Thursday, September 29, 2005
Singing the Parking Blues
By Amelia Gravagno, Staff Writer
When I was warned at orientation not to bring my car to San Francisco State, I laughed.
How did they expect me to survive without my car?
So I ignored the advice of my elders and packed all my worldly possessions in to my little 10-year-old Toyota and moved to the land of fog.
It was the ultimate moving to college cliché, complete with pillows pressed up against the back window.
Soon after moving to San Francisco I experienced yet another familiar tale: The small town girl who getrs robbed upon moving to the big bad city. Within a week my back window was shattered, and my brand new stereo was ripped from the front dashboard.
Since the beginning I have learned the hard way that this is not the most car-friendly area. I spend most of my time downtown searching for parking spots on the street to avoid paying $20 and up to park in a lot, only to be slapped with a $50 ticket because I left it there for longer than three hours.
My current debt to the city’s department of parking has just about reached $1250. Every time I see a cop behind me I fear they finally put that warrant out for my arrest.
The school doesn't make it any easier for us either. All of the spots near campus have one, two or four hours maximum time limits.
And this year they’ve found a way to truly kick us when we’re down; I almost cried the first time I set eyes on the row of new parking meters along Holloway.
Those spots were never easy to secure; you usually has to stake one out all day and get into a slap fight with another hopeful student to ensure your car’s place in the world.
But the satisfaction gained in the days of not having to get up close and personal with everyone on the BART shuttle has passed. These days just be prepared to bring a pound of quarters to school.
Or at least enough gum to share with the twenty other people standing in the shuttle aisle so it's less awkward when they fall on top of you at an abrupt stop.
When I was warned at orientation not to bring my car to San Francisco State, I laughed.
How did they expect me to survive without my car?
So I ignored the advice of my elders and packed all my worldly possessions in to my little 10-year-old Toyota and moved to the land of fog.
It was the ultimate moving to college cliché, complete with pillows pressed up against the back window.
Soon after moving to San Francisco I experienced yet another familiar tale: The small town girl who getrs robbed upon moving to the big bad city. Within a week my back window was shattered, and my brand new stereo was ripped from the front dashboard.
Since the beginning I have learned the hard way that this is not the most car-friendly area. I spend most of my time downtown searching for parking spots on the street to avoid paying $20 and up to park in a lot, only to be slapped with a $50 ticket because I left it there for longer than three hours.
My current debt to the city’s department of parking has just about reached $1250. Every time I see a cop behind me I fear they finally put that warrant out for my arrest.
The school doesn't make it any easier for us either. All of the spots near campus have one, two or four hours maximum time limits.
And this year they’ve found a way to truly kick us when we’re down; I almost cried the first time I set eyes on the row of new parking meters along Holloway.
Those spots were never easy to secure; you usually has to stake one out all day and get into a slap fight with another hopeful student to ensure your car’s place in the world.
But the satisfaction gained in the days of not having to get up close and personal with everyone on the BART shuttle has passed. These days just be prepared to bring a pound of quarters to school.
Or at least enough gum to share with the twenty other people standing in the shuttle aisle so it's less awkward when they fall on top of you at an abrupt stop.
# posted by Phil Deez @ 1:49 AM 