Parking on the street is free but you must carefully read all signs to make sure you can legally park in the space. Chicago is known for ticketing and towing vehicles. First, make sure you are not on a street that requires a residential parking permit for zone 338. You cannot park on these streets after 6 p.m. without a special permit. However, residents can buy passes for guests. Second, look for signs on the meters, trees or lamp posts that indicate an upcoming street cleaning, which takes place in Chicago from April 1 to November 30 and prohibits parking on that day between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Third, check for signs that the parking space is on a snow route. If so, you can't park there from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. between December 1 and April 1 or anytime there is more than 2 inches of snow on the ground.
Parking meters are one of the cheapest places to park your car in Lakeview at a cost of $1.25 per hour. Most meters have a two-hour time limit. There will be a pay box near most meters that accepts quarters, dollar coins and credit and debit cards. Place the receipt on the car's dashboard on the side nearest the curb.
Some stores and restaurants in Lakeview offer valet parking due to the scarcity of public parking spaces. The cost is usually $8 to $12, plus a tip for the attendant. Valet parking is more frequently offered by businesses on Halsted Street than Broadway or Clark Street, which have large parking garages.
If you're going shopping, an economical parking option is one of the major garages in the Lakeview neighborhood. Generally, you can park for $2 to $4 for the first two hours with store validation (double without validation). However, prices rise sharply after the first two hours to as much as $15 for the next two hours. You can find a large garage in the 2800 block of North Broadway. There are also garages in the 3100 block of North Broadway and on a few other nearby streets.
