parking tips for los angeles kings vs. chicago blackhawks at crypto.com arena (los angeles 12/04)

hey kings fans, figured i'd share some parking tips for the blackhawks game on 12/04 at crypto.com arena. downtown la traffic and event parking is honestly the worst part of going to a game. you can end up paying $40 and still take 45 minutes to exit.

first, the insider handshake is to check out Prked. it's an app where people rent out their driveways and private garage spots, so you can often find a place way cheaper than the official lots, sometimes only a block or two away. you skip all the main garage entry traffic and it’s a short walk.

if you're sticking to traditional options, the official arena lots (lots w, e, c, and 1) will charge a flat event rate, which is usually around $40, and sometimes even more depending on what other stuff is happening at la live. for the 7:30 pm game, lot 1 and lot c open two and a half hours beforehand, but all the others open only 90 minutes before puck drop. these lots fill up fast, so you really need to plan on arriving at least 60-90 minutes early to beat the spike in downtown traffic. a big tip is that the whole venue is cashless, so have your debit/credit card or apple pay ready.

for something cheaper that's still a super easy walk, you have tons of private lots nearby. two of the best spots people always talk about are the james m. wood blvd lot (like 914 georgia st) or athena parking (1016 flower st). if you get there early, you can sometimes snag a spot for $10-$15, though they go up to $20-$25 as it gets closer to 7:30 pm. if you want the easiest exit to the freeway (the 110), seriously consider the convention center's west hall garage a off la live way, because it has a tunnel that pops you out right at the back of the arena.

traffic is rough, especially getting off the 110 freeway ramps right onto figueroa street. use waze to avoid the bottlenecks and try coming in from alternate routes like pico blvd or venice blvd instead of fighting the main figueroa mess.

i wouldn't mess with street parking unless you are a la resident parking expert. most spots are metered or permit-only and the city is ruthless about ticketing. definitely avoid chick hearn court between l.a. live way and figueroa street—that whole stretch is a marked no parking/tow away zone.

if you are getting dropped off, make sure your rideshare driver uses the designated white zones on chick hearn ct. or figueroa st. between 12th and pico to avoid police trouble.

hope this helps you all get in and out smoothly. go kings!