Where is a cheap and secure place to leave a car in San Francisco overnight for one night?

July 19, 2008 8:41 AM

Where is a cheap and secure place to leave a car in San Francisco overnight for one night?

We are staying in a hotel at Sutter and Larkin. We have been using public transit, except we have had to rent a car for one day so we can drive to the Peninsula for my husband to attend a reunion. We were hoping to return the car the same day but just found out the rental place closes at 2:00 and we won't be there in time. Can anyone suggest an inexpensive parking lot that is reasonably secure? It doesn't have to be right by the hotel or even downtown if we can take public transit to get back to our hotel. Thanks!

posted by Melsky to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

The car rental place won't let you drop off after-hours? That's unusual, you should ask about that. Otherwise, ask your hotel, they might have options for you.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 9:44 AM on July 19, 2008

Depending on your definition of cheap, the Japantown Garage is $15 for 8-24 hours. It's at Post and Fillmore (actually, I believe one exit is at Webster or Buchanan, which is a block or two closer to your hotel); that's about 10 blocks west and one block south of your hotel, which is a pleasant healthy walk, or an easy bus ride (2, 3, and 4 lines on Sutter/Post, 38 line on Geary).
posted by kristi at 9:52 AM on July 19, 2008

call the rental agency--most have after-hours drop-off instructions.
posted by thinkingwoman at 10:47 AM on July 19, 2008

If you're not too worried, I suggest leaving it on the street (not near downtown but in a nice residential neighborhood). If it will be a weekend or if you're parking the car after 6 and picking it up before 10-ish, you could park in any (safe-feeling) neighborhood (2 hours parking, most permit areas are 8am-8pm M-F, if I recall correctly). But there are even nice permit-free zones.

In particular, there is always plenty of parking on the hilly blocks just west of Dolores Park. There's no permit area at the peak of the hill (check out Sanchez St & 21st). And you'll only be two blocks from the J, which goes straight downtown. Plenty of Jaguars and BMWs parked up there if that makes you feel safer.

(This is my neighborhood and I haven't had a problem finding a spot (or with crime) in the year I've lived here.)
posted by rafter at 11:52 AM on July 19, 2008

Depending upon when you are returning to the city, the Civic Center Plaza Garage can be an affordable option. If you enter after 9PM for overnight parking, it is $2.00 - but you have to exit before 9AM on weekdays and before noon on weekends to get this rate. The garage is underneath the Civic Center park - here is the website. The facility locks up around midnight, which is the biggest drawback to my mind.
posted by that possible maker of pork sausages at 12:16 PM on July 19, 2008

I don't know the area block by block, so forgive me if I'm way off here, but you're skirting the north end of the Tenderloin by a few blocks. When you say 2:00, are you talking about 2:00 PM or 2:00 AM? I wouldn't necessarily want to ride the bus or walk around the Tenderloin at 2:00 AM to save a few bucks. Would a local please chime in and tell me if I'm off-base?
posted by cnc at 6:28 PM on July 19, 2008

Thanks for the answers. I found out that the first car rental person I spoke to was misinformed and we could drop off the car at another location later in the day.

It was 2 pm, not 2 am that the other place closed.
posted by Melsky at 10:06 AM on July 20, 2008