Reflection..

Throughout this semester I've opened up to you all about my experiences and frustrations with parking here at Old Dominion Univerity. The good times, the bad...all through this I've been talking to you about the situation here. With the semester finally coming to a close and the summer afoot, I just wanted to say what a great experience it was to be able to let all of this out into the open. From interviewing other students to blogging about events taking place here on campus, it's been quite a ride (no pun intended) and I enjoyed every last minute of it. So please feel free to use this blog as your pathway into the minds of myself and some of the other students here at ODU. I hope you've enjoyed following and reading along.

Until next time!

Last but not Least!

Ok we talked about locations you can and can't park over on the ODU campus. Now we're going to venture across Hampton Blvd and how you unlimited amounts of spaces you can park if you don't midn doing just a tad bit more walking.

There's the obvious TED Constant Convocation Center garage on 43rd street. However, I personally think that's a bit too far for my taste. So where else am I talking about you ask? The 45th Street Marriot Hotel Garage. Don't be fooled! It's not only for the hotel guests. ODU commuters, residents, faculty and visitors are ALL permitted in this garage!

The ONLY restriction is for the metered spaces located on the second floor. Here you have a maximum of 2 hours to park. Every other floor, ramp, level is allowed for all commuters. No need to fear a faculty/staff restriction here. Just make sure that you do have a valid ODU parking pass I.D or else you'll feel the wrath of the parking services officers who very much enjoy writing tickets.

Well..I hope that helps you all learn the ropes a little easier this semester on where to park, where to go, what to avoid, etc. And welcome to ODU and HAPPY PARKING TIME!

Faculty/Staff Lot You Can't Miss But Can't Park!

Right in the middle of campus it seems you will be sure to not miss THIS lot. Faculty/Staff Lot 19. This is located on 45th Street right next to the Batten Arts and Letters building. You'll be tempted to park here because besides a garage, it is the most convinient location to park as everything is within a short walking distance. But DO NOT DO IT! If you arrive ANYTIME before 3:45 p.m. and are found parking in that lot with anything other than a Faculty/Staff parking pass, you'll be making your way over to the Parking Services Office to pay yourself a nice little fine.

However, with a valid ODU parking I.D, you can park in this lot after 3:45 p.m. If you have any night classes then this would be my suggestion on here to park and return to your car safely.

Commuters Stay Away!

Now as we were talking about in our last post, the 43rd Street Garage is a popular one to park in for commuters. And on the outside is looks VERY large. But take a moment to actually look from the outside. You'll see that there are 2 garages connected and the divide is right by the Parking Services Office.

This garage located on Elkhorn Ave is OFF-LIMITS to all commuters. ONLY Faculty Members and Quad Residents are allowed to park here. The one exception to this garage are the 50 metered spaces located in this garage. Otherwise, as a commuter, you are best off just forgetting this garage is even an option.

Most Common Garage You'll Want to Park In

While it's pretty clear there are many garages located on campus with commuter parking priviledges, but we always want to park the closest to our classes.

The most sought after garage is typically the 43rd Street Garage "B". It's the busiest garage and the best time to park in there are during later afternoon hours or REALLY early in the morning. Otherwise, battling for a spot may become a daily occurrance. My suggestion is, if you want to park in this garage for a 9 a.m class, get there no later than 8:30a.m. Otherwise, you will NOT find a spot and will mostlikely be late to class. The next best time to arrive in this garage would be close to 3:00 p.m. Anything between these 2 times are considered "peak campus class" hours with the most students on campus.

But beware! The first level ramp in this garage is reserved for Faculty/Staff ONLY. If you are caught parking here with a commuter's pass, you WILL get a ticket. Whether you are there for one 50 minute class or all day, you'll receive the same ticket. Also the first level is for metered spaces only. These spaces do not require a parking pass however they are timed for a maximum of 2 hours.

Welcome ODU Freshmen! This is your first stop...

First off I'd like to welcome all the incoming Freshmen attending ODU in the fall! I know you'll enjoy it here and hope to have a great experience. You'll be expecting the typical collage life which is, of course, always fun. However what I'm here to talk to you about is something pretty important when it comes to getting to class, learning your way around and showing you the ropes of how things work around here.

Parking!

Yes, I know, fun concept. But it's really important to learn where to park, where not to park, when you can park at these locations..etc.

Now the first stop you need to make before you can even start attending classes is to go to the Office of Parking and Transportation Services. Here you will be able to purchase your parking pass for the semester. This is also the location where you would pay off any fines or parking tickets. Of course we want to avoid having those. Which brings me to our next posts, where to park and where not to park!
Follow me!


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http://www.flickr.com/photos/30997818@N02/sets/72157617746210456/show/

The Mayhem Never Ends!!

I realize that this has been talked about countless times in reference to the ODU parking situation. But recently it's come to my attention that this issue can be broadcast to not only school parking garages but mall parking garages as well.

Just the other day, I was going to MacArthur mall, and I was actually having a hard time finding a decent spot on a lower level floor. Not to mention all the crazy one-ways and arrows and zig-zags throughout the place. I nearly had a collision with an idiot who couldn't read the signs in order to get out of the place.

Then after my rounds of shopping, I walked back to my car and what happens? A battle between 2 other vehicles for my spot! It never ends! And as always with MacArthur mall, that awesome $1 charge for the first three hours. I just got to thinking how much money they must make in ONE day for parking. That mall has been open for years upon years now. Surely they've paid off the cost of the garage at this point. Why is this still needed? Answer. Greed. We can never have enough money to build poorly constructed garages. -Sigh-...


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