The Creek Beat: How I Solve Downtown Parking

The price of parking at a meter will soon double in downtown Walnut Creek.

The city-owned garages will get a little more expensive, too.

And you'll have to pay on Sundays... as well as the early evening hours from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The City Council made those changes as well as other alterations Tuesday night as a part of a parking management plan for the downtown area.

For me, the new times and charges don't matter that much.

I've lived and worked in Walnut Creek long enough to have developed a system to make parking downtown a reasonable chore.

First, I avoid the meters.

I always have quarters in my glove compartment just in case I need to use one, but I rarely do.

I don't like to parallel park or search for these coveted spots, so unless a metered space is wide open and is right in front of my destination, I don't bother.

I head straight to the parking garages, especially the privately owned lots that are free.

My wife hates driving in the garages. She finds them dark, cramped and hard to navigate.

Not me. I don't mind them at all.

Unless it's raining heavily, I usually head straight for the top deck where navigation is easier and spaces can usually be found.

The garage near Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Main Street almost always has spots. If it doesn't, the one across Broadway from it usually does, although you do have pay a small fee there.

If the garages are full, then I head to the areas on the outskirts of downtown, park and walk a few blocks.

One of our favorites over the years has been the southeast corner of the Broadway Plaza lot a little past Macy's.

There are usually spaces here and it's really not that far a walk.

Those are probably going away soon for a two-year hiatus when that sector of the shopping center is remodeled.

There's also California Boulevard north of, say, the Lesher Center for the Arts.

You can park in a metered space along that strip and walk into downtown in 10 minutes or less.

Same with Civic Drive past Civic Park.

Granted, the weather has to be decent and you can't be carrying any heavy packages. But most days, it works.

My wife and I did a version of this on Friday night.

We shopped at Target, put our packages in the car and left it there. We then walked a few blocks to the Stadium Pub for dinner. We could have easily walked deeper into town if we had wanted to.

I know what you're saying. Yeah, but what about Saturday night or big shopping days like Black Friday or the weekend before Christmas?

I have an easy answer to that one. You won't find me anywhere near downtown on those days.

Unless, of course, I'm doing a story on the crazy people who are braving the crowds.... which is what I'll be doing this Friday. Wish me luck.