One Parking

Getting into the International Square Parking garage is quite easy… getting out is a real different story. In that… it’s sort of like hell… but that’s not the only reason why it reminds of the fiery underworld. Read below.
I drove into the parking garage, which is located right next to the entrance of Sichuan Pavillion (where I was eating lunch that day). The two large maze-​like underground levels are mostly filled with spaces that are reserved for offices and valet parking… great.
So I find a space after a few minutes of driving in circles, and then I try to find the elevator… nope. There are signs that point to elevators, but they are vaguely pointing. Like when you’re in a Walmart and you ask someone for directions to the garden supplies and they throw their finger to like a 2/​3rds of the store. and you end up in the drape section. Thank you Johnny Walmart, you’ve been real helpful.
That day, I ended up in a stairwell. You go up 2 floors to the Lower Lobby, take the elevator up, and you’re in an office section of the larger building. I ask some random concierge/​front desk how to get out of the building. Yes… it’s that confusing. In fact, one of the guests I was meeting for lunch also couldn’t figure out how to get out of that building.
So, I had lunch, and went off in the city to find a comfy place to work. Around 5pm I called to ask them when they’d be open to that night. They said 11pm. Perfect! I can catch my movie at the Verizon Center and leave my car in the garage here. Get back before it closes and be set.
This is where shiz got real dicey. I get back from my movie to the garage around 10pm and this is what happened.
1. We try to enter the office building to go down to the garage. No go.
2. We walk down the garage ramp dodging cars to B1 and decide to take a stairwell down to B2. Turns out what we entered was the elevator… So that’s where the elevator is!
3. Get in the elevator and press B2. Nothing happens. Press B1. Nothing Happens. Press door open. Nothing Happens. Oh G_​D! We’re stuck in the elevator. Breath, breath. Press Lower Lobby, nothing. Press the phone emergency button. While its dialing, I press the Lobby button. It takes us up to the Lobby.
4. So we get up into the lobby of the building we couldn’t originally get into. And I think to myself, hey if I can get into that office in the building — I can go down the way I know.
5. I peak inside the office, there’s still a concierge there! WOOT WOOT.
6. Convince the concierge to let us use the elevator and stairs down to the garage.
7. So I go to the office elevator, go down to LL. Go down the 2 flights of stairs to B2, We’ve done it! … Nope. The door to access the garage from the stairwell is locked. We go to the other side of the stairwell, there’s another access door over there. Nope, it’s locked too.
8. We go up the stairs and try to get into the Lower Lobby (Where we just were), that door has now locked behind us…
ME: OK… we’re going out the fire exit.
My Roommate: Are we gonna set off the alarm?
ME: At this point… I’m stuck in a stairwell. So… I don’t really care all that much.
9. We go out the fire exit, luckily no alarm sounds. Then we go around the building to the ramp down to the garage. Dodge cars once again.
10. Plain walk across the garage and go down the other ramp to B2.
Success… kind of.