Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

Located within a five-hour drive of a quarter of the country’s population, Philadelphia is easy to get to for many people. In fact, 72% of Philadelphia’s overnight visitors arrived in their own cars in 2008, according to Longwoods International. With the tips and user information below, parking is easier to understand and affordable too. And after dropping off the car, visitors have no problem getting around thanks to the easy-to-navigate grid pattern that city planner William Penn laid out in the 17^th century. Whether for a quick trip or a multi-day vacation, travelers can use the following guidelines—and many other useful tips found on gophila.com/parking—for parking in Philadelphia:

SAVING MONEY:

Hotel Perks:

• Visitors to Philadelphia can take advantage of free hotel parking (up to a $75 value) with the popular Philly Overnight® Hotel Package, a two-night offer that also comes with a gift at check-in and is available at more than 30 hotels throughout the region. This package and many others are available on gophila.com.

Cheap Lots:

• Day-trippers can pull into the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) parking garage located under the Independence Visitor Center before 9:00 a.m. and pay only $12 if they depart before 6:00 p.m. Entrances are located between Market and Arch Streets on both 5^th and 6^th Streets.
• At 10^th and Filbert Streets near The Gallery mall, the AutoPark garage charges just $3 per hour for the first three hours.
• Daytime visitors can arrive before 9:00 a.m. and stay until 6 p.m. at the Central Parking lot at 21^st and Sansom Streets for just $12.
• Visitors exploring the galleries of the Philadelphia Museum of Art can pull into the surface lot at Eakins Oval, 23^rd Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and pay only $7 for up to six hours of parking. Six or more hours of parking is only $10.
• On Carpenter and Ellsworth Streets between 9^th and 10^th Streets, low-priced parking lots make it easy to explore the bustling Italian Market area of the city. Daytime parkers shell out just $3, while nighttime diners spend only $5.
• Those who pull into the Philadelphia Gateway Garage at 1540 Vine before 9:00 a.m. can park until 6:00 p.m. for only $13. And drivers who pull in after 5:00 p.m. Friday can’t beat the low weekend flat rate of $5 per weekend day.
• The PPA manages nine city-owned parking facilities, all marked with the PPA logo, and offers rates lower than privately owned lots. For a list of all PPA lots and garages, visit philapark.org.

Free Time:

• After 5:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, motorists enjoy free metered parking from Delaware Avenue to 24^th Street and from Bainbridge to Spring Garden Streets, with the exception of rush-hour streets where the free parking kicks in at 6:30 p.m..
• Metered parking for Old City’s First Friday (first Friday of every month) is free after 5:00 p.m. between Callowhill and Walnut Streets and between Front and 5^th Streets.
• There’s a free lot at 7^th and Christian Streets—convenient for those carrying loads of goods from the Italian Market. Look for the giant Moonlit Landscape mural as a landmark.
• Every Sunday in the Manayunk section of the city, drivers can park for free in the metered spots.
• The PPA provides free parking for bicycles in its garages and lots at 2ⁿd and Sansom Streets, 10^th and Ludlow Streets, 10^th and Filbert Streets and 15^th and Arch Streets.

Special Deals:

• Visitors who ride the Phlash Downtown Loop can present their tickets at a dozen parking facilities throughout the city to receive a discount. A complete list of participating locations is available at phillyphlash.com.
• Visitors to Reading Terminal Market can park in the garage at 12^th and Filbert Streets for only $4 for up to two hours. Any of the vendors inside the market will validate customers’ parking tickets when they spend at least $10 at their stand.
• Diners at Table 31 inside the Comcast Center can valet their car at The Phoenix condominium building for just $10. And there’s no rush—the offer is good for up to five hours.
• At many Main Street restaurants and shops in Manayunk, valet parking is available for only $10 after 6:00 p.m.

HOW-TO GUIDE:

Although some traditional parking meters still stand, new parking meter kiosks have been popping up around the city. By February 2010, all parking meters in Center City will be converted to the new kiosks. The cost for both meter systems is the same—$2 per hour. The first quarter inserted is worth eight minutes of parking; every additional quarter is worth seven minutes of parking. Here’s how to use the new parking kiosk system:

• After pulling into an on-street parking space, drivers can look for one of the dark green kiosks that sport a large letter “P.” Unlike traditional parking meters located next to each parking space, there are only one or two parking kiosks on each block.
• Users insert money (or credit or SmartCards) until the desired length of time is achieved.
• A receipt indicating the allocated amount of parking time will be issued. Drivers must place the receipt face-up on the side of the dashboard closest to the curb.
• The most important step: Read the instructions carefully.

SmartCards For Smart Visitors:
All parking meters are equipped to accept SmartCards as well as coins. Available in $10, $20 and $50 values, SmartCards can be used like debit cards to pay for parking. SmartCards can be purchased online at philapark.org, at the Independence Visitor Center at 6^th and Market Streets ($10 cards only) and at Wawa, 7-Eleven, The Fresh Grocer, Acme, ShopRite and Conestoga Bank branches. Here’s how they work:

• To use a SmartCard, drivers must insert it into the slot on the meter or kiosk.
• The meter will automatically begin adding time in $.25 increments.
• When the machine reaches the desired amount of time, the user must remove the card.
• The meter will automatically deduct the total amount from the value of the SmartCard.
• SmartCards will not add time beyond the meter’s pre-set limit. For example, if the maximum time in a parking space is two hours, the meter will not deduct more than $4 from a SmartCard.
• When parking on a street with a kiosk, drivers must place their receipt face-up on the side of the dashboard closest to the curb.

Put It On The Plastic:
Kiosk meters accept credit cards.

• To use a credit card, drivers must insert it into the slot.
• The user must indicate whether they want the maximum time allowed, or for shorter time periods, they can press the “add time” button until reaching the desired amount of time.
• Drivers must place their receipt face-up on the side of the dashboard closest to the curb.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit gophila.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to Hear Philly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.

Contact(s):

• Morgan Obidowski, (215) 599-2298
• Donna Schorr, (215) 599-0782