Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

This Thanksgiving marks the 88th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It is the second oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in the United States (just 4 years younger than the Dunkin’ Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia). According to the book Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade by Robert M. Grippo and Christopher Hoskins, the “Parade started out as a Christmas pageant [led by] a company of immigrants who were thankful for the opportunities that America and New York City gave them.” Incorporating traditions of their native land, Macy’s created an event that newspapers described as having an “Americanized modern slant.”

As the parade increased in popularity, more employees got involved, reaching over 300 in 1926. The following year, in 1927, the Parade took a leap forward with the inauguration of their first ever giant character balloon, Felix the Cat. But things didn’t really start to heat u until 1947, when the parade became a nationally televised event. It has, since 1979, been awarded an 12 Emmy awards for outstanding Achievement. By 1996, even the Giant Balloon Inflation became a must-see event, bringing thousands to the Upper West Side to see the inflatable giants take shape.

The parade kicks off at 77th and Central Park West at 9:00am on Thanksgiving Day, with the character balloons being blown up at that location the night before. The parade moves south on Central Park West, following the Park east until 6th Avenue. The Parade makes its final destination the Macy’s at Herald Square. According to the Parade website, some of the character balloons to be seen at this year’s event include Hello Kitty, Spongebob Squarepants, and Spiderman.

With over 3.5 million people lining the streets, parking will be almost entirely impossible. That is, of course, unless you book early with ParkJockey and get your spot reserved for the fantastic day. With locations on the Upper West Side and in Herald Square, we have your parking covered. After all, the holiday season is about enjoying yourself, not stressing out over parking.

Book now using the promo code “TURKEYDAY” and get 10% off your booking cost!

ParkJockey – The Metaphorical 5th Wheel

A car has four wheels, these 4 wheels get you from A to B. They get you to your restaurant, to your basketball game, to your date.

In the 1950s, the cars did the same, but they also got you out of a tight parallel parking spot. A fifth wheel in the ‘trunk’ of the car would lower almost hermit crab-like, perpendicular to the other wheels, and allow you to pivot out of the space to thus reverse out hassle-free. Yes, this really happened back then – Check it out below!

This really didn’t catch on, even though the thought a full 360 degree turn from your driveway, into your garage sounds pretty awesome. Now in the 21st century, digital disruption is at the forefront of everything we do, especially in traditional industries. We have these applications that make your travel logistics easier and more efficient for example the likes of CityMapper and Uber. With CityMapper you are wheel-less. With Uber, you are wheeled around.

With ParkJockey, you have a 5th wheel. Once those 4 wheels have got you from A, the metaphorical 5th wheel will help you find you a space to park your car, before you get to B. We are that lesser known but vital middle-man.

So, download ParkJockey’s brand new app now, available on the App Store and Google Play

Enjoy your 5th wheel! 😉

A Veterans Day to Remember

On Tuesday, November 11th, the 95th annual New York City Veterans Day Parade, aptly titled “America’s Parade,” will be honoring the men and women who have served and protected our country by marching up 5th Avenue from 26th to 52nd street. Veterans Today describes this Parade as “the largest Veterans Day Event in the nation”. This year, the parade’s theme will be “’Land of the Free/Home of the Brave,’ in honor of the 200th Anniversary of the writing of the Star Spangled Banner. The Featured Service Branch will be the U.S. Marine Corps.

The Parade first started in 1919 after Woodrow Wilson declared Armistice Day a national holiday on Nov. 11. Over the years, Armistice Day became Veterans Day and started to get the serious attention and support that it gets today (over 20,000 participants each year) when the United War Veterans Council formed, taking on the responsibility of organizing the Veteran’s Day Parades in 1945 shortly after World War II.

America’s Parade has become a long standing tradition of honoring our men and women in uniform. However, if you are unable to make the trip into New York City for the Parade, the New York City Veterans Community is organizing the third annual “Veterans Week NYC.” According to Veterans Today, the Week consists of activities like the “Patriots Tour”, which visits war monuments throughout the 5 boroughs, the “Veterans Mass” at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on November 9th, and the “Band of Pride” concert in Times Square on November 10th. Make sure to come into the city to check these events out and support our troops.

Now comes the tricky part. With thousands of people coming into the city to attend these events, finding parking will be very difficult. You can make your trip easier by booking your parking ahead of time with ParkJockey. We have parking in NOMAD by the Parade’s starting point as well as parking in Midtown, Flatiron, and all throughout New York City.

Book now using promo code “VETERANS” and get 10% off your booking.

The 41st NYC Village Halloween Parade

The Village Halloween Parade in New York City is celebrating its 41st year this Halloween. A grand menagerie of giant puppets/puppeteers, costumed celebrants, bands, dancers, and artists will march together, starting on Sixth Avenue and Canal Street in New York City and making their way north along Sixth Avenue. Many of the puppets are made special each year and are unveiled on the night of the Parade. A few favorite puppets are making a triumphant return this year, including the Giant Spider and the Squid on the Jefferson Market Library tower.

The Village Halloween Parade was started in 1974 by Greenwich Village mask maker and
puppeteer Ralph Lee as a trick-or-treating parade for his children and their friends. He kept it up for two years, at which point The Theater for the New City got involved and helped produce the event on a larger scale as part of the City in the Streets program. In 1977, the parade became a not-for-profit organization, discontinuing its association with the Theater for the New City. It has been proclaimed as “the largest celebration of its kind in the world and has been picked by Festivals International as ‘The Best Event in the World’ for October 31.”

In 1994, after 20 years of successful parades, the Mayor of the City of New York, Rudy Giuliani, made a proclamation declaring, “The Village Halloween Parade presents the single greatest opportunity for all New Yorkers to exhibit their creativity in an event that is one-of-a-kind, unique and memorable every year.” The Parade “draws more than 60,000 costumed participants, and spectators [are] estimated at 2 million.”

For those driving in to attend the parade, be prepared for some extra traffic, especially in the downtown area. As for parking, it will be virtually impossible to find street parking and difficult to find garage parking. Your best bet is to book with ParkJockey now, and guarantee your spot at a garage close to the parade. We have parking locations throughout Lower Manhattan, SoHo, and Flatiron, not to mention other lots all over New York City.

Book with us using the promo code “SPOOKED” and you will get 10% off your booking for this ghoulish event. Happy Halloween, all you monsters!

ParkJockey presents PlumValet!

Circled the block for 15 minutes and still parking a 10 minute walk away from your the shops? Lost your reservation at your favorite restaurant in town because it took 20 minutes to park outside the restaurant? Made your date walk six blocks in those fancy high heels because the closest garage was full?

Sounds all too familiar?

At ParkJockey, we believe that drivers should enjoy more shopping, dining, dating and all the good things in life rather than looking for parking, parking and walking to and from garages. This is why we are launching PlumValet, the mobile app that lets our plum valets pick up and return your car wherever and whenever you want in New York City, Chicago, Miami and London.

We will launch the new service in a staggered manner, starting with London next week!

What makes PlumValet special? We created it to be more than a button in a mobile app for you. We designed it to be “the hero behind the hero” like Alfred is for Batman. We engineered it to be “the tech that make you look good” like Q is for James Bond. We programmed it to be your trusted parking helper and confidant like Alice from the Brady Bunch.

How do we do it? We have partnered with long-established valet companies and the most reputable parking operators. Our valet partners bring professional ‘car takers’ and a proven insurance coverage. Our parking operator partners make sure that your car and keys are locked in safe garages. This is not the first car they handle; so you can comfortably enjoy your activities next time you drive to town.

So, pre-register NOW at PLUMVALET.COM, and your first time with PlumValet is on us!

#ParkNoMore

Cracking Down on Parking Fraud

As populations continue to grow in large cities, car usage rises to match the population increase. All of this has made parking even more challenging and complicated. To make matters worse, evidence exists that some drivers are using and selling fraudulent disabled parking decals to steal spots from the disabled. Mark Perriello, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities describes it as a serious problem, saying “the issue needs to be addressed.”

parking-fraud An article in Government Technology Magazine discussed a new solution being tested by Pondera Solutions. Pondera Solutions is a “product and services firm focused on implementing Google solutions in government agencies.” As mentioned in the article, they are using Google technology to address the emerging disabled parking problem. The Fraud Detection as a Service (FDaaS) is described as “a cutting-edge fraud detection engine that helps identify, predict, and prevent improper use of disabled parking permits.” Jon Coss, CEO of Pondera Solutions, said the FDaaS can help track down fraudsters. He rightly observes that “if someone is at 500 percent of the average [number of replacement cards issued], they are either very forgetful or it’s possible they might be profiting from trafficking these things.”

However, FDaaS does not provide definitive proof of fraud, merely an indicator of it, which requires state or local agencies to follow up on the information. So although it is drawing a lot of positive attention and a number of jurisdictions are considering using FDaaS, it is not a finalized solution to the problem.

So when planning to drive in the city, why take the chance that some driver with fraudulent disabled parking decals will steal your spot? We are firmly against parking fraud and we have your back!

With ParkJockey, you are guaranteed a spot at a convenient location nearest to your destination. We even have a feature where you can specify disabled parking so all of your individual needs are met. No hassles like mystery parking tickets, no worry about fraudulent placards, no time wasted looking for your spot. No matter where you may want to go in the city, be it Flatiron, Tribeca, Midtown Manhattan, or anywhere in the NYC area, ParkJockey allows you to focus on what is important, the destination.

Make sure to use the promo code NOFRAUD next time you park and save 10% off your parking!

Stay Safe With ParkJockey

We have already discussed on this blog how using ParkJockey’s forward-thinking technology can significantly reduce emissions generated by drivers looking for parking. But the social benefits of convenient parking do not end there.

Significant data reporting on car accidents involving pedestrians is not hard to find and the results are quite interesting. As it turns out, parking lots are some of the most dangerous locations for pedestrians and shopping and business districts are the areas with the highest rates of pedestrian collisions. One could easily predict such a result. After all, shopping centers and parking lots are often the busiest locations, those with the most vehicle and pedestrian traffic. It makes sense that the longer pedestrians share space with cars, the more likely they are to be involved in an accident.

The question then is: what can be done about these dangerous areas? How can we minimize the interaction of pedestrians and drivers to make the streets safer for everybody? One way to help is to minimize time spent looking for parking.

When drivers cruise for parking in bustling commercial areas like Chelsea or Midtown, they contribute to dangerous conditions in a number of ways. First, they create more traffic in an area already overpopulated with an abundance of cars, taxis, and pedestrians. Second, when drivers are getting ready to park, their attention is diverted away from the road by shops, signs, and, most significantly, potential parking spaces.

It is unfortunate that we should still have to grapple with basic issues like these in the 21^st Century. ParkJockey has been doing its part by enabling drivers to alleviate their parking concerns before they even leave the house. When a driver has his parking booked, he avoids adding to traffic by getting to his destination quicker. Also, he will drive safer, unencumbered by the distraction of looking for parking.

ParkJockey wants to make parking and driving safer and more convenient for everyone on the road. Get started with the promo code SAFE and save 10% on your first booking.

Don’t Let Parking Drive You Crazy !!!

Getting parking tickets can be very stressful business. It makes you wonder just how far people will go to avoid a parking ticket. One San Francisco woman went 12 blocks. With a traffic cop on the hood of her car!

The Huffington Post reports that Bo Mounsombath, 33, was trying to get out of a parking citation by swiping a ticket from another car and placing it on her own. Obviously, that old trick wasn’t slick enough to get by San Francisco’s finest, and while a traffic officer was writing her a ticket, Ms. Mounsombath hit the gas and took the officer for a half mile ride on the hood of her car.

Usually, parking tickets are only a petty, albeit expensive, nuisance. However, you never can tell when your morning can shift gears from facing a $50 fine to facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon. Don’t push your luck and don’t let parking tickets drive you insane. Keep your cool and book your parking space ahead of time with ParkJockey.

Reduce your Carbon Footprint: Stop Cruising for Parking and Book Ahead of Time with ParkJockey!

At The People’s Climate March, a dramatic display of political engagement and international solidarity, people all over the world participated in what has been recorded as the largest organized march for climate change in history. An estimated 400,000 marchers came out in New York City bearing loud voices and colorful banners, along with another 270,000 at related events worldwide. They excoriated our world leaders for not doing more to stem the tide of global climate change and raised a unified voice of hope for a brighter future, that human cooperation and ingenuity will be able to solve the greatest issue of our age.

Naturally, we here at ParkJockey took a step back to reflect on the state of our environment and what we could do to help make the world not only a more convenient, but a more sustainable place. As every driver knows, parking is huge issue, especially in urban areas. What most people don’t know, however, is the serious environmental impact of cruising for parking.

In 2008, Transportation Alternatives conducted a study on driving habits on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and the results were nothing short of astounding. After doing a close survey of a 15-block area on Columbus Avenue, Transportation Alternatives found that, on an average outing, an Upper West Side driver logs about .4 miles (.7 during peak hours) on their odometer. While that may not seem like a lot, cruising for parking adds up to 366,000 miles per year on the Upper West Side alone. That is enough to drive around the world almost 15 times!

Perhaps the most distressing statistic from the Transportation Alternatives’ study reflects the environmental impact of looking for parking. The tiny sliver of Upper West Side drivers looking for parking generates about 325 tons of Carbon Dioxide pollution per year. To put that number in perspective, New York City would have to plant 64,000 trees to offset the carbon footprint of those 366,000 miles.

ParkJockey wants to invite all New York City drivers to become a part of the global solution for climate change. There is a lot we could all be doing in our every day lives to help the environment and by using ParkJockey to book your parking ahead of time, you will not only be enjoying an extra convenience, but you will actually be doing your part in lowering the global carbon footprint. The days of cruising for parking are numbered; the future is one where we drive exactly where we need to go; no more, no less, and no waste. We here at ParkJockey see no reason why New Yorkers should waste their time, hard earned money, and gasoline looking for parking when an easier, cheaper, simpler and, above all, greener solution is here.

Get started with ParkJockey today by using the promo code GREEN to save 10% on your first booking!

Save Your Millions, New York!

Soho Scene Earlier this month, The New York Times reported on parking spaces in a SoHo condominium that are selling for a whopping $1 Million. Holy COW! When your parking space costs 10 times more than your Maserati, you know you have a parking problem. In fact, the average price for a residential parking spot in New York is about $136,000. That is almost as much as the average price of a home in the United States.

It makes sense that these private spots are so expensive, given that Manhattan had only 102,000 off-street parking spaces in 2010 (down from 127,000 spaces in 1978) and over 700,000 registered drivers. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the numbers. Luckily New York’s drivers and commuters have a friend in ParkJockey. With all of this competition, New Yorkers need a professional to jockey for them, and that’s were we come in. We can guarantee you one of those increasingly elusive off street parking spots and save you money doing it.

Good news, New York: You don’t need $1 Million to guarantee your parking anymore!