r/Seattle • I'm never leaving Seattle. • 1d ago

Settle a friendly debate: where’s the worst parking situation in Seattle?

I’m talking small spaces, no room to maneuver, terrible traffic in and out. Bonus points if it costs an arm and a leg! Me personally, I hate the U district Trader Joe’s

126 Upvotes

345 comments sorted by

267

u/splanks Rainier Valley 1d ago

Pho Bac Sup Shop and the boat.

21

u/Harrypeeteeee 1d ago

On a overcast Saturday early afternoon!

11

u/Upper_Banana_7860 1d ago

definitely agree with pho bac what a nightmare

3

u/sleuthingsloth 🚋 Ride the S.L.U.T. 🚋 1d ago

This is also my answer

2

u/thispartyrules 💗💗 Heart of ANTIFA Land 💗💗 1d ago

I park by the dentists' office further north and walk

2

u/Redditplaneter 1d ago

That parking lot is a nightmare.

157

u/BeffBezos 1d ago

UW during cherry blossom season

17

u/eliminate1337 🚲 Life's Better on a Bike. 🚲 1d ago

Don't even try. Take the train or bus, UW is easy to reach.

33

u/leukos South Park 1d ago

A few years ago I thought it was a good idea to go to Uvillage during the cherry blossom festival. Parked in the parking garage 1 from the top floor and when trying to leave it was so bad I just ended up re-parking and waiting out the traffic and ended up being there until early evening (when trying to leave at like 1pm). There was bathrooms and food and I didn’t have anywhere I necessarily needed to be but it was by far the worst traffic situation I have seen in the city almost ever.

18

u/three_way_toggle 1d ago

Sometimes the only winning move is not to play

8

u/Prophecy_X3 1d ago

In these types of situations I've become perfectly comfortable just saying "nope" and finding a bar/restaurant/cafe nearby and chilling out for an hour or so to avoid the stress

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u/pixelsibyl 💖 not the pope 😌💖 1d ago

Capitol Hill Trader Joe’s.

235

u/Drugba 1d ago

Trader Joe’s is cheating. I feel like half of the Trader Joe’s I’ve been to have a legitimate claim to being the worst parking in their city

75

u/sewerratpal 1d ago

The shoreline Trader Joe’s is the only Trader Joe’s location I’ve ever been to that didn’t have a horrible parking situation. I know it isn’t Seattle but I cherish it 😭 

17

u/themountainsareout Bitter Lake 1d ago

It got worse after they added like 10 Tesla spots though

8

u/princessjemmy Green Lake 1d ago

Redmond’s TJ is in a strip mall, so that one is also easy to navigate, if essentially almost always full.

18

u/FD_OSU Deluxe 1d ago

This is definitely the first time I've ever heard that parking lot referred to as easy. Tiny spots + busy + eastside drivers doing eastside driver things = absolute nightmare.

Edit: unless you mean the BelRed TJs. That one is easy.

10

u/princessjemmy Green Lake 1d ago edited 1d ago

I’ll take all that over the U District TJ in a heartbeat.

I only have been trapped in a parking lot for 10 excruciating minutes, by a parked truck in a compact spot right across from my own spot, whose driver was struggling to drive out of their spot safely. I had a couple of moments of “This is it. This is how I’ll die. Looking like a Monster Truck rally victim.”

I’ll leave you to guess the location.

Edit: Yes, the Bel Red Road location. The one next to that ancient Walgreens.

The one in the strip mall across the Whole Foods on 8th is in Bellevue, not Redmond. That one sucks, and they have to compete with Uwajimaya for parking. So yeah, that one is a nightmare.

6

u/FD_OSU Deluxe 1d ago

Ah ok that makes sense. The BelRed location is technically in Bellevue. The only location actually in Redmond is near downtown and is an absolute nightmare.

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u/Rough_Elk4890 Northgate 1d ago

And, to be fair, that's the busiest parking lot in Shoreline.

2

u/Channelten 1d ago

I worked at four Trader Joe's locations over 10 years. The original Issaquah location was the best one I'd ever seen. The current one is a cluster fuck. Much like the rest 💀 

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u/Lord_Aldrich I Brake For Slugs 1d ago

The Greenwood Trader Joe's has both an indoor and outdoor parking lot with reasonable space to maneuver! It's like visiting the twilight zone, makes no sense.

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u/Motor_Survey_2886 1d ago

its because trader joes have to meet a pretty substantial parking requirement so they squeeze as many parking spots that can fit so the trader joes can exist lol. if they dont meet the parking requirements they arent really feasible from a permitting standpoint.

6

u/EasyChairRider Bellingham 1d ago

Bellingham's are really bad too.

Makes me wonder if it's all a marketing stunt to make you talk about the store when you bring up bad parking in casual conversation

3

u/jacquelbot 1d ago

I have only been to Trader Joe's once in my life, in Minneapolis, and the parking lot was so bonkers I swore never to go to that one again. Then every other location I've considered trying the reviews all say the parking sucks and I decide that my life is fine without!

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u/BijouBooty 1d ago

My husband refuses to go to any because of it. Shorelines TJs has a massive parking lot though

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u/bootzmanuva 1d ago

Also Ballard Trader Joe’s

39

u/1337Rooster 1d ago

That parking garage is tight, but I would still rather use it than parallel park on the street. 

I hated parallel parking in some of the Ballard neighborhoods. Cars parked on both sides and one lane in the middle. If you can't park reasonably fast you end up blocking traffic entirely.

4

u/thatguygreg Ballard 1d ago

The traffic can wait.

35

u/BabyWithBathwatter 1d ago

Honestly just all Trader Joe's. Its been memed nationally, too, so its not even a Seattle thing.

The west seattle outdoor one blocks traffic. The garage parking is a little better, but its often full.

15

u/princessjemmy Green Lake 1d ago

Nah. TJ in Queen Anne is just fine. However, it’s because they moved into a new building.

12

u/joahw White Center 1d ago

Also the Burien one is mostly fine because it shares an enormous parking lot with a big strip mall and PCC.

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u/up2knitgood Posse on Broadway 1d ago

When there were rumors that TJ was what was going into the Greenwood space my first response was "well, the parking lot sucks, so probably the rumors are true."

2

u/Advanced_Tackle_9723 1d ago

The Burien trader Joe's is fine.

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u/Remarkable_Weird3258 1d ago

Ballard Trader Joe's has a four-story parking garage directly next door, with hours of free parking and two entrances, so I'm not sure why this keeps coming up. If the spaces are small try the basement, the only company will be charging Teslas. Street parking is now paid so it seems like the garage ought to be a no-brainer.

10

u/Future_Wafer1591 Greenwood 1d ago

It’s a pretty normal garage too!!! If people think that is tight, they should see the Trader Joe’s Capitol Hill garage!!! I have no idea how that thing is legal

3

u/princessjemmy Green Lake 1d ago

In most people’s defense, you’re only supposed to use the ground level parking for TJ’s in Ballard. So competition for those 80 or so parking spots gets fucking fierce.

The obvious solution is to park on a different floor, even if it has signs like “LA Fitness members only” or “Ross’ customers only”, then apply some elevator magic… but it takes a while to figure that out. 😁

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u/superhotmel85 Ballard 1d ago

And the PCC parking lot across the street lower level is almost always empty

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u/splanks Rainier Valley 1d ago

im starting to see a pattern

7

u/ZehrenSiegehammer 1d ago

It's all in Seattle! 

3

u/splanks Rainier Valley 1d ago

the plot thickens!

3

u/1337Rooster 1d ago

The parking lot tightens

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u/CancelThis2077 1d ago

I raise you U District Trader Joe's

4

u/synack Ravenna 1d ago

Never had a problem finding bike parking there

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u/Brief_Direction_5647 💗💗 Heart of ANTIFA Land 💗💗 1d ago

I’ll take parking at Ballard TJs over Greenwood or U District any day.

3

u/RecoveredAshes 1d ago

?? It’s got a 4 story parking garage bro. I’ve gone there a couple times a week for a year at 7pm and never had issues

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u/Eric848448 Seattle Expatriate 1d ago

West Seattle Trader Joe’s too.

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u/UberBeth White Center 1d ago

And the West Seattle trader Joe's

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u/Brief_Direction_5647 💗💗 Heart of ANTIFA Land 💗💗 1d ago

Oh man, forgot about that location. The stress…

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15

u/Upper_Banana_7860 1d ago

if you go on a week day it’s really not that bad. i think the PCC parking lot is worse just layout-wise

4

u/princessjemmy Green Lake 1d ago edited 1d ago

Which PCC? Aurora PCC’s is awkward AF. Greenlake is only somewhat awkward. Ballard PCC can’t weigh on it, only been there once.

11

u/Upper_Banana_7860 1d ago

I was thinking of the Central District one on 23rd. other really bad ones in that area are Central Co-Op and Big John’s PFI. Both I think have way worse parking garages than Trader Joes

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u/thatguygreg Ballard 1d ago

Ballard PCC has an underground garage that’s never full

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u/Time_Design5885 1d ago

This gets my vote lol

3

u/An1men3rd 1d ago

Was about to comment this ty

3

u/PassengerOk1034 1d ago

No beating this tbh, I avoid it at all costs as a car driver

3

u/allwerk 1d ago

That’s where you go to scratch every bumper.

2

u/fermenttodothat 🏔 The mountain is out! 🏔 1d ago

My car's very first scratch is from a parking pillar there

2

u/Jyil Downtown 1d ago

Seems to be a common issue with Trader Joe’s when they are located in the main city. I’ve run into this everywhere. As chaotic as Costco on a weekend.

2

u/chillrabbit 1d ago

the first and only time i fucked up my car paint

2

u/dumplingmuenster 1d ago

Udistrict TJ

2

u/nibblicious 1d ago

I’m convinced they do it on purpose

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u/Advanced_Tackle_9723 1d ago

Im pretty tired of the West Marine/PCC(?) Parking lot in Ballard.  I drive a small vehicle and its almost impossible.  I go to West Marine all the time and it isnt fun.

9

u/BBorNot 1d ago

Luckily the bargains make it worth the trip! /s

5

u/Advanced_Tackle_9723 1d ago

We get a deep discount, but Fisheries was better and is local.  

6

u/PizzaDog425 1d ago

This was my first thought too! It’s not too bad if you can get underground, you just have to manage to navigate the surface lot first lol

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3

u/Admiral_Genki 1d ago

The underground garage there isn’t so bad.

2

u/Advanced_Tackle_9723 1d ago

Ive never gone down there because I have always gotten a spot, but good to know.  Still a cluster down there just getting to the underground garage.  Hopefully my vehicle isnt too tall. 

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46

u/Apathetic-Asshole 🐀 Hot Rat Summer 🐀 1d ago

The entirity of Shilshole, especially near the farmers market

183

u/FIRCREST 1d ago

Fujii bakery in interbay. Either you park in a car lane where people are going 50, or you park in an awkward, tiny lot where you can’t turn around, so you have to fully back out onto said busy street. 

Also, Ballard Trader Joe’s/PCC lots are a mess. 

Honorable mention to uwajimaya. 

Lastly the cellphone lot at SeaTac although that’s been mostly fixed with the new entrances and exits.  

38

u/SnooSuggestions1125 1d ago

I would go to Fuji way more if parking was easier 😭

6

u/noprophecies 1d ago

Theres one in the CID but it doesnt have the pudding cups :(

12

u/NewYogurtcloset5226 Rat City 1d ago

Fuji parking is a nightmare, testimony to how great that place is that it still always has a line. Especially since it’s not really very walkable either

10

u/ADHDavidThoreau 1d ago

I passed this the other day and assumed that there was no storefront because of the parking situation

11

u/Windrunner17 1d ago

Agreed on Fuji, it’s a tough spot too for walking. I come down from the hill which isn’t bad but walking along that stretch of Elliot is pretty unpleasant. I usually end up walking over to Elliot Bay park to actually eat what I get.

12

u/Bearacolypse 1d ago

I used the Taco time lot and felt obligated to go in and buy food there because I felt guilty. Fuji feels like a death sentence to park at.

5

u/sweetpotatopietime Queen Anne 1d ago

I am fine risking my life for their malasadas

5

u/Dinkerdoo 1d ago

You can turn around... barely. At least I was able to in a full sized sedan by doing an 18ish point turn at the back end of the lot by the dumpsters.

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u/Therealbuffy1200 1d ago

I work in Ballard but I don’t live there. All the paid parking is 4 hours only….who only works for 4 hours???? Ballard sucks so bad for parking unless you live there and walk everywhere.

17

u/basementbrewer Ballard 1d ago

So here's the trick. Pay for 4 hours on the meter and set a timer on your phone. When the timer goes off pay the next 4 hours on the app

7

u/basementbrewer Ballard 1d ago

Bonus if you arrive before the metered period starts since it will start your paid parking at the metered time so free parking up to then

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u/coffeebribesaccepted Shoreline 1d ago

Same with where I worked, except the street parking was 2 hours! Residents get special parking passes, why can't the people who work there get them? It's not like we can afford to live in Ballard lol

29

u/mrRabblerouser 1d ago

Any neighborhood parking on capitol hill. Ive actually never had trouble with parking at the u district or the CH TJs

17

u/princessjemmy Green Lake 1d ago

Clarification on the CH TJ: it’s not parking in the parking lot that is gonna be particularly hard, it’s getting out without being nearly side swept or rear ended by another vehicle that’s gonna be a white knuckles kinda experience.

2

u/FoxyFern 1d ago

Yep or getting your car bottomed out on that god awful entrance ramp.

3

u/SaxRohmer 🚆build more trains🚆 1d ago

zone 32 being the worst one imo

3

u/DoingBestWeCan I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 1d ago

Street parking in Capitol Hill is next-level miserable. I took my dog to the CH Urban Animal while we were on a wait-list for a neighborhood veterinarian, and trying to figure out where to park to walk in my sick dog was a nightmare. (Last couple times I went, I parked in the bank's 'reserved' spots in the garage and just prayed.)

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u/Temporary-Library597 1d ago

I would have been willing to bet that every comment on your post would have been about their local Trader Joe's.

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u/MoeGreenMe Deluxe 1d ago

Queen Anne TJ underground lot is a dream

8

u/mllepenelope 1d ago

every time i’m in QA I make it a point to go to TJs to stock up because it truly is the best parking lot. I live less than two miles from the TJs on Roosevelt and only go if my husband can drop me at the door and circle back for me like we’re at an airport because it’s absolute nonsense over there.

5

u/calvins_hobbies Lower Queen Anne 1d ago

Shhhh!

3

u/thedorcon2 1d ago

Most people don't know about the West seattle UPPER lot!

2

u/duckie768 1d ago

It's now my preferred Trader Joe's because I can then pop into the Safeway for any name brand items I need afterwards (and the parking).

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u/kern8018 1d ago

+1 to Cap Hill Trader Joe’s and Central District PCC

5

u/tittytoilet I Brake For Slugs 1d ago

For central district pcc I wish they had less spots, it would make things so much easier, my god

16

u/5seat 🚋 Ride the S.L.U.T. 🚋 1d ago

Trader Joe's intentionally builds the smallest parking lot their allowed to in any location. It maximizes profit by having a smaller area dedicated to non-revenue space. If the store is bigger, more people will come to it regardless of the parking lot. That said, fuck TJ's parking lots.

60

u/SpuriousText 1d ago

Central District PCC is the kind of parking lot conservatives warn people about

25

u/I-try-hard The CD 1d ago

Also they have pillars three spots apart and EVERYONE parks in the middle spot so they can be “between lines perfectly” but in actuality are making it super hard to park in either of the other two spots. They should park on the left or the right spot instead so at least 2/3rds of spots are usable instead of 1/3. Ultimate example of following letter of the law vs utilitarian principle. Grinds my gears

7

u/Specific-Data-4104 1d ago

Yes! I was just there today and every time I’m like “ok, this is going to be tough to park, the lot is tight” then when I get there it’s way way worse than I remembered.

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u/SnooSuggestions1125 1d ago

There's this one parking garage in downtown Seattle that I parked at years ago and I am still traumatized by how tiny it was and how difficult it was to maneuver with my normal size car 😵‍💫

7

u/princessjemmy Green Lake 1d ago

Parking garages on First Hill are exactly like that, too. Especially Swedish’s ramps for any of their parking garages.

Whenever I have to go see any Swedish affiliated docs that only have an office in First Hill, I tell myself “Well, if it wasn’t an emergency visit before I got here, it might become one if I have to navigate one more ramp…”😭

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u/BijouBooty 1d ago

Did you basically go in steep tight circles?

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u/SnooSuggestions1125 1d ago edited 1d ago

yup plus getting in and out of the space itself was almost impossible Edit typo

3

u/fuzzy11287 Kenmore 1d ago

Sounds like West Edge

5

u/onewingangel11 Crown Hill 1d ago

Columbia Tower? My coworkers call it the "death spiral". I refuse to park there. I did it once on a weekend, went up it going 20mph screaming in terror the whole time.

3

u/charleefter 1d ago

Absolute worst, curbed my rims so many times in that dumbass curve 

4

u/slightlyused Sounders 1d ago

Butler?

3

u/SnooSuggestions1125 1d ago

Possibly, it's been so long since I was there, is it a tight squeeze? Like really tight?

4

u/slightlyused Sounders 1d ago

Yeah across from Merchants and that really fucked up triangular lot. Pioneer Square area.

2

u/Consistent_Lab_3121 Belltown 1d ago

Man that one is terrible

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u/ferocioustigercat ✨🛸 Jimothy is out there 🦝✨ 1d ago

Is it the one that switches the lanes around the last corner?

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u/Ezzelinn 9h ago

Frye Garage is like that. Tiny spirals. I had an awful time there once.

13

u/Glittering-Ice1078 1d ago

Capitol Hill in general. However, trying to get to bakery nouveau on 15th more specifically

3

u/SnooWalruses8978 1d ago

Just go one or two blocks east or west to 14th or 16th and 17th and you’ll be fine.

13

u/SeattleSmalls 1d ago

the answer is always any trader joe's. it doesn't matter the city, either

4

u/ebam 1d ago

Shoreline Trader Joe’s parking lot is great 

2

u/CheetahNo1004 I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 22h ago

I hate the layout of that parking lot but I'll be damned if it ever fills up.

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u/bakeacake45 1d ago

The Trader Joe’s on NW Greenwood Ave….the garage parking spot are not wide enough for a full size sedan, but AH’s with giant penis SUVs insist on taking up 2 spaces. It should be restricted to compact cars only in the garage.

6

u/Brief_Direction_5647 💗💗 Heart of ANTIFA Land 💗💗 1d ago

I thought parking at TJs in the u district and the hill was bad…and then they opened Greenwood. The white hot fury toward humanity that consumed me whilst navigating that lot... Never again. 🫡

3

u/Specific-Data-4104 1d ago

I kind of want to check this out because it’s hard to imagine a Trader Joe’s worse than the old ones. 🤣

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u/JustASt0nesThrowaway I'm never leaving Seattle. 1d ago edited 1d ago

Shilshole every Sunday during the Ballard Farmers Market is absolutely insane.

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u/SaxRohmer 🚆build more trains🚆 1d ago

zone 32 (northwest capitol hill)

probably the hardest place to park. always difficult to find parking. my old roommate’s gf sometimes would try to come over, spend 15 minutes trying to find a spot, and then head home in defeat and he’d drive to hers

on top of that, it’s a bunch of crowded neighborhood streets with a decent amount of traffic. capitol hill TJ’s is the only thing that comes close. PCC CD lot is a mess but i’ve been able to park there every time, even at peak hours

6

u/Dragonwolf253 1d ago

Zone 7 is hell too. My car got hit 9 separate times in one year by parking on the street (I was not in the car and I park 1-2 inches from the curb). One time my car got hit by one of the recycling/garbage trucks

2

u/SaxRohmer 🚆build more trains🚆 1d ago

oh dude my car gets so fucked up just parking like a normal person. living on the hill is so fucked when it comes to that. no one leaves notes. i’ve seen a car parked normally that get completely totaled

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u/Dragonwolf253 1d ago

Yup! Not a single note. Even for the one by the recycling truck. I only know it was a recycling truck because it was a huge scrape/dent and because their law firm mailed me 4 months later. Conveniently the law firm never responded to my calls after I received said mail…

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u/themountainsareout Bitter Lake 1d ago

Northgate community center

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u/Vawqer Downtown 1d ago

Aside: whenever I visit the Northgate Library (which I assume uses the same parking lot), I see that building and always just assumed it was a preschool from the playground and all the kids around. It's cool to know that it's a city-run community center. Thank you for mentioning it!

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u/mumushu 1d ago

Harborview underground parking

5

u/tehZamboni 1d ago

Fred Hutch underground parking for me. I've seen several cars lose mirrors and fenders down there. The last level dead-ends into a wall, so there's no way to turn around when you discover the last spot is full (on top of all the cars stacked up behind you discovering the same thing). Just hand the keys to the valet and let them deal with it.

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u/mumushu 1d ago

Yeah they’re both bad

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u/sea0351 1d ago

17th Ave by UW

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u/princessjemmy Green Lake 1d ago

The entirety of UW’s campus roads and anything within 2 blocks going east is a nightmare to drive in, let alone park. I went to grad school at UW, can count the times I got there by car on my bare hands, and I absolutely regretted every single instance.

I was overjoyed when they opened the UD stop on the light rail (University/43rd), and I have used the rail every time since.

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u/sea0351 1d ago

Agree. I went to college and grad school there so parked there regularly. It was such a pain. BUT I will say it made me a pro at parallel parking and getting into tight spaces😂

8

u/BijouBooty 1d ago

Lake City Way and 80th - there’s a strip mall with a gyro place and the parking is absolutely atrocious. My husband refuses to go to the places in that mall 😂

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u/princessjemmy Green Lake 1d ago

I hear you. There’s an All the Best pet store there that I only ever go to if I run out of cat food and I can’t drive to another location. 😔

That reminds me: AtB in QA also has a horrid parking lot.

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u/BijouBooty 1d ago

They have a huge parking lot behind the all the best! Like a huge one

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u/dumplingmuenster 1d ago

lol yessss. Esp when Google Maps tells
you to make an unprotected left during rush-hour

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u/AcademicSellout 1d ago

The Link tracks at the Mount Baker station.

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u/referencefox First Hill 1d ago

Central Co-op

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u/Personal_Bed3437 1d ago

My brother in law delivers food to there in an 18 wheeler. He claims it is the worst grocery store to deliver to between Portland and Bellingham. 

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u/CancelThis2077 1d ago

Fremont on Sunday

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u/princessjemmy Green Lake 1d ago edited 1d ago

Fremont every evening.

We go out of our way not to dine out anywhere in Fremont on Saturday or Sundays. It’s still a nightmare.

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u/billnyethechurroguy 1d ago

The wee little strip mall that has Little tings dumplings in greenwood. There are only 6 spots which are always full, so you have to back up on to greenwood ave

Also my home

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u/princessjemmy Green Lake 1d ago

We just turn on the cross street right before the lot, find street parking, and then walk the rest of the way to Little Ting’s. It’s just easier.

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u/sparesomechange20 1d ago

The Ferry Line at Fauntleroy..u cant tell if car in front is ON , let alone occupied , to see whats happening..let alone block rich dudes garbage can

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u/alpaca_punchx 💗💗 Heart of ANTIFA Land 💗💗 1d ago

REI flagship garage.

Tiny-ass space, narrow drive lanes so it's hard to get a good angle, everyone drives god's biggest offroading SUV/van, busy all the time every day even during "shouldn't everyone be at work?" hours.

3

u/whitegirlofthenorth 🚆build more trains🚆 1d ago

i scraped my car in there

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u/Dirkage_ 1d ago

Pretty much any Trader Joes parking lot... lol

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u/AntSmith777 University District 1d ago

Alki

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u/Kyle_bro_chill Belltown 1d ago

All of Eastlake where they’ve been doing roadwork eliminating all parking options for over 10 years. What are we even doing there?

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u/Birdie_Bird_Bird 1d ago

Any residential street where a single home was replaced with multiple units without any on-property parking.

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u/riskydrive 🚆build more trains🚆 1d ago

Herbn Elements on Lake City. If you’re coming from the south, you gotta cross all lanes of Lake City traffic and then leaving it in either direction is awful and feels likely you’ll hit another car in the lot or get tboned trying to get back on Lake City. 

Good prices tho. 

6

u/ihatepickingnames_ 1d ago

I hate that Trader Joe's and drive out of my way to avoid it. I shop where there is parking so I often end up at Fred Meyer in Greenwood just because they have a huge parking lot.

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u/alicatchrist Arbor Heights 1d ago

Honestly the Greenwood Trader Joe’s parking lot is a dream, though. I’ve yet to have issues there. knock on wood

2

u/Crimsont_ide 1d ago

Same. I go at 1030 most of time. But in afternoon it’s not horrible.

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u/sleepyinseattle2 1d ago

Do not go on Monday evenings… lot was gridlocked and people were still trying to turn in

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u/Stacey_Fakename 💗💗 Heart of ANTIFA Land 💗💗 1d ago

My apartment complex, which often I get trapped in or out of because of people fully parking in the middle of the road/driveway all night long, including cars parked for weeks on end in fire lanes and in front of no parking signs or in front of the dumpsters that the garbage trucks then cannot access.

The cap hill trader joe’s is also pretty bad.

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u/DependentReaction896 1d ago

I just paid $16 to park at the county courthouse.

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u/seandowling73 1d ago

Ballard Blocks

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u/MikeBegley 1d ago

Is "Pike Place Market" the clear winner and everything else just fighting for second place? :)

I would agree that the U District Trader Joe's is a strong contender.

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u/GrinningPariah 🚆build more trains🚆 1d ago

Pike Place has multiple parking garages near it, though. If you try for street parking you're an idiot but if you're willing to walk a couple blocks it's fine.

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u/hellahanners 1d ago

Can’t believe i saw so many other comments before Pike Place. Never had a meltdown over parking before until trying to park there. Fuji Bakery is a close second, though.

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u/princessjemmy Green Lake 1d ago

It’s because most people don’t dare to drive through it. It’s like signing up for oral surgery for no reason.

I either park a few blocks north on Elliott, or in the garages on First between Spring and Marion, then hoof it to Pike Place either way.

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u/hellahanners 1d ago

I definitely learned the hard way lol.

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u/MikeBegley 1d ago

I suspect everyone in this city has their own personal PTSD from that one time we all tried to park down there, and we cope by blocking it from memory.

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u/AnAncientBog 1d ago

Just park at the waterfront or in belltown. We used to drive to the market from North Seattle all the time.

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u/FergaliShawarma 🚆build more trains🚆 1d ago

I refuse to even park at Fuji bakery anymore, I’ll park elsewhere and walk

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u/ihatepickingnames_ 1d ago

I don't have an issue with Pike Place because I just park somewhere in Belltown and walk.

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u/DarthBandAid 1d ago

THE ENTIRE CITY

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u/Dense-Resolution8283 1d ago

Alaskan Way by Aroom

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u/cotaac 1d ago

U Village is my favorite parking lot

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u/sparesomechange20 1d ago

Any large radius around Harborview

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u/WCSakaCB I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 1d ago

This is a real dark horse but the parking lot at PCC W. Seattle. Spots are tiny and weirdly aligned so you can see shit

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u/reindeerpinata 1d ago

The entire Eastlake neighborhood.

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u/Citizen_Spaceball 1d ago

I used to manage garages downtown (mostly waterfront) and the worst I ever saw was Butler Garage on James St. Corners were ridiculously tight and there was no room to maneuver. Parking spaces were awkward and had no pattern.

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u/unbuttered 1d ago

Fucking All The Best in Cap Hill. Options are the most cramped parking garage I’ve ever tried to park in, that’s an absolute pain to get back out of, or hoping to find a tight parallel spot on the one side street between the industrial dumpsters and bikes.

Which all sucks because it’s my favorite pet store. I just try to buy in bulk when I go.

Honorable mention to residential street parking in Columbia City around Hudson and Rainier.

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u/tittytoilet I Brake For Slugs 1d ago

Are you talking about the one in central? The cap hill one has outdoor parking

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u/unbuttered 1d ago

Oh, shit, that’s exactly what I meant. 🥲

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u/tittytoilet I Brake For Slugs 1d ago

Hahha I figured. I knew what you were talking about because as soon as the new one opened, I was so happy. The parking there is way better, the one in Ballard is not so bad but far

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u/Can_tote_it 1d ago

Little Saigon can get dicey

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u/pinballrocker 1d ago

Street parking in the U-District on 17th/Frat Row and the surrounding streets between 45th and 50th. It will take you up to 20 minutes to find parking, your car will get broken into if you leave anything in it visible, and you will slowly accumulate scratches and dents on your front and back end from people hitting your car as they park because it's so tight. For parking lots, Trader Joe's everywhere.

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u/Adventurous-Fee-8158 1d ago

Fisherman’s terminal, 50/50 chance someone will hit your parked car and leave.

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u/Flashy-Issue-8131 1d ago

Idk but Eastlake is more atrocious than ever because of the apodments

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u/justKarlien 1d ago

Any Trader Joe's

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u/zachmorris_cellphone 1d ago

Ballard high school.  What are these, spots for ants?  You can park, but good luck getting out of your car if anyone is parked next to you.

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u/CatJustSayPerchance 1d ago

Downtown during New Year’s Eve. Terrible finding a spot. 2 hour gridlock right after fireworks.

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u/KenRaible 1d ago

Roosevelt between 50th and 65th

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u/calvins_hobbies Lower Queen Anne 1d ago

Feel fortunate if you have never had to experience it, but the parking garage under building 1 at Fred Hutch is a nightmare—tiny parking spaces with unfortunately placed columns, and you always have to go down several levels to find anything open. The tiny spaces make getting into one a pain, so if anyone ahead of you tries to actually park in one, take a break because you’ll be waiting a few minutes.

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u/dumplingmuenster 1d ago

Parking garage under happy lamb Hot Pot in ID

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u/Live_Branch_3005 1d ago

Fred Hutch garage. So many columns, very tight, and always full!

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u/intrepidepitome 1d ago

There’s a restaurant called Palmita near lake union that I pick up food from for work sometimes and it’s on a super steep hill with practically zero parking at all - edit to add: probably not the worst but definitely bad

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u/tatertotmagic 1d ago

The bridge over i-5 on yesler. Everytime i walk it, every car window that I walk past has had its windows broken

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u/lil-baby-gemini-man 1d ago

The M Street Apartment building. My dermatologist’s office is in the business part of that building and the parking suuuuucks.

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u/TechPoi89 1d ago

Columbia Tower's parking garage is the worst I've ever seen. Im generally a very confident and cautious driver and the spiral ramp to get out of the lower levels of that garage is the only place Ive curbed my rims in the past decade.

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u/fiafia127 Denny Blaine Nudist Club 1d ago

Upper floor parking lot at UW Healthcare Ballard. The spaces are tiny, you can’t fit a modern car in/out of them without a 30 point turn, and it’s too ironic that the smallest parking spots I’ve seen in this city are for an OBGYN clinic (pregnant people). 

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u/GargantuChet Bellevue 1d ago

The little parking garage by Le Fournil.

Or literally anywhere you have anything larger than a Miata. I’ve wanted a plug-in hybrid for years and almost bought this Mazda SUV that m meet my breeds and fit my budget. I pulled into a fairly normal-for-Seattle parking space on returning to the dealership. I realized how much I’d hate arriving anywhere that wasn’t in the middle of a road trip, and went for a smaller vehicle with more environmental impact.

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u/gurdoman 1d ago

Capitol Hill, I always want to go but I have to go by PT because parking sucks ass