Is my neighbor as crazy as I think he is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10:07 - THIS.

10:45 - you make absolutely no sense. One would hope in the suburbs (even though it is still considered "on street/public/whatever") one would STILL extend COMMON COURTESY. Is that so foreign to you? Where the hell are you from? Are you proud to be raised in a barn? I mean we know you were, but do you have to tell the world? Really?

In the city, things are different, but I still would not park in front of a neighbors regularly. THAT is controlling. People are not so good at deflecting here, are they?

HAHA! This is the funniest thing I've read on here all day. PP do you live in a downtown neighborhood and NOT have people parking in front of your house ever? Where the hell are YOU from? People park in front of our house ALL THE TIME. BECAUSE IT IS A STREET IN THE MIDDLE OF A CITY. And we have no problem with it, because, you know, we are normal rational folk. We just park down the street and walk (gasp) half a block. If we didn't like it we would live somewhere that is LESS CROWDED, YOU KNOW, LIKE A SUBURB. Get it?

[Anonymous]

How many of you actually tell your friends and family where to park? This seems very odd to me, and I would be a bit surprised if someone told me where to park on a public street.

[Anonymous]

I have lived in the suburbs and in the city. In the city it truly is 'public parking' and a 'first-come-first serve' mentality. But the lines do blur a lot in the suburbs or city-suburbs where there are no garages, small driveways and little-to-no space between neighbors.

OP, you are in the legal right to park where ever you wish on the street. However, I, too, see your neighbor's point - I would hesitate to park in front of a neighbor's house. That being said, you know he doesn't use the spaces and may not be familiar with how street parking works, so I would invite him over and talk about it. Just state that you don't normally need the space, but on occasion would need to use it and that, in the US, street parking is for everyone. Introduce yourself properly (cookies, etc), apologize for not doing so sooner, and mend the fence a little.

[Anonymous]

PP, the point is, do you WANT to be considerate or do you have such a need to engage in a pissing contest? In the city is one thing, but in the suburbs, just be neighborly - how hard is that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have lived in the suburbs and in the city. In the city it truly is 'public parking' and a 'first-come-first serve' mentality. But the lines do blur a lot in the suburbs or city-suburbs where there are no garages, small driveways and little-to-no space between neighbors.
OP, you are in the legal right to park where ever you wish on the street. However, I, too, see your neighbor's point - I would hesitate to park in front of a neighbor's house. That being said, you know he doesn't use the spaces and may not be familiar with how street parking works, so I would invite him over and talk about it. Just state that you don't normally need the space, but on occasion would need to use it and that, in the US, street parking is for everyone. Introduce yourself properly (cookies, etc), apologize for not doing so sooner, and mend the fence a little.

The lines blur where is there is limited off-street parking and where density is higher - in other words, where it is like the city? This makes no sense. Look, it's very simple. If parking is scarce, you take what you can get. If it's abundant - WTF is he complaining about? And I have news for you - it the suburbs, it "truly is public parking" as well. As another PP posted, have him call the cops and see how far he gets.

This mentality of we must acquiesce to what the irrational neighbor (or neighborhood bully) demands in order to keep the peace really puzzles me. (Especially the apparent requirement that the apology and/or capitulation be accompanied by baked goods!) I don't go around looking for confrontations, and I'm more than willing to go along to get along, but neither will I allow myself to be pushed around or subject to the unreasonable whims of people who think they have a proprietary interest in public spaces. His tone and demeanor would probably guide my reaction. For example, if he’d said, “I often have guests who come by who have a hard time walking, so if you could, please try to leave those spots open,” I’d happily do what he asked. But if this is an accurate description of his behavior:

The other day he came over and confronted me for parking my car in one of the two spots in front of his house (we had a friend over who had parked in the spot I usually park my car). He said those were his spots and we were not allowed to park there. He said we were infringing on his enjoyment of his property. I told him the spots are DC public parking and we had every right to park there. He would not back down.

I'd probably not be inclined to give any ground. That's just irrational.

[Anonymous]

People move to the suburbs so it is NOT dense like the city. There is a reasonable expectation that "every man is for himself" in the city. In the suburbs, there is reasonable expectation for just a tad more civility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People move to the suburbs so it is NOT dense like the city. There is a reasonable expectation that "every man is for himself" in the city. In the suburbs, there is reasonable expectation for just a tad more civility.

That goes both ways. How was the neighbor civil?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People move to the suburbs so it is NOT dense like the city. There is a reasonable expectation that "every man is for himself" in the city. In the suburbs, there is reasonable expectation for just a tad more civility.

First - they live in DC, not, as a PP pointed out, Ashburn. Second, it's a two way-street - the neighbor wasn't exactly civil.

[Anonymous]

There's plenty of parking here in Leesburg. Hell, I can fit three cars in my 1970s split-foyer's driveway.

[Anonymous]

I'm in the burbs and I admit I don't really like it when my neighbor's guests park right in front of MY house. But you know what? I suck it up because it's a public street.

One time I parked in front of the lady across the street's house while I did some yard work. The following Saturday she moved her car and parked it in front of my house and left it there all day. For no reason. There was no work going on in her yard, no one parked in her driveway. She did it to be passive agressive about me parking in front of her house. Whatever. Free country, free street. Park wherever the hell you want.

We may not like it but people absolutely have a right to park anywhere that's not private property or designated "no parking" by authorities.

Now that said, not sure I'd piss off the crazy neighbor - some things are not worth fighting over.

[Anonymous]

19:36 - the moral is, pick your battles. But if you KNOW someone does NOT like something simply do not do it. Why make it a big deal?