What's with reserving car spaces with chairs/cones/bins today ... ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's quite common in other cities like New York and Boston. I have to say, with this amount of snow, I'd be tempted to do the same if I lived in the city.

Common in Cleveland and Pittsburgh, too. It sets posters here ablaze, but back home no one seemed to think anything of it.

[Anonymous]

In colder climates, it is custom. It is a courtesy to NOT steal, but especially, to NOT move the marker. You're kind of asking for it if you do. If you move the marker, there will be a street wise person to retaliate. If they are from said climates, the retaliation will be juicy. I've seen it. It's juicy.

I've seen people from here go at it with people from said climates often. In general, my money is on the latter. Nope, always, my money is on the latter. People here just aren't as bright as they think they are, are rather smug, fail to choose their battles properly, and have a habit of barking up the wrong tree, so to speak.

This would be one of those times.

BTW, there was also a thread on this about a week ago.

[Anonymous]

OP here. No I wouldn't feel differently. Because it's not 'my' spot. It's public property. It's part of living in a city.

Even more proof that OP didn't actually lift a shovel for hours as she claims she did. The attitude here is just all off for someone who actually spent hours digging, walking, and tossing wet snow.

[Anonymous]

Hmm makes me want to drive up to the city and move all kinds of markers and drive my mary way back to the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmm makes me want to drive up to the city and move all kinds of markers and drive my mary way back to the country.

I grew up in a city where people marked their spaces. Why on earth would you move it? How do you know it's not saving a space for a family with young kids, or an older person - someone who could really use that space in front of their house? Yes, I know it's a public space, but still, how spiteful. It doesn't hurt me to park a little farther away.

[Anonymous]

My DH spent 3 hours digging out our car that the snowplow piled all of the snow on our street on before he drove away. His hands bled through the gloves, but we needed to take our disabled child to her DR appointment so he did it, all by himself never taking a break so that we could make it on time. When we came back a car with out of state tags was parked in the space which is directly in front of our home. They parked there for more than 24 hours, in the meantime my DH had to carry DC who cannot walk over 3-4 foot high snowbanks to get her in the house. Worst of all we are in the process of getting our permanant handicapped space permit for in front of our house but the blizzards put that on hold. We put a chair in the space when we leave now. If you want a parking space for your out of state car dig it yourself!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's quite common in other cities like New York and Boston. I have to say, with this amount of snow, I'd be tempted to do the same if I lived in the city.

Agreed.

Sorry, but if I dug out the spot, I deserve to park there.

If you got home from work at 11pm, and couldn't find a parking spot, would you feel differently? I don't trust others to leave my spot alone, and I need a place to park.

You didn't dig out the spot. You dug out the car so that you could leave the spot. Now you want to come back to it. I think your issue is that you park on public property but want to make it yours. It's not. It's public property. You could rent or buy a space if you wanted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DH spent 3 hours digging out our car that the snowplow piled all of the snow on our street on before he drove away. His hands bled through the gloves, but we needed to take our disabled child to her DR appointment so he did it, all by himself never taking a break so that we could make it on time. When we came back a car with out of state tags was parked in the space which is directly in front of our home. They parked there for more than 24 hours, in the meantime my DH had to carry DC who cannot walk over 3-4 foot high snowbanks to get her in the house. Worst of all we are in the process of getting our permanant handicapped space permit for in front of our house but the blizzards put that on hold. We put a chair in the space when we leave now. If you want a parking space for your out of state car dig it yourself!

OK, sorry about the situation with your child.

But WTH was your husband doing that he made his hands bleed? That's just not right. And I have been buried so deep that I had to spraypaint the snow to let folks know a car was under there. I hear about people saying it took 2, 3, 4 hours to dig out one car and I don't get it. I can only assume they don't have a good snow shovel and a good ice breaker. It shouldn't be that bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm makes me want to drive up to the city and move all kinds of markers and drive my mary way back to the country.

I grew up in a city where people marked their spaces. Why on earth would you move it? How do you know it's not saving a space for a family with young kids, or an older person - someone who could really use that space in front of their house? Yes, I know it's a public space, but still, how spiteful. It doesn't hurt me to park a little farther away.

The people putting out chairs are doing the same thing. For sure there are lots of families and older people who had bad parking karma the night before the snow. And now they are exiled from their own block for two weeks, because there are squatters taking up the block.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP here. No I wouldn't feel differently. Because it's not 'my' spot. It's public property. It's part of living in a city.

Even more proof that OP didn't actually lift a shovel for hours as she claims she did. The attitude here is just all off for someone who actually spent hours digging, walking, and tossing wet snow.

OP here. Why can't you get a simple fact that I've already clearly stated? I dug the same amount of snow in the car space out front of my own house as every other person on my street. I just don't feel that the space is mine (or anyone else's) and the law agrees with me.

Why can't you believe that not everyone thinks the world owes them their own piece of street or that we may expect everyone in the neighborhood to pitch in and clear some of the public parking spaces?

You're pathetic.

Now go move your chair.

P.S. How exactly do you think my car escaped all the snow making me lucky enough to not need to shovel my car out? We've all had to shovel a lot of snow - there are no medals.




You are pathetic.

Now go and move your chair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP here. No I wouldn't feel differently. Because it's not 'my' spot. It's public property. It's part of living in a city.

Even more proof that OP didn't actually lift a shovel for hours as she claims she did. The attitude here is just all off for someone who actually spent hours digging, walking, and tossing wet snow.

OP here. Why can't you get a simple fact that I've already clearly stated? I dug the same amount of snow in the car space out front of my own house as every other person on my street. I just don't feel that the space is mine (or anyone else's) and the law agrees with me.

Why can't you believe that not everyone thinks the world owes them their own piece of street or that we may expect everyone in the neighborhood to pitch in and clear some of the public parking spaces?

You're pathetic.

Now go move your chair.

P.S. How exactly do you think my car escaped all the snow making me lucky enough to not need to shovel my car out? We've all had to shovel a lot of snow - there are no medals.




You are pathetic.

Now go and move your chair.

I second OP. The PP is basically saying "Waah, I suffered so much. Anyone who faced my ordeal would surely think just like me". What garbage. First, you didn't escape the Nazis. You shoveled out a car. Seriously, get over it. Have you never had to do any manual labor in your entire life? It's just some shoveling. Do you have a physical disability, or do you just refuse to buy a good shovel and a decent pair of gloves?

I shoveled myself out, and I shoveled out a number of my older neighbors. Not a day goes by that I have not gone out to give some car or truck a push. My wife shoveled out her own car because she needed to stretch her arms and legs after being cooped up in the house with 2 kids. She said it saved her a trip to the gym.

And you know what I think? I think this parking dibs thing is childish. And people here must be total wusses. There's more complaining than on a Seinfeld episode. So yes, you can actually shovel and think like OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's quite common in other cities like New York and Boston. I have to say, with this amount of snow, I'd be tempted to do the same if I lived in the city.

Agreed.

Sorry, but if I dug out the spot, I deserve to park there.

If you got home from work at 11pm, and couldn't find a parking spot, would you feel differently? I don't trust others to leave my spot alone, and I need a place to park.

You didn't dig out the spot. You dug out the car so that you could leave the spot. Now you want to come back to it. I think your issue is that you park on public property but want to make it yours. It's not. It's public property. You could rent or buy a space if you wanted.

I have parking spaces in the back of my house, but they cannot be accessed because our alley has not (and probably never will be) plowed. So our cars are parked out front, we dug out the spaces, and, yes, we save them when we leave. Sure, this is "public" property, but I think people should understand that these circumstances are exceptional, and you shouldn't take someone else's space. You should get a shovel and dig out your own.

[Anonymous]

I live in Adams Morgan where there isn't close to enough parking when the streets are clear. How long do you think I could get away with using a chair?

[Anonymous]

I have parking spaces in the back of my house, but they cannot be accessed because our alley has not (and probably never will be) plowed. So our cars are parked out front, we dug out the spaces, and, yes, we save them when we leave. Sure, this is "public" property, but I think people should understand that these circumstances are exceptional, and you shouldn't take someone else's space. You should get a shovel and dig out your own.

Alleys are never plowed by DC. It's an ugly fact of life. We, too, have an alley and have had to shovel it out for the past 3 big storms. Each house clears the space in front of their house and then to the next house leading to the street. If everyone does this, the alley is passable. It's not fun, but it isn't much worse than digging a car out on the street and you don't have to resort to the marker trick. Or, you could do what our friends did: they hired someone off of Craigslist to plow the whole alley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I have parking spaces in the back of my house, but they cannot be accessed because our alley has not (and probably never will be) plowed. So our cars are parked out front, we dug out the spaces, and, yes, we save them when we leave. Sure, this is "public" property, but I think people should understand that these circumstances are exceptional, and you shouldn't take someone else's space. You should get a shovel and dig out your own.

Alleys are never plowed by DC. It's an ugly fact of life. We, too, have an alley and have had to shovel it out for the past 3 big storms. Each house clears the space in front of their house and then to the next house leading to the street. If everyone does this, the alley is passable. It's not fun, but it isn't much worse than digging a car out on the street and you don't have to resort to the marker trick. Or, you could do what our friends did: they hired someone off of Craigslist to plow the whole alley.

Well - I have a suggestion. Decades ago in Philadelphia families on the street [row homes] banded together and PAID a private contractor to plow the alley. Done in advance before snow season. Payment per plow - the same as I pay the landscaping company to do my driveway.