Parking for metra (westmont/downers grove) (Chicago, Joliet: apartment, lease, transfer)

[tsdobbi]

I recently started working for a client in downtown Chicago, born and raised in Joliet, lived in St. Louis for a few years as my employer needed people down there (commuting via car wasnt a big deal, I was 15 miles out of downtown, traffic/parking cost was a joke compared to chicago), I started questioning why on earth i transferred back here by choice.

Anywho I've been at it for a week, live in an apartment by Cass and 63rd st. (so not really walking distance from downtown westmont, Id say id ride a bike or something, but I'll get enough exercise walking the mile and a half from union to my office).

So I am not going to bother registering to wait for a commuter pass as the wait is too long, I will probably move into the city after my lease is up, I kind of had to rush into getting a place.

I am open to going to the fairview/Downers metra stations as well. I know downers has a garage, their website says its filled by 7:30 am usually (I am not that much of a freakin morning person where I am going to zoom out for a parking spot at 6am when I have to be at work in the general time frame of between 9 and 10, Im just rolling out of bed at that time).

So my question would be how fast does the meter parking in downtown westmont fill up? How about downers or the fairview station?

[chet everett]

The number of meter / daily fee spots is pretty small at Westmont, and once they fill up you really do not have too many alternatives other than to head over to the meter spots that are closer to Fairview (though some are probably about 4-5 block walk from station...).

The parking garages in DG are not primarily for Metra parking, and are sort of oddly scheduled, with the spaces being monitored by the police / parking enforcement. If you come in rather late yiu might their "survellience", but if you get ticketed the fines are pretty steep, though still less than parking in the Loop...

Someday they might actually hook the parking machines into one of those systems where you can pay / check availability online, that won't come soon enough for you.