Kansas City parking

[eee]

I'm going to be driving from Tulsa to Kansas City to begin a weeklong Amtrak trip and I'm wondering about parking. I believe it's $10/day at Union Station.

Are there any garages within walking distance that will provide a better rate? I'll be retrieving my car late in the evening, if that's any help. Here in downtown Tulsa we have several garages that either don't charge or charge only a dollar or two if you retrieve your car after a certain hour. Anything like that in downtown KC?

 

[sechs]

Why not leave your car in Tulsa and take the thruway bus?

 

[eee]

Why not leave your car in Tulsa and take the thruway bus?

The thruway bus would basically double the cost of train fare (I'm going KC-CHI on the chief, CHI-CDL, then STL-KCY, stopping a few days in each place).

Add that to the fact that the thruway would double the time it takes me to get from my door to the train vs. driving, and that I'd have to go to the bus depot in the middle of the night and spend time with some of the most undesirable people you've ever seen (I am in Oklahoma, you know ).

 

[jackal]

Why not leave your car in Tulsa and take the thruway bus?

The thruway bus would basically double the cost of train fare (I'm going KC-CHI on the chief, CHI-CDL, then STL-KCY, stopping a few days in each place).

Add that to the fact that the thruway would double the time it takes me to get from my door to the train vs. driving, and that I'd have to go to the bus depot in the middle of the night and spend time with some of the most undesirable people you've ever seen (I am in Oklahoma, you know ).

It might double the cost of your train fare, but still, how does it compare with the cost of the gas and wear on your car you'll use driving to and from KCY?

I don't know about OK, but in CA, Amtrak Thruway riders are generally a few notches above your typical Greyhound passengers. The bus station still attracts the lower stratum of society, but it might not be as bad as you'd think--unless Thruway bus service in OK is really just seats aboard a Greyhound (I know Amtrak does that in some places--in CA, Amtrak California operates their own buses).

 

[monorailfan]

Why not leave your car in Tulsa and take the thruway bus?

The thruway bus would basically double the cost of train fare (I'm going KC-CHI on the chief, CHI-CDL, then STL-KCY, stopping a few days in each place).

Add that to the fact that the thruway would double the time it takes me to get from my door to the train vs. driving, and that I'd have to go to the bus depot in the middle of the night and spend time with some of the most undesirable people you've ever seen (I am in Oklahoma, you know ).

It might double the cost of your train fare, but still, how does it compare with the cost of the gas and wear on your car you'll use driving to and from KCY?

I don't know about OK, but in CA, Amtrak Thruway riders are generally a few notches above your typical Greyhound passengers. The bus station still attracts the lower stratum of society, but it might not be as bad as you'd think--unless Thruway bus service in OK is really just seats aboard a Greyhound (I know Amtrak does that in some places--in CA, Amtrak California operates their own buses).

I'd pay the $10/day to leave my car in a safe place while traveling elsewhere for 10 days. The parking deck at KCY is brand new, safe, and quite nice as far as parking garages go. I wish all stations had parking as nice as KCY.

But, KCY is also connected to Crown Center http://www.crowncenter.com. I don't recall if the various parking garages the center charge $ to park or not, but if you can find a better deal here, it's a 10-min indoor walk via the skywalk from Union Station to Crown Center. Maybe you can get a better deal at the hotels in the Crown Center.

The only other option I can think of is parking on the other side of the tracks at KCY at the Freighthouse area where Lidia's Kansas City and a few other restaurants are. There is a pedestrian bridge across the tracks to Union Station. But I suspect that if you park your car there for too long, it will eventually get towed. Maybe someone else local to KC knows more.

 

[sechs]

Why not leave your car in Tulsa and take the thruway bus?

The thruway bus would basically double the cost of train fare (I'm going KC-CHI on the chief, CHI-CDL, then STL-KCY, stopping a few days in each place).

At $10/day, you're suddenly not saving any money. And if you're talking about spending the night in Kansas City, that's more money. Might as well just drive all the way there!