BALTIMORE — With the Orioles home opener against the New York Yankees and Bruce Springsteen all in town on the same day, anyone driving through downtown Baltimore Friday afternoon or Friday evening is going to need a lot of patience, not only for the extra traffic but to find a parking.
Riding around a lot or circling a garage looking for a spot can be very stressful but as the saying goes, there's an app for that.
Many people have their favorite place to park, whether it's the cheapest, the closest, or the easiest to get in and out of, but the app SpotHero takes the guesswork and stress out of finding the perfect parking spot.
SpotHero vice-president of brand Karen Bartuch said “you just open up the app or go on the web browser and look book, and park. so you can type in Camden Yards, you can type in the concert or event you’re going to, or you can type in the street address to get you to where you want to be.”
For baseball fans, the place to be on Friday is Camden Yards, for the Orioles home opener.
However, for Bruce Springsteen fans, that would be the CFG Bank Arena. With two competing events happening only hours apart, it's a busy Friday for Baltimore.
Parking will be at a premium.
Drivers also should be aware the Baltimore City Department of Transportation will be closing several streets downtown throughout the day on Friday to manage the extra traffic.
Bartuch explained how the app also lets users comparison shop to find their ideal spot.
“You’ll see a map with several pins that will show you different prices and different locations that you can look by distance, you can look by price, you can even filter on things like EV or other amenities that the garage might have,” Bartuch said.
There’s no need for drivers to fear the dreaded sign "parking lot full" though as each reservation made through the app is guaranteed to save them a spot.
“We work really closely with our parking partners and operators to make sure that the spots are available. So, if you see it on the app, and you book it, it should be available when you show up to the garage,” Bartuch said.
Drivers also won't have to worry about losing their ticket or having to go back to their car to find it in order to pay.
“With SpotHero, it’s super easy. You pay via the app or via the web browser and it’s contactless, so all of your payment information is saved. And often times, you’ll get a QR code via email afterwards that you can just use very simply at the facility in and out. You don’t have to worry about taking a ticket, or exchanging any cash,” Bartuch said.
The app also will let users extend their parking reservation if they need to park for a longer period of time.
SpotHero works at a variety of places, such as business, entertainment events, and even airports. The idea for the app was born out of necessity to solve a parking problem.
“Our CEO Mark Lawrence was inundated with parking tickets over $5,000, and it was near Wrigley Field, which is very similar to Camden Yards, parking is very tough. And so, he knew there had to be a better way,” Bartuch said.
