The dreaded P-word: Parking

Hello again, everyone! We're excited for Thursday evening, and we hope you are as well. We've very near a sellout (only 10 tickets left!), and are busily preparing to make this our best event ever.

Unfortunately, there's one topic that will always cause the blood to boil a little bit in downtown Seattle: Parking. There is no one solution that is best for everyone, but hopefully this will help.

First, obviously, if you're from out of town and staying downtown, the Columbia Tower is walking distance from most hotels. From the Convention Center area, it's about 6-7 blocks, and is mostly a gradual downhill walk on 5th Avenue. If you're worried about getting back to your hotel after the event, we highly recommend using Uber. They're clean, reasonably priced and prompt.

If you are local and absolutely must drive, here are some pointers:

• The Columbia Tower garage will charge you the day rate for the ENTIRETY of your stay if you arrive even 1 minute prior to 5:00. If you're like many and plan on showing up when the doors open, this might not be the best option for you, because even though you'll be parked in the garage during evening hours, if you arrive before 5:00, you will accrue day rate charges the entire time and will get a nasty shock when leaving. Several people had this problem last year. Avoid this at all costs!
• If you do arrive after 5:00 and are SURE you'll be leaving before midnight, the Columbia Tower garage, at a flat $9 rate, might not be a bad option for you. Just make sure you do leave before midnight or you will start accruing day charges once the calendar flips.
• Side note to this: Another strategy, if you're arriving after 5:00 but staying until 2:00, would be to park in the CTC garage, pay the $9, and then move your car to the street before midnight.
• If you're arriving after 6:00, the open air garage on 4th and Cherry (on the roof of the Arctic Hotel) is a decent option at a flat rate of $8.00.
• If none of these options fit your schedule, our best suggestion is to park on the street and pay for the first 3 hours of parking. After 8:00, it's free. If you need an escort back to your car, please see one of the hosts. We will make sure you are taken care of.

Keep in mind also that there is a football game at CenturyLink Field on Thursday (Washington State vs. Rutgers), but parking isn't usually impacted as far away as the Columbia Tower for events like this. Nonetheless, there may be some parking areas that are charging premium game rates, and street parking may be a little more difficult to find. If you do decide to park in a garage that is not the Columbia Tower garage, please make sure you read all the signs to ensure that your car won't get locked up overnight!

Finally, as is common sense for any urban area, don't leave valuables in your car where potential thieves can see them! While you can never be 100% sure your car won't be a target, you can reduce the odds of a mishap to pretty darned close to 0 if you follow this one rule.

Oh, and finally finally--DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE! See one of the hosts if you think you've had one too many. We will take care of you.

See you all on Thursday!