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Author Topic: Theatres with Parking Garages Dennis Benjamin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1445 From: Denton, MD Registered: Feb 2002 posted 04-19-2006 02:13 PM                        Ticket to see the film "V For Vendetta" - $7.50 Snacks and a drink at the concession stand - $10.75 Look on my face when I had to pay $17.00 for 2 hours and 15 minutes in the parking garage - PRICELESS. /RANT ON/ Come on, I have never in my life ever had to pay $17 for less than 3 hours of parking garage time. Not at Johns Hopkins hospital, not at any airport, not at any sporting event. I visited the Regal 14 in downtown D.C. on Monday and decided to watch "V for Vendetta". If I would have known how much the parking would be - I would have parked at one of the lots in Chinatown - where I would have only paid $10 dollars for the whole day. I think all theatres should do what is done in Vegas: At the Neonopolis they give you a two parking voucher to deter the costs, or at the Showcase at the MGM Grand - they give you a free popcorn to make up for the cost of parking in thier garage. Not to mention - the prices are no where near what I was charged on Monday. It costs me more for parking than it did for the whole movie experience (just about!). This would be another reason why people would rather stay home than see a movie at a theatre. Yes- I did file a complaint about it! /RANT OFF/ Thanks for listening. Does anyone on here work at a theatre with a parking garage?  |  IP: Logged Pravin Ratnam Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 844 From: Atlanta, GA,USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 04-19-2006 02:31 PM                     Regal Cinemas Atlantic Station in Atlanta has a parking garage which is used for all merchants in Atlantic Station. When it first opened late lasst year, they woud validate your parking. But now they only validate two hours. So you end up payig a buck or two. Not bad, but I am spoiled by free parking when watching a movie.  |  IP: Logged Steve Scott Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1300 From: Minneapolis, MN Registered: Sep 2000 posted 04-19-2006 02:43 PM                     Here, you got three choices: -9 story ramp: $2.50 for 12 hours -parking lot: $1 for 0-2 hours, $2 for 12 -metered street parking: $0.75/hour This, besides driving directions, can be the greatest challenge for some customers. The ramp is connected to our mall via a tunnel, the lot sits right next to it, both are quite safe. The street parking is a challenge in its own. We sit on Main Street, which the city of Minneapolis has found in its heart to be worthy of metering 7 days a week, 6 am-midnight. It is thoroughly patrolled by both city and park police squads with no sympathy, even for those who have just gone inside to pay. A word from the wise: if you've got to come into the theater to make change, do it really quick or have someone wait outside. Just this Monday, a couple who came into buy tickets & get quarters were fined $35 for the two minutes it took them to walk in & back. Scary. Most of the other streets around the neighborhood are metered only on the weekdays. These street spaces are where I usually park for my weekend shifts. You'd have to walk about six blocks (as the crow flies) to get free parking in the residential neighborhood nearby, if there's any at all. I learned a long time ago that convienient parking near venues in Minneapolis is usually too expensive or good to be true, as it is this way everywhere in town, except Sundays. No, we don't validate parking. Landmark, however, does validate for two free hours in the lot behind the Lagoon theatre for patrons of that house & the Uptown. At their Edina location (a Plitt build), there's a 4-hour free ramp directly behind the theatre. That's a raw deal Dennis.  |  IP: Logged Brian Michael Weidemann Expert cat molester Posts: 944 From: Costa Mesa, CA United States Registered: Feb 2004 posted 04-19-2006 07:52 PM                        We've got two five-level parking structures (somewhere over 5000 parking spots, total) for the whole Spectrum Center, completely FREE ... so those probably don't count as garages. I've never seen $17.00 for parking before, however. Even ALL DAY parking. Anywhere. What were the posted rates? Or, were they cleverly obscured until after you've already parked?  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 04-19-2006 08:27 PM                        Dennis mentioned the only two theaters in 'Vegas where parking must be validated. Anywhere else here one can just park in the adjoining casino or shopping center parking lot/structure. No time limits, no validation, no charge. 'Vegas locals refuse to pay for parking. Paying for parking is for the marks, er, tourists. We'd lynch anyone who'd try to foist that on locals. We're spoiled. Let's see, in LA at the now gone Century Plaza I seem to remember having to pay around $20 for parking when Apocalypse Now Redux came out a few years ago. The running time ran longer than the normal theater validation period so they hit us for the full amount. Yes, we felt completely ripped off.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 04-20-2006 05:03 AM                        In Britain parking is the bugbear of any town or city-centre cinema operator. Lack of affordable, nearby parking was the main reason why the last theatre I worked at eventually had to abandon the idea of private hire and conferencing business in the mornings: the bottom line was that no-one would book a place where the nearest car park was 10 minutes' walk away, cost £4 an hour and was almost impossible to find a space in during the working day. Given that there are around 10 hotels with conferencing suites and masses of free parking dotted round the Ring Road, that's hardly a surprise. I'm also convinced that parking is a significant part of the reason why one of the two city centre cinemas in York is to close (see my post on this linked page) in August. And this is in a city which, by UK standards, has relatively good public transport links, both local and long distance.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-20-2006 05:26 AM                        How about theatres built _under_ parking garages: (the former Loews Cheri in Boston, which is now a bowling alley) I also know of at least one theatre converted _from_ a parking garage (Avon Cinema in Providence, RI) and a theatre converted _to_ a parking garage (Michigan Theatre in Detroit, MI).  |  IP: Logged Lyle Romer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1400 From: Davie, FL, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 04-20-2006 08:20 AM                     quote: Dennis Benjamin Showcase at the MGM Grand - they give you a free popcorn to make up for the cost of parking in thier garage I'm surprised the garage at Showcase charges. Can't you just park for free in any of the surrounding casinos (Monte Carlo, NY NY, MGM Grand or even Tropicana or Excalibur)? Even at the furthest one of those, it's only a 15 minute walk.  |  IP: Logged William T. Parr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 823 From: Cedar Park, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 04-20-2006 09:08 AM                     Dennis, I work at the Dobie theatre in Austin and we have a parking garage as were in one of the student residences for the University of Texas. We validate parking tickets issued at the time of entrance to our garage. Based on how long you plan on being at the theatre, we do 3 hours or 5 hours of free parking. Most one can pay is $10.00 for a days worth of parking with out any validation.  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 04-20-2006 09:21 AM                     quote: Paul Mayer Let's see, in LA at the now gone Century Plaza I seem to remember having to pay around $20 for parking Thats true it happened to me with "The Last Temptation of Christ" at the Century Plaza. But it all depended on which entrance you came in. If you came in at the east side of the complex you got hit with the office building rate vs. the cinema friendly rate on the north or south side. But if you see a movie in midtown manhattan or downtown Los Angeles you would be paying very high parking rates. Here the rates for 30 minutes are are just over $6.00.  |  IP: Logged Steve Scott Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1300 From: Minneapolis, MN Registered: Sep 2000 posted 04-20-2006 10:45 AM                     The former Skyway 6 in downtown Minneapolis converted part of their first-floor parking ramp into an auditorium in the eighties, as well.  |  IP: Logged Mike Williams Master Film Handler Posts: 255 From: Knoxville, TN Registered: Feb 2002 posted 04-21-2006 07:24 AM                     It might be a supply and demand thing... I had to go to Boston on business a few weeks ago and was shocked to see some of the parking prices if you wanted to park anywhere downtown. It definitely encouraged me to use public transportation! I saw one lot that charged $8 an hour to park. I guess if there is little space for parking, you can charge more for it because of the demand. Believe me, I am not defending Regal for charging that to their own customers if they own the garage, but that price might be the norm in a large city.  |  IP: Logged Dennis Benjamin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1445 From: Denton, MD Registered: Feb 2002 posted 04-21-2006 06:07 PM                        I went into that garage because it said "Cinema Parking". I glanced at the rates, but they did not sink in. In the "Chinatown" part of D.C., there is cheaper parking. Maybe I should go into the parking garage business............ Hmmmmm......  |  IP: Logged Kenneth Wuepper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1026 From: Saginaw, MI, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 04-21-2006 08:48 PM                     The owners of the Temple Theatre here also own an office building 2 blocks away. That office building has free, fenced, tv secured parking and there is a free shuttle to and from the theatre. This is a great plus for our patrons. KEN  |  IP: Logged Martin Brooks Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 900 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 04-23-2006 08:38 PM                        quote: Brian Michael Weidemann I've never seen $17.00 for parking before, however. Even ALL DAY parking. Anywhere. You haven't visited New York City. Although there are some garages in midtown (which one would think would be the most expensive) where you can park for around $13 if you get there by 10am, there are many Manhattan garages that will charge you up to $45 (with tax) to park for three hours or more. Out of midtown, it's usually possible to find street parking at night.  |  IP: Logged

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