About three years ago I moved into my first apartment and, apart from the incredibly high rent and even higher concentration of rats, it seemed like the perfect place. It had a big kitchen, high ceilings, and even a small resident’s parking lot out back that I could use as long as I applied for the pass. I was pretty young at the time and I didn’t really know what I was doing back then, so I wound up making the mistake of telling our landlord that I didn’t have a car and wouldn’t need the spot. He played it cool and told me that it was no big deal, he could give the spot to someone else. What a huge mistake! When I found out how much people in my neighborhood were paying for a spot just like the one I could have had, I was kicking myself. If I had been smart and taken that spot I could have paid for a full third of my rent just by leasing it out! And its not like I didn’t need the money.
I guess when it comes down to it there are two morals to this story. First is that I am pretty much an idiot. I was mad at my landlord for a while because I was sure that he was making the money that should have been mine off of that spot…but I’ve come to realize that he was just smarter than me about the whole situation. Which brings me to the second moral of the story: if you have a spot or a lot that you don’t really need, rent it. Parking is a hot commodity these days, and if (like me) you don’t see your spot for what it’s really worth, then you may just be sitting on a gold mine and not even know about it. Don’t make the same mistake that I did, because renting your spot is just too easy to pass up on.
P.S. I’m finally getting that car so if you have any parking that you don’t feel like charging any money for…you know who to contact
So I took a trip to Philadelphia a few weeks ago, and finally got around to paying for the parking tickets that I got while I was down there just yesterday. Two tickets for expired meters, plus fees for paying after the first 15 days, plus online payment fees for—well, actually I have no idea why they charge those— and the grand total came to (and I’m not kidding here) 94 Bucks! I know, I know, I couldn’t believe it either, so I decided to do some research online to see if everyone gets hit like this or if it was just me. I came across some pretty funny youtube clips from a new A&E reality show called Parking Wars which (ironically) follows Philadelphia meter maids on their day to day duties handing out unreasonably expensive violations to otherwise law-abiding people like myself. I saw this video and had to laugh…looks like I’m not the only one after all. Check it out:
The best part about it was that while I was watching that video I was holding an exact copy of the ticket that the kid in the video had, same amount and everything. Oh well I guess it happens to the best of us. Anyway I’m looking forward to seeing what that show is all about, and I’m sure I’ll blog about it once I do.
DRA (alex)
P.S. If you’re heading down to Philly anytime soon…be careful.
Parking is ridiculous these days since the fact that so many people fight for spots and the amount of spots are limited. Wherever you go, it seems as if there are never enough spots, especially being a resident of the boston area, spots are always limited. You spend more time looking for a spot than you do just taking care of the few errands and such that you have…Something must be done!!!
We’ve been promised new-fangled parking garages where all we have to do is drive in, stop, park, get out, and allow some multi-million dollar elevator to stack the thing automatically. But who knows when that idea will come to fruition? We’ve also been told that newer, smaller cars will someday replace the big SUVs that make driving and parking such hell in cities such as Boston, New York, L.A., Chicago — you name the place. Take a look at what some M.I.T. students are thinking of next: The City Car (c.f. The Boston Globe, 2/18/2008). Unfortunately, while we wait for these developments to be… er… developed, the millions of us living in traffic-congested cities will continue to circle around the block dozens of times looking for a space — only to find that it’s Resident Parking Only or the meter’s out of order.
The fact is that preparation’s the key. I’d rather spend a hundred bucks a month on a spot than two hundred bucks wasting gas and pulling my hair out. Unfortunately, when it comes to parking, we can’t all be as savvy (or as lucky!) as this bugger:
Welcome one and all to my inaugural post. Over the next few weeks, I will publish stories and insider knowledge about parking in one of Boston’s most historic areas, the North End. As a resident of the wonderful, historic, and expensive North End neighborhood in Boston. Famous for its canolis and authentic Italian restaurants, the North End carries another moniker that only the residents of its famous streets understand; IT IS THE WORST PLACE TO PARK IN BOSTON.
The North End is filled with tight, one way streets with millions of fire hydrants, handicap crosswalk entrances, and “outsider” vehicles. What’s an “outsider”? An “outsider” is a non - North End Resident who feels compelled to park in Resident Parking Spaces. If I sound bitter, than I probably am.
You see I too was an “outsider” parking in visitor spots for weeks at a time to outwit the pesky Boston Meter Maids. However, a year ago I received my coveted Resident Sticker to park in one of the 200 spaces available thorughout the North End and my days as an “outsider” were done. Flash forward to yesterday, and after working 8 1/2 hours, I drove around my neighborhood for 35 minutes until I found a space to wedge my 2004 Toyota Corrolla. Meanwhile, “outsider” vehicles fill the Resident Spaces as hundreds of couples, groups, friends, and tourists flock to one of the 148 restaurants to spend $30 a plate on spaghetti that costs $1.00 in your local grocery store.
Home, Sweet, Home!
Check my blog on Monday for a great post covering the consequences for masquerading as a Boston Meter Maid.
P.S. I’m finally getting that car so if you have any parking that you don’t feel like charging any money for…you know who to contact 
