Parking spots in Boston? It’s snow joking matter.

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Parking spots in Boston? It’s snow joking matter.

February 24th, 2015 · 153 comments

This year, one Boston neighborhood tried to ban the time-honored practice of using space-savers to reserve a parking spot after shoveling it. But old habits die hard…and somewhat violently.

When it comes to space-saving, says our submitter from Boston, “I get it. I respect it!” But after two of her own “space savers” were stolen, she figured the rules were off. One night, she says, “As I was looking for open parking , I pulled into an unclaimed space, thinking, what luck! No chair in sight!” Too good to be true, it turns out. When she returned to her car, she found this. (Thoughtfully kept dry in a plastic bag, I assume.)

You must be new to Boston or just a complete cock sucker because a chair in the space means I worked my ass off shoveling for hours. You're lucky I'm nice, most people would key your car.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Boston…

related: Shoveling and sniveling

extra credit: The social ethics of parking spot savers [wbur.org]

FILED UNDER: Boston · parking · snow

153 responses so far ↓

#1 havingfitz

Hmm…trying to figure out what cock-sucking has to do with taking a parking space. Does the note-writer think the driver was busy putting the choo-choo in the tunnel and didn’t notice where they were going?

Feb 24, 2015 at 11:49 am rating: 90

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- #1.1 DaveS
  
  It seems to me it would make it more difficult to steal a parking space if you had your face in someone’s lap! How can you parallel park like that?
  
  And what’s the difference between a cocksucker and a “complete” cocksucker? I’m not sure but I think I’d want the complete one.
  
  Feb 24, 2015 at 5:59 pm rating: 90
- #1.2 Jami
  
  Maybe the complete ones can deep throat?
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 10:38 am rating: 90
- #1.3 labdude
  
  I should think it would be obvious – ‘complete’ cocksuckers swallow!
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 11:45 am rating: 90
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#2 Poltergeist

Oh god not this shit again. Look, I don’t care where you come from. Either purchase/rent your own parking space/garage or shut the hell up when somebody “steals” something that wasn’t yours to begin with.

I guess it’s a good thing I don’t live in Boston.

Feb 24, 2015 at 12:04 pm rating: 90

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- #2.1 Lita
  
  You took the words right out of my mouth, Poltergeist.
  
  Feb 24, 2015 at 5:07 pm rating: 90
- #2.2 Poltergeist
  
  It must have been while you were kissing me.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 1:07 am rating: 90
- #2.3 Harold Finch
  
  Good thing.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 9:59 am rating: 90
- #2.4 Poltergeist
  
  Yup, so that my poor car wouldn’t have to suffer a nice keying from whiny brats like you Harold.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 10:53 am rating: 90
- #2.5 Dolly
  
  I agree with you. I don’t get buying a house that has no driveway or parking garage or parking spaces and then being pissy about street parking. You knew when you chose to live there what the parking situation was. So suck it up and deal with it or move.
  
  I rented a duplex once that has just one single space wide driveway so I knew my husband and I would be letting each other in and out all the time since we have to park behind each other. I knew that when I bought the place so I don’t hold anyone else responsible for that.
  
  What also always bothered me about the saving spaces things is you honestly expect no one to use that space for a whole 8 hours while you are at work? That is a long time. I might respect the saving spaces thing more if people left notes like “I am just running to Mcdonalds be back in 20 minutes” or ” Will be gone till 8 pm tonight feel free to use space till then”.
  
  But people don’t seem to do that. They just expect to stick a chair there and nobody better ever park there ever again. That is dumb as hell and wasting available parking spaces.
  
  Mar 2, 2015 at 6:45 am rating: 90
- #2.6 j-as
  
  Yeah it’s great for the people of boston that you don’t live there to take advantage of other people’s work. Think this works for everyone.
  
  Mar 2, 2015 at 12:33 pm rating: 90
- #2.7 Poltergeist
  
  I would say that the people of Boston are entitled babies, but then again that’s not really fair since you don’t speak for every John and Jane who lives there.
  
  Mar 2, 2015 at 11:41 pm rating: 90
- #2.8 Harold Finch
  
  Poltergeist, it’s probably a good thing that you don’t live here otherwise you would be getting your ass kicked everyday due to your smartass and condescending attitude.
  
  Mar 8, 2015 at 5:10 pm rating: 90
- #2.9 Bob
  
  What’s more condescending that that? Oh right, claiming public space as yours.
  
  Mar 12, 2015 at 8:29 am rating: 90
- #2.10 sense, common
  
  I guess you didn’t read the part where they shoveled the space themselves for their own car- likely in front of their own house.
  You must be one of those people who think several feet of snow disappear by magic-perhaps tiny shovels are wielded by little elves?-leaving a space clear for you to take advantage of all somebody else’s work & park in front of their house instead of shoveling out your own place.
  Where I come from, that usually calls for a bit more shoveling by your victims- just enough to make sure you have to do your own shoveling for a change, or call a tow truck to get out of that space you stole. Hope you’re late for work!
  
  Mar 17, 2015 at 9:11 pm rating: 90
- #2.11 Erin
  
  Or Chicago. That’s big around here, too. At least in the city. I’m a suburbanite, so I have a parking space behind my apartment, but I used to work in the city, and it was murder finding parking in the morning.
  
  Mar 19, 2015 at 11:26 am rating: 90
- #2.12 canthz_b
  
  Last time I looked Boston pre-dated the automobile.
  Probably not much parking beyond a hitching post occurred to most folks.
  Boston is hardly a 1998 subdivision.
  
  Mar 21, 2015 at 1:07 pm rating: 90
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#3 pooham

My sister’s neighbor freaks out whenever anyone parks in front of her house. Somehow it seems that she immediately knows when this happens. It’s no sooner than I am stepping out of my car that I hear “Do you mind moving your car?” And I’ve never seen this older lady. She always speaks through a front window. We call the area in front of her house the Imaginary Friends Only parking zone.

Feb 24, 2015 at 12:53 pm rating: 90

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- #3.1 Jami
  
  Maybe you’re blocking her view of whomever she’s spying on.
  
  Though I admit it I hate it too when people park in front of our house. But in those cases it’s the next door neighbors who think nothing of blocking our mailbox. They’re too lazy to drive the extra ten or 15 feet to park in front of their own house.
  
  I’m very close to sending them an envelope full of glitter.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 10:40 am rating: 90
- #3.2 Poltergeist
  
  I’m pretty sure they can’t legally block your mailbox Jami. Although to be honest it sounds like your mailbox is in a really bad spot.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 10:55 am rating: 90
- #3.3 Jami
  
  Legally they can’t, but they do. However, you can’t get a car towed unless they’ve been there 3 days and they do eventually move and another one from the same house will block it.
  
  Mailbox is only about 3 inches from our driveway opening. So they actually park further away from their house just to block our mailbox.
  
  I don’t know why. We’ve never done anything to them unless they provoke us. They’re a bunch of 20-somethings who sleep almost the entire day. They’ll leave mid-afternoon and come back at random times.
  
  They also leave their garbage cans on the curb even though they’re suppose to be in the backyard within 24 hours of garbage pick up.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 9:51 pm rating: 90
- #3.4 Poltergeist
  
  Have you thought about moving the mailbox? Not to defend their vindictive behavior, but if they’re not in an illegal spot I don’t think there’s much else you can do.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 10:40 pm rating: 90
- #3.5 Jami
  
  Can’t. It’s cemented in and bolted as well.
  
  And like I said, legally they can’t – but again, we can only call to tow them if they’ve been there three days. The mailman threatens this but he doesn’t know the cars are not our’s and keeps sending the threats to us.
  
  Right now my brother is trying to park in such a manner that they can’t squeeze in but when he leaves they often take his space.
  
  They also have parties in their hot tub at 2 and 3 am. We’ve really got to start calling the cops on them for that.
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 9:47 pm rating: 90
- #3.6 Poltergeist
  
  So it’s okay to break the law as long as you don’t do it for 3 cosecutive days? Sweet.
  
  I wouldn’t even bother calling the cops. They’ll probably tell you they can’t do anything unless the hot tub parties last for 3 days straight.
  
  Mar 3, 2015 at 12:03 am rating: 90
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#4 The Beast Among Us

Instead of putting a chair in the space, why not just put your car there?

Feb 24, 2015 at 1:18 pm rating: 90

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- #4.1 Tammy
  
  Because you need it to get to work.
  
  Feb 24, 2015 at 3:36 pm rating: 90
- #4.2 The Beast Among Us
  
  That’s a very common misconception. There are many other ways to get to work besides owning a car, especially in a city like Boston.
  
  Feb 24, 2015 at 6:32 pm rating: 90
- #4.3 Harold Finch
  
  Not when the trains are shut down.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 10:03 am rating: 90
- #4.4 Pixy
  
  Except when all public transit is either delayed or cancelled due to the outrageous amount of snow. This has been the best winter ever!! (Not sarcasm, I live in the suburbs and love snow.)
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 10:05 am rating: 90
- #4.5 The Beast Among Us
  
  …carpools, feet, bicycles, taxis…
  
  You’d be amazed at how quickly one can travel on foot in snow like that.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 12:18 pm rating: 90
- #4.6 Tammy
  
  You’d be amazed how impractical your words of wisdom are if you actually lived here.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 1:31 pm rating: 90
- #4.7 The Beast Among Us
  
  The idiocy and the self-inflicted futility of the human race never ceases to amaze me.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 2:42 pm rating: 90
- #4.8 RishaBree
  
  Oh yeah, walking possibly several miles across Boston with snow everywhere, biking in the snow, taking a taxi every day… I’ve only visited Boston, not lived there, and even I know that those are all terrible ideas.
  
  The carpool suggestion is the only vaguely reasonable one, and that still involves someone digging out their car and using it – which according to you is a bad idea.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 10:29 pm rating: 90
- #4.9 Poltergeist
  
  You’re right, it’s very difficult to travel in the snow. The point though is that just because it is difficult, that does not mean you get to start claiming public parking spaces as your own to make things more convenient for yourself. Once your car leaves a public parking space, the space is now up for grabs. That’s how it works.
  
  I live near NYC, a city where many, many people do not have cars because of how much of a hassle it is to drive and find parking. Yet thousands upon thousands of people still are forced to find solutions to get to work even in bad weather.
  
  If you choose to own a car while living in a city but do not own/rent your own parking space, that’s nobody’s problem but your own.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 11:12 pm rating: 90
- #4.10 The Beast Among Us
  
  Snow sucks. Walking in the snow sucks. But one can walk five miles in the snow much faster than they can dig their car out and drive the same distance. Especially if it takes people three hours like some of the commenters below are claiming.
  
  Poltergeist is absolutely right. If you want the “convenience” of a car, you have to deal with the “inconvenience” of digging it out and/or finding a place to park. At least with walking, riding a bike, taxis, or public transportation, you NEVER have to search for a place to park or spend three hours digging out your vehicle.
  
  I lived several years in an urban snowy area. I never owned a car because it was too much of a hassle. Everywhere I went, I walked, rode a bike, and used public transportation. Every now and then, I would get a ride from someone if I needed to repair my bike. My work was over 10 miles away. I could get there on my mountain bike in less time than it took to get there if I got a ride in a car. Why? Because traffic in urban areas sucks, and because I found shortcuts that cars couldn’t use. When it would snow, my bike ride time never changed, but a car ride would get much longer because people kept crashing or getting stuck in the snow.
  
  Look, I get it. People get frustrated when they work hard to dig out their car, and then someone takes the spot their car was using. But it’s a public space, and you chose to purchase a car. The thing is, you bought a car, not a parking space or a street. You have to deal with the perks and hassles of owning a car, should you choose to own one.
  
  Also, I never said owning a car was a bad idea. I only said there are other ways to travel to work besides a car. People need to think outside of their own little metal box.
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 3:12 pm rating: 90
- #4.11 kermit
  
  “When it would snow, my bike ride time never changed, but a car ride would get much longer because people kept crashing or getting stuck in the snow.”
  
  I double dog dare you to truthfully tell us you rode your bike on black ice. Come, on man.
  
  Look, as a person who actually doesn’t own a car for the reasons you cited, I am still against parking spot stealing because I have the presence of mind to understand that not everyone is like me. Not everyone has the luxury to walk to work easily. Not everyone has the luxury to live in a city with good and reliable public transportation, either.
  
  Hell, I walk everywhere I can because I know that the only way bus schedules would be respected around here is if Mussolini rose from the dead and got elected mayor. (And quite frankly, a little fascism is a small price to pay for timely public transport.)
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 4:18 pm rating: 90
- #4.12 The Beast Among Us
  
  Most of my commute in that area was not on the asphalt with cars, so I almost never saw black ice. It’s also a lot easier to dodge on a bike than it is in a car. I rode quite often on white ice and packed snow. And yeah, I ate it many times, even with knobby tires. It’s all part of the fun, though.
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 4:41 pm rating: 90
- #4.13 kermit
  
  Ah, so you live on one of the pansy states that doesn’t actually get a real winter. Which is fine.
  
  But since I don’t live in an arid climate, I don’t scold people who do. Or tell them how they should handle 100+ degree weather so as not to offend my sensibilities.
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 4:56 pm rating: 90
- #4.14 The Beast Among Us
  
  Not in the states, and I don’t live there anymore.
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 5:35 pm rating: 90
- #4.15 L
  
  How do you walk 5 miles when you can’t walk? Plenty of people can’t. Or they have kids who definitely can’t walk 5 miles in freezing temperatures. Or they only have half an hour to get from one job to another.
  
  Or they don’t want to walk because they own a car. It’s ridiculous to think that just because something works for you it’ll work for everyone.
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 2:59 pm rating: 90
- #4.16 The Beast Among Us
  
  Gees. Please stop putting words in my mouth. I never said that my idea was the answer to everything. I understand what works for one might not work for the other. What I am saying is that people should consider other options instead of the typical train of thought to which we have become accustomed. Perhaps the solution for some people isn’t digging out their car, but instead finding another way to travel. That may not work for everyone, but one can at least consider it. At least if they leave their car at home, “their” parking spot won’t be “stolen”.
  
  I will say that the automobile has definitely made people lazy pussies in the US. People survived without them for centuries, even in Boston, which was here hundreds of years before cars were invented. It’s ridiculous to think that we cannot survive without them now, even for a little while. Granted, not everyone has an Adonis figure, but people need to get off their buts and do something rather than wimping out when the going gets tough.
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 5:49 pm rating: 90
- #4.17 The Beast Among Us
  
  *butts. Dammit.
  
  Also, I currently own a few cars and a motorcycle. Most of the time, I ride a bike to work because I enjoy riding it. Sometimes I will take a car or my motorcycle when I feel like it, but that isn’t very often. I do it for my personal enjoyment, not because I want to “save the world.” In the past, I have helped others, including my parents, dig out cars in the snow, so I’m no stranger to the work. I still side with Poltergeist. If I dug out my own car, and returned to find “my space” taken, so be it. I’d park it somewhere else and walk. You own a car, not the street.
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 5:58 pm rating: 90
- #4.18 Jami
  
  Hey Beast, maybe you should provide everyone in Boston with their own sled and sled dog team. Then they don’t have to dig themselves out of snow at all.
  
  Mush!
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 9:49 pm rating: 90
- #4.19 The Beast Among Us
  
  Dammit, I forgot about sled dogs. I also forgot about horses, carriages, and the infamous one horse open sleigh.
  
  And pogo sticks.
  
  Mar 1, 2015 at 12:19 am rating: 90
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#5 pooham

I don’t get how some people think that damaging someone else’s vehicle (keying/slashing tires) is an appropriate reaction to having their perceived parking space taken.

Feb 24, 2015 at 1:23 pm rating: 90

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- #5.1 The Elf
  
  Yes, this exactly. Even if you feel you are Totally Justified in using a space saver, how is vandalism the right response to having your space taken? The right response is to hunt up the owner of the car and ask them to move. Or to seethe silently as you find another spot. Can’t be to call the parking enforcement, since that vehicle is legally parked…..
  
  Or just leave a PAN.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 7:42 am rating: 90
- #5.2 VM
  
  Confession time. I’ve been known to spit on the windshields of egregiously parked cars. (Like the guy who straddled two spaces in the crowded garage…my friend went the PAN route and we found the note crumpled and tossed on the floor when we returned.) I figure it doesn’t damage the car but relieves my feelings and, hopefully, grosses out the erring driver.
  
  Mar 1, 2015 at 9:10 am rating: 90
- #5.3 entitled much?
  
  If someone has actually keyed a car for being in what they think is their spot, I would hope that those people are found and sued! I would never believe that I owned a public parking spot because I had to remove snow so that I could get my car out. How selfish and ridiculous to think that someone could not use the spot for the many hours people are away in a heavily populated city. Stop being so selfish car owners that care about this crap, or do the environment a favor and lose the car.
  
  Mar 3, 2015 at 1:29 pm rating: 90
- #5.4 entitled much?
  
  If someone has actually keyed a car for being in what they think is their spot, I would hope that those people are found and sued! I would never believe that I owned a public parking spot because I had to remove snow so that I could get my car out. How selfish and ridiculous to think that someone could not use the spot for the many hours people are away in a heavily populated city. Stop being so selfish car owners that care about this crap, or do the environment a favor and lose the car.
  
  Mar 3, 2015 at 1:30 pm rating: 90
- #5.5 sense, common
  
  It’s not. The correct response is to shovel all the snow back where it came from and let the dick dig himself out for a change.
  
  Mar 17, 2015 at 10:18 pm rating: 90
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#6 Pants Go Brown

Just for clarification one could be new to Boston AND a cocksucker.

Feb 24, 2015 at 1:25 pm rating: 90

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- #6.1 havingfitz
  
  Well, I’ve always heard that Fenway Park does have the best wieners in the world…
  
  Feb 24, 2015 at 1:36 pm rating: 90
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#7 Alex

In Chicago we call this “dibs” and people who do it are human garbage.

Feb 24, 2015 at 1:38 pm rating: 90

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- #7.1 Harold Finch
  
  Someone gets it.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 10:16 am rating: 90
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#8 RedDelicious

Digging out your car does not suddenly make the space it was in yours. So you shoveled for three hours to get your car out. It’s called winter. When it’s winter, it snows. When it snows, your car gets buried. And when your car gets buried you dig it out. But it’s just like any day of the year, regardless of your shoveling. The spot doesn’t belong to you in summer, and it doesn’t belong to you because you unfortunately had to dig your car out.

Feb 24, 2015 at 4:16 pm rating: 90

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- #8.1 edumucated
  
  Actually, it does. Under mayoral order, anyone digging out their own parking spot has claims to that spot for a full 48-hours after it stops snowing. So, in addition to being a dickish thing to do, you are in fact ‘stealing’ someone’s property.
  
  Feb 24, 2015 at 10:08 pm rating: 90
- #8.2 Poltergeist
  
  That mayoral order is fucking stupid and anybody in Boston who agrees with it is fucking stupid.
  
  I live in an apartment complex and the cost of my parking spot is included in my rent, i.e. I pay for it to be mine and only mine. I also have to shovel out of my own spot when it snows. Why the hell do you think you are entitled to a spot you don’t pay for just because you shoveled it when I am required to both pay for and shovel my own spot? What makes the people of Boston such special snowflakes?
  
  The only dicks in this situation are you and your buddies who call dibs on public parking spaces like a bunch of 7 year olds calling shotgun in mommy’s minivan. I’m sorry shoveling is so hard boohoo, but get the fuck over it.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 12:59 am rating: 90
- #8.3 kermit
  
  Sorry, but I call b.s. in this. If you live in an apartment building with a parking lot, it’s the landlord/condo management’s responsibility to clear the parking lot, not yours. If they’re not doing it, you have every right to complain and/or withhold your monthly parking fee.
  
  Second of all, these mayoral orders are based on squatter’s rights. Clearing snow off a roadside parking spot counts as as improving/maintaining the property – maintenance that the owner was clearly not doing.
  
  And third of all, spending 3+ hours to clear Boston-level snow from a parking lot is a huge deal. It’s not only the time commitment. Hundreds of people die each year because they have heart conditions and have no choice but to clear their own snow. So no, it’s not okay for you to waltz into somebody’s cleared spot just because you think the gods have spared you from having to clear your own street parking spot.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 6:28 am rating: 90
- #8.4 Poltergeist
  
  You can call b.s. all you want kermit but that doesn’t change a thing. They do clean the parking lot. However, they do not have a responsibility to clean each individual’s spot, just like how the city has a responsibility to clean the roads but not to shovel out every car parked on the side of the road. As much as I would love to call my landlord an asshole, this is not an instance where I can do that.
  
  But we don’t even have to use that as an example. What about homeowners? They also have to clear their driveways, which they paid for because they own the land it sits on. I don’t have my own personal parking space where I work, but there is a particular sidestreet I like to park on because it’s convenient. There have been a few times where I had to do some shoveling because it snowed a lot while I was at work. Does that mean when I go to work the next day, I have dibs on that parking space? Nope. Will I leave a nasty note on the car of somebody who parks there? Nope. I do not own, nor will I ever own that spot. And referring to it as “squatter’s rights” does not help your case at all. Squatters, by definition, do not have a legal right to the space where they are squatting.
  
  I understand that shoveling snow is backbreaking work. My point is that people who own their own spots also have to do the backbreaking work. The difference is that they paid for their own spot and therefore nobody else can park in it after they shovel it. And what makes you think that the person who “steals” a public parking space in Boston did not have to shovel out their own car already?
  
  Sorry, but no matter how you spin it, you are trying to claim ownership of something that was not yours to begin with. That is shitty and childish. Either rent your own spot, take public transportation, or cry yourself over the loss of a public parking space.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 9:53 am rating: 90
- #8.5 Harold Finch
  
  Actually I live in a Condo, and if you clean out your spot,and go to work, it’s not uncommon to find some asshole parked in your nice clean spot when you get home. If you ever visited the neighborhoods of Boston, you would know that they are very cramped and good luck finding a parking spot on a good day. If you’ve never been here and are judging us, you need to shut the fuck up.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 10:13 am rating: 90
- #8.6 Poltergeist
  
  If you OWNED your spot and somebody parked there, you would have a right to demand that they move their car or be towed.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 10:25 am rating: 90
- #8.7 angrykat
  
  Nope, nope,nope. I live in a city in the middle of the snow belt. no such thing as dibs here. I feel no sympathy you bunch of whinners. its part of living in a northern climate with snow. suck it up princesses.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 10:29 am rating: 90
- #8.8 kermit
  
  I don’t know in what magical place you people live in where parking bans don’t exist so that snow plows can’t properly clear the roads.
  
  The issue here is that is a huge deal to you, too Poltergeist. If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t have an issue taking the time to clear a parking spot. You opt for a clean one when you think you can get away with it because it is a big deal to clear it.
  
  And by the way, the “public” parking on residential side streets is typically owned by the the respective homeowner since it’s their responsibility to clear/maintain the space. So when you park there, you are parking on someone else’s property.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 10:37 am rating: 90
- #8.9 Poltergeist
  
  Uh, I don’t know where you got that idea, but you’re wrong. Unless you paid for some kind of permit to park there, you do not own the street in front of your house.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 10:49 am rating: 90
- #8.10 Raichu
  
  I have to say, if you spend 3 hours shoveling out your car, then the person who takes your space ought to also have put in some time shoveling. I mean no you don’t own parking spaces but it also sucks to have to put in multiple hours of work because some people don’t want to. :/
  
  That’s all I’ll say about it though – that I can see both sides – because fortunately for me I do not live in Boston and have never had any trouble finding a parking space in my apartment complex. And it rarely snows so much here that one has to shovel out one’s car (occasionally, but not as often as Boston, I’m quite sure).
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 1:38 pm rating: 90
- #8.11 L
  
  We rent a house, but it’s in our lease that we handle lawn maitenance and snow removal, or we pay extra for them to handle it.
  
  There’s no car in my house, but the guys who plow the street plow my driveway too. #winning
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 1:59 pm rating: 90
- #8.12 The Elf
  
  Raichu, are you advocating for politeness and common sense from both the shoveler and the person looking for parking?
  
  Good luck with that.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 2:23 pm rating: 90
- #8.13 kermit
  
  If you don’t think you own the sidewalk/parking spot maintenance in front of your residential home, just try to leave it alone.
  
  Watch how fast the city comes to ticket you butt and/or your mail delivery person sues you when they fall down on the ice/snow.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 4:47 pm rating: 90
- #8.14 Poltergeist
  
  You still don’t own the sidewalk because you cannot dictate who can and cannot walk on it, just like you cannot dictate who parks in a spot you do not own.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 5:19 pm rating: 90
- #8.15 kermit
  
  You can’t dictate who walks in/out of a store you own, either, but you still own it.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 6:13 pm rating: 90
- #8.16 snoo
  
  Of course you can. You’ve never seen a “no shirt, no service” sign before? You’ve never seen a bouncer before?
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 7:58 pm rating: 90
- #8.17 Lupin111
  
  You pay a certain fee to the city and you ‘rent’ the portion of sidewalk in front of your home or within a demarcated area (several blocks near your house) where you can park. It’s called a parking permit.
  
  And yes, if you haven’t shoveled the sidewalk in front of your house and someone slips on the ice and injures themselves, they could try and sue you.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 9:16 pm rating: 90
- #8.18 Lupin111
  
  You pay a certain fee to the city and you ‘rent’ the portion of sidewalk in front of your home or within a demarcated area (several blocks near your house) where you can park. It’s called a parking permit.
  
  And yes, if you haven’t shoveled the sidewalk in front of your house and someone slips on the ice and injures themselves, they could try and sue you.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 9:16 pm rating: 90
- #8.19 hbc
  
  Kermit, the sidewalk maintenance is something I’m familiar with (and, as far as I know, universal across the US.) But I’ve never heard of being responsible for public/street parking in front of your own house. Where have you lived where that’s true?
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 11:05 pm rating: 90
- #8.20 Rattus
  
  I’m not coming down on one side of this debate or the other, but I would like to point out that, at least in my city, I am responsible for the sidewalk in front of my house, but I am not responsible for the road in front of my house. And anyone with a parking permit can park anywhere on the street, but they can’t rely specifically on getting the spot in front of their house.
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 8:21 am rating: 90
- #8.21 The Beast Among Us
  
  Where I live now, we have no say over the sidewalk or the street. My property ends at the fence right next to the sidewalk. The rest belongs to, and is the responsibility of, the city.
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 3:16 pm rating: 90
- #8.22 John Christopherson
  
  There is no official “mayoral order”. Just off-the-cuff comments that the mayor made during a news conference. There is absolutely no legal policy in writing declaring that residents own the space they dig out for 24 hours. What the mayor said only means that police will not enforce the law against space savers for 48 hours after a storm.
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 3:56 pm rating: 90
- #8.23 DaveS
  
  In the U.S. sidewalks are considered a right-of-way easement. You own the property the sidewalk sits on, but the municipality controls the right of way. Because you still legally own the property, the city/town/village can make it your responsibility to keep it clear. However as a public right-of-way you cannot prevent anyone from using it in accordance with the law.
  
  If you live on a street that doesn’t have sidewalks – like in so many modern subdivisions – this easement does not exist. Unless the municipality comes along and installs them. Also, if you were to pay your own money to install a sidewalk along the street(s) bordering your property, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have complete control over it and can decide whether or not to shovel it. The city can claim a presumptive easement over your sidewalk as a public right-of-way and apply the same rules to it.
  
  However your property only goes out to where the public street begins. The street itself is public property, which is why you’re not required to clear the snow from it. If cars are allowed to park on the street then those parking places are public property.
  
  Due to their different legal status, comparing streets and sidewalks is comparing apples and oranges.
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 7:18 pm rating: 90
- #8.24 DaveS
  
  As to the whole “mayoral rule” thing…
  
  Any rules or laws like this are completely unenforceable. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist on the books. The village I live in used to have a law that said all residents have a right to park in front of their houses. The city across the river has a similar law.
  
  You know how many times those laws have been enforced by the courts? Never! In my town it was actually struck down by the courts. I think they neighboring city may still write tickets on their law occasionally – especially during snowy winters like this one – but they can’t enforce them. Oh, they’ll take your money if you just decide to pay the ticket! But if you tell them that you’ll fight it, they will tear the ticket up and act like their doing you a favor. Just this once! So don’t do that again.
  
  But the fact is they know the courts will never enforce the tickets, so they don’t bother. The whole thing is just a dance to mollify residents upset at people taking their spaces. They can say “Hey, we ticketed them! So remember us at election time!”
  
  Giving you control of public parking in front of your house is the conversion of public property to a private citizen. It is illegal unless done properly. That would mean passing a local law authorizing the sale of those parking places, surveying the street to measure out exactly which sections of the street are being sold, and then putting each plot up for public auction where the highest bidders get the spaces.
  
  Shoveling out a parking space does not give you any legally enforceable ownership rights to it!
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 7:40 pm rating: 90
- #8.25 Sidoni
  
  I wouldn’t say “In the U.S….” I live in the U.S. and own my own home. Our property line ends 12 inches in from the sidewalk. So even what I call “my yard” isn’t completely mine. So not only do I not own the land the sidewalk is on, I don’t own the little patch between the sidewalk and street. If trees that are legitimately on my property are near the sidewalk, it is my responsibility to ensure they are not obstructing the walking space and any overhanging branches have to be at least 8 feet above the ground. But other than that, no laws apply. Nor is it my responsibility to keep those 12 inches at the front of the yard cleared. I do it because I know the county won’t and I don’t want it looking like trash. But when they come around issuing citations for dangerous weed growth (fire hazard), they legally could not ticket me for that foot.
  
  Mar 5, 2015 at 2:09 am rating: 90
- #8.26 kermit
  
  The sidewalk doesn’t need to be part of your property line for the city to hold you responsible for its upkeep. For example, in in the NYC regulations, it makes it clear that owners are responsible for clearing the sidewalk and repairing the concrete when the sidewalk decays. If you don’t, the city makes it clear that they will do the maintenance for you and then send you the bill for the work.
  
  Mar 5, 2015 at 6:17 am rating: 90
- #8.27 Sidoni
  
  I am REALLY REALLY glad I don’t live in NYC then! Or anywhere else that I would be responsible for the upkeep of county property. Some of the sidewalks are prone to buckling in the heat around here and they stay that way until someone calls to alert the county. Then they come out and fix it. But most people don’t bother because the kids love the “pre-made” mini ramps for their bikes and skateboards. Then again, I live in a county jurisdiction and not a city. May be the difference?
  
  Mar 5, 2015 at 6:13 pm rating: 90
- #8.28 JoDa
  
  I lived in Boston and owned a car when I did. I made sure to rent a place where I had an off-street parking spot (a garage, even!) knowing how insane parking was and what a bitch it was going to be come winter. The only time I got PA on a neighbor there was when the nasty dude next door shoveled his car out of a couple feet of snow and left it all in front of our (recently plowed, with the snow deposited in the backyard, not in anyone’s way) driveway. I just shoveled it back on top of his car when he returned. He threatened to sue me for “damaging” his car (we all know that wouldn’t fly, the snow started out there, and didn’t hurt it in the couple of days it sat on top of it before he cleaned it off), but he never shoveled his mess in front of our driveway again.
  
  Mar 11, 2015 at 5:57 pm rating: 90
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#9 fucktahd

Since when does it take 3 hours to clear a parking spot of snow?

Feb 24, 2015 at 9:20 pm rating: 90

reply to this comment
- #9.1 The Elf
  
  When you get as much snow as Boston has had. I get the frustration, really I do.
  
  Feb 25, 2015 at 7:43 am rating: 90
- #9.2 susa
  
  This! I live in a city in northern Norway. We know snow.. 3 hours seems excessive. And no one would claim ownership of a public parking spot, snow or not…
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 1:55 pm rating: 90
- #9.3 The Beast Among Us
  
  I once saw someone clear their car with a cooking spatula. It took her at least three hours.
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 3:17 pm rating: 90
- #9.4 labdude
  
  Susa, may I ask how much snow you get in a typical storm? I recently spoke with a visitor from Sweden (while we waited for a ridiculously delayed Red Line train in Boston) who told me they *rarely* got as much snow where he was from as he had seen in Boston. I will remind you that in the past 4 weeks, the Boston area has received over 100 inches (2.5 meters) of generally heavy, wet snow.
  And while we are trying to dig our cars out, the plows are frequently plowing us back in.
  I heard of a recent incident involving a ‘space saver’. The original shoveler returned home to find that someone else had parked their car the spot he had cleared. In true P/A form, he simply shoveled the interloper *in*.
  Yes, I live in the area, but I have a driveway, and a healthy, adult child who digs me out. I have been medically relieved of snow-shoveling duty by my wife, who doesn’t like the sound of ‘widow’.
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 12:12 pm rating: 90
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#10 corporate entertainer

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Feb 24, 2015 at 11:21 pm rating: 90

reply to this comment
#11 hbc

Ah, Boston. I remember when my neighbor took a baseball bat to another neighbor’s car for being in the spot he dug out. Of course, parking “stealer” had only parked there because the spot he dug out had been occupied and Smasher’s driveway had room for all four cars they owned if they didn’t park them like morons.

There may have been alcohol involved.

Feb 25, 2015 at 2:43 am rating: 90

reply to this comment
- #11.1 JoDa
  
  This is about the sum of it. The people parking on your residential street during “at home” hours are, more likely than not, your neighbors, who dug their own cars out. If they took your spot, it was likely because someone else took theirs. Take a lap and you’ll probably find another one empty. When I lived in a dense neighborhood in DC, it was nothing for me to have to park 3 blocks or so from home, without snow. Not being able to park exclusively in front of your home is a hallmark of dense cities…
  
  Mar 11, 2015 at 6:02 pm rating: 90
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#12 Duuuh

The only thing this proves is that people in Boston are just the fucking worst.

Feb 25, 2015 at 12:35 pm rating: 90

reply to this comment
- #12.1 labdude
  
  Yup. We suck. The last time somebody f*cked with us, we shut the city down and hunted them down.
  We practically *invented* P/A when we threw a boatload of tea in the harbor because we didn’t like the taxes.
  And we cheat at football.
  And if you don’t like it, stay the f*ck out.
  
  Mar 2, 2015 at 10:51 am rating: 90
- #12.2 j-as
  
  Yeah! We’re terrible! Better stay away forever
  
  Mar 2, 2015 at 11:55 am rating: 90
- #12.3 The Elf
  
  Does that make the Declaration of Independence the nation’s first passive-aggressive note? I am suddenly seeing our revolution in a new light. If only Jefferson wrote in Comic Sans.
  
  Mar 2, 2015 at 12:55 pm rating: 90
- #12.4 AlyInSebby
  
  You win the internets For EVER!!!!
  
  I still don’t understand why we can’t leave train cars open, let them collect all that snow and ship it out here to dry Cali.
  
  May 19, 2015 at 10:27 pm rating: 90
- #12.5 AlyInSebby
  
  You win the internets For EVER!!!!
  
  I still don’t understand why we can’t leave train cars open, let them collect all that snow and ship it out here to dry Cali.
  
  May 19, 2015 at 10:29 pm rating: 90
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#13 Roxy Random

When you have 104 inches of snow in a month, I think you’re entitled to complain about it. We’re not talking about one snowstorm here; it’s been one after the other after the other . . .

Yeah, tempers are at the breaking point. We fight over parking spaces because that’s all we can do about it. You can’t sue snow.

Feb 26, 2015 at 7:04 am rating: 90

reply to this comment
- #13.1 The Beast Among Us
  
  You can kick it and throw it. That’s what I used to do.
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 3:20 pm rating: 90
- #13.2 Lita
  
  Build a snowman. Smack the snowman. Repeatedly. It’s actually quite cathartic.
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 5:11 pm rating: 90
- #13.3 Dolly
  
  Do you wanna beat a snowman?
  
  Mar 2, 2015 at 7:25 am rating: 90
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#14 Stupid People

@Poltergeist, you are possibly the stupidest person to ever open its trap on the Internet in the history of the Internet. Do I “own” the sidewalk in front of my house? No… but I’ll sure have to pay the fine for not clearing it, as it is my RESPONSIBILITY by city ordinance to keep it clean. Option B would include 1. the daily fine until the snow either melts or I clear it and 2. getting the crap sued out of me by anyone who slips and falls because I neglected my responsibility to fulfill my obligation to clear the snow under the city ordinance. Really, Polt, you are TSTL.

Feb 26, 2015 at 10:06 am rating: 90

reply to this comment
- #14.1 Poltergeist
  
  Reading comprehension – get some. It’s a great thing to have. I NEVER said that you won’t get fined for failing to clean the sidewalk in front of your house, but, as you just admitted to in your own damn post, you still do not own it.
  
  If somebody walks onto your driveway and you do not want them there, you have the right to tell them to get lost because it is your property. You do not, however, have the right to tell people to get off of “your” sidewalk because IT ISN’T YOURS. Unless the person in question is harrassing you and screaming obscenities at you from the sidewalk on a daily basis, there is nothing anybody can do to make them move.
  
  Nice try, but the only stupid person here is you.
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 11:06 am rating: 90
- #14.2 The Beast Among Us
  
  Where I live, if someone slips on the sidewalk in front of my house, they sue the city, not me. Homeowners are not responsible for clearing snow off it.
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 3:23 pm rating: 90
- #14.3 kermit
  
  Depending on where you live, you most certainly can kick people off your sidewalk if you have a legit reason for wanting them to leave.
  
  Since you’re required by law to maintain the sidewalk (clear it of snow, fix it when it decays) you exert the same level of ownership of it as you do of any semi-public place that you own. Here’s a rules for NYC, for instance. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/infrastructure/sidewalk-inspection.shtml. If spent money/energy on the upkeep of something, you do get “dibs” one associates with ownership. You don’t own your convenience store any less just because you’re required by law to serve every respectful and paying customer.
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 5:09 pm rating: 90
- #14.4 DaveS
  
  Sorry Kermit but in New York you cannot control who uses your sidewalk. You legally own the sidewalk and are responsible for maintaining it, and liable if lack of maintenance causes an injury to someone. But the city has a right-of-way easement which allows public use of the sidewalk.
  
  Your convenience store analogy is completely different, because you own the store completely. There is no easement. You can reserve the right to refuse service to people (within reason) and enforce rules like “no shirt, no shoes, no service.”
  
  Though while you can ban people based on their attire like that, or based on their behavior, you cannot discriminate against whole classes of people or you may violate laws governing public accommodations.
  
  Your home’s driveway or your store’s parking lot are also your property to control as you wish. You can control who uses them. If someone won’t move from them you can call the police because they are trespassing if they won’t leave. But you cannot kick people off the sidewalk or prevent them from using public parking in front of your property.
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 8:01 pm rating: 90
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#15 buni

Maybe parking sucks in Boston because the entire city expects every car to take up two spaces at once – one at home and one away.

I can think of only one scenario where this type of parking-spot rage would be justified.

Imagine coming home and finding an empty parking spot that is full of snow. You know if you just barrel your car in there, you’ll get stuck, so you decide to leave your car parked temporarily somewhere else nearby while you shovel it out. After your labor, you return to your car to park it in your newly-cleaned spot only to have someone come down the street and slide into it before you have a chance to move your car. Only then, do you have a reason to use a space-saver and be justifiably pissed if someone ignores it. In this case you are cleaning the space for immediate use, not to hang around empty all day.

Feb 26, 2015 at 1:13 pm rating: 90

reply to this comment
- #15.1 The Beast Among Us
  
  Buni, you make a lot of sense.
  
  Feb 26, 2015 at 3:25 pm rating: 90
- #15.2 VM
  
  Someone did that to my husband once, long before he was my husband and still lived in Jersey. (Only it was even worse because what he dug out was not a parking space but street access.) His response was to pour gallons and gallons of water onto the offending car, then dig his way out the opposite direction. Wonder how long it takes to pickaxe a sedan out of ice.
  
  Mar 1, 2015 at 9:03 am rating: 90
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#16 Kasaba

The only logical thing to do, once you’ve dug your car out of the snow, is to keep on driving and never return to that spot, or Boston. Ever.

I’ve seen lock up parking spot in this city sell for £250K. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2442595/At-theres-park-London-double-garage-sells-250-000–80-000-cost-average-HOUSE.html

Feb 27, 2015 at 8:02 am rating: 90

reply to this comment
#17 kaetra

Someone steal the spot you worked so hard to clear? I say don’t opt for the note. Here’s what you do -
Call a couple buddies. Get your shovels and snow blowers, BURY that car. BURY IT IN SNOW, bury the tires especially. Then use some water to spray down the snow pack so it freezes solid.
Is it alot of work? Yes. Is it completely awesome revenge? Yes! Will that person ever steal a spot again? Chances are good the answer is No.

Feb 27, 2015 at 9:43 am rating: 90

reply to this comment
- #17.1 kermit
  
  Meh, that only works if the weather co-operates and it stays frozen. Deflating their tires and sprinkling around some nails to make it look like their tires are slashed (when in fact they’re not) is much cheaper and way faster.
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 10:22 am rating: 90
- #17.2 The Elf
  
  Yes, but that’s clearly vandalism. “Redistributing some snow” isn’t going to get you a misdemeanor.
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 12:12 pm rating: 90
- #17.3 Bob
  
  What about the water poured to make the car an ice block? This is clearly an attempt to damage/incapacitate the car. This is vandalism in my book.
  
  Mar 12, 2015 at 8:53 am rating: 90
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#18 havingfitz

You know what? You morons who let your cars run around outside, especially in this kind of weather, deserve what you get. My car lives inside the house and it’s healthy and happy! You take all kinds of risks letting them roam free, not even bothering to spay or neuter them so they add to the homeless vehicle population. It’s just rude.

Feb 27, 2015 at 10:28 am rating: 90

reply to this comment
- #18.1 labdude
  
  Your chair was fucking delicious!
  (it needed to be said)
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 12:16 pm rating: 90
- #18.2 pooham
  
  Cars were meant to be outside. I feel bad for any car whose owner refuses to let it enjoy the outdoors, basically being kept captive in an environment not suitable for it.
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 1:49 pm rating: 90
- #18.3 pooham
  
  And don’t give me the lame argument about cars killing songbirds. There are a lot of other environmental factors that cause more harm to songbirds than innocent vehicles.
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 1:50 pm rating: 90
- #18.4 buni
  
  I let my car out during the day, but always bring it in at night.
  
  And my ex-husband used to own a silver Jeep Commander – I swear that vehicle was invisible to birds. The first week he had it, nine birds flew into it as he was driving.
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 2:42 pm rating: 90
- #18.5 The Elf
  
  Forget songbirds, those cars kill outdoor cats! Won’t someone think of the kitties?
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 3:32 pm rating: 90
- #18.6 The Beast Among Us
  
  Cats taste good.
  
  Feb 27, 2015 at 6:01 pm rating: 90
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#19 Jami

Those of you arguing if this is a law or not, if you go to the Facebook page Did You Know you’ll find a link saying that space saving has been a law since 2005 in Boston.

So there you go, it is an actual law. It might not be enforced, but it IS a law.

Feb 27, 2015 at 12:35 pm rating: 90

reply to this comment
- #19.1 The Elf
  
  Actually, it’s not. It’s mayoral “policy” to allow it for 48 hours, and some places have tried to ban in locally (I assume through HOAs and the like).
  
  Feb 28, 2015 at 9:01 am rating: 90
- #19.2 buni
  
  I heard on the radio this morning that the city has started sending out trash collectors to pick up everyone’s space savers. Must be the 48 hours is up.
  
  Mar 3, 2015 at 8:02 am rating: 90
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#20 SparkyRell

*sings* Why can’t we be friends? Why can’t we be friends?

Everyone snowed in seems to be as mad as a box of frogs, guess the only thing you can do is count the days till spring. I can understand leaving a note to vent, I just can’t fathom munting some poor bastard’s car up though.

My car’s never been snowed in, the blacktop did melt under my car and made it sink in a fair bit when I was parked on the road a couple of times.

Feb 28, 2015 at 4:51 am rating: 90

reply to this comment
- #20.1 The Beast Among Us
  
  Wait…
  
  Is the box mad, or are the frogs mad?
  
  Mar 1, 2015 at 12:27 am rating: 90
- #20.2 The Elf
  
  We’re all mad here.
  
  Mar 1, 2015 at 2:40 pm rating: 90
- #20.3 SparkyRell
  
  The frogs are mad? Or the madness is someone deciding to put a load of frogs in a box in the first place?
  
  Essentially, someone acting mad under the public eye, like going nutbar over a parking space haha
  
  Mar 2, 2015 at 3:35 pm rating: 90
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#21 juniper

How strange. I hope the poster that said that there is a mayoral order that makes the space yours for 48 hours isn’t telling the truth. That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard. How do you prove you shovelled it out? What constitutes completely shovelling it out? If you shovel it out once and it’s still snowing and someone comes along and shovels more – who then ‘owns’ it? I agree with Poltergeist – if you don’t actually have a spot you pay for – it isn’t yours. Unless for some reason, you’re holding if the few minutes it takes to move a car – it’s not yours. You don’t shovel out a spot and expect it to be there after a whole day!
I have to admit – I come from one of the snowiest areas in the country – and we don’t have these problems. Yes, it’s more rural, but there must be some real assholes in Boston.

Mar 1, 2015 at 10:04 am rating: 90

reply to this comment
#22 j-as

If you park in a shoveled space during a snowstorm, you deserve any and everything that happens to you. Sorry, tough luck, the way it is. I don’t care if it’s legal or not.

Go park in a parking lot if the only clear space you see has a chair in it. You’re knowingly enjoying the fruits of someone else’s labor and karma comes a lot faster in wintertime.

Mar 2, 2015 at 11:53 am rating: 90

reply to this comment
- #22.1 Poltergeist
  
  “I don’t care if it’s legal or not.”
  
  Are you even old enough to drive, sweetums?
  
  Mar 2, 2015 at 11:32 pm rating: 90
- #22.2 Turbo
  
  No, the fruits of your labor of shoveling your car out is that your car is out. The empty space does not belong to you. See above comments.
  
  Mar 3, 2015 at 3:54 am rating: 90
- #22.3 j-as
  
  Awwww poltergeist you’re dumb and condescending, you must make great points!!! I don’t speak jackass, though, sorry, so I wouldn’t know.
  
  Mar 3, 2015 at 12:14 pm rating: 90
- #22.4 j-as
  
  Turbo – according to the mayor, sure does! don’t like what the mayor has to say? live in a different city! I’m sure if you actually do live in boston (doubt it), everyone would be a little better when you left.
  
  Mar 3, 2015 at 12:14 pm rating: 90
- #22.5 Poltergeist
  
  You’re right, I (and others) do make great points. The fact that you waltzed in and ignored our points does not detract from their greatness.
  
  I thought Bostonians were supposed to be tough, and yet here you are whining amd crying because somebody ignored the space saver, i.e. piece of trash, that you decided to leave in a public, i.e. not yours, parking space for 8 hours. How disappointing.
  
  Mar 3, 2015 at 6:51 pm rating: 90
- #22.6 The Beast Among Us
  
  Bostonians are hotheaded, not tough. Tough people deal with whatever life throws at them, and they push through it with diligence, patience, and long-suffering. These people react to life by destroying someone else’s purchased property instead of standing up to the owner face-to-face to make their dispute. This is certainly not tough.
  
  Mar 4, 2015 at 1:00 pm rating: 90
- #22.7 j-as
  
  lol, the fact that you THINK you made a good point speaks volumes. Even more than your condescension and 5 year old namecalling.
  
  Mar 4, 2015 at 2:38 pm rating: 90
- #22.8 j-as
  
  Also your opinions on things I never once actually said I personally did myself are just as charming and intelligent.
  
  Mar 4, 2015 at 2:59 pm rating: 90
- #22.9 Poltergeist
  
  The argument was already over before you got here, and you lost. You can keep beating the dead horse if you want, but I’m bored of this topic. Buh-bye.
  
  Mar 4, 2015 at 6:51 pm rating: 90
- #22.10 j-as
  
  Aww did you learn some big boy words?? The discussion was over before a bunch of people who’ve never dealt with this decided to weigh in on things they haven’t experienced. It was over when the will of considerate people and a declaration by the person that runs the city actually agreed.
  
  Mar 4, 2015 at 8:05 pm rating: 90
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#23 Kaye

I live in South Philly, and if you take a spot that’s marked with a chair, flag, etc. they will not only key your car, they will throw a cinder block through the windshield, set fire to the interior, find out where you work and get you fired, find your family and destroy THEIR cars, and make sure that your mail never gets delivered again. Welcome to Philly. From November to March, this is Thunderdome.

Mar 3, 2015 at 9:37 am rating: 90

reply to this comment
- #23.1 The Beast Among Us
  
  Won’t ever happen to me. Whenever I park in a “saved” spot, I await the return of the saver, and then I make them eat their chair.
  
  Mar 3, 2015 at 2:30 pm rating: 90
- #23.2 j-as
  
  lol, nothing tougher than stalking and assaulting someone for leaving a chair in the street. You’re a great judge.
  
  Mar 4, 2015 at 2:40 pm rating: 90
- #23.3 The Beast Among Us
  
  At least I deal with the problem face-to-face, and not the passive-aggressive, vandal style.
  
  Mar 4, 2015 at 7:05 pm rating: 90
- #23.4 j-as
  
  Hahaha yeah criminally so and being a danger to the public.
  
  Mar 4, 2015 at 8:06 pm rating: 90
- #23.5 The east Among Us
  
  You support vandalism, and call ME a criminal? Hypocrite.
  
  Mar 6, 2015 at 12:40 pm rating: 90
- #23.6 The Elf
  
  I see the Beast went East.
  
  Mar 6, 2015 at 1:41 pm rating: 90
- #23.7 The Beast Among Us
  
  Just for a bit. Gotta help dig out some cars.
  
  Mar 6, 2015 at 2:02 pm rating: 90
- #23.8 The Elf
  
  Make sure you put a chair or something in the spot afterwards.
  
  Mar 6, 2015 at 3:05 pm rating: 90
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#24 B

I live in a very snowy area. I commuted to school for several years. I had to drive, shovel out a parking spot, move my car to park in it, then walk 12 blocks to get to the bus stop. One time, someone watched me shovel out my spot and go to get my car (I parked in someone’s driveway, they were okay with me parking there for the hour it took me to shovel, but not the 10+ hours I’d be in classes or working), and then took my spot. I walked up and told them they had 10 seconds to move their car or I’d spend the next hour shoveling every single flake of snow they just watched me shovel on top of their car, and probably add some on top of it just to spite them. They moved. Shoveling sucks, and a lot of areas don’t have anything besides street parking, and shoveling is hard work. Try living in a snowy climate and see if you still think that claiming spots is dumb.

Mar 5, 2015 at 3:15 pm rating: 90

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- #24.1 The Beast Among Us
  
  Snow sucks. Shoveling sucks. Been there. Done that. I commend you for having the guts to approach the person directly, and if they watched you work so you could put your car in a certain place at that time, and then they took your spot while you went to get your car, then they were undeserving and rude. However, digging your car out, going to work for 8 hours, and expecting your spot to be there when you get back is simply ridiculous. Just because snow sucks doesn’t mean you’re the only one who has to deal with it.
  
  Mar 5, 2015 at 4:39 pm rating: 90
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#25 electric

I normally love the snow, I was in Boston about 3 weeks ago, no joke I saw more snow than I’ve seen in my entire lifetime, the company I work for is based in Boston, they had to shut down the office because of a power cut, they had to have generators for electricity, good news for me on the day I didn’t have work.

Mar 8, 2015 at 8:34 am rating: 90

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#26 bestdualfueldeal

In 2015 I went to Boston and the electricity was cut in the hotel I stayed in, the best deal was that there was a gas heater in the room so i was able to use that .

May 3, 2015 at 10:18 am rating: 90

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