7th Street Garage & Surface Lot

It was wonderful to find public parking near the Pennsylvania State Capital and important federal & state government offices. The 7th Street Parking Garage costs $10.00 to park all day. It fills up fast, so get there early (especially if you have an appointment) to find a parking spot. Wear good walking shoes because it's a little bit of a distance. It's well worth it, because if you park on the street, you will be fined at least $50.00. I learned that the hard way.

As far as parking garages go, I guess this isn't too bad. At least nothing was stolen out of my car. Unfortunately, I absolutely HATE having to park in a small confined space, like in a parking garage. Personally, I always preferred parking on City Island; far more elbow room, plus the long walk is good for you.

Horribly expensive, over $200 a month, which yes, in the city isn't considered too bad, but it's ridiculous for what you get. At least several days a month one of the gates doesn't work and you will sit for half an hour or more because the traffic backs up. And if for some reason your pass doesn't work, you will sit for a very long time waiting for someone to answer who will then treat you like a criminal and leave you sitting there for a good 10 or 15 minutes while they look everything up (how hard can it be to look in a database?) and release you while other people are behind you getting frustrated because they can't get out. More than once the lights have failed in the stairwell which has no windows, so you have to wait for an antiquated and painfully slow elevator or bring your own flashlight. Snow can be left for days on the surface lot until it becomes one big ice slick, potholes are allowed to turn into sinkholes and are sometimes repaired with a board for weeks. People will hit your car and drive away hoping nobody gets their license plate number, but it's probably the safest place if you don't want your car broken into. Spots are tight so if you have a full size car or a truck, plan on getting some dents in your vehicle, and sometimes having to enter through your passenger side because someone has parked your drivers side door shut.

Safe, secure, and affordable. What more can you ask for from a parking garage? The affordable long-term parking was also a welcome surprise given that it was homecoming at Penn State.

A parking garage near the capitol complex. Small outside lot, but most of the spaces are in a structure. Structure is well maintained and stairs are clean. Elevators are a bit slow, but ways working.