Hi All...

I'd been planning on going to this meet for almost 3 weeks. My wife spent 2 hours yesterday baking 4 dozen chcolate chip cookies for me to take to the meet today (we decided my travelling with liquidy baked beans in a container would be to risky for the new G35's interior). I spent almost 2 hours washing, waxing and and detailing my car. I took the day off work today. I packed a towel, sunscreen and bathing suit. Drove almost 2 hours to get there from my home in Riverside County... Traffic on the I-5 South was really bad from the above the 405 split all the way to the I-5/PCH exit in Dana Point. I was very disappointed to find that the meet organizers had not set aside a large enough area in the parking lot for our group to park. I drove around and around and around the parking lot for almost 45 minutes trying to find a parking space with all the rest of the public beach goers before I gave up and started back home. All in all, almost 4 hours driving there and back home for nothing, and a lost work day as well.

Please... Next time you organize a large meet, make sure the facility's parking supervisors are willing to rope or block off and set aside enough parking spaces for the group, and identify the area with signage or something of that nature. If not, please choose another place to hold the event.

I know some of you had a much better day than I did today. Sorry to share the negative experience, but if I didn't, nobody would know it happened, and it might happen again next time... Sam

 

parking was a mess when we left around 2:30... what time did you get there? when we got there around 11am there were cones n stuff to save spaces

guess nobody abided by this sign?

 

I got there at 1:00. There was not a single space available anywhere in the lot, and there were a number of parking officials ticketing cars here and there for some type of violation. I'd guess these officials took the signs and cones away. I did see LOTS of G35s parked here and there, so I knew there was fun being had. That's what was most depressing... driving all that way and then not being able to even park. Heck, I'll probably gain 5 pounds eating all those cookies my wife baked for you all!

 

I definitely gained 5 pounds eating all the food, so I guess we can gain the 5 lbs together =)

I heard it was a field day for those parking maids... like $55 dollar tickets or something?

 

$30 for expired paid parking tickets... $55 for no license. If you weren't expired you were in the clear... if your time was expired they got you for whatever they could i think.

 

Oh man... I TOTALLY know what you were talking about. I left at 2pm and the parking lot was PACKED. I mean.. random ppl kept driving up to me and asking if I was leaving... and since all the Gs were parked way the hell down... I had a few cars following me all the way there. As I was leaving, there was a parking attendant checking permits on the Gs next to me, maybe 3 cars down. I knew I was about 5 minutes over on my permit so I took off quick. On the way home going North on the 5, the southbound side was pretty much a parking lot. I feel sorry for you man.

In defense of the organizers, they DID put cones up and had a large section of the parking lot blocked off for our meet in the morning. Most people got there by 11 or 12 and the parking lot was still pretty empty at that time. I live in Rancho Cucamonga so it was quite a drive for me as well. I did meet up with some people in Rowland in the morning for a caravan so that made the drive seem much shorter... especially trying to keep up with that crazy guy in the white g35

 

Oh man.. that sucks.. Who got tickets?

 

I GOT A ****ING TICKET! =(

If you came early the parking lot was VERY well organized.. I set up the caravan and gave tinman a count of how many were comming there were cones set up as well as signs... They even reserved a row for the whole caravan (9-10 cars). But yeah theres noting you can do about it if it was the afternoon.. theres no way we can reserve a spot if the lot is filled, it is not our lot.. so if u came late sorry about the trouble but yeah you probably saved urself a ticket

front plate ticket $55
parking ticket $30

!!! feels sorry for the guys that got both!

 

Hi Sam
i'm soo sorry for what happened to you.but what ever happened it 's BEYON our control.we clearly stated that:
1) this meet is start at 10:00am (we did get here before that to coned off an area until 12:00 noon
2) is in a public parking lot.there's no way we can reserve/buy/rent an area
3) they write tickets not because of the signs and cones.because this is a paid parking lot (we did let everybody know in advance)and some of you did pay to park or tickets expired?
again i'm feel sorry for the mishaps but at the same time i feel is unfair to blame the meet organizers.we did everything we could trying to make this event going smooth and enjoyable for everyone.but we do need your help too to make it happen.
regard
steve

 

Hi Steve,

Hey... Like I said, sorry to bring negative stuff to the event. But this was my experience and viewpoint.

The main problem I've tried to show is that the parking lot supervisors were not in agreement with the meet organizers before the event that we'd have an area set aside for the day. I haven't looked back at all the threads about the meet, but I don't recall anything saying "be there by x:xx or you will not be able to participate."

This is what I saw:

Anyway, I'd still like to thank you and the other organizers for helping to put an otherwise great event together, even though I couldn't participate 'cause I showed up later than most. Sounds like all who were able to participate had a fun time, and I know that putting these things together isn't ever easy.

Best wishes to you and everyone else for lots more fun meets, and I'll come to the next one MUCH earlier!

 

Wowww... I'm glad that I had my front plate on and had a working parking ticket...

 

I didn't have my front plates on either, but I guess I was forunate

 

Wow! I didn't realize that they were even ticketing for not having a front license plate. That's really yukky. It's one thing to enforce the parking fees/parking rules, but to start ticketing for not having a front plate... next they'd be ticketing for ground clearance with rulers, sound violations with audio level meters, tint levels with light meters... gakkkkkkkkkkk.

 

Please refer to the last post on these two sticky threads on the Beach Meet. The info was posted the night before the event.

Sticky: Annual 'Team Chill' Summer Beach Meet!

Sticky: BEACH MEET 8/6/05 i will bring list

"Rememberm the parking and BBQ spots are FIRST COME FIRST SERVE. So please come early because we won't be able to hold 40 parking spaces with 10 cars. There are only shaded 3 patios (seats appx 30 ppl each) on site. The rest of the seats are non-shaded. - Sukairain"


The Parking Lot supervisor is the Orange County Park Services. I have been in touch with them for the last 2 months regarding this meet. We cannot 'reserve' any parking spaces legally. It is a public parking and the general public deserve to use the faiclity as the rest of us. The only way around this was to rent ($$$$) the parking lot, which we are not willing to do.

A bunch of us got there at 9am (Andrew got there at 8am) and held on to the parking spaces and BBQ tables for hours before heading down to the BBQ site. Even at 1:00pm when I came back to the parking lot there were still at least 10 parking spaces right next to the G's group blocked off by cones.

I apologize for those who got parking tickets or had a hard time finding parking spaces on Saturday. I think the front plate tickets were issued because parking patrol was irritated about the orange cones and the sign. I think most people had a great time and
I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. (Except I'll get a big kart next time, I am sore all over this morning)

 

Yeah I got a frickin ticket too but only for parking not for a front plate thank goodness. But I will say that when we got there, there was still quite a bit of parking left.