Oh the subway...... it's so consistent and is a mode of transportation that can be trusted. For the first three years of my NYC life I used only the subway and the bus. I paid my $76 a month for my unlimited rides. I took a job out in East Flatbush during my fourth year of NYC life and out there, there aren't any of those trusted subway lines so I had to buy a car.
I have done pretty well with the whole driving and parking life so far. I have learned to read the stack of no parking street signs. I learned that when one sign says no parking from 7AM to 10 AM and another one states no parking 4 PM to 7 PM and the third one says no parking on Tues and Thurs between 9:30-12:30 that if it happens to be a wed at 11:00 I can park there for about 6 hours before I have to move it again. I get it.
Last week I parked my car outside of my gym, just for a short hour and it happened to not be the hour of the week that permits cars. Actually according to the ticket, which I found hours later, there is NO PARKING ALL DAY EVERYDAY, except for all the other cars that were parked there and for some reason didn't get taken away. Maybe those other cars had some kind of special parking permit that you have to know someone who knows someone in order to purchase. (I would guess those permits cost more than my car is worth........so even if I knew the people who knew the people I would have to pass on the purchase)
So I walked out of my gym to get into my car so I could drive home.....and bummer..... my car is gone. My gym is in a neighborhood called Bed-stuy. Some people call it Bed-Stuy....do or die. I read an article on the neighborhood once and they called it "A troubled neighborhood". So my first thought is my car is stolen and my slip drive that has my teaching lessons on it are stolen. Bigger bummer.
Charlie and I called 311, cause thats what you do in NYC whenever something goes wrong or you want to clarify that on Sundays it is OK not to pay the muni meters. So 311 tells us to call the Navy Yard. (Its the pound for cars in Brooklyn that get towed) They have my car and I am so glad it didn't get stolen. Stolen by the city but at least I can get it back for some "easy" monthly payments on my credit card.
We ride our bikes to the Navy Yard and retrieve my precious little green car. It has chalk writing on the windows and a piece of chewed gum. That is the definition of violation. I'm over it though cause I got my car back!
