Super Bowl special: $900 for a parking spot
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The Super Bowl is notorious as an event not for the faint of wallet.
Game tickets were going for $2,450 and up on Web resale sites this week, and travel packages for a party of two were selling for $3,000 to $4,000.
Even something as mundane as a game-day parking space was fetching upwards of $900 at ParkWhiz.com, a website that offers about 7,000 reserved spots at 43 lots in the vicinity of Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, site of Super Bowl XLV.
For fans already anxious about the game (and the amount of money they are spending to see it), the site offers the assurance they won't be circling in unfamiliar territory frantically looking for a parking space as game time draws near.
They can go on ParkWhiz.com, shop for a space that fits their budget, reserve it and print out a ticket.
"It's peace of mind," said Aashish Dalal, CEO of ParkWhiz.com and a Pittsburgh native who said he remains a "diehard Steelers fan" 15 years after transplanting himself to Chicago.
Parking operators pay the website a commission to list their spaces, and they set the rates. On Tuesday, they ranged from a bargain-basement $55 for a spot a mile from the stadium to $990 for the Dom Perignon of parking right next to the venue.
"People have purchased it for that amount," said Mr. Dalal, who grew up in Ross and attended North Hills High School. "That's what's great about this country ... capitalism at its finest."
ParkWhiz.com offers reserved parking around 90 major venues in the U.S., including Heinz Field and the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The website only accepts licensed operators, bringing credibility "to an industry much maligned for its shady practices," he said.
The site allows users to tailor their search for various amenities, including handicapped parking, nearby restrooms and whether tailgating is permitted. It also offers an application for smart phones.
First Published January 26, 2011 12:00 am
