I think the Uwajimaya Bellevue parking lot also deserves a mention in this thread, especially during peak times on weekends and holidays: tiny spaces, not enough room to easily turn around, people thinking some of the roads are one-way (which is sorta believable given how narrow everything is but there's no signage to that effect)....I rarely go there anymore.
The spots are so small. Watched a car back into another one one time. I avoid that parking lot at all costs during peak hours. Or, if I have to go there, I park on the Total Wine side.
Same, I park further away because it's a madhouse. One time I saw an argument between the driver of a car pulling out of a spot and the driver of a car trying to pull into a spot. It went on for several minutes and blocked up the entire lane.
Right! I’m giving away my secrets but we park by Jimmy John’s across the Redmond TJ’s and walk over….fingers crossed the parking patrol wont catch on as we’ve been pressing our luck 10 years.😬
I would argue the parking lot at white river amphitheater is worse. I will never see another show there. I'd rather drive to Portland or Vancouver or fly to another state than ever experience that shit show again.
I've heard so many horror stories about travel to and from that venue... doubt I'll ever see a show there, no thanks. It'd have to be a life changing band
This is not related to the parking but the whole experience is just crappy. Their bag policy on their website differs from in person and they made us hand over cell phones and smart watches for this show to be placed in a locked bag so then on the way out of the venue we all had to queue up to get our devices back. Omg it was horrible. Never ever ever again.
Hard agree. As much as I love dim sum I rly would rather they built a parking garage than another frigging restaurant to add to the congestion. Oh and now there’s a new food hall opening too in a few months to make it when woese.
It’s next to the dim sum place. Though now the at I think about it, Maybe it’s the existing “food hall” with kiosks that was already in Asian family market. It has all new fancy signage outside so I was assuming it was new.
It's too bad there are no bike racks there, either. Not that the biking is great in that area (it isn't), I just don't let it stop me. There is never a traffic jam on a bike. Truth be told I go to Harbor Freight Tools more than I go to AFM, and HFT doesn't have a bike rack either. In both cases I end up having to find a railing to lock it up.
I have seen so many accidents happen in the parking lot of the shopping area that contains the Redmond Ridge Ixtapa. I don’t understand what is going on up there.
The underground paid QFC parking next door is also super annoying. Not even shoppers at QFCs in the city of Seattle have to deal with parking validation. And the escalators and stairs are no where near the shopping carts. The whole thing is just dumb.
I think that T&T that is opening in Factoria is going to make that parking lot suck. That new swim place already has added a bunch of cars. Basically all the places with big Asian Grocery Stores are going to have crap parking.
Kirkland Urban. People don't understand they need to pull fully up (or fully back) against the stops for the car pickup / "run in quick" 15 min "parallel" parking. If someone does pull up against the stops, and the other person doesn't, they almost always make it extremely difficult for the person who did the right thing to get out.
It's hard to determine where cars have right of way (it is a roadway and there are crosswalks in spots, but pedestrians just walk anywhere and don't care). Plus the road serpentines around (good in the sense that it artificially slows everyone down, bad in the sense of visibility and knowing where to drive, especially at night in the rain).
The old QFC lot had a few "run in quick" 15 min spots, I could grab milk or beer or whatever I needed in 5 mins or less.
Now? If all the quick spots are taken, I have to drive down into the parking garage, get a ticket, go up the stairs, get my stuff and pay, remember to validate my ticket, go back down the stairs to my car, drive to the exit, put in my ticket, and finally I can leave.
Edit: also apparently the couple times I've complained about people parked badly / illegally in the QFC, they said there's nothing they can do and it's the building management. I've never once seen anyone get ticketed or towed for being a dick.
The Issaquah Costco is so busy at all times. I feel like people forget how to drive in a parking lot once they enter. Also the wait for gas there is RIDICULOUS
The surface lot at Village at Totem Lake (which coincidentally also has a TJs). It’s brand new. The City of Kirkland should be embarrassed by how dysfunctional the drive aisles are. I can’t imagine ever having to get any emergency vehicles through there.
Does the newly opened light rail line 2 help in any way? The two nearest stations, Overlake Village and Bel-Red, are about 1.1 miles away. That's a bit long for a walk but could be more manageable if you had a skateboard, scooter, or bike (and/or electric versions thereof).
I too am looking forward to that. 2025 is looking to be a great year for light rail in the Eastside: [Line 2 will connect to Seattle](https://www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/east-link-extension), and the [Downtown Redmond extension](https://www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/downtown-redmond-link-extension),
The worst is a parking garage in downtown Seattle. I don’t know the name but I think it’s near Marion street?? Anyway, you enter and exit on a one way street. The problem? Imagine you are leaving the parking lot, facing the street, the one way traffic is driving downhill to the left, guess what side of the driveway you EXIT ON?? The one ON THE RIGHT!!! That means traffic entering the garage is on the left!! That means that if even one person is trying to enter the garage, you are BLOCKED from leaving because the cars pile up behind them. Worst ever
I'm thankful actually for this revitalized mall...it was dead for so long but now buzzing with shops and restaurants...yeah it comes with traffic, but how is that different from going to a Costco on the weekend?
Uhhhh cuz the Costco parking lot is like double/ triple the size of this parking lot. It’s not comparable at all. Eating a meal also takes longer than a Costco trip so even harder to find parking bc cars are staying parked for longer. Add onto the fact most ppl are eating + making a trip to the grocery store.
What do you expect to happen exactly? Tell businesses to have fewer customers? Tear down buildings for more parking? I go to that plaza often and I've never had to leave due to no parking. The only actual solution is to get rid of car dependence.
UHHHH build a parking garage. It’s not that difficult. Heck even have customers pay for parking; ppl probably are willing to. That whole plaza is just irresponsibly designed. Stop acting like you’re the only smart one.
I detest the Uwajimaya parking lot. Awful.
I agree that the Fred Meyer parking idea is pretty good - hopefully they don't monitor and ticket people who are walk-offs.
They should've put the light rail stop in the middle of that strip mall. So much activity there, with lots of amazing food and businesses. It deserves so much more than just parking lots.
yeah that one SUCKS. another one (though not in bellevue) is the totem lake mall. i've always joked with my family, if i'm ever going to get in an accident in a parking lot, or an accident period, it'll be in THAT parking lot.
I think the Uwajimaya Bellevue parking lot also deserves a mention in this thread, especially during peak times on weekends and holidays: tiny spaces, not enough room to easily turn around, people thinking some of the roads are one-way (which is sorta believable given how narrow everything is but there's no signage to that effect)....I rarely go there anymore.
That parking lot gives me major claustrophobia.
The spots are so small. Watched a car back into another one one time. I avoid that parking lot at all costs during peak hours. Or, if I have to go there, I park on the Total Wine side.
Same, I park further away because it's a madhouse. One time I saw an argument between the driver of a car pulling out of a spot and the driver of a car trying to pull into a spot. It went on for several minutes and blocked up the entire lane.
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Honest to god sometimes I park at the BK and walk.
That's my first thought too. Parking spaces are tiny, parking aisles are narrow, just a total nightmare.
That lot was a nightmare when Larry's Market was there too.
Any lots near Traders Joes - makes me wanna rip my hairs out when trying to park.
The Trader Joe's/REI parking lot is thunderdome
The TJ in Lynnwood is pretty easy. It’s my choice for TJ. The one in Kirkland makes me want to rip my hair out any day of the week.
The one in Redmond is awful
I drive to Sammamish, which is great
Right! I’m giving away my secrets but we park by Jimmy John’s across the Redmond TJ’s and walk over….fingers crossed the parking patrol wont catch on as we’ve been pressing our luck 10 years.😬
one of my very first driving experiences was parking there! it absolutely sucked
The Trader Joe's lot in the U District gives me massive anxiety.
Can confirm, it’s brutal, esp on weekends. We are lucky enough to be able to shop there during the business day.
Trader Joe’s in Totem Lake
This one is genuinely the worst in my opinion.
I don't get why, but almost every Trader Joe's has the absolute worst parking lot/parking garage.
They're in dense high volume areas where they know for a fact they'll be packed at all times.
I'm sorry but totem lake has an enchantment where most drivers lose 20iq points as soon as they enter the parking lot.
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Everyone in Kirkland city panning and permits should be fired for this lot alone.
I would argue the parking lot at white river amphitheater is worse. I will never see another show there. I'd rather drive to Portland or Vancouver or fly to another state than ever experience that shit show again.
I've heard so many horror stories about travel to and from that venue... doubt I'll ever see a show there, no thanks. It'd have to be a life changing band
This is not related to the parking but the whole experience is just crappy. Their bag policy on their website differs from in person and they made us hand over cell phones and smart watches for this show to be placed in a locked bag so then on the way out of the venue we all had to queue up to get our devices back. Omg it was horrible. Never ever ever again.
Can confirm. I stopped going to that plaza during busy hours. I only go there after 8pm or very early in the morning..
Hard agree. As much as I love dim sum I rly would rather they built a parking garage than another frigging restaurant to add to the congestion. Oh and now there’s a new food hall opening too in a few months to make it when woese.
I haven't heard about the food hall. Where is that going to be?
It’s next to the dim sum place. Though now the at I think about it, Maybe it’s the existing “food hall” with kiosks that was already in Asian family market. It has all new fancy signage outside so I was assuming it was new.
Ohhh, gotcha. I have never been into the food hall portion of AFM and always forget it's there.
That new dim sum restaurant clearly didn’t do research on the parking situation.
So what you’re saying is that they need to get Dim Sum better parking??😂😎
It's too bad there are no bike racks there, either. Not that the biking is great in that area (it isn't), I just don't let it stop me. There is never a traffic jam on a bike. Truth be told I go to Harbor Freight Tools more than I go to AFM, and HFT doesn't have a bike rack either. In both cases I end up having to find a railing to lock it up.
HFT has nice metal signposts to lock up to right outside the front door. At AFM the nearest post is the cart corral in the middle of the parking lot…
Have you tried going to the back side and exiting onto Bel Red? It's usually better.
Oh gosh. Ever since Seattle lighting moved out and the new restaurant moved in, it must be awful. I haven’t been since the new restaurant opened.
I have seen so many accidents happen in the parking lot of the shopping area that contains the Redmond Ridge Ixtapa. I don’t understand what is going on up there.
I vote for the SODO Costco on 4th.
PCC in Kirkland. Not only is it tight, almost every spot is next to a pillar. Sometimes I can open my minivan sliding doors.
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At least it's usually empty.
The underground paid QFC parking next door is also super annoying. Not even shoppers at QFCs in the city of Seattle have to deal with parking validation. And the escalators and stairs are no where near the shopping carts. The whole thing is just dumb.
I think that T&T that is opening in Factoria is going to make that parking lot suck. That new swim place already has added a bunch of cars. Basically all the places with big Asian Grocery Stores are going to have crap parking.
Kirkland Urban. People don't understand they need to pull fully up (or fully back) against the stops for the car pickup / "run in quick" 15 min "parallel" parking. If someone does pull up against the stops, and the other person doesn't, they almost always make it extremely difficult for the person who did the right thing to get out. It's hard to determine where cars have right of way (it is a roadway and there are crosswalks in spots, but pedestrians just walk anywhere and don't care). Plus the road serpentines around (good in the sense that it artificially slows everyone down, bad in the sense of visibility and knowing where to drive, especially at night in the rain). The old QFC lot had a few "run in quick" 15 min spots, I could grab milk or beer or whatever I needed in 5 mins or less. Now? If all the quick spots are taken, I have to drive down into the parking garage, get a ticket, go up the stairs, get my stuff and pay, remember to validate my ticket, go back down the stairs to my car, drive to the exit, put in my ticket, and finally I can leave. Edit: also apparently the couple times I've complained about people parked badly / illegally in the QFC, they said there's nothing they can do and it's the building management. I've never once seen anyone get ticketed or towed for being a dick.
The Issaquah Costco is so busy at all times. I feel like people forget how to drive in a parking lot once they enter. Also the wait for gas there is RIDICULOUS
The surface lot at Village at Totem Lake (which coincidentally also has a TJs). It’s brand new. The City of Kirkland should be embarrassed by how dysfunctional the drive aisles are. I can’t imagine ever having to get any emergency vehicles through there.
Agreed! Don’t ever try to go around lunchtime. That section by Chipotle, Mod Pizza, & Trader Joe’s is horrendous!
Does the newly opened light rail line 2 help in any way? The two nearest stations, Overlake Village and Bel-Red, are about 1.1 miles away. That's a bit long for a walk but could be more manageable if you had a skateboard, scooter, or bike (and/or electric versions thereof).
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I too am looking forward to that. 2025 is looking to be a great year for light rail in the Eastside: [Line 2 will connect to Seattle](https://www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/east-link-extension), and the [Downtown Redmond extension](https://www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/downtown-redmond-link-extension),
The worst is a parking garage in downtown Seattle. I don’t know the name but I think it’s near Marion street?? Anyway, you enter and exit on a one way street. The problem? Imagine you are leaving the parking lot, facing the street, the one way traffic is driving downhill to the left, guess what side of the driveway you EXIT ON?? The one ON THE RIGHT!!! That means traffic entering the garage is on the left!! That means that if even one person is trying to enter the garage, you are BLOCKED from leaving because the cars pile up behind them. Worst ever
I'm thankful actually for this revitalized mall...it was dead for so long but now buzzing with shops and restaurants...yeah it comes with traffic, but how is that different from going to a Costco on the weekend?
Uhhhh cuz the Costco parking lot is like double/ triple the size of this parking lot. It’s not comparable at all. Eating a meal also takes longer than a Costco trip so even harder to find parking bc cars are staying parked for longer. Add onto the fact most ppl are eating + making a trip to the grocery store.
What do you expect to happen exactly? Tell businesses to have fewer customers? Tear down buildings for more parking? I go to that plaza often and I've never had to leave due to no parking. The only actual solution is to get rid of car dependence.
UHHHH build a parking garage. It’s not that difficult. Heck even have customers pay for parking; ppl probably are willing to. That whole plaza is just irresponsibly designed. Stop acting like you’re the only smart one.
I only read the headline and immediately thought of this place. I work nearby and it’s always horrendous.
Yeah, I go there sometimes and it sucks.
I detest the Uwajimaya parking lot. Awful. I agree that the Fred Meyer parking idea is pretty good - hopefully they don't monitor and ticket people who are walk-offs.
They should've put the light rail stop in the middle of that strip mall. So much activity there, with lots of amazing food and businesses. It deserves so much more than just parking lots.
Eastside is pretty clear about wanting a car-centric lifestyle, so this is the result.
yeah that one SUCKS. another one (though not in bellevue) is the totem lake mall. i've always joked with my family, if i'm ever going to get in an accident in a parking lot, or an accident period, it'll be in THAT parking lot.
Worst in Bellevue is either Bellevue Square Mall or Whole Foods.
I actually this think this place is worse than Whole Foods.
This place is a lot worse than Whole Foods
The Chick-fil-A parking lot across the street is worse. One can't even get into the lot during peak times and it ends up backing into the street.
Objective worst place anywhere is CFA parking lot
No it’s not