Dude where's my shuttle?
As for the Dodger Stadium shuttle service Saturday night ... you really want to go there?
Not that I could say I saw it coming, but any time you're promosing something for free, and there's a time limit on how it can be successfully used, and there's no magic carpet ride from Point A to Point B -- meaning, you've got to use public freeways, instead of the Space Shuttle -- it's just been my experience that disaster could ensue. Maybe I was crazy for getting to the Coliseum on Saturday at 10:30 a.m., finding a place in a parking structure near the Harbor Freeway two blocks from the stadium, and paying the $25. I had some peace of mind. And I could get home before 10:30 p.m.
Others, of course, shouldn't have to make that kind of committment in a personal time schedule for one baseball game that starts at 7 p.m.
With that preamble, here's what one fan did: Sent a letter to Frank McCourt. He copied us:
March 30, 2008
Mr. Frank McCourt
Los Angeles Dodgers
1000 Elysian Park Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Dear Mr. McCourt
The game last night at the Coliseum was the worst entertainment experience in my sixty-two years. Your public relations staff was successful in deluding myself and 35,000 others into believing that we needed to park at Dodger Stadium to avoid immanent personal danger and cause a major catastrophe to the City of Los Angeles.
The reservation process was meaningless. We stood in line for over two hours, both going and returning to the Coliseum for a 6.1 mile ride that took almost half an hour. Having allowed two hours for the trip, we arrived an hour and twenty minutes after the first pitch. There were no restrooms available at Dodger Stadium, and totally inadequate or completely full port-a-potties at the Coliseum.
We observed no security or police personnel at Dodger Stadium and only a handful of parking lot attendants at either end. Obviously there were no where near enough busses, or any reasonable alternative transportation.
In retrospect I seem to recall that USC manages to fill the same Coliseum six times a year without using odd-site parking. Those events don’t cause the city to freeze in permanent automobile gridlock or go the way of the lost city of Atlantis.
Your people can cut costs by taking my name off your mailing list. We will not be buying any more Dodger Tickets or merchandise. The homeless can have our Dodger apparel. If you would like my business in the future, win three or four World Series trophies and then give me a call. In the meantime I will be spending my entertainment energy and money elsewhere.
Sincerely
Michael Schwieger
Oak Park
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I too, smelled a rat when considering parking at Dodger Stadium, so I also parked near the Coliseum in a lot. I had expected prices higher than for football, given the larger crowd, but the highest priced lot I saw was $50, right across MLK.
My question is: upon seeing the disorganization in the Dodger Stadium parking lot, why would anyone continue to wait, rather than return to their car and drive the 6 miles?
And speaking of parking attendants, I attended my first game at Dodger Stadium since the new game parking system was implemented. There were so many green vested parking minions, directing me exactly where I had to park, I was in shock. So the 33% increase in parking fees is paying for hundreds of new employees, to herd me around like a sheep?
Then I find my field level ticket requires me to walk all the way to the end of the stadium ground floor, rather than the closest entrance. Lovely way to start my game experience.