Free Parking for Giants vs. Commanders at MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford 12/14)

hey figured i'd share some parking advice for the giants game since getting in and out of metlife can be a total nightmare if you dont plan it out.

the only really free way to do it is to get someone to drop you off. there's a designated drop-off and pickup area between parking lots D and E, and it doesn't cost anything to access it. if you can get a ride, this saves you the parking fee and some of the headache, but you're on someone else's schedule.

honestly i've started using this app called Prked. it lets you rent a driveway or a garage from someone who lives right next to MetLife Stadium. it's way cheaper than the official lots and the best part is you totally skip the insane traffic jam of everyone trying to funnel into the stadium lots. you just pull up to the house and you're a short walk away.

if you're going the traditional route, you absolutely need a pre-paid parking permit to get into the stadium lots for a giants game. you can't just show up and pay cash. buy it on ticketmaster or stubhub or one of those sites beforehand and make sure you have it ready. lots open 5 hours before kickoff and you need to get there early, i mean really early, if you dont want to sit in traffic for an hour on route 3 or the turnpike.

leaving is even worse, honestly. plan to tailgate for a bit after the game to let the lots clear out, it's better than sitting in a standstill for 45 minutes just trying to get out of the lot. a lot of people just skip the driving mess altogether and use the train. you can park at the secaucus junction station and take the nj transit train right to the front door of the stadium. just double check the train schedule to make sure it's running for the game.

quick tip, avoid using uber or lyft to get home, the surge pricing is insane and the wait is forever. getting dropped off is fine but for leaving it's a total mess. there's also the american dream mall right there, but they charge about the same as the stadium lots on game day so it's not really a secret hack.

hope this helps someone out. go giants