Universal's Parking Garages

[Teebin]

Off on another tangent again tonight. Got wondering if the Uni parking garages are some of the largest in the world as they always amaze me. Turns out, they are in contention!

http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/10/parking-automobiles-retail-biz-logistics-cx_ew_0410parking.html

Wee fun little fact in this mini gallery that contains an image of Uni. At least one of the garages (if not both), were designed to be expanded vertically. (For those of you that are geographically challenged, the north garage is the one closest to Portafino.)

http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/10/pa..._0410parking_slide_5.html?thisSpeed=undefined

 

[violarum]

This is really something. It's like knowing you grew up next to the president without actually knowing his title. Also, didn't someone once state that the garages were actually cracking in some parks because of reinforcement issues? It's so weird imagining that these mammoths aren't invincible...

 

[Teebin]

This is really something. It's like knowing you grew up next to the president without actually knowing his title. Also, didn't someone once state that the garages were actually cracking in some parks because of reinforcement issues? It's so weird imagining that these mammoths aren't invincible...

There were cones up around every parking space surrounding the six core atrium areas, one could not park nose first into any atrium balcony wall. This occurred in 2005 or 2006 and lasted nearly a year. It appears studies were being done as no reconstruction was ever done (to my knowledge, as I was there often during this period) and one day the cones were gone.

 

[violarum]

Ah, so they simply tested. Good thing these structures are being kept in check so well, too. Structurally, they're probably one of the most impressive buildings in this area. I'm not entirely sure, but I think CT Hsu was the main team behind their design, as I was told this back when my old school (Edgewater High, which isn't too far away) was being renovated and the same team was behind the new campus.

Edit: That wasn't too hard. They did, in fact, design them.

 

[ChiefBrody]

Random question but what are the current sections of the parking garage? I know when I was last there in 2006 there was Cat in the Hat, ET, Spider-Man, Jaws, Jurassic Park and pretty sure Kong was still there.

 

[Jakemeister]

Hasn't changed.

 

[JungleSkip]

Yea, they're the same.

Weird that there's 2 that aren't in the parks now.

 

[Clive]

Yea, they're the same.

Weird that there's 2 that aren't in the parks now.

I see it as a tribute. Jaws and Kong remain at Universal in some form, at least. Kind of scarily prophetic that E.T. is one of the other garages, though...

 

[kingeric]

It is funny, how as you exit or enter Universal studios you can see the garages past the river in the distance, and just how it well CityWalk is designed and the walk ways are designed so that you never really feel the distance you are walking.

 

[jtsalien]

It is funny, how as you exit or enter Universal studios you can see the garages past the river in the distance, and just how it well CityWalk is designed and the walk ways are designed so that you never really feel the distance you are walking.

You've never been to the parks in July or August, have you? :inquisitive:

 

[Scarletwebslingr]

What I hate about this garage is that it forces too many poor drivers into too confined a space. Idiots who drive too fast, only to realize they can't make a last-minute tight turn, results in more accidents than I prefer at a theme park. I've see about seven or eight people wreck in those garages (more often they ram the cement structure, not other cars). If only tourists knew how to drift.

 

[Octobers Fade]

What I hate about this garage is that it forces too many poor drivers into too confined a space. Idiots who drive too fast, only to realize they can't make a last-minute tight turn, results in more accidents than I prefer at a theme park. I've see about seven or eight people wreck in those garages (more often they ram the cement structure, not other cars). If only tourists knew how to drift.

People generally, from what I see, do not know how to drive in parking lots. Most seem to think it is a speedway or it might kill them to park a little further out and walk a liitle...

 

[Glassman]

We would always bring our dogs to the kennels. So we always parked there and walked through the jaws part of the garages, up the stairs or escalators (if they were on) and then to the disco (the hub) and on through City walk. We would do that twice a visit during normal hours. We would have to go back to the kennels to walk our dogs. It took some getting used to the first few times we parked in the garages after our dogs died. We always park in prefered parking so thats all we know about the garages.

It seemed like the longest walk. We got to know Ceaser pretty good and every now and then we got to get up close and personal with stuff like this.

 

[Teebin]

Not sure if anyone here recalls, but back when the garages and CW first opened, the music that played the entire way to Citywalk were movie themes. Walking the final stretch to the BTTF theme was really goose bumpy compelling, you knew you had 'arrived'. Today of course they only play rock music.

 

[Vyrus]

I miss that a ton, but I think they still sprinkle in the movie music, at least the sound effects are still on in the garages I believe, no??

 

[Teebin]

I miss that a ton, but I think they still sprinkle in the movie music, at least the sound effects are still on in the garages I believe, no??

Just in the garages last I noticed. The only time I heard movie themes in the rotunda and walkways was Sept. & Dec. 1999.

 

[SpyderDan]

I see it as a tribute. Jaws and Kong remain at Universal in some form, at least. Kind of scarily prophetic that E.T. is one of the other garages, though...

I like it as a tribute too and quite honestly, the most harmless thing in all of the resort are the themed parking areas. If they took out Jaws or Kong or ET and replaced it with Harry Potter in the garage too, I wouldn't know what to say.

 

[Brervixen]

I swear I remember hearing movie tunes the last time I went in 2011...

 

[Disneyhead]

Well, Jaws still has the photo op. As for Kong, Universal can NEVER seem to kill him for good. He always comes back every 10-20 years.