Something I've been wondering about: City parking while traveling

[Paladin]

Ok, another dumb question, a bus is great for driving the open highways in and for staying in while camped but when you are traveling and pull into a city that you are not familiar with and want dinner at a particular restaurant or want to stop and see a site where do you park your behemoth?
I mean, it's not usually easy to know where you can park a 40' bus plus maybe a toad or if the roads are friendly to navigating them. In a particular example we were thinking of Reno, Nevada. We like to stop in and eat and the Silver Legacy or other places when we pass through. I'm fairly familiar with Reno and I wouldn't want to pull my bus into those city streets unless I really had to and there is little parking as there is let alone for a large bus or a bus with toad. Pull into many lots and you'll never get out! Some of the lot's I won't park my car in because they are so unsafe and I'd never leave my bus alone in some parts. 
Sure you could park a little outside the city and leave your bus and take the toad but you are still leaving your bus unattended in an unfamiliar city and what if you don't have a toad?

Here in Salt Lake we have a large pay parking lot in the center of town where everyone seems to congregate with large vehicles ranging from entertainers tour buses to granny's Winnie but just how people who are unfamiliar with the city know it's there or how to find it escapes me. I'm sure some cities are much easier than others and some just really not practical.


-Dave

[prevost82]

I stop at a big box store (Walmart), park the bus and unhook the towed and use the towed ... you can get into way to much trouble taking the bus into the big city.
Ron

[Utahclaimjumper]

Dave, Ive used the outskirts of city parks, outskirts of airports, Wal-marts, home depots, ect. Wal-mart has a map book of all their stores nation wide, but it upsets me to see dumbies setting up with awnings and lawn chairs,ect ect, really stupid.>>>Dan  Cedar City

[HB of CJ]

Yea...we also used the RV parks on the outskirts of town and used the toad/towd/towed or sometimes like National Parks and stuff had friends/family who lived in the area where we could stay then used the toad/towd/towed or sometimes we parked at one centrally located point outside of everything and again used the towed.  Even rarely used the site-seeing tour bus thing for very large areas like Mass/Concord/Lexington,...Civil War battlefields,..,etc..   Hardly had the coach inside a big city. 

[bobofthenorth]

Wally Mart, farm equipment dealerships, Home Despot.  We don't generally eat out when we're on the move so it really isn't an issue for us.  Our usual pattern is to pull into a pretty spot (or just a spot if there's no pretty available), I lay down and catch a nap while my bride gets us something to eat, we eat and then we go again. 

[jjrbus]

Citys are difficult at best. I was heading north on Colvin ave in Buffalo NY and came to a bridge 9'7" if I remember correctly. I did not have a toad but still hard to get turned around.
Lots of good suggestions on big box stores ect. But try to ask permisssion, it is impressive how people will try to help if you ask.
A few years ago I joked about painting a sign on my bus  "Reverand Robinsons Rolling Bible School" and useing church parking lots might be a good idea.

[TomC]

If just driving the bus, many restaurants and such have large parking lots that you can park in.  If you can fit into two parking spots in front of each other-great.  If not, park at the rear or end of the row perpendicular to the parking spots-meaning parking 90 degrees to what is normal.  Too many times I see big rigs and buses parked the normal way but blocking the right of way-which is wrong.  When pulling my car, I just park at the rear of the parking lots going cross how ever many parking spots that are needed, making sure I'm not blocking the right of way.  Good Luck, TomC

[gus]

We very often do just as TomC said and have never had any problem. A lot of chain restaurants have RV parking areas, the recent one we used was as Cracker Barrel.

Dan,

I know what you mean, I recently saw two S&S RVs pull up and park at a WM. They set up camp and had at least a dozen kids using the parking lot for a ball field-it was a pretty bad performance and this WM did not have a large lot as it was.

[superpickle]

When i picked up my Fishy in LA, I got off the wrong ramp and couldnt get back on the Freeway.. I was trapped in Burbank @ 4:30 pm traffic.. It took me an hour to find my way to the freeway i wanted.. It was a Flogging Night Mare.. 

Yup,, Wally World and the Toad..    from Now on.. 

[Barn Owl]

As my confidence in my ability to keep my bus running has increased while on a trip we tend to travel toadless as much as possible. Actually, not having the toad makes it a lot easier and less stressful to get around when things are tight because you can backup without the complication that comes with the toad. When you depend on the bus for all of your transportation, you get good at it. I have been in several cities and have had no problems. We have even driven through Colonial Williamsburg several times and that is very tight. There have been times we have had to walk a little further but nothing outrageous. You will adapt better than you might think.

Laryn

[Paladin]

We have even driven through Colonial Williamsburg several times and that is very tight.
Laryn

Oh boy, that place is high on our list of places to visit and one reason we even got interested in a bus. Never been there yet but hope someday....
Long way from Utah!

-Dave

[RJ]

When you depend on the bus for all of your transportation, you get good at it.

BINGO!


Whaddayathink, Buswarrior?  Need I say more?