If you're trying to avoid the crazy expensive parking fees in Downtown Chicago, this Chinatown…read moreparking lot is a great alternative. I used this spot to save money, and it was totally worth it. If you're on a budget and not trying to get robbed by downtown parking rates, park here instead. It's super affordable, we paid a very cheap rate for 12 hours of parking, which is hard to beat in Chicago. The lot was easy to get in and out of, and we felt safe during our visit. There's also a guard booth on-site, which adds extra peace of mind. Best part? It's literally right next to the train station that takes you straight into downtown Chicago. Convenient, budget-friendly, and stress-free. Definitely recommend!

The main Chinatown parking lot is now a pay-by-phone operation. It might be intimidating and…read moreconfusing the first time you approach if you don't have a heads-up on this change, but I will tell you here what you need to do to make it a smooth and convenient operation for yourself. The main tip is to download the Metropolis phone app, enter your credit card info, phone number, and also the license plates of your cars. If you don't do it beforehand, you will be fumbling around doing it in the parking lot should you still choose to use the lot. As you drive in, your car plate will be scanned. You still have to scan a QR code either upon entering or before leaving the lot so it knows it was you in that car. You will then get an acknowledging text message from Metropolis. Enter and park. When you go to a restaurant that validates, scan the QR code in the restaurant, and the app will apply the discount to get you a parking rate of $3 for up to 3 hours instead of the lot's regular high rates of $10.99 to $18.99. When you depart, at the gate, your car plate will be scanned again, you will be recognized, and the gate will open, and you drive off and are done. Your credit card will be charged the $3 or whatever. Assuming everything works as I described, lol, and it did for me on my first use of the app today, it's all quite nice and seamless and no human interaction needed, nor any physical use of a credit card or paper receipts. I guess if you don't have a mobile phone, and/or don't want to use the Metropolis app, you can't park here any more! Anyway, I say thumbs up!

I don't know what I'd do without this parking garage. Conveniently located near shopping and…read morerestaurants, this provides plenty of space to park my car in a nice covered space with easy to use payment machines and convenient entrances from the main roads. The facility is well lit and parking spaces are well maintained and marked.

My husband and I use this parking garage whenever we have to go somewhere in Evanston near…read moreNorthwestern University. There are always spots available on the first floor when we need to park. The prices aren't great, but it's also not a rip-off. A word of warning, there no are sidewalks to get in or out of the garage. You must use the driving lanes, which could be dangerous.

I hate you you hooker bus! Three opposite-direction bound…read morebuses will pass by while you stand there fuming waiting for your own. Before you flip out and punch everything in the neck because this is making you late, you ask someone else at the bus stop to please, PLEASE light a cigarette so that the bus will come. And when that cigarette is lit, TWO if not THREE freakin' buses in a pack will come.

The Halsted Bus is the main artery of my transportation crux when I'm not riding my bike or taking…read morethe auto-gyro. Tis' quick, quaint, and quiet, in fact, I found a winning lottery ticket for 20 bucks on the seat yesterday. I cashed it in and got engaged to the woman behind the counter because all we could do was talk about how much we love the #8 bus.

Unfortunately they are going to start charging for parking which has been free since shortly after…read morethe garage opened. They have installed gates and ticket machines at the entrance. No word on when or how much. The mall itself has very few empty stores and an above average food court. It is spotlessly clean and there is always noticeable security present.

I can't believe I have to pay $13 to park after only one hour at any of these malls. The customer…read moreis already expected to spend money at the shops so the business owner should pay a percentage of profits to cover the consumer's parking. First hour free is NOTHING. I used to bring friends and linger, have coffee, lunch and buy from at least 3 stores each visit. Not going to frequent these malls again out of protest more than anything.

CTA has an L station at Damen. It's not the one most people think of, the one on the Blue Line…read more This is on the Pink Line, in Pilsen. Find it at the intersection with Cermak. There's a lot of cool ethnic restaurants. Good place to check out some places to eat around here. It serves the Pink Line. This is in the happening neighborhood known as Pilsen. Close to here is Douglass Park and a few others. There's also plenty of Mexican restaurants. It's pretty quiet for a station, compared to others, but it's clean. The trains seem like they take a little while longer between but it's not that long of a time to be honest. Here in the actual station there's also a convenience counter. In case you need to get anything, you can get it from here. This has some overpriced drinks and snacks.

The train stop is always clean. Helpful staff. I enjoy eating at the restaurant El Fua formerly…read moreknown as Abuelo's across the street.

Good spot to park your car, fairly cheap, close to public transportation and safe…read more Here's the skinny: Cheap enough. Safety counts! Actually clean. Metra Station. Here's the fat: I've parked here one fateful Saturday night at about 8:30 PM... I did not return until damn near 4:00 PM the next night. I paid $14 for an overnight up to 24 hours, no extra charge or anything. It's got that safe feeling to it. The lot is well lit, there's an attendant in a booth at the entrance, all night I think. At first I was a bit nervous leaving my car somewhere that I can't easily get to but, after parking there I think that this may be my go to spot for parking. Car was still there, everything was still in it, no scratches or door dings. The lot is clean, no trash floating around like at some other public parking places and there's almost no pot holes in the pavement. It's always nice not to have to weave through a parking lot to save your tires... One really great thing about this is the Red Line... It's right there. If you don't see it, well you're blind. If you look at the South East fence of the lot, then look past, you'll be looking at it. Better yet, Yelp! "Cermak-Chinatown" - http://www.yelp.com/biz/cermak-chinatown-chicago SYOY

I agree with the other reviewer about the cleanliness and safety of this parking lot. What pissed…read moreme off was their blatant lies about the price. There was a HUGE giant red sign that said 2 DOLLARS UP TO 3 HOURS to park here. I was like wow that's a deal! We parked and ate at the restaurant.. maybe 40 minutes. Came back and they charged us 10 bucks! Now I know 10 dollars isn't a lot but it's the freaking false advertising that really irritated me. AVOID THIS SCAM OF A BUSINESS