The parking spaces at LFHS are very occupied by many students; the senior lot and the train station are the biggest of these spaces. The two have their pros and cons based on the weather, time, and luck.
The senior lot at LFHS is very convenient for the students that can park there. Right next to the school building, the location saves time for students running late that have a spot.
However, parking spots are assigned: if you don’t have a spot, you can’t park there. In addition, many people have experienced their assigned parking spot being taken by another car. The driver either had a pass and just parked in the wrong spot, or the car parked “illegally” in another’s spot. The latter is especially common during finals week.
Senior parking also comes at a ridiculous price: a staggering $500. When the raffle for a parking spot occurs, you just hope for the best. If you obtain a spot, there are still issues.
At the end of the day, it is nearly impossible to leave the lot within 5-10 minutes due to the traffic. There is only one way to get out of the lot, and if you aren’t paying attention, you may ding or scratch a car. Most students drive out of the parking lot 15-20 minutes after school lets out.
Parking at the Lake Forest Train Station is another option if you don’t get selected in the raffle or want to pay the ridiculously high price for parking in the senior lot. The train station parking offers plenty more spots, and it is very rare for an accident resulting in a car scratch to occur there. The lot is first come, first serve: no assigned parking spots. As long as you have the pass, you can park at any spot in the lot as you wish.
However, it does have a monthly parking pass you need to use which is only thirty dollars per month.
However, it is about a 10-15 minute walk to LFHS; this means you would have to leave at a much earlier time to arrive at school on time. Thankfully, in the winter time, a high school shuttle will come every 10-15 minutes and pick up students to save them from walking in the cold.
Whether you want a close spot—which costs a ridiculous amount of money—or hope to get lucky in the raffle, the senior lot is your call. Or, if you want to sacrifice extra minutes of sleep to walk and arrive at school on time, the train station parking lot is the right choice for you.
