San Jose Music in the Park Parking

Downtown San Jose event parking tips

Downtown San Jose Music In the Park every Thursday night is very popular. You can count on traffic around downtown San Jose to be absolutely jammed as visitors circle around looking for parking near Plaza de Cesar Chavez, the oval park by the Museum of Art and the Tech Museum.

To save yourself the frustration of sitting in gridlocked traffic when the music starts every Thursday this summer, here are my tips to help you avoid downtown gridlock.

1. Ride light rail. The Santa Teresa / Alum Rock and Winchester / Mountain View lines run right past Cesar Chavez Plaza, and light rail is super easy to ride. Many VTA light rail stations outside of downtown are located at park and ride lots with ample free parking. Pay $1.75 at the vending machine for the light rail station. Every station has a schedule and map.

2. Ride your bicycle. This is Jenny. She and several dozens of other people rode their bikes to Music in the Park last night. You can too!

Jenny and her Univega

3. Park a few blocks away. There can be ample parking if you’re willing to walk a few blocks. If you don’t want to walk, people like Patrick will transport you in their pedal rickshaws — please tip them well for their hard work!

Pedicab Patrick

4. All of the above. Part of the beauty of bikes is that you can combine several modes of travel — light rail, Caltrain or the bus to travel longer distances, then use a bicycle or the pedal rickshaw to go the last mile.

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