Senior Info

PROM - April 18th, 2020

2. My daughter is a rising sophomore, so I can't speak about most of these. However, I work for Dell Med and park in one of the two UT garages within an easy walk to the Erwin Center, so I can give some parking information. The UT garages (Health Center Garage and Trinity Garage) were open for public parking and charging $10. I park in the HCG garage and there were plenty of open spots during the day. Getting out was a bit slow, and I didn't leave during any peak times, but UT parking had people at the pay stations to assist. The city had all the lanes coned off and you didn't have a lot of options on the directions you could go, but traffic moved pretty well once your were out of the garage. The State garages on Trinity, which are frequently open for events, were not open for public parking.

1 and 2: We didn’t use the shuttles as we had some older folks and it was my understanding that some of the shuttles might not be air conditioned. One of the family members has an office downtown, so one person shuttled people from there to the Erwin center then took an Uber once everyone was dropped off. In addition, one car was able to park a few blocks away - cost $3.

3-5: We got there about 40 minutes early and there were plenty of empty seats. We sat behind the band and were able to get some great videos of kids walking the stage (they walked toward us). The photos are less awesome, because the lighting was too low for good resolution (without flash).

6 and 7: The ceremony was almost exactly 2 hours. It took a while to find our kids because they were all gathered outside in a giant crowd. We took a lot of family pictures, and they took a lot of friend pictures, so it took quite a while to make it back to the cars.

8: we had a big group of 16, so we didn’t want to mess with a restaurant. We had some prepared foods (bread, cheese, salad, lasagna, cookies) at one family member’s house, and everyone went there after the ceremony. Allowed the kids to blow off some steam outside while the food was arranged, and allowed everyone to mingle more easily (and was much less expensive).

2. I was on crutches last year, my family dropped me off at Irwin Center and parked at the baseball stadium.

4. Ask if your kiddo is on the right or left when facing the stage. Get on that side.

9. Don’t take purses.

1. We did not use shuttles because my son did not want to ride a clankety old school bus to this big event. We all took Lyft there and back.

2. No, we took Lyft, problem solved.

3. How early did you go? We went way too early because my son had to be there at 2pm so we snuck into the Lanier High School graduation just for fun. We got to hear a Spanish speaking valedictorian give a bilingual speech praising his mom who basically was moved to the point of becoming a saline solution.

4. We got seats along the point where grads processed in and out. I was real happy that the jumbo video screen in the middle had great video views and open captions.

5. No, we held that off until the end.

6. Two hours

7. It was crowded at the flagpoles. Took us over 35 minutes to find my son.

8. No, I grabbed a big bag of bbq from Rudy's and brought it home for the hungry gang. And then I had to grab bags of ice and bring it over to Project Grad right after dinner.

1. My kids graduated last year and the previous year. We did not take buses as you have to be early to catch them. (We got ready in time for the function) .

2. About parking, this year graduation was in the evening : so there would be an overlap between the earlier scheduled graduation and ours. If we get a morning slot, ( like it was for my kids’), parking was not an issue.

3. We were there thirty minutes before the kids had to report as we wanted to take pictures there. The second time we were on time as we did not have to return the graduation dress and could take pictures afterwards.

5. We did take photos they came out fine- the second time we sat next to the dugout so that we could take pictures of kids entering and leaving.

6. Getting out of the parking garage took time while leaving.

7. Both times we went out but no reservations as we did not eat in UT area first time on Research Boulevard close to home and second time on Lamar. We were 8 the first time and 12 the second. There were two more LASA groups of eight-ten each the second time at the same restaurant.

9. There is a live relay of the ceremony which I did not realize the first time but sent a link to relatives the second time.

1-2.We drove but came down 183 and over on MLK to avoid I35. We parked one street over from I35 north of the Irwin Center after dropping our graduate off.

We sat in the middle above the entrance. You can see the kids coming in on the Jumbotron and directly when they exit. We weren’t in a good place for photos but figure we can buy one. We also took photos afterwards.

We ate at the Manuel’s by the Arboretum and got there about 10 minutes before our 7 pm reservation. We saw another LASA family.

2. My husband parked a car in the Manor lot earlier in the day and we took Lyft to the Erwin Center. But noticed lots of parking along Red River on the way. Despite the dire warnings, parking did not appear to be much of an issue--not sure why.

3. Got there 30 minutes early and had plenty of time to look for seats (although later a woman sat a couple rows in front of us with a GIGANTIC balloon bouquet and blocked our view 😤 but at least it was easy to move to different seats.

9. Got a small clear bag from Zappos and my sister-in-law got a larger clear purse from Sam Moon. Both met the requirements and were inexpensive. Since my daughter's dress didn't have a pocket (as is true for most dresses) I sewed a small felt pocket into the inside of her gown for her cell phone, money, and tissues -- she said it worked great!

8. Went to Fonda San Miguel for dinner and saw many LASA families there. Our waiter gave my daughter a complimentary piece of tres leches cake as an added bonus. Definitely needed reservations.

9. I brought a clear bag and my wallet. My wallet was 1/2” too big so I had to run it out to my car or pay $10 for a locker.

2, 3. Got there 1 hour before and it was good. Parking at garage across the street- $10.

1, 2, 3. Have a limited mobility grandpa so we drove into lot 118 off the frontage road of 35. We got there a bit too early and Lanier folks hadn't left yet. Parking was tight at that point but we lucked out. Lesson: don't go TOO early.

4.The stage was setup on the south end of the building so we sat lower and off to the east. The band was directly across from us. Plenty of room for everyone. Grandparents sat up high in the designated limited mobility area. They loved the big screen feed and could get in and out very easily.

5. We took pics of the ceremony - not super great quality but great for memories. Got some pics off the big screen and they turned out fine, too. Practice taking videos before the big day - lots of purse and floor video avoided!

6. Two schools means 2 principals, 2 Salutatorians, 2 Valedictorians. Lots of speeches - worth it but be prepared.

7. We met up after closer to the building - the flagpoles were crowded. The ticket booths are clearly named so they are a good landmark. If you want to get pictures with other graduates - agree to a meetup spot before so all the families get together. There are so many people.

8. We went to Mother's Cafe after - vegan child. No reservations for our party of 5, no real wait, excellent food for a good price. OMG - try the chocolate cake.

etc. Academy sells a clear little tote for $5. Worked like a charm and the program fit inside nicely. Wish we'd carried water in - the snack bars were open but pricey.

As you run into other parents that you know but haven't seen in awhile, be sure to exchange phone numbers if your kids will be at the same school! I have 2 sets of numbers for tag teaming Thanksgiving break in Denton! woo!!

1. We didn’t use the shuttles, because we didn’t want to put 70+ year old grandparents on buses potentially without climate control.

2. We parked in lot 118, right next to the Erwin center. We didn’t pay for parking, because we couldn’t find who/where to pay. This was unexpected, as we planned to park at HCG or the lot next to the School of Social Work. I think it was a fluke, be because we were there early to drop off our senior.

3. 2:20 for one car & 2:40 for the other.

4. Very good. We sat behind the band (stage right), so we could see her cross toward us.

5. Yes. So-so, because they were on camera phones.

6. 2 hours & 15 minutes. And they started at 4 on the dot.

7. It probably would have taken a long tome to leave, if we weren’t taking lots of pictures. Police were directing traffic as we came out of the parking lot, and that helped.

8. Jack Allen’s in Anderson, party of 12, at 7.

9. The kids and speakers on the big screens was great. Even better was the captioning. That really added a lot to the enjoyment. Also, the waving each direction was sweet, and as usual the student speeches were excellent.

1. Did you use the shuttles? No because we live central

2. Did you park at the Erwin center somewhere? Yes, At Brazos garage. Think it was about $9/car.

3. How early did you go? Left home @3pm, got dropped off as my husband parked. We were in seats by 3:20pm. Drivers were there 20 min later.(FYI - the Erwin center sells concessions so a little popcorn & some drinks made everyone happy while we waited).

4. How were your seats? We sat to the right back corner facing the stage in the 2nd level up and it was good for viewing the stage. Tho' if you want to watch the jumbo-tron a lot (which as the best upclose images of the kids) you may want to sit higher so you're not craning your neck.

5. Did you try to take photos at the ceremony? How did they turn out? Any suggestions? I have a 70-200mm zoom lens that took pretty good pics but still hoping to get the professional one as it will be a better angle.

6. How long was the ceremony? 2 hrs -i think. Went faster than I thought!

7. Was it crowded and take a long time to leave? No, but HAVE A PLAN on where to meet your student - that was a little hectic but we found him! Plan time for taking lots of pics outside with friends after as well.

8. Did you go to a dinner somewhere after the ceremony? We went home for a party at the house with family.

9. Anything else to add? We ordered Franklin BBQ (first time for most of us) and it was delicious. In case you don't know you can pre-order and wait just less than an hour to pick it up. We left out the meats and just reheated before serving. It didn't last long!!

Also - remind your kids if they toss their caps to put their names in them and try to keep track of where it goes. Many kids ended up losing theirs.