Camper Parking

1775 wrote:
Apparently from the responses parking in a city is a matter of what part of the country the city is in - other than finding surface lots. I would love to know where to safely park my Roadtrek in (and not outside of:

1. Washington, D.C.
2. Boston
3. Philadelphia
4. Richmond
5. Baltimore

I have not been able to find any place.

Surface lots are not a problem when they exist. I can park my 20' RT in most single parking spaces- even better when the space fronts to a curb and divider, and if the aisle is too tight and the RT sticks out, then it will fit with no problem in two spaces front to back.

There are never any guarantees. You have to go and use your imagination and be patient. At 20' you should be fine.

Not good for city driving. The turning radius is about "half mile."

Heapie

What cities, and where in the city? You are in Houston, you could find a space for something like that in most strip malls, but not around Medical Center, the Galleria, or anyplace else you would have to go into a parking structure.

Chicago, nothing inside the Loop, the busier parts of North Michigan, or the around the waterfront parks, but you could park in the lots for most of the southside museums, and occasionally find a street space to accommodate.

San Antonio, Dallas (except the malls) I can usually find spaces that size, because everybody is driving crew-cab pickups and Excursions anyway.

Manhattan? Forget it.

Those are the places I know. It's been 46 years since I've tried to park anything in D.C., and I can tell you nothing about Boston.

The point being, there is not one answer. I depends on what city, and where in that city.

Just as examples, I visited our state's Museum of History in Raleigh NC a while back. I used Google Earth before leaving home. I found a full block occupied by a surface lot, a block behind the museum & old statehouse (ie, right in the heart of downtown). I arrived at 6:30 on a weekday, but it wasn't necessary. I got my pick of spaces, so took an end slot under a big shade tree, with a grassy divider right outside the coach door, and had an unrushed breakfast & shower.

I also used Google Earth to find a B-sized hourly lot right on the riverfront in Savannah GA. You have to drive a fair distance on a rough cobblestone street, running along the 'quaint' part of olde town. I got there at dawn, and parked. I was delighted to find an old 3-masted sailing yacht moored on the riverfront walk about 100' away. It was open for tours later in the AM. BTW, the meter maid came thru about 8:30; luckily, I'd already paid for a couple of hours.

I enjoy watching cities and towns come to life in the AM, and you miss the rush hour traffic.

(On edit) I haven't used it, but a while back there appeared to be a surface lot not too far from the Mall in DC. it's near the Navy Yard, across from the museum entrance there. Probably a do-able walk or a short bus or taxi ride from the Mall. It probably requires an early arrival except for maybe weekends.

Jim, "Patriot: One who gets a parking ticket and rejoices that the system works."

These are five of the hardest cities when it comes to finding good parking.

Washington DC - Jefferson and Madison in front of the Art Gallery and Air and Space museums. The streets are signed – "No Parking 1 AM-10:00 AM Mon-Fri 3 Hour Limit All Other Times". The spaces fill fast. We try to get there a little before ten. The three hour limit doesn’t seem to be enforced.

Boston - impossible

Philadelphia - If you don't mind a walk of around a mile try in front of the Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site. The neighborhood is not the best but we've parked there several times without a problem. We've also noticed small lots along Front Street where a B might fit but I don't remember the details.

Richmond - The last time we passed through we couldn't find a parking space but we have visited more than once so spaces are available. The next time we'll try on the weekend. State capitals are best visited on the weekends when all the government workers are off but then you can't tour the capitol building.

Baltimore - We only been there once. We visited the science center and parked in their lot. However that lot looks very small so it might not be an option on busy days.

Other cities where we found very limited parking and didn't visit are San Francisco and Ottawa. Other than those two we've been able to park in all cities that we visited in the US and Canada. Sometimes it take some searching to find a spot. We've never had a problem with break ins or other vandalism. We've never gotten a ticket but we always check carefully to make sure that we're following the parking regulations.

Apparently from the responses parking in a city is a matter of what part of the country the city is in - other than finding surface lots. I would love to know where to safely park my Roadtrek in (and not outside of:

1. Washington, D.C.
2. Boston
3. Philadelphia
4. Richmond
5. Baltimore

I have not been able to find any place.

Surface lots are not a problem when they exist. I can park my 20' RT in most single parking spaces- even better when the space fronts to a curb and divider, and if the aisle is too tight and the RT sticks out, then it will fit with no problem in two spaces front to back.

Short answer - no. We take our long and tall everywhere. St. Augustine, Savanah, Bristol, Jax, Tampa, Boston, Lancaster and many more. It is sometimes a challenge, but we always find a spot. You will have to park with more thought and precision than a Suburban, but it will be no problem.

We also have a converted van and feel no difference. Our conversion affected the height not the length. Going from a scooter to a full size van could pose a learning curve. Best practice before tackling a major metropolitan area. But consider where you live, where you want to go and the city size. New York City is a huge cry from Tampa. Besides if you have a camper/van, why got to the city? CAMP!!! Just my opinion.

I think the Google Maps thing is wise.

The trailer thing is also smart. You have plenty of options with that. On short trips, the trailer can be left at home. Longer trips or boondocking expeditions, you can drop the trailer at a CG and go into town.

Tux wrote:
Today I am leaning more toward what you have and then later if I like the lifestyle I can pull a trailer for extra room when I am traveling

I lived out of mine down in Florida this winter Dec 22 - Feb 22 and didnt feel a bit constricted even with my 3 little dogs along. I like the fact that I can park my RV right on the street outside my city home and use it for shopping or whatever. When camping to roll all I have to do is lock everything down, cage my dogs, pull the plug, take in my Dish Network Tailgater antennae and I am on the road in 10 minutes. I have to say the teardrop trailer I got was so "nothing" that I put a big piece of blue tape across my steering wheel with TRAILER!! written on it so I wouldnt forget it was there. I could just see it out the back windows. The nice thing about DIY (when I am the contractor but not necessarily do the work) is the ability to do it in stages, do test runs of camping, change the plans, rearrange, etc. find stuff used and/or cheap on Craigs, etc. and dont have to settle for someone elses idea of what I need. For example, most RVs are pretty heavy from all the "wood" cabinets, tanks, etc. I look for light weight workarounds, dual purpose things, storage, etc. I like things out in the open so just this winter installed small stretchy cargo nets across the blocked windows to tuck stuff I am not using back there. I wouldnt have the same flexibility with wooden cupboards. The little plastic carts I use hold a lot of stuff and make it easy to sort things according to their use. I seem to keep finding more storage areas and new more convenient ways to stash things.