the event at Veteran's Park. It's possible to find parking near the lakefront and there are quite a few county lots within walking distance (depending on your definition of walking distance). Until things gel up a little better, i think your best bet might be to plan on making a day of it and seeing some of the other sights that mke has to offer. parking will be much easier to secure earlier in the day. there are many garages / lots to park in downtown and most of them offer quite reasonable all day rates, think $20-25 during events like this one. if you get to town earlier and spend some time wandering the downtown / 3rd ward area i think you'll have a great time. You can either park and walk or park and snag a cab to the event. I'm sure that soon you'll also start to see out-of-the-way type places (bars) start to offer shuttles to and from the event(s) and i believe last time around there was also shuttle services offered from Milwaukee County Park and Ride lots that are spread out around the metro area. if you're looking for ideas to make a day of it (as if the rally itself isn't enough fun!) shoot me a mefi-mail and i can get you a list of attractions that might interest you.
posted by skatz at 10:06 PM on May 10

Milwaukee is pretty easy to navigate, it's not like Chicago. Assuming you'll be bringing a bike, parking is not that hard to find. Get there early and find all day parking near the Summerfest grounds. There may be Freeway Flyer service from park and ride lots to the festival. Otherwise park on the street near Marquette University and take the bus to the Lakefront.
posted by JJ86 at 7:21 AM on May 11

Thanks so much for your help everyone! Skatz, your first hand report was exactly the reassurance about parking I was looking for. I think we'll take your suggestion of driving there early and exploring the city during the day.
posted by pitseleh at 10:04 AM on May 11

If you would like to stay over night during the event, you might want to try "renting" a night at someone's house through Craigslist.

During the last event (and now this one) I lived pretty close to where the concert was, and finding a parking spot was possible, it just involved a little patience. Just don't try moving during the rally, that added some extra hitches....
posted by drezdn at 5:50 PM on May 11

I forgot to mention that I lived within shouting distance of Veteran's Park during the 100th, and my street (Prospect Ave) had weird parking restrictions for a few days. I would NOT expect to find parking right by/north of the venue, and don't park illegally because there are cops all over the place. Oh and don't rev your engine right outside my window at 2 am kthnx.
posted by desjardins at 6:31 AM on May 12