Hi. I recently moved into downtown on E 4th st and was wondering where a safe place would be to park a vistors car overnight so I can go pick them up but they can leave their car overnight on the street. Right now I've been doing it in Lakewood but its about a 12-15 minute drive oneway. Any recommendations? Several cities such as Rocky River and Fairview Park have parking restrictions. Depending on the night and time the guest is leaving parking on the street in downtown is possible but not at all times, especially if the guest is not leaving until the afternoon.

 

Any ideas?

You may want to call a parking company and ask if hey can offer some kind of all night special.

What about the Rapid stations on the west side, like Puritas or Triskett?  Do they allow overnight parking?

 

You may want to call a parking company and ask if hey can offer some kind of all night special.

 

One can park in the Prospect-Gateway garage overnight but its $12.50, they charge you the after 5pm rate and then the daily maximum when you go to leave in the AM

Before I moved up here I parked on an Ohio City side street (Clinton Ave) for an entire week without incident.  If your friend doesn't have a really flashy car you shouldn't have a problem for one night.  Just stay north of Lorain and east of 50th or so and you should be fine.

Before I moved up here I parked on an Ohio City side street (Clinton Ave) for an entire week without incident. If your friend doesn't have a really flashy car you shouldn't have a problem for one night. Just stay north of Lorain and east of 50th or so and you should be fine.

 

As long as you don't leave a laptop on the front seat, Clinton Ave is safe for parking. I've had a car out on the street on Clinton for 4 years and it has never been touched.

awval999, no doubt you're interested in mid week nights too, but in case it's helpful: I only recently noticed that much (most?  all?) of downtown's on-street parking is free both Saturday and Sunday.  I had assumed it was only free on Sunday like most other places I had lived and until recently have wasted money on hotel parking for Friday nights :(.  Now I know I can park on the street starting Friday after rush hour and not worry until early Sunday Monday morning.  And now I wonder why anyone wastes their money on overpriced hotel parking on weekends.

 

EDIT: oops, I meant Monday.

You are not supposed to park in the rapid lots overnight, though I'm not sure how/if this is monitored.

awval999, no doubt you're interested in mid week nights too, but in case it's helpful: I only recently noticed that much (most? all?) of downtown's on-street parking is free both Saturday and Sunday. I had assumed it was only free on Sunday like most other places I had lived and until recently have wasted money on hotel parking for Friday nights :(. Now I know I can park on the street starting Friday after rush hour and not worry until early Sunday morning. And now I wonder why anyone wastes their money on overpriced hotel parking on weekends.

 

Parking is free in almost all of Cleveland after rush hour on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday.  I don't know if most people don't know this, if people are too lazy to look for spots on the street, or if most people are scared to parallel park.  This applies to Indians games as well.  I was able to find a spot on E. 9th during a Saturday afternoon Indians game about a week and a half ago and then last night I parked right in front of Local Heroes Grill at 6:50 pm, right before a game against the Yankees attended by almost 23,000 people!  I was steps from the entrance and much closer than the lots full of people who paid $20 to park.

It is no less safe to park your car downtown than it is anywhere else in the city of Cleveland.  Just don't make yourself a target - i.e. leave NOTHING visible but empty car seats and cup holders.

You are not supposed to park in the rapid lots overnight, though I'm not sure how/if this is monitored.

 

Its not.  I asked one of the RTA police guys about it, in relation to people that park and go to the airport, and he said that they could in theory tow the cars but for the most part it isn't much of an issue.  The day that I asked it was obvious that a few cars had been there for days, in odd spots and covered in snow, even though it hadnt snowed in 2-3 days, so it was pretty easy to see which cars had been left for a while.

You are not supposed to park in the rapid lots overnight, though I'm not sure how/if this is monitored.

 

Its not.  I asked one of the RTA police guys about it, in relation to people that park and go to the airport, and he said that they could in theory tow the cars but for the most part it isn't much of an issue.  The day that I asked it was obvious that a few cars had been there for days, in odd spots and covered in snow, even though it hadnt snowed in 2-3 days, so it was pretty easy to see which cars had been left for a while.

 

I assumed it was ok to park overnight, as there must be some third shift employees who ride the rapid to night shift jobs downtown, or to transfer to the HealthLine to jobs at CCF or UH.  I've thought about leaving my car at Triskett when flying out of Hopkins for the weekend, and save on those airport parking fees.

How about Steelyard Commons?  I used to keep my car parked in a Walmart parking lot when visiting a friend who went to a college with highly irrational parking policies and tow-happy security.

I have called the Walmart at Steelyard and eventually got to talk to a CSM (which is kinda like a manager) and they did say they indeed tow. I even asked how could they tell an outsider from their own overnight stock employees and she said they count the cars. Hmmm. But I haven't risked it. I have been and will continue to use Steelyard Commons for guests that will not be staying overnight and leaving by midnight.

 

Like I mentioned earlier I drive out on I-90 and get off at McKinley and have the visitor park on a Lakewood side street but was looking for closer.

 

I feel like parking downtown is as safe as one can park on the street. I just want my guest to have a halfway safe parking spot as well and not have to rack up overnight fees. I have pulled up Clinton Ave between W50th and W28th on Google Maps and yes it looks much closer than Lakewood. What about Tremont?

 

Can we confirm (or should I call the Cleveland Police?) that the meters do not need to be fed from after Friday depending on the signage to Monday morning again depending on the signage?

I have called the Walmart at Steelyard and eventually got to talk to a CSM (which is kinda like a manager) and they did say they indeed tow. I even asked how could they tell an outsider from their own overnight stock employees and she said they count the cars. Hmmm. But I haven't risked it. I have been and will continue to use Steelyard Commons for guests that will not be staying overnight and leaving by midnight.

 

Like I mentioned earlier I drive out on I-90 and get off at McKinley and have the visitor park on a Lakewood side street but was looking for closer.

 

I feel like parking downtown is as safe as one can park on the street. I just want my guest to have a halfway safe parking spot as well and not have to rack up overnight fees. I have pulled up Clinton Ave between W50th and W28th on Google Maps and yes it looks much closer than Lakewood. What about Tremont?

 

Can we confirm (or should I call the Cleveland Police?) that the meters do not need to be fed from after Friday depending on the signage to Monday morning again depending on the signage?

 

The hours are always listed on the meters.  I think it's only until 6pm M-F that they need fed.

You are not supposed to park in the rapid lots overnight, though I'm not sure how/if this is monitored.

 

In Shaker or the Shaker Square spots on Van Aken the chance your car will be towed is pretty high.

If you were driving to lakewood, you wouldn't need to go all the way to McKinley to get off and find a parking spot. Why go so far?

I have called the Walmart at Steelyard and eventually got to talk to a CSM (which is kinda like a manager) and they did say they indeed tow. I even asked how could they tell an outsider from their own overnight stock employees and she said they count the cars. Hmmm. But I haven't risked it. I have been and will continue to use Steelyard Commons for guests that will not be staying overnight and leaving by midnight.

 

Like I mentioned earlier I drive out on I-90 and get off at McKinley and have the visitor park on a Lakewood side street but was looking for closer.

 

I feel like parking downtown is as safe as one can park on the street. I just want my guest to have a halfway safe parking spot as well and not have to rack up overnight fees. I have pulled up Clinton Ave between W50th and W28th on Google Maps and yes it looks much closer than Lakewood. What about Tremont?

 

Can we confirm (or should I call the Cleveland Police?) that the meters do not need to be fed from after Friday depending on the signage to Monday morning again depending on the signage?

 

The hours are always listed on the meters. I think it's only until 6pm M-F that they need fed.

 

I concur.  I live in the WHD and have parked weekend visitors on the street all the time without incident.  The meter maid does a final spot check at 6PM on Friday then they're off until Monday morning at 6 or 7 AM.  I can't think of any street spot in downtown Cleveland that differs from this.  The only thing you need to watch out for are valet spots.  They'll have you towed, but there should be a sign designating the valet area and when it applies. 

 

Check out W 10th St between Superior and St Clair on google maps.  This is where I park all of my overnight guests.  It's quiet and out of the way and I've never had any problems.  I've also parked people on W 9th street without incident.  Since you live on E 4th you should also look at E 6th St. or Vincent Avenue.  There are a lot of street spots back there and it's close to a hotel so you shouldn't have any problems. 

 

There's no reason to be worried about parking someone downtown IMO.  Just read the signs.  You probably have a better chance of having your car broken into in a neighborhood or in Lakewood than you do in downtown Cleveland.

^provided of course that you adhere to the obvious common sense rules... don't leave ANYTHING out in your car.  I once had a friend who had his car broken into downtown and started b*tching about it to me.

 

Me: "Did you have anything in it?"

Friend: "My ipod was on the front seat, and the GPS was on the dash?"

Me: "Stop talking."

It depends where as well.  I didn't have anything visible when my window got smashed in front of the Diamond club either, but they still figured out that they should open the trunk, where the DVD player was that my best friend had bought for her husband for Xmas, which she had given to me to take home that day for safe keeping so he wouldn't find it before the holiday.  Had to buy her a new one.  At least the robbers left me something - crack cocaine on the seat.

R&R, I would say you were pretty unlucky, or maybe there weren't many other opportunities around for the criminal.  Usually, they will go for the easiest crime around, and that usually means the person with something visible on a seat (such as a laptop).

 

Also, thefts from vehicles seem to be something that is fairly common in many different areas.  A couple times when I have looked at the Beachwood police blotter, even in a suburb of only 12,000, I have seen multiple reports of car windows smashed at the hotels along Chagrin and/or Beachwood Place, and usually the stolen items were laptops or other valuable electronics left on a seat.  It seems these thefts are about as common there as in the Cleveland Heights police blotter (per capita of course, Cleveland Heights is 4 times larger than Beachwood).

It was only after it happened that I noticed all the similar little bits of broken glass in the street, or I wouldn't have parked there.  I don't think I was unlucky, I think that's the norm in that area, unfortunately.  Hindsight 20/20 and all that.