The more aesthetically pleasing "Parking Planter" - Photo courtesy of @HEHardyHave you heard that we got a little snow recently?
In a true test of 'Burgh patience - the city has been a bit more challenging to maneuver as of late, thanks to heaping piles of the white stuff bringing some major arteries down to one lane. But Pittsburghers have handled it in stride, as we do all things. Slowly but surely, it's back to business as usual in the 'Burgh!
One of the conundrums faced by many a city dweller in recent weeks, has been the parking situation. I have experienced this first hand, and saw an opportunity to perform a little experiment testing the true nature of 'Burghers.
When the BF and I bought our humble little abode in Shadyside several years back, we, like all home buyers, had to overlook some minor inconveniences in the interest of the big picture. In other words, the convenience of our home to restaurants, bars and (most importantly) SHOPPING, resulted in us sucking it up, and we have dealt with parking on the street for the last six years. No biggie. Then came SnOMG 2010 and the true test of our parking chops came. With numerous spots taken up by snow mounds once the street was plowed, parking was at a premium. We had to rely on the kindness of our neighbors and other visitors, to respect the spot that we had diligently dug ourselves out of, so we would have a place to come back to.
Here's the pickle. To use or not to use the parking chair.
Almost immediately, the appropriate authorities reminded us that the use of a placemarker on a public street was a violation and that a citation could be issued. Duly noted.
My first day out was a bit nerve racking. It didn't start as an "experiment" per se, really just a panicked little chick worried about having a spot to park when she got home. Against my better judgement (and very stealthily so as not to attract any attention), I plopped a big old chair in my spot and drove away.
Ahhhhh, Catholic Guilt. In my mind, the chair grew to tremendous proportions. I thought about it all day, and fretted over what my neighbors must think. I am, after all, a healthy and (relatively) fit person. Why should I care if a have a little walk back to my house. What if those people down the street with all of the kids need a space to park when they got home? I certainly would not begrudge them for parking in my previously held spot. As my work day stretched out longer than expected, it became the sole focus of my thoughts. I just wanted to get home and make the darn thing disappear (if, of course, it was still there)!
When I pulled in my street the chair was still there, and I couldn't wait to get it out of my sight. I would not have felt even the slightest bit of anger if one of my neighbors had moved it. But they didn't, and that's when I started thinking: Would my spot have still been here if I hadn't put the chair there in the first place? I felt that by putting the chair there I was announcing to my neighbors, "Hey, I think you are all a bunch of jerks that are going to take my spot from me and I don't have any faith in you". What would happen if I left my spot wide open tomorrow.
Well, tomorrow came, and away I drove. I have to admit, I felt much better all day long. "It is a public street", I reminded myself, "All of us have had to dig one spot or another out".
The end of the day arrived and as I turned the corner down my street, my heart warmed a little. There, waiting for me, was my spot just I left it. Lesson learned.
Of course, we are not all so lucky. Some people live in more commercial areas of the city, and don't just have to be concerned with neighborhood parking. So, it stands to reason that the "parking chair" (or cone, or garbage can), is more widely accepted in some areas than in others. Take the South Side for example. Drive around there and you will see almost every spot reserved with some kind of marker. It is not only accepted, it is almost expected. When I asked my Facebook and Twitter peeps how they felt about the "chair", lines were drawn almost by area. Nearby me the answer was almost always "nay!", however in the Southside and Lawrenceville, I heard a resounding "yea!". "You dig it, you keep it", said someone.....
In fact, the whole debacle is not unique to the 'Burgh. My status update on Facebook provoked some ex-pats in Baltimore, who apparently are having a much rougher time than we are. The chairs and other space markers there are causing some difficulty in street clearing. So, Jenni and John, I hope you are cleared out and life is getting back to normal for you as well!
I will not begrudge someone for using a parking chair. I see the point, and perhaps even the necessity at times. However, I have learned that it is not for me. My neighbors and I have settled into a comfortable routine of comings and goings, parking in one spot or another, without incident. I will have to admit, there is a garage in my future....
Do yinz respect the chair? Show your pride with this, the official t-shirt of the "People's Parking Authority", available from cottonfactory.com.
