Parking and Photography at Berkeley's Greek Theatre

July 27, 2007 12:34 PM

Going to Daft Punk tonight at Berkeley's Greek Theatre, and was wondering about parking and photography.

Parking in Berkeley is generally a pain, and with Daft Punk playing tonight, I assume it'll be worse. Are there any good spots for parking (don't mind paying $5 or so)? My original plan was to just drive to Ashby BART, then take the train up to downtown Berkeley. However, three of us are going, and that adds up to $4.80 in BART fare, so I was thinking of just parking in the area and skip waiting for the BART and walking.

Secondly, the Another Planet site says no photography, but I've heard from "some website" that restrictions at the are not stupid pretty lax. Can I bring a DSLR in, or should I stick with the P&S?

posted by hobbes to Travel & Transportation around Berkeley, CA (5 answers total)

I've never had trouble finding free street parking within a reasonable walking distance from the Greek, and there are always plenty of pay lots ($5-10 depending on how close, frat houses and apartment buildings tend to whore out their lots).

I don't personally ever take pictures at shows, but anecdotally speaking, I've seen people with all types of cameras at that venue so what you read is probably true, I just wouldn't go so far as to say what you should risk. I know they don't really check bags too closely as we've brought in things that probably would have been confiscated if security was really checking anything seriously.
posted by padraigin at 12:45 PM on July 27, 2007

Best answer: Camera shouldn't be a problem. Neither is the view (there isn't a bad seat at the Greek).

Parking: Go down University until it dead ends at campus, take a left (on Oxford), take a right (road veers off to the right) onto Hearst. Take a left onto Spruce, Arch, or any other street (besides Euclid). Basically start zigzagging your way eastward, pushing your luck with parking...you will definitely find a spot on Spruce, Arch, Virginia, or one of the other streets running semi-parallel to Hearst. East is closer to the theater =parking is scarcer. I've always ended up parked in front of the giant church on Scenic...it's a short walk, but still relatively close to the theater. Being over there on those side streets will be MUCH easier when everybody is clogging Hearst with their cars trying to go down the hill (cause they parked way high up, behind or directly north of the theater).

Don't take BART! That'll be such a PITA. (and the BART station is a much longer walk to the theater than necessary)
posted by iamkimiam at 1:12 PM on July 27, 2007

Just park in North Berkeley Bart and take the bus. Honestly, it is cheaper and less of pain in the ass compared to parking around campus.
posted by |n$eCur3 at 1:56 PM on July 27, 2007

Honestly, park anywhere close to downtown, or in north berkeley, and just WALK. Allow yourself 30-45 minutes and it's a really lovely walk and it won't take you that long. I live near Cedar & Shattuck, around which there is plenty of parking, and can walk up to my parents' house in 45 minutesm, which is higher up the hill that the Greek.
posted by ORthey at 3:17 PM on July 27, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks for all the replies!

Ended up parking on Le Conte near a church. Also brought my Oly C-8080 in without too much trouble.
posted by hobbes at 3:25 PM on August 3, 2007