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

[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'm downright impressed by the level of hatred you manage to work up over a chair on the street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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'm downright impressed by the level of hatred you manage to work up over a chair on the street.

OP here. My anger was at being called a liar, not at the chair thing. I just find that bemusing. But yes, it was late at night, I was tired and I didn't take well to being called a liar. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Just make your husband stand in the spot with his shovel like he is still at it until you return. Every man should do that for his Valentine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

We had to dig out our entire street. The neighbors got together and did it. Twice. Why didn't you and your neighbors do the same? It probably would have added up to the same amount of work as all the individual spaces you dug.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

We had to dig out our entire street. The neighbors got together and did it. Twice. Why didn't you and your neighbors do the same? It probably would have added up to the same amount of work as all the individual spaces you dug.

It would be nice to live somewhere so "neighborly," but we do not. Our neighbor hasn't even bothered to shovel the sidewalk in front of his house, and, trust me, it's not because he couldn't afford to hire someone to do it for him. Plus, most of our neighbors do not have a parking space accessible from the alley, so it would be only a few neighbors, if any, willing to do this. It would take days to dig this out, and with small children at home and trying to manage to get our work done, it's just not possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
We had to dig out our entire street. The neighbors got together and did it. Twice. Why didn't you and your neighbors do the same? It probably would have added up to the same amount of work as all the individual spaces you dug.

OP here. Yes, PP, this is exactly what I meant about neighborliness. It's great that you live in an area like this. I think it's a sign of the more transient nature of the neighborhood I am in. And that it's rare to see people out together at the same time here. We are transient ourselves (renting) so I guess we haven't made the effort to band together that we could have done and hope to do when we move.

Here's a question for the pro-marking-out-my-territory people:

Is it okay to put a marker on a space that you have dug out even if it's not right in front of your house? If so, it's kind of weird for the homeowner to have someone else's chair in front of their house! But given there are a lot of houses here and everyone moved their car to the street, not everyone was able to park right in front of their house before the storm started.

Just trying to understand the etiquette rules for this illegal practice!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I did not actually dig out tmy car, DH dug it out for me. As I left my parking spot yesterday, someone else pulled into my spot. I knew that I was driving to an area wherein I would need to park. I obviously could not park where piled snow still existed, therefore, I chose to park where someone had removed the snow to leave in their car. I am sure that person dug him or herself out to drive somewhere and was at that time occupying a space that someone else had dug themselves out. Prior to taking the spot, I drove around for thirty minutes looking for an unmarked spot. I finally gave up and placed the plastic lawn chairs on the sidewalk and parked my car. I took my chances, but if someone had come to me about this ridiculous practice, let's just say, they would have definitely been taking their chances with me as well.

[Anonymous]

I think as the week passes there will be more "stealing" by those who would normally be apt to exercise manners. There will be more people coming out of hibernation this week, unfortunately. This area is crowded!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We had to dig out our entire street. The neighbors got together and did it. Twice. Why didn't you and your neighbors do the same? It probably would have added up to the same amount of work as all the individual spaces you dug.

OP here. Yes, PP, this is exactly what I meant about neighborliness. It's great that you live in an area like this. I think it's a sign of the more transient nature of the neighborhood I am in. And that it's rare to see people out together at the same time here. We are transient ourselves (renting) so I guess we haven't made the effort to band together that we could have done and hope to do when we move.

Here's a question for the pro-marking-out-my-territory people:

Is it okay to put a marker on a space that you have dug out even if it's not right in front of your house? If so, it's kind of weird for the homeowner to have someone else's chair in front of their house! But given there are a lot of houses here and everyone moved their car to the street, not everyone was able to park right in front of their house before the storm started.

Just trying to understand the etiquette rules for this illegal practice!

I grew up on the South Side of Pittsburgh, where the chair thing is common. (I was lucky to have off-street parking and so never had to employ a chair, before anyone wants to start blasting me.) Parking there is extremely tight. But the difference is, you don't have the number of renters and or the number of people moving in and out. People have lived in those neighborhoods for generations and know one another. So if there was a chair across the street, I know it's in front of Mrs. Sellaroli's, whose son works in the mill and came over Sunday to dig her out. There is no way I would move it.

To answer your question, no, you would only do this in front of your own home.

[Anonymous]

I think as the week passes there will be more "stealing" by those who would normally be apt to exercise manners. There will be more people coming out of hibernation this week, unfortunately. This area is crowded!

Agreed, this is not sustainable over the long term. If I came home and couldn't park near my house, I'd just move the junk and throw it in the trash area to be collected with the other trash.

[Anonymous]

We had someone in D.C. who INSISTED on parking in front of our house. We had a ton of cars at the house at the time and needed every space. The whole street was empty, except for in front of our house (very long side residential street where everyone else seemed to Metro), where he insisted on parking. Turns out, he lived diagonal across an intersection, down a second street and had some weird hang up about "leaving that way". Good lord, WHAT did his parents DO to him!?!?!

I digress. The spaces made me think of this bizarre little man. He's probably still claiming that arbitrary spot to this very day, 20 years later.

[Anonymous]

Oh, dear God. Let's hope for a big melt soon!

[Anonymous]

Is this a problem because this area usually doesn't get this much snow? So it's basically those from places where they get a lot of snow and follow unwritten street parking rules vs others who see this as every-person-for-themselves public parking?

[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.

How do you know the person looking for a spot doesn't have kids or an elderly person in the car? And they could be in and out of the spot before the person marking the spot even gets back. How does that make sense?

You people are probably the same people that save towels in lounge chairs at hotel pools all day even if you aren't going to be using them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

How do you know the person looking for a spot doesn't have kids or an elderly person in the car? And they could be in and out of the spot before the person marking the spot even gets back. How does that make sense?

You people are probably the same people that save towels in lounge chairs at hotel pools all day even if you aren't going to be using them.

"You people" = large portions of Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Boston, and I forget which other cities have been mentioned so far. That's a lot of people.