
Parking at Logan Airport -- now there's a challenge
Summer vacation is a time when millions of Americans spend a week or two
trying to get away from their usual existence.
Some look for adventure and head for eco-tours in Belize; others hitchhike
through Europe. For Bostonians there's an easier way to experience adventure
-- defined by Webster's as an "undertaking involving danger and
the unknown" -- without getting on a plane and traveling halfway
round the world.
It's parking at Logan Airport -- or, more accurately, the search for
Logan's equivalent of the Holy Grail.
These days it's even tougher to park at the airport thanks ironically,
to a construction project to build 3,000 more spots. Some cultures devote
themselves to building great works. The Egyptians built the pyramids;
the Romans built the Colosseum; and the French built the Eiffel Tower.
Here in Boston, we're "building" parking spaces. But at least
those new spots will make things better if you believe a Massport direct-mail
offering that promises: "If you're tired of enduring all the construction
at Logan Airport, there is a light at the end of the tunnel." Unfortunately,
but not surprisingly, Massport doesn't give a specific completion date.
In the meantime, according to the Massport guards who waved me off from
Central Parking, Tuesdays and Thursdays are especially difficult days.
Part of the problem is the electric sign at Logan's entrance, which
lacks the accuracy of National Enquirer articles. Parking lots at several
terminals were "open," the sign displayed with confidence.
No such luck. Another problem is the preprinted map Massport guards distribute
to help hapless would-be travelers find available parking . . . near
Cleveland, it would seem. The map to "Satellite Parking Lot 2" we
received didn't include information about "Satellite Parking Lot
1," another parking alternative, but did include this marginally
helpful tip: "Map is not to scale." I wouldn't say the trip
to the lot was far, but I'm glad we had plenty of gas.
The map also includes a phone number for more information, but if you're
trying to make your flight and don't have a cell phone, you're out of
luck.
And if you're unprepared for the "ground delay," you could
easily miss your flight.
For those who haven't parked there before, getting to the satellite
parking lot can take more time than flying to New York City, with a scheduled
flight time of an hour. Compare that with: 25 minutes circling Logan's
other parking facilities before realizing the only possible spot may
be in satellite parking; 20 minutes to drive there; five minutes to park,
unload, and drag your stuff to where you wait 10 minutes for the shuttle
bus; and that's before the bus's 30-minute journey to each terminal before
it gets to yours. Think it can't get worse?
You haven't parked in auxiliary parking at Suffolk Downs, which adds
15 minutes to find the parking area and another 20 for the shuttle bus.
You're so far away Massport actually offers a free cup of Starbucks coffee
(good only at the terminal).
Upon returning, you have to wait for your shuttle bus back. The only
bright side about the long ride to the parking area is that it gives
you enough time to remember where you parked your car.
According to a friend who has watched one too many "X-Files" episodes,
the inadequate parking problem isn't an accident -- it's part of a conspiracy
to distract you from the overcrowded rows, overpriced tickets, underventilated
cabins, undercooked food, and late departure times.
His theory: By the time you get from satellite parking to your seat,
you're just happy to have made the flight.
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