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Orange Lot Parking Fiasco

ukalum1988

ukalum1988

All-American
Dec 21, 2014
10,128
21,106
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Evansville IN
My wife and I really enjoyed the win over the Gators last night. I'm glad they won because it took the edge off of my being really pissed about the parking situation at the Orange Lot.

Yes I know.... it's first come, first served.... We got there about 3:30 for the 6PM KO. Yes, in hindsight we should have gotten there a bit sooner.... My wife and I have already resolved to do things differently for the upcoming game.

However, I drove around the better part of 45 minutes trying to find a parking spot without success. I'll spare the gory details but we finally gave up and paid $$ to park across the road off Nicholasville. Actually I was able to get out faster from that location than I probably would have from the Orange Lot.

On the way to my tailgate near the stadium, I stopped by the Orange Lot entrance and talked to the guys that let me in. They agreed it was a clusterf$&&^ and apologized for my situation. They told me I need to speak to someone in the UK Athletic Office that is responsible for the parking facilities.

It probably won't solve anything, but I feel like I need to at least make the effort and complain.....

Does anybody have suggestions for who I should talk to?

Did anyone else have a similar experience?

Thanks for letting me vent....

Peace
 
Blame it on Barnhart. He ruined tailgating about 10 years ago when he roped off all the open spaces and forced people into the parking lots where he could charge them. That’s when the price for parking permits started to shoot up. Before that you could pitch a tent on any open grassy spot, made for a great atmosphere, and cheaper to go to the games.
 
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ukalum1988 said:
My wife and I really enjoyed the win over the Gators last night. I'm glad they won because it took the edge off of my being really pissed about the parking situation at the Orange Lot.

Yes I know.... it's first come, first served.... We got there about 3:30 for the 6PM KO. Yes, in hindsight we should have gotten there a bit sooner.... My wife and I have already resolved to do things differently for the upcoming game.

However, I drove around the better part of 45 minutes trying to find a parking spot without success. I'll spare the gory details but we finally gave up and paid $$ to park across the road off Nicholasville. Actually I was able to get out faster from that location than I probably would have from the Orange Lot.

On the way to my tailgate near the stadium, I stopped by the Orange Lot entrance and talked to the guys that let me in. They agreed it was a clusterf$&&^ and apologized for my situation. They told me I need to speak to someone in the UK Athletic Office that is responsible for the parking facilities.

It probably won't solve anything, but I feel like I need to at least make the effort and complain.....

Does anybody have suggestions for who I should talk to?

Did anyone else have a similar experience?

Thanks for letting me vent....

Peace
Click to expand...
Try UK Athletics Hospitality
859-218-3947
 
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ukalum1988 said:
My wife and I really enjoyed the win over the Gators last night. I'm glad they won because it took the edge off of my being really pissed about the parking situation at the Orange Lot.

Yes I know.... it's first come, first served.... We got there about 3:30 for the 6PM KO. Yes, in hindsight we should have gotten there a bit sooner.... My wife and I have already resolved to do things differently for the upcoming game.

However, I drove around the better part of 45 minutes trying to find a parking spot without success. I'll spare the gory details but we finally gave up and paid $$ to park across the road off Nicholasville. Actually I was able to get out faster from that location than I probably would have from the Orange Lot.

On the way to my tailgate near the stadium, I stopped by the Orange Lot entrance and talked to the guys that let me in. They agreed it was a clusterf$&&^ and apologized for my situation. They told me I need to speak to someone in the UK Athletic Office that is responsible for the parking facilities.

It probably won't solve anything, but I feel like I need to at least make the effort and complain.....

Does anybody have suggestions for who I should talk to?

Did anyone else have a similar experience?

Thanks for letting me vent....

Peace
Click to expand...
I mean showing up 2 hours before kick and expecting a spot in a big lot for a big game is just insane. Glad you found somewhere to park tho.
 
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UKRob 73 said:
I'm curious what you want to talk to someone about? If you get to a lot two hours before a big game, you most likely won't have a spot. Been that way since the beginning of time. What is the clusterfick you are talking about, it's always like that.
Click to expand...
Probably that he paid money for a parking spot that didn't exist. They should either sell fewer passes or limit tailgating space.
 
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UKRob 73 said:
I'm curious what you want to talk to someone about? If you get to a lot two hours before a big game, you most likely won't have a spot. Been that way since the beginning of time. What is the clusterfick you are talking about, it's always like that.
Click to expand...
This is my first year as a season ticket holder since the 1988 season, and decided to splurge on the parking pass as well. I’m obviously a babe in the woods on the parking situation. Sold my tickets and pass for the UTC game, but had no issues with ULM and Mizzou, Yesterday bit me in the ass; definitely a lesson learned.
 
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ukalum1988 said:
This is my first year as a season ticket holder since the 1988 season, and decided to splurge on the parking pass as well. I’m obviously a babe in the woods on the parking situation. Sold my tickets and pass for the UTC game, but had no issues with ULM and Mizzou, Yesterday bit me in the ass; definitely a lesson learned.
Click to expand...
Call UK Athletics Hospitality they may be able to help you 859-218-4497
 
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We left at 6:30am. Got to the orange lot a little after 8:00am.

We parked and it wasn’t 30 minutes. UK staff member came by on a golf cart asking us about our parking passes. We showed them and we were good.

I am sorry you had that experience. I know in the far right side, there is a lot but there are RV’s there. I have never seen it full. Perhaps they should consider that lot as an overflow.

I have heard that there are more passes than spots available. Do not know if this is true.
 
This is good to know. I live out of state and come down for one game a year. I’ve never had a problem parking in the orange lot. Showing up only a few hours before kickoff.

This year I bought a pass for the green lot for the UT game. Sounds like I need to plan on getting there early.
 
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ukalum1988 said:
My wife and I really enjoyed the win over the Gators last night. I'm glad they won because it took the edge off of my being really pissed about the parking situation at the Orange Lot.

Yes I know.... it's first come, first served.... We got there about 3:30 for the 6PM KO. Yes, in hindsight we should have gotten there a bit sooner.... My wife and I have already resolved to do things differently for the upcoming game.

However, I drove around the better part of 45 minutes trying to find a parking spot without success. I'll spare the gory details but we finally gave up and paid $$ to park across the road off Nicholasville. Actually I was able to get out faster from that location than I probably would have from the Orange Lot.

On the way to my tailgate near the stadium, I stopped by the Orange Lot entrance and talked to the guys that let me in. They agreed it was a clusterf$&&^ and apologized for my situation. They told me I need to speak to someone in the UK Athletic Office that is responsible for the parking facilities.

It probably won't solve anything, but I feel like I need to at least make the effort and complain.....

Does anybody have suggestions for who I should talk to?

Did anyone else have a similar experience?

Thanks for letting me vent....

Peace
Click to expand...
Get em Karen 😂😂😂
 
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BlueGlasses12 said:
Fair enough sounds like they sold more passes than spots available, which is definitely a problem.
Click to expand...
A huge part of the problem is folks taking up multiple spots with their portable tents, chairs, grills, etc. I stopped one of the yellow-vest UK parking “supervisors” (use that term very loosely), and he said “Just tell them you have a parking pass and they need to move their stuff out of the way to let you park”:rolleyes: Riiiight…:rolleyes:
 
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I def have some experience on this topic but I was surprised it was more about parking than the brawl(S) in the orange lot back in area that is tree shaded . We were looking for friends in that area and sadly my friends friends were the ones involved in the fighting . Thought it was going to turn super ugly with a gang of people jumping in a pile trying to pull people apart , just takes 1 drunk to pull a handgun and the sheet show gets real serious . Same dudes that were fighting ended up fighting again like 5-10 min after they were separated .. just drunks I guess ...
As for the parking .. I 'm in the purple parking lot . Things were orderly and seemed to have enough room , at 3;45-4pm we walled to the orange lot to see friends .. it was kinda chaotic and very crowded , a couple car came thru the parking lot trying to find a place to park and there was just no room to drive among tables , grill , people , chairs .. guy actually ran over a persons chair trying to turn down a lane .. it was a cluster compared to the purple lot where we are . Just too crowded .
 
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They are letting people put up canopies in spots and that takes up spots that were sold to others.

I went a couple of weeks ago and nobody working there knew what was going on. I was trying to find a handicap spot for my dad and I was 1000 feet from where I needed to be and they turned me around. Drove 5 miles to get to other side of the stadium and then one of the guys sent me the wrong way and he had to walk 1/4 mile to the stadium.. We got into the stadium and nobody could tell me where our seats where at. We had a good laugh at the incompetence, but it should be better.
 
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I'm not sure about orange, but I think uk only alots the exact number of parking spaces for green, red, blue, that are available. maybe im wrong.
 
UKRob 73 said:
I'm curious what you want to talk to someone about? If you get to a lot two hours before a big game, you most likely won't have a spot. Been that way since the beginning of time. What is the clusterfick you are talking about, it's always like that.
Click to expand...
No, it’s not. Selling spots for $400 and not having enough spaces to accommodate people who arrive 2 hrs early is bullshit.

Either sell fewer passes or police the lot and don’t allow assholes to take up 3 spots.
 
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I only ever buy a parking pass if I'm going to be able to get down there early and set up and make it an all day and night affair. It's just not worth the money and all the hassle just to park that much closer to the stadium if I'm not going to actually the use the spot for tailgating. To each his own, definitely agree that if a spot was sold to someone, obviously it should be available. But some of these mentioned issues are in part why I don't bother with the pass unless I'm going all out that Saturday. Otherwise I'd much rather keep that money, and walking over isn't bad at all.
 
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Was in orange lot, got there about 12:15, no problem. Yes, people do use two slots but both Florida and Missouri game, they had workers clearing aisles, making people move their stuff to open up spots, to the point people did what they were told and there were several spots available in our aisle. We helped cars back in, moved tents, etc,
Like the above poster, why get a pass if you're not getting there early? You can pay $20 to park on a lawn across the street which is not very far.
 
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The_Godfather said:
No, it’s not. Selling spots for $400 and not having enough spaces to accommodate people who arrive 2 hrs early is bullshit.

Either sell fewer passes or police the lot and don’t allow assholes to take up 3 spots.
Click to expand...
This X 1,000!!!!

The Orange lot is the WORST place to park around the stadium. It takes forever to get out after the game and people double park using up way too much space for their tailgating setup. I don’t care if you get to the game 10 minutes before kickoff, there should ALWAYS be a spot for a fan with a pass!!!

There aren’t enough staff to police it so you have to be an ass at times to get a spot. For what we pay for those passes, Mitch should most definitely fix it.
 
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While we are bitching, is there a way to get Wifi at the stadium? I tried "athletic guest" and you have to have a registration number, at halftime, I spoke to a lady at the ticket office who could only give me one that worked right at the ticket window.

I told my friends not to expect any texts from me during the game, because there is zero signal at Commonwealth Stadium.
 
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Tskware said:
While we are bitching, is there a way to get Wifi at the stadium? I tried "athletic guest" and you have to have a registration number, at halftime, I spoke to a lady at the ticket office who could only give me one that worked right at the ticket window.

I told my friends not to expect any texts from me during the game, because there is zero signal at Commonwealth Stadium.
Click to expand...
Kroger Field
 
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The_Godfather said:
No, it’s not. Selling spots for $400 and not having enough spaces to accommodate people who arrive 2 hrs early is bullshit.

Either sell fewer passes or police the lot and don’t allow assholes to take up 3 spots.
Click to expand...

Oh I don't disagree it's BS. But for big games it's always been that way. I will say, I've never seen Lot Workers not clear spots from tents and such.
 
On the same topic, anybody know what the deal is with all the 10x10 tent frames lined up along the parking lots during the week? I‘ve been down there last few weeks for COVID tests and noticed them lined up, some have what looks like name tags on them. Are they owned by UK and rented? is the space rented? Or is it just first come first served and once you get a tent set up you can leave the frame there for future games?
 
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Good luck. They do not care, they have your money. Example: The RV lot is basically empty from 6:30 on. However they will not let anyone enter until 8:00 or after despite having the attendants on site early in the day to monitor.: Was told in 2019 that it was UK Parking who controls the lots. Called UK Parking and they told me it was UK Athletics who controls it. Called UK Athletics and they to me it was UK Parking that controlled it……. This year, for the first game, common sense ruled. If the spot was empty you could park. The attendants got royally chewed for that. I asked again who was in charge and now they say UK Special events is in charge……in other words, expect a run around and nothing else. At least that’s my experience.
 
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Two years ago they said you couldn’t leave them but it is being allowed. People stake their place by leaving the frame in place, get there early enough to park near-ish to it and set up For their tailgates.
 
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UKRob 73 said:
I'm curious what you want to talk to someone about? If you get to a lot two hours before a big game, you most likely won't have a spot. Been that way since the beginning of time. What is the clusterfick you are talking about, it's always like that.
Click to expand...

is this with parking passes? Or no ?
 
ukalum1988 said:
My wife and I really enjoyed the win over the Gators last night. I'm glad they won because it took the edge off of my being really pissed about the parking situation at the Orange Lot.

Yes I know.... it's first come, first served.... We got there about 3:30 for the 6PM KO. Yes, in hindsight we should have gotten there a bit sooner.... My wife and I have already resolved to do things differently for the upcoming game.

However, I drove around the better part of 45 minutes trying to find a parking spot without success. I'll spare the gory details but we finally gave up and paid $$ to park across the road off Nicholasville. Actually I was able to get out faster from that location than I probably would have from the Orange Lot.

On the way to my tailgate near the stadium, I stopped by the Orange Lot entrance and talked to the guys that let me in. They agreed it was a clusterf$&&^ and apologized for my situation. They told me I need to speak to someone in the UK Athletic Office that is responsible for the parking facilities.

It probably won't solve anything, but I feel like I need to at least make the effort and complain.....

Does anybody have suggestions for who I should talk to?

Did anyone else have a similar experience?

Thanks for letting me vent....

Peace
Click to expand...

Hate that you had to deal with that. Not everyone can get there super early due to different life circumstances and not everyone lives in Lex or within an hour. Some have to driver multiple hours to the game. There is no excuse for there not to be a spot available.

I'd start with the ticket office and ask to speak with the manager and explain what happened and where you ended up parking and how much you had to pay. Part of it is what it is, but they just need to up enforcement for folks that take up extra space. And people need to be more considerate of the space available.

I quit paying for parking passes and season tickets a few years ago and just park at the KY Clinic garage. I dont mind the 15 min walk and its a pretty quick exit from town......that may change as I age though.
 
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