So You Want To Park At UA
Nov. 18th, 2006 06:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sadlikeknivesHi. So, you want to go to a University of Alabama football game, or join the alarmingly large hordes of people who bring satellite set-ups and plasma TVs and watch the game on the Quad. There are a few things you need to understand. Or, really, just one thing: There will be approximately 100,000+ of you, from my estimation. 92,000+ in the stadium, plus those of you on the Quad. That's a lot of cars. The student population of UA is less than 25,000, and we have trouble finding parking spaces on a regular basis just to go to our classes. And that's when some of the lots don't have motor homes in them.
So as you can see, there's a problem here already.
You have several options as far as parking goes. You can come in a motor home. UA's fans have a thriving motor home culture. There are dorm lots specially reserved for motor homes on the weekend, driving residents farther afield in search of parking. If you have a lot of money to drop on a motor home and fuel for a motor home, this is a good option. If a motor home is financially not feasible for you, there are also several churches and businesses around town that sell parking in their lots. The mall even has an arrangement where you can park there and pay for a trolley ride to campus. However, there is not enough parking in these lots for all of you, and some of you are too cheap to pay for parking. Some of you are students. Students are poor. For this reason, you may also be reluctant to pay for parking.
So you are going to have to fight it out on campus.
As a rule, you should get to campus at least three to four hours early if you are a student or student guest, because seating in the student section is first-come, first-served, and they oversell the section by a lot. It is sometimes standing-room-only more than two hours before kickoff. If you are not a student, you probably get there within two hours of kickoff. Even this is cutting it fine, because parking will be hard to come by. You may miss the beginning of the game.
When looking for parking, ask yourself these questions:
1. Does this qualify as a parking space?
-Is it a designated parking spot?
-Is it paved and at least kind of out of the flow of traffic?
-Is it unpaved and grassy but at least partly horizontal?
--With no trees or flower beds?
-Is it a bike lane?
All of these can be parking spaces, depending on your creativity and skill as a driver. Obviously, if you drive a sports car that rides low to the ground, you have fewer options than someone in, say, a pickup truck, because you cannot hop curbs as easily.
2. Are there any problems with parking here?
-Is it a handicapped spot? As astonishing as this may seem, no one cares on Game Day. Go ahead and park there if you are morally willing to do so.
-Will you block in another car?
--Is this just one car? If so, go ahead and park there. If the other driver is clever/lucky, there may be another way they can get out.
--Is it multiple cars? This is probably not somewhere you want to park. Pissing off multiple people instead of just one is a Bad Idea.
--Is the vehicle you will block in parked stupidly enough that you can justify parking in front of it? That is, is it catty-corner in the middle of the lawn of a dorm instead of neatly near the curb? If so, go ahead and park. They deserve it.
-Is it designated 'no parking'? If so, don't worry about it and park there anyway. On Game Day, such rules are not enforced.
-Is it blocking a sidewalk? Supposedly, they will tow people who block sidewalks. This is a lie on Game Day. Go ahead and park there.
-Is your car likely to get hit? For example, are you parking along the edges of a parking lot in the traffic lanes and not leaving enough room for cars to get by? If the answer to this question is 'yes' then do not park there. Unless you don't care if your car gets hit.
-Is it close to vertical? If your car has a good parking brake, go ahead and park here.
3. Do you feel lucky, punk?
-Well, do you?
If you are feeling unlucky, you can park on the shoulder along Jack Warner Parkway on the approach to campus. This will entail a lot of walking on your part, and you will be stuck there for a while when the game lets out, but it gets you parked quickly and relatively painlessly. However, if you feel lucky, you can try your luck in the dorm parking lots on campus. These will appear completely full at first. However, if you circle a bit (20 minutes+), eventually someone who lives in that dorm will leave for whatever reason, and if you are close enough you can snatch their space.
Congratulations! You have now successfully parked on campus. Keep in mind that some of us do this every single day, with many fewer options than you have. We are the real heroes here. Enjoy your game!
*sobs at game*
I JUST WANTED THEM TO BEAT AUBURN BEFORE I GRADUATED. WAS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK?
So as you can see, there's a problem here already.
You have several options as far as parking goes. You can come in a motor home. UA's fans have a thriving motor home culture. There are dorm lots specially reserved for motor homes on the weekend, driving residents farther afield in search of parking. If you have a lot of money to drop on a motor home and fuel for a motor home, this is a good option. If a motor home is financially not feasible for you, there are also several churches and businesses around town that sell parking in their lots. The mall even has an arrangement where you can park there and pay for a trolley ride to campus. However, there is not enough parking in these lots for all of you, and some of you are too cheap to pay for parking. Some of you are students. Students are poor. For this reason, you may also be reluctant to pay for parking.
So you are going to have to fight it out on campus.
As a rule, you should get to campus at least three to four hours early if you are a student or student guest, because seating in the student section is first-come, first-served, and they oversell the section by a lot. It is sometimes standing-room-only more than two hours before kickoff. If you are not a student, you probably get there within two hours of kickoff. Even this is cutting it fine, because parking will be hard to come by. You may miss the beginning of the game.
When looking for parking, ask yourself these questions:
1. Does this qualify as a parking space?
-Is it a designated parking spot?
-Is it paved and at least kind of out of the flow of traffic?
-Is it unpaved and grassy but at least partly horizontal?
--With no trees or flower beds?
-Is it a bike lane?
All of these can be parking spaces, depending on your creativity and skill as a driver. Obviously, if you drive a sports car that rides low to the ground, you have fewer options than someone in, say, a pickup truck, because you cannot hop curbs as easily.
2. Are there any problems with parking here?
-Is it a handicapped spot? As astonishing as this may seem, no one cares on Game Day. Go ahead and park there if you are morally willing to do so.
-Will you block in another car?
--Is this just one car? If so, go ahead and park there. If the other driver is clever/lucky, there may be another way they can get out.
--Is it multiple cars? This is probably not somewhere you want to park. Pissing off multiple people instead of just one is a Bad Idea.
--Is the vehicle you will block in parked stupidly enough that you can justify parking in front of it? That is, is it catty-corner in the middle of the lawn of a dorm instead of neatly near the curb? If so, go ahead and park. They deserve it.
-Is it designated 'no parking'? If so, don't worry about it and park there anyway. On Game Day, such rules are not enforced.
-Is it blocking a sidewalk? Supposedly, they will tow people who block sidewalks. This is a lie on Game Day. Go ahead and park there.
-Is your car likely to get hit? For example, are you parking along the edges of a parking lot in the traffic lanes and not leaving enough room for cars to get by? If the answer to this question is 'yes' then do not park there. Unless you don't care if your car gets hit.
-Is it close to vertical? If your car has a good parking brake, go ahead and park here.
3. Do you feel lucky, punk?
-Well, do you?
If you are feeling unlucky, you can park on the shoulder along Jack Warner Parkway on the approach to campus. This will entail a lot of walking on your part, and you will be stuck there for a while when the game lets out, but it gets you parked quickly and relatively painlessly. However, if you feel lucky, you can try your luck in the dorm parking lots on campus. These will appear completely full at first. However, if you circle a bit (20 minutes+), eventually someone who lives in that dorm will leave for whatever reason, and if you are close enough you can snatch their space.
Congratulations! You have now successfully parked on campus. Keep in mind that some of us do this every single day, with many fewer options than you have. We are the real heroes here. Enjoy your game!
*sobs at game*
I JUST WANTED THEM TO BEAT AUBURN BEFORE I GRADUATED. WAS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK?
