So you go to the December nights. Where do you and 150,000 others park? – NBC 7 San Diego

Okay, my family is going to kill me, but here’s the park secret from our December night:

1. Head to Hillcrest
2. Go to 1st and Robinson
3. Get on MTS bus number 11
4. Get off at the Laurel Street stop
5. Walk into the park via the Laurel Street Bridget

Certainly not exactly rocket science, but it works. On the way home we walk back across the bridge and wait at the northwest corner of Sixth Avenue for a taxi to take us back to our car. Might wait five minutes but it works every year. The whole thing costs less than $20.

This is just one of thousands of solutions San Diego has come up with to help lead the way to the city’s biggest free celebration, the night when San Diego is truly at its best.

There are of course other, more conventional solutions.

First, there is limited free parking available at the San Diego Zoo and City College.

There are paid parking spaces nearby in:

• Lot A at Inspiration Point ($27.95 in advance, $30 at the event (debit/credit only, no cash)
• Lot B on Presidents Way ($42.95 in advance, $45 at the event (debit/credit only, no cash)
• Roosevelt Middle School ($40 at the event only, first come, first served). It’s a real roll of the dice, folks: once you’re in, you’re in. If you know it, you know it
• San Diego High School ($25 at the event only, first come, first served). Ibid

Parking for people with disabilities is available on Park Boulevard at the Fleet Science Center on Space Theater Way and the Natural History Museum on Village Place ($27.95 in advance, $30 at the event; only debit/credit, no cash). Spaces are limited and the principle is first come, first served. Additionally, there is a limited number of handicapped parking spaces in Lots A and B, located near the Family Zone and Palisades areas.

Parking in the park is of course limited and organizers encourage participants to use alternative forms of transportation such as rideshares, public transit or bicycles. This year, there will even be free “valet” parking for bikes and scooters at Park Boulevard and Village Place.

Free event shuttle stops are located at City College, 3rd Avenue and A Street, and Beech Street at Kettner Boulevard, all near other paid parking lots in the City of San Diego

Visit the Getting to December Nights website for a complete overview of all transportation options.

But here’s the thing: there are plenty of ways to get there and back using public transportation. So be sure to look at your route on the MTS website. Or on Google Maps. OK, Google Maps.