We were thinking about how clever presidential candidate Barack Obama must have been to find parking in Cambridge, tickets be dammed. And then we saw the latest in ridiculous rates in this city.
The Globe reports, "At least seven garages are charging for parking in 20-minute rather than 30-minute increments, and many of them are collecting their all-day rates for periods of less than two hours." Many places are charging $6 for 20 minutes or less.
Much as we like to encourage walking and taking public transportation, it seems that these companies aren't jacking up the parking rates to help the environment. In general, we recommend that you don't bother driving into Boston at all. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: The best thing to do is park farther away and drive in.
But sometimes you have to work a weird shift or pick up a paycheck or something nutty happens, and you have to deal with driving downtown. The Globe helpfully listed prices for several garages. Steer clear of 1 Post Office Square, 60 State Street, 75-101 Federal Street, 75 State Street Garage, and Center Plaza Garage, especially for short trips. They all charge $6 after 20 minutes.
If you find that you absolutely must drive in for a longer purpose, then the following garages have slightly better all-day rates: Auditorium Garage ($25 before 6:00 pm), Boston Common Garage ($25 after 12 hours), City Place Parking ($14), First Federal Parking ($8.30 between 8 and 6), and along Northern Avenue ($9 between 5am and midnight).
Anywhere else you recommend? We threw in maps, and we can add to the list. But, when in doubt, take the T. Much as we gripe about the T, it's a whole lot better than driving and paying out the nose for parking.
And don't forget the snow! Photo of a car that actually found a space by Flickr user Nertzy.
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