Parking at Cincinnati

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Shanghai

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A friend plans to take Amtrak from Cincinnati, OH in the near future.

The Cardinal departs at 3:27am and returns at 1:13am a few days later.

He expects to be away about 10 days and is looking for a car park and

possibly a hotel/motel where he can spend the night and leave the car

while away and to spend the night upon arrival. Any advice would

be appreciated.
 
Closest place I can think of to park would be at the airport in Kentucky, then take a taxi to one of the hotels downtown, followed by a taxi to Cincinnati Union Terminal. Then the reverse on the return. But if The Cardinal is late on return, there may only be a short stay in the hotel, unless two nights are booked.
 
I would not park my car in any open lot in the area around the Union Station. Not a good neighborhood at night. Might find your car missing or damaged when you return.

There is the Fountain Square South Parking Garage downtown which is a multilevel covered facility a part of the Westin Hotel downtown. It would cost $15/day. There is 24 hour security there.

They would need to get a cab from there to the Union Station. Not sure of the price but it is not that long of a distance.

The Westin is a nice hotel but a bit expensive. $200/night unless you find a special deal. Those are mostly on the weekends in the winter after football season is over. The cheaper hotels are out in the suburbs but most of their lots are open and not sure if you could park there for 10 days.

The airport is another option. It is far away from downtown Cincy and I would image the cab fare is a bit high. There is a shuttle bus that takes people from the airport to downtown. Not sure what it costs to park at the airport
 
Economy parking at the airport is $8/day and there are coupons and AAA discounts that bring it down to $6/day. There is a bus from the airport to downtown that runs roughly hourly during daylight hours, $2 I think. A taxi from CVG to downtown should be $25-30 if I remember correctly.

I would suggest looking at airport hotels that have park and fly rates and taxi back and forth to the station. I stayed at the airport Holiday Inn and would use it again, not sure about a park and fly rate though. Covington riverfront hotels (Radisson) would also be a good option for the departure, parking will cost if available here. Downtown Cincinnati hotels are overpriced and underwhelming plus taxed at nearly 20%
 
Also parking at Union Terminal is $5/day, but free to museum center or Cincinnati railway club members. I'm not sure how vigorously this is enforced, because most people say to pay ahead of time and leave your information with the security guard. If you left your car at the back of the lot they might not notice. It's not a great neighborhood, but I have never heard any stories of problems. Your mileage may vary. I try to get a ride from friends when I ride the Cardinal out of CIN.
 
I would not park my car in any open lot in the area around the Union Station. Not a good neighborhood at night. Might find your car missing or damaged when you return.
The neighborhood near Cincinnati Union Terminal is rough, but the station is isolated and well-lit. The sight-lines from the Museum Center's security office to the long-term parking area are good, and one can only enter and exit via the driveway. My mother has parked her car there for week-long trips with no problems. I have always felt safe hanging around the front entrance and the fountain in the middle of the night.
 
I would not park my car in any open lot in the area around the Union Station. Not a good neighborhood at night. Might find your car missing or damaged when you return.
The neighborhood near Cincinnati Union Terminal is rough, but the station is isolated and well-lit. The sight-lines from the Museum Center's security office to the long-term parking area are good, and one can only enter and exit via the driveway. My mother has parked her car there for week-long trips with no problems. I have always felt safe hanging around the front entrance and the fountain in the middle of the night.
Is the entrance & exit station manned and active 24 hours per day?
 
No, the parking booth and gate are unattended after museum hours, so free in and out during closed hours. I've parked there on short overnight trips to Chicago and back.. For longer trips, a family member drops off my car the night before arrival.
 
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