By dinner time on most nights in downtown Culver City, a steady flow of traffic fills the city's three public parking garages and scores of metered spaces, spilling out into residential streets.
It is evidence of the community's cultural and culinary renaissance, which includes galleries, shops, wine bars and upscale restaurants. But there's a price to be paid for this commercial revival: more congestion, cranky locals and frustrated consumers who can't quite understand what's happened to the once-quiet town.
What's a newly popular city to do?
Enter valet parking.
In recent weeks, parking attendants have been picking up cars at three stations on Culver Boulevard and parking them in private lots nearby.
Mayor Scott Malsin sees the new valet service, coordinated by downtown businesses for the first time in city history, as another sign of his city's transformation. By adding valet parking, Culver City -- population roughly 40,000 -- is following such revitalized areas as North Hollywood's NoHo Arts District and Old Pasadena. City officials, business owners and locals say the valet service may not completely solve the parking crunch, but it adds a high-class touch to their downtown.
The service debuted earlier this summer with a dozen attendants. A few days later, the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight" opened, and the valets were overwhelmed. Traffic backed up on Culver Boulevard, and drivers complained.
Managers quickly doubled their staff and raised the price from $5.50 to $6.50. Now an average of 1,100 drivers use the valet service each week, said Brad Saltzman, president of Regent Parking, which manages the service.
Last month, those customers included the casts of the HBO comedy "Entourage" and the sketch comedy "Mad TV," Debra Messing of "Will & Grace" and Danny DeVito, who brought wife, Rhea Perlman, to Fraiche for dinner.
Culver City resident Michael Clarke, 49, unsuccessfully searched for parking last month with his mother-in-law and 11-year-old daughter in tow before using the valet service. He was impressed.
"It's pretty quick," said Clarke, a financial advisor.
Garreth McClain, 39, used the valet parking after he and his wife, Christine, drove up from Redondo Beach on a Saturday night last month to check out Gyenari Korean Barbecue & Lounge, where actors Macaulay Culkin and Mila Kunis were recently spotted.
