University of Chicago
- Parking

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Despite being in the city, there is a fair amount of parking available in Hyde Park. You can always find free street parking, but finding it close to campus can be difficult. Some streets have meters on them, like Ellis Avenue, which is especially difficult right outside of the quad. There is also a parking garage on the corner of Ellis Avenue and 55th Street, right across the street from Ratner Athletics Center. It’s usually packed during the day. However, after the workday ends, spots open up. To make it even better, parking is free after 4 p.m. and on the weekends.

If you bring a car, you do need to be careful about parking tickets. There are a lot of street cleaning days, and if you don’t pay attention to the signs, you will get a ticket. You can also get tickets for parking an inch too close to fire hydrants or being in a metered spot a minute too long. However, as long as you’re careful about where you park, you’ll be absolutely fine with a car. The benefits of having a car are pretty great. Not having to rely on shuttles or buses to get to normal places like the grocery store outweighs the inconvenience of having to drive around an extra two minutes looking for a parking spot. One tip—learn how to parallel park before you bring a car here—otherwise you will be in serious trouble.

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Parking at University of Chicago

adabry

Environmental Studies '12

2.3

C

Just Don't Bring a Car

Parking near campus any time after 8am or before 6pm is generally a nightmare. Most students, therefore, choose to walk or bike instead of driving. Students who do own cars mostly use them to explore the rest of Chicago, as Hyde Park is very pedestrian-friendly. In general, though, Chicago has great public transit, so a car is really superfluous.

Mar 14, 2012

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Parking at University of Chicago

seagaia

Computer Science '14

2.7

C+

Public Transportation

You can park. Overpriced parking garage, or street parking if you're lucky - can get crowded in busier hours. If you can avoid it, just take public transportation down here, or bring your patience.

Jan 22, 2012

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Parking at University of Chicago

aboots

History '13

4.6

A

Little Need for a Car on Campus

Everything is within walking distance or biking distance from everything else so a car isn't really necessary. Very few students use them to get to class because most people just walk or bike from their dorms or apartments. The CTA buses that circulate campus are free for students which makes getting around the neighborhood really easy. Also, the University runs really convenient shuttles every evening. Sometimes it would be nice to have a car to get to other neighborhoods of Chicago but pretty much everything can be accessed on the CTA without too much trouble.

Aug 09, 2011

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