Some tailgaters will see nearly 50% parking hike
BEARS FANS | 31st Street, McCormick Place lot costs jump
June 22, 2009
The cost of thousands of parking spots near Soldier Field will spike nearly 50 percent for Bears games this fall.
A lot beneath McCormick Place Lakeside Center and another at 31st and S. Moe Drive will cost $25, up from $17 last season. RV drivers must pay $50, up from $34.
The steep increase covers "the cost of security, portable toilet facility rental, shuttle buses, cleaning and parking taxes,'' said Mary Kay Marquisos, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority, which controls the lots.
Both lots have about 2,000 spaces each.
The 31st Street lot is favored by diehard tailgaters because it is cheaper and has far fewer restrictions than lots closer to the stadium that are controlled by the Bears and Park District. Those lots, which cost $45, will not go up in price, although a few "premium" spots have increased from $100 to $101 per game. RVs pay $120.
The 31st Street lot, which is just West of Lake Shore Drive and offers a free shuttle ride to the game, often fills up by 8 a.m. on game days. For the first time this fall, 400 spots will be available for advance purchase at the cost of $265 for 10 games -- eight regular season and two preseason. However, fans who want to tailgate with a grill or firepit will still have to show up early because the overflow parkers will be sent to the underground lot, where fires aren't allowed.
Contrary to some fears expressed by Bears fans in online chat rooms, officials said fans at 31st Street will still be able to partake of some activities forbidden in other lots: Fans can still erect canopies and tailgate during games -- a practice banned last year by the Park District and Bears in the lots closer to Soldier Field. And the McCormick lots will still open at 5 a.m.; the closer lots don't open until four hours before kick-off.
Despite the looser rules than those at the Bears and Park District-run lots, Marquisos said "we did not have any major security incidents" at the parking lots last year.
Unlike last year, there will be no parking or tailgating on the campus of Michael Reese Hospital. The hospital's ownership is in question, making it too difficult to include in Bears parking plans