How To Park Like a Tool
CompassRose: You seem to have a birds eye view of this disaster!
We should talk..
I usually look out the window for entertainment when the horns start honking.
mpwdmom said:
CompassRose: You seem to have a birds eye view of this disaster!
We should talk..
Costco yesterday. We really wanted to park our off road capable Jeep on top of the giant snow mound, in the very first parking spot at Costco... but this guy...this guy. Mr. Murica. Mr. Freedom. No fun I tell ya'.
OK. This is not a vehicle parking issue. This is a human corpus parking issue.
I have become sensitive lately to the insensitivity of people blocking pedestrian walkways. I'm not sure if it's becoming more common, or if I'm just getting more cranky.
Anyway, today at the JCC, I saw something that I thought remarkable, but I have to draw a picture.
The diagram shows the main hallway from the JCC garage to the gym entrance. There is constant traffic, in both directions.
As I was leaving, I see two people, an elderly woman and an a gentleman somewhat younger. Nicely dressed. Planted right in the congestion point of the hallway, forcing everyone walking by to walk in between them as they were conversing, and undoubtedly many did what I did, which was to mumble an "excuse me" as I tried to slink in between them.
They were utterly clueless about what they were doing. As I left the garage, I saw the gentleman walking to his car, so they must have remained standing there for a good five minutes more.
Am I legitimately perturbed, or am I just a cranky old man?
If you are a cranky old man then I am a cranky old woman before I hit 50 because that stuff makes me crazy. In my opinion a key part of the social contract is not taking up unnecessary space - whether it is parking, the sidewalk, Maplewoodstock, etc. This morning another colleague castigated two others who were conversing in front of the staff mailboxes before I could - we are not alone.
Good to know I'm not getting loopy.
Like I said, I must becoming sensitive to this for some reason, because I've been noticing it a lot lately. But this one just took the cake. In some other cases, it wasn't quite as obvious that they were being obstructions. This was just an example of extreme cluelessness (and, dare I say, a sense of entitlement? I'm standing here!)
EBennett said:
If you are a cranky old man then I am a cranky old woman before I hit 50 because that stuff makes me crazy. In my opinion a key part of the social contract is not taking up unnecessary space - whether it is parking, the sidewalk, Maplewoodstock, etc. This morning another colleague castigated two others who were conversing in front of the staff mailboxes before I could - we are not alone.
Here is another example of cluessness. .Two moms each with two kids in tow, both kids running around moms, stood chatting the other day in front of the entrance to Kings, totally oblivious of shoppers with shopping carts attempting to enter and exit Kings, blocking the sidewalk apron to the entrance/exit doors.The sense of entitlement in this town is unbelievable! I am old and cranky too!
ETA...Sorry to add to the thread drift, but just couldn't resist.
sounds like a widespread problem! We need our own thread!
emmie said:
Here is another example of cluessness. .Two moms each with two kids in tow, both kids running around moms, stood chatting the other day in front of the entrance to Kings, totally oblivious of shoppers with shopping carts attempting to enter and exit Kings, blocking the sidewalk apron to the entrance/exit doors.The sense of entitlement in this town is unbelievable! I am old and cranky too!
ETA...Sorry to add to the thread drift, but just couldn't resist.
Don't get me started on airports. The levels of self-absorption are off the charts.
drummerboy said:
OK. This is not a vehicle parking issue. This is a human corpus parking issue.
I have become sensitive lately to the insensitivity of people blocking pedestrian walkways. I'm not sure if it's becoming more common, or if I'm just getting more cranky.
Anyway, today at the JCC, I saw something that I thought remarkable, but I have to draw a picture.
The diagram shows the main hallway from the JCC garage to the gym entrance. There is constant traffic, in both directions.
As I was leaving, I see two people, an elderly woman and an a gentleman somewhat younger. Nicely dressed. Planted right in the congestion point of the hallway, forcing everyone walking by to walk in between them as they were conversing, and undoubtedly many did what I did, which was to mumble an "excuse me" as I tried to slink in between them.
They were utterly clueless about what they were doing. As I left the garage, I saw the gentleman walking to his car, so they must have remained standing there for a good five minutes more.
Am I legitimately perturbed, or am I just a cranky old man?
It's ALL Trump's fault. Start a new thread.
I am getting increasingly intolerant of idiots driving whilst texting/Facebooking/whatever. If I see someone stopped at a green light while looking down (obviously staring at their device) I'm liable to lean on my horn even after they come to life and start driving. Seriously, this is an epidemic
Just wanted to take a moment to apologize to MOL community for unknowingly posting a picture of a minor entering the vehicle in the "parking story" post. The entire post has been deleted and I will try to be more attentive in the future.
I agree with all the posts above. I have had the same types of pedestrian and driving experiences and thought it was just the ways things are in Jersey.
It's possible to deal with pedestrian blockages, because you're there in person, and both of you can talk. Sometimes I act super apologetic, even though it's the other person's fault. Sometimes it works.
And that stuff happens to me OFTEN, since I live in a tourist neighborhood. The sidewalks are narrow, and pedestrian traffic is heavy. People pour out of the bars and restaurants to smoke, and they stand on the sidewalk, oblivious that the sidewalk is a place for moving traffic. I don't want to be mean or rude to tourists, so I never reprimand them or show my annoyance, but I do get annoyed.
bets said:
I am getting increasingly intolerant of idiots driving whilst texting/Facebooking/whatever. If I see someone stopped at a green light while looking down (obviously staring at their device) I'm liable to lean on my horn even after they come to life and start driving. Seriously, this is an epidemic
If you see a guy in a Phillies cap looking down while idling at a local intersection, rest assured that he is only contemplating the insignificance of his existence in the infinite void of the universe. No need to lean. A brief toot should snap him out of it.
I work near Radio City, and experience these issues constantly, especially during the endless Christmas show season. People truly are oblivious to the urban fact that sidewalks are like freeways -- you can't just PARK there. Like you, Tom, I try to be patient, but it does seem they should realize how totally in the way they are -- though to be honest, I've often 'come to' in an unfamiliar city as a tourist myself, and realized what an obstacle I'd made of myself.
DaveSchmidt said:
bets said:
I am getting increasingly intolerant of idiots driving whilst texting/Facebooking/whatever. If I see someone stopped at a green light while looking down (obviously staring at their device) I'm liable to lean on my horn even after they come to life and start driving. Seriously, this is an epidemic
If you see a guy in a Phillies cap looking down while idling at a local intersection, rest assued that he is only contemplating the insignificance of his existence in the infinite void of the universe. No need to lean. A brief toot should snap him out of it.
Phillies fans deserve a break, they spend most of their lives staring down in dejection. At least since Carlton and Michael Jack retired.
FilmCarp said:
Phillies fans deserve a break, they spend most of their lives staring down in dejection. At least since Carlton and Michael Jack retired.
+10,741
iwasmim said:
though to be honest, I've often 'come to' in an unfamiliar city as a tourist myself, and realized what an obstacle I'd made of myself.
That's another very good reason not to express too much anger at almost anyone. We've all done the thing that is irritating us.
The parking lot at REI was packed this past Sunday, and after five+ minutes, my partner couldn't seem to maneuver fast enough to land a spot. After sharing some salty words back and forth about this person's parking, we decided to scrap our REI shopping list and call it a day.
Tom, you are a good egg, always giving honest advice and always making me want to be a better and more understanding person. Your post also reminded me of my first tourist moment a couple years ago. NYC subway; I told someone to go ahead of me at the turnstile. For all things holy, I quickly learned how important it is to not tell someone to go ahead of me or disrupt the flow during a busy time! I found out that my version of good manners does not always equal other folk's ideas of good manners. To this day, I always initially struggle when acclimating to a new locale.
Tom_Reingold said:
iwasmim said:
though to be honest, I've often 'come to' in an unfamiliar city as a tourist myself, and realized what an obstacle I'd made of myself.
That's another very good reason not to express too much anger at almost anyone. We've all done the thing that is irritating us.
Ashley Market/ Above restaurant today....I can't with this horrific parking job. So inconsiderate!
CompassRose said:
Tom, you are a good egg, always giving honest advice and always making me want to be a better and more understanding person. Your post also reminded me of my first tourist moment a couple years ago. NYC subway; I told someone to go ahead of me at the turnstile. For all things holy, I quickly learned how important it is to not tell someone to go ahead of me or disrupt the flow during a busy time! I found out that my version of good manners does not always equal other folk's ideas of good manners. To this day, I always initially struggle when acclimating to a new locale.
Back atcha, @CompassRose. You obviously care, and that's what counts. We're refining ourselves.
Holy moly, that gives new meaning to the words 'parallel parking'
...Just as uncanny is that they walked away. WOW!
CompassRose said:
Parallel parking...
https://68.media.tumblr.com/517540e4d417b69ea8a752836eac2087/tumblr_o0i9y3SOMH1s8gtxto1_400.gif
CompassRose said:
Parallel parking...
https://68.media.tumblr.com/517540e4d417b69ea8a752836eac2087/tumblr_o0i9y3SOMH1s8gtxto1_400.gif
Here's the image:
When a spot is this big, parking lines are that clear, and car is that small, you have no excuse. Also second time I have seen this car.
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Great story!