<p>i would like some comments on this from current caltech students....</p>
<p>I can confirm that there are indeed cars at Caltech. </p>
<p>Nice to have, not crucial, $35/month parking.</p>
<p>That's not that bad at all, compared to other schools around LA. Is there a "freshmen can't have cars" rule like at Stanford?</p>
<p>-Oren</p>
<p>No, but there is (or was in past years) a limited number of spots. I guess I don't know if that will happen again because of the new fees/parking structure have opened up a bit of capacity on campus.</p>
<p>
Shhh! You're just encouraging the administration to nickle and dime us some more. I was happier when Caltech prided itself on being a good value. Now it seems the administration just sees some of Caltech's special perks as potential ways of extracting $$$ from the community (yes, not just students). It's not as simple as that, but it's one of the few things I'm a bit bitter about here.</p>
<p>do freshmen typically have cars?</p>
<p>are there spaces for freshmen?</p>
<p>In the past there was a limit of about 25 parking spaces for freshmen (by lottery), and usually about 25 freshmen want to bring cars so things work out nicely. We have more parking now, so they might have lifted the limit.</p>
<p>The last I heard when I was on ASCIT (a couple months ago) was that the limit would remain in place. The non-student population is growing by about 1% every year and they anticipate needing a new parking structure in a few years. Therefore the limit will probably stay in place.</p>
<p>I should also mention that there is a high probability that fee will rise over the next few years. I heard Dean Currie (I think he's officially head of finance or something) say that the plan was to increase the fees until the parking system on campus paid for itself. This is unreasonable and someone will eventually point this out to him, but in the meantime, I'd bet it'll be raised a few dollars a month yearly.</p>
<p>
If you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water it will quickly jump out. But if you put the frog in lukewarm water, and slowly raise the temperature, the frog will happily sit there while it boils to death. </p>
<p>(Thank you Dante's Peak, an otherwise unfulfilling film.)</p>
<p>edit: no, I haven't actually tried that...yet.</p>
<p>hmm, would i be able to get finalized information about parking at prefrosh?</p>
<p>I could get you in touch with the administrator that makes the decision about this, Tim Chang. Generally, administration figures at Caltech are a lot more accessible than at other schools, so this generally isn't a big deal.</p>
<p>I believe the current parking plan is to leave the fees where they are. While Dean may be pushing the increasing fees plan, I've heard Tim is looking to have a flat growth rate of cars on campus. While the fee is unfortunate, especially for staff that aren't paid much or grad students that need to live on a stipend, it has prevented the large costs associated with continuing to build new parking structures.</p>
<p>The fees are an issue of concern, not only because of the method with which they were put into place (barely any student input, followed by grad student protests and undergrad discontent), but because new students will simply accept the charges as "always having been there" or "the same as at other schools." But that's market forces for you, I suppose.</p>
<p>just curious, are there any places to park for free off campus that is reasonably convenient?</p>
<p>I was thinking along those same lines. Are there places to park that are even perhaps a mile off campus? We could walk back in pairs :D.</p>
<p>Nope -- local parking garages have similar rates to parking on campus. Parking at Caltech owned off campus apartments is free, but limited to the residents of those apartments. To park on the streets of Pasadena, you have to get a relatively cheap permit, but they won't give those to Caltech students (because you have parking available through Caltech). You could park on the streets without a permit and just pay the ticket whenever you get it -- I think I heard they do a sweep every couple months and the tickets tend to be about $50, but that info is about 3 years old.</p>
<p>could you have somebody else (like a parent) get the street parking permit for you?</p>
<p>and, when you say relatively cheap, how cheap is that?</p>
<p>and, is there actually space in the streets around the campus to park if you do get one of these permits? are you allowed to park on the streets 24/7 every single day or are there some times that you aren't allowed to park?</p>
<p>I've never been to LA. This afternoon, as I maneuvered around trees and dumb bunnies on the dirt country lane, I realized I might be in for a new experience while driving from the airport to campus next week. Perhaps you all could answer some questions for me. Is driving there difficult? How long will it take to drive from LAX to Caltech? Are exits clearly marked? Are there weird left lane exit ramps from the freeways? Are there MOV lanes? If so, are they clearly marked? Are there express lanes on the freeways I should avoid or take? If I drive like a country girl, i.e. no faster than the speed limit and looking confused, are folks going to be very upset? (I could put a sign in the rear window, "I'm from the sticks. Please forgive my slow pace and lost mien.") Will it cost to park in the Holliston Parking garage? If so, is exact change necessary if I depart at late hours? Is the Holliston Parking garage often full? If so, where should I park? </p>
<p>(Eight questions left. I'll save them for after I return.)</p>
<p>If MOV = Multiple occupant vehicle (or something similar), we have those in LA. I'm from LA and haven't driven outside of state, so I can't really say if driving's difficult, but I can familiarize you with the route:</p>
<p>From LAX, you're probably going to be taking the 105 East to the 110 North. Both these freeways have carpool lanes (they're the center-most lanes, clearly marked with double double-yellow lines, with dashed white lines where you can enter). In addition, going from 105-E to 110-N there is a ramp from the carpool lane of 105-E to the carpool lane of 110-N. In my opinion, exits are clearly marked. From LAX to Caltech, the only thing to look out for is the junction previously mentioned. Once on 110-N stay in your lane until after you've passed all the tall buildings. Move right 1 or 2 lanes because the leftmost lane often gets jammed pretty badly, since it turns into an offramp for another freeway. </p>
<p>Holliston generally isn't full, but I don't know how it'll be during prefrosh weekend. Pretty much any spot on campus is open to you as long as it doesn't have a name on it (except "Rachel Niemer", which was painted on every spot on campus a few years ago. It hasn't washed off of the indoor spots). If you're having a lot of trouble finding a spot, there is a huge parking garage underneath the baseball field on California Blvd. I think the normal visitor parking fee is $5/day, which I believe you pre-pay at a machine, but I would imagine they'd waive it for prefrosh (you should ask). </p>
<p>LAX to Caltech will take at least 30 minutes. Carpool lanes are usually at around 65-75 mph, so people behind you might get a little upset, but it's probably nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>By relatively cheap I mean much cheaper than Caltech (I don't know the exact rate). You have to have a local address to apply for the permit, so unless your parents live in Pasadena, it doesn't help.</p>
<p>If you park at night, there's space near campus. You won't find a space during the day. You're not supposed to leave your car on the streets 24/7 -- so they usually do the sweeps late at night. However, it's perfectly fine to leave your car on the street for short periods of time.</p>
<p>I think the worst part of the drive from LAX to Caltech is the Pasadena freeway. It's very curvy and has exits in all directions. Don't attempt this freeway if you're tired. You'll want to stay on it until it ends, and then getting to Caltech should be fairly easy. </p>
<p>-Oren</p>
<p>
[quote]
I think the worst part of the drive from LAX to Caltech is the Pasadena freeway. It's very curvy and has exits in all directions. Don't attempt this freeway if you're tired. You'll want to stay on it until it ends, and then getting to Caltech should be fairly easy.
[/quote]
I think you meant to say it's awesome - it's really a fun drive for being right in the middle of it all.</p>
<p>I like it too.</p>