A Rant

Parking permits went up this year (the year i get a car). I don't know what they used to be, something like 20 or 30 dollars, i believe, but this year they are 150 Washingtons. Now, I know that is not that bad considering that people in the city would pay a great deal more, and that we have it pretty good, but that 150 was money i could have spent elsewhere, but i decided to park my car.

Being a resident of my building i was given a parking pass of appropriate color to park next to my building. However, i guess security gave out about double the number of passes as they had spaces for this particular color, and it is a constant fight to find a space in our lot. The adjacent lot where a house used to stand is supposed to be our overflow lot, but they made it a universal lot, so good luck finding a space there... ever.

Not being able to find a space in our lot would not really boil my blood so much considering that all these other people paid their 150 bucks to have the right (privilege?) to park there but it gets worse. I am constantly coming into the lot to find that people are straddling two spaces. Well... you paid for a pass to park in ONE space... and i would like the one you don't need, please.

Also, what the hell is with people "standing" in the middle of the lot to unload? Multiple times i have tried to get out of the space that i have rightfully parked in, only to find i am blocked in by someone (sometimes with no pass at all) in the middle of the lot, taking things out of their car after a jaunt to Wal Mart. (fascists). I always get the "oh! Hey look who it is! HI!" wave from them as they see me waiting patiently in my car for them to move, only to see them then grab another five cases of Ramen from the trunk and flounce back into the building.

And don't get me wrong, security claims to patrol our lot, but i don't see much evidence of it. Just mention underage drinking (on a college campus? NO!) mention it and they will have four officers, and three paramedics at the resident's door in heartbeat. But, call them about a overflowing bathroom on a weekend, or a lot full of cocky rich morons who feel it is their god-given right to park wherever their BMW stops, and they couldn't care less.

The worst was a couple days ago. I am constantly finding cars with Gold stickers in our lot (we are not a gold lot). Gold is reserved for... wait for it... faculty. Thy have parking in front of all their buildings, behind all their buildings, and (i am guessing) in Valet style garages underNEATH all their buildings. WHY ARE THEY IN MY LOT? I am, honestly, not even that close to an academic building in the lot. What are they thinking?

Realizing that security here seems to turn a blind eye to the faculty in out lot, when i couldn't find a spot (one was being taken up by a truck with no pass at all) i decided i would park elsewhere, perhaps a faculty lot, and see if they extended the same courtesy to me. I drove around "The Baldwin U" looking at all the little Gold signs as i passes, and i pulled into one. I turned off the engine, looked around... and panicked. I didn't really feel like paying ten bucks for being there.

As i continued around the U, i approached N. Main street, and i saw a sign on the U that said "No parking here to Corner," right by the FIJI house. i looked around. I didn't see a sing denoting it as a colored lot... could it be that i was really allowed to park along the street here? Free of charge? No questions?

I pulled in, and with the engine running i got out to investigate. No signs. Nothing. This was it. The answer. I turned off the car, and went to my building, content at having found the best kept secret in Allegheny parking.

The next day, i was walking down Main Street, and i looked over to where my car was. There, on the windshield was a little green envelope. A ten dollar parking ticket for parking in the "wrong lot." I should have known security would rush to protect our poor poor faculty. I should have gone to my lot when it was full, called security and told them there were underage kids tailgating with a keg in the truck. They probably would have towed it.