Rant #3,563: Cars

As things stand now, I may have to make my famed Yankees cap into a rally cap.

Things are not going as I had hoped, but all is not lost--

Yet.

Anyway, with Game 3 coming tonight and back in the Bronx, I have other things to think about--

And the whole thing is so stupid, I cannot believe that I have to waste time on it.

As I have told you before, the parking situation is completely idiotic in the development my family and I live in.

Each apartment is given one parking pass, and the car with the parking pass can park anywhere in the parking area, with the exception of in the handicapped spots, unless they have such a parking pass.

Any apartment with more than one car has to park the car(s) in visitors spots only.

The problem is that those spots fill up quickly with residents' cars, and there are times that people like me simply cannot find a visitors' space to park in.

One such time, as you know, I was towed after parking my car in an open regular spot, at the cost of $260 (cash).

I spoke with management, they don't seem to be too much in a rush to do anything, so with no.l options and my hand being forced to do so, I got a handicapped parking permit, which covers New York City and Nassau and Sufvolk counties.

What this means is that I can park in the handicapped spots in my development, and any such spots in Long Island and in the city.

Well, you would think I could, at least, even though the police told me that I could.

Well, one of our neighbors--in fact our next door neighbor--has taken issue with this, and late last week, when i was forced to park in a handicapped spot because there were no viditors spots available--she left a handwritten note on my windshield about the situation.

She claimed that the handicapped spot that I parked in is, actually, her spot--she supposedly spoke to management about it--and she told me not to park there again.

I only park in the handicapped spot when there are no visitors spots available.

Last week, in fact, I parked in a visitors spot each and every time, except the one time I parked in "her" spot.

And, of course, this spot is not "her" spot nor is it mine; it is for the use of anyone with a handicapped parking permit who needs to park in the space.

Several months ago, we had some visitors to our apartment--my wife's brother and his wife--and they parked in the handicapped spot because they could not find a visitors spot ... naturally, because the residents here filled those spots 

Even with the handicapped permit displayed in the window of their car, this neighbor had the nerve to put a handwritten message on our guest's car, much like the one my car was blessed with the other day.

On the weekend, I again could not find a visitors spot, so I had to park in the handicapped spot.

Our neighbor--who, by the way, I have never met--parked her car exactly two spots away, in a regular spot, as she evidently was gone for a good portion of the day, and I was in "her" spot when she returned.

Again, she can park anywhere in the development, because this is her only car.

Me, I can only park in the visitors spot or, since i now have the permit, in the handicapped spot.

Dozens of empty spots are available at all times during the day and evening, but my car cannot use them.

On Sunday, I took my son to his friend's house, so I left the spot to do that.

I was gone about an hour, and when I returned, there once again were no visitors spots to park in, and lo and behold, the handicapped spot remained open, so that is where I parked.

The neighbor had a good hour to move her car into "her" spot, but she didn't.

And today, for the first time since I got back to driving, I do not foresee using my car to travel. I used to go to physical therapy each Monday, but since that ended, my Mondays are a bit freer.

And if I don't use my car, it will remain just where it is, whether the neighbor likes it or not.

I don't want trouble with neighbors--in particular about a situation where, legally, she doesn't have a leg to stand on--but I also refused to answer her with my own letter or a face-to-face discussion, because the situation is just so stupid that it is not worth my time.

But I have kept her note to me--I wish I had the note she put on our visitor's car all those weeks ago, but i don't--just in case there is further--or worse--retribution on her part.

(We know that one nearby neighbor claimed that another neighbor's television was too loud, and when the neighbor refused to turn it down, the offended neighbor started to put garbage on top of the neighbor with the TV's car.

I actually saw a pile of garbage on the car one morning, asked my wife about it, and she told me what she had heard.

I have no idea if this was resolved, and quite frankly, I could care less about it.

But it has made me wary of such a situation happening in my case.)

This whole thing is just so silly, but I'll be damnef if i am going to pay $260 again for parking in an open space, but one that the development doesn't allow me to park in.

So, if I cannot find a visitors spot any time in the future, I will park in the handicapped spot if it is available--

And that is the end of that.