free parking and taking the bus (Riverside: living in, buses, design)

[ceresc21]

I've been living in the East Riverside area for about 2 months now. I've not yet taken the bus. But I'm working a few days at SXSW and I know traffic and parking will probably be terrible. My question is is there free parking anywhere near the downtown area, or maybe near South Congress and I could take the bus from there to downtown. I need to leave my car somewhere for 6-8 hours be able to get back to it at an early morning hour. I want it to be relatively simple because otherwise it triggers my anxiety.

[LiveUrban]

Where on East Riverside do you live? The 20, 100, and 7 buses all pick up in the E. Riverside area and go downtown. You may be able to walk to a stop.

You can find maps and routes on this link:
https://www.capmetro.org/schedmap/

For a map showing where ever bus stop is, click the "Show all stops" button above the map.

In the past when I didn't live near a bus stop, I drove to the HEB on Riverside and parked there. Then I rode the 20 bus (bus stop in front of the McDonald's) to downtown. Technically you're not supposed to do park for an extended time at HEB but I seriously doubt you'll have any issues.

There are also designated park and ride locations for Cap Metro though most are north of the river: https://www.capmetro.org/parkandride/

Also, since you mentioned you need to take the bus at an early morning hour, there are night buses including one that goes to the Riverside area. Just make sure you know where these night owl buses pick up downtown.

https://www.capmetro.org/nightowl/