JCPenney Garage (6th & E)

Do not take the elevator. My son and I were visiting from out of town and we were stuck in the elevator in-between 1st and 2nd floor for about an hour. Just take the stairs even though it smells horrendous.

Probably the most cost effective and centrally located parking option if you're visiting the 5th Avenue Mall, the Performing Arts Center, or other downtown locations. More designed for SUVs or sedans; I'd be hesitant to try bringing a truck in due to the low clearance and thin parking spots. That being said, the garage is not well-maintained, with elevators often out of commission and homeless people leaving trash and urine on the stairwell.

easy place to get free, unobstructed panoramic views of Anchorage and the surrounding area.

The stair wells and elevator lobbies in the JC Penney parking garage are extremely disgusting, unsanitary, and awful to pass through. They smell like they are used as restrooms and apparently never cleaned or sterilized; the smell of decaying urine clings to your clothing after taking one flight of stairs or waiting in the elevator lobby. I am avoiding this garage after three amazingly stomach-turning experiences. Please take the time to maintain your properties. I know Anchorage has homeless issues like any city, but this facility isn't doing anything to be a model of what our town could or should be.

Oh the JCP/6th Ave parking garage, where do I start to describe the joy I feel when I pull off 6th Ave and roar into this concrete urinal? I don't because there is no joy in parking here. From the impossibly small spaces to the distinct smell of stale urine that permeates the building. I do have to say they are doing a better job at keeping the homeless from hanging out in the stairwells which is nice.