“When I first moved to Chicago,” says Mike, “my grandfather told me about parking in the winter. One would dig out a spot and insert a chair, reserving the spot for your trouble.” One of his neighbors, it seems, didn’t get the benefit of such grandfatherly wisdom.
Neither, apparently, did Chris…who made the mistake of parking in an empty space outside his friend’s house in Chicago for few hours. When he got home, he found this note affixed to his mirror with glue.
And of course, Chicago isn’t the only city that takes its snow-shoveling etiquette seriously.
Just ask Anna in New Jersey…
Or Brooke in Indianapolis…
Or Amy in Washington, D.C…
Or Larry in Silver Spring, Maryland…
Or Kristin in Pittsburgh…
Olivia in Albany…
Or Chris in Boston…where they’re always keepin’ it classy.
related: Boston, a place for friends
364 responses so far ↓
#1
molly ringwald
if you read the note from indianapolis a couple of times, it sounds dirty…
and at first glance, i thought the note from d.c. said “whew” instead of “when” in an effort to indicate how tired she was after shoveling snow… i almost wish it did.
Feb 21, 2010 at 4:26 pm rating: 90
#2
r3loaded
In the UK, if it’s gonna take us more than 5 minutes to shovel away enough snow to get the car out or to make a parking space, then we don’t bother with going to work in the first place – it’s clearly extreme and unusual weather so we stay at home
Feb 21, 2010 at 4:33 pm rating: 90
#3
Canthz_B
Yup. Being from NY means that you automatically know all social conventions nationwide and are therefore an asshole when you break one.
It also automatically makes you a Yankees fan, which makes you an even bigger asshole than the asshole who assumes these things about you.
Sweet!!
Feb 21, 2010 at 4:35 pm rating: 90
#4
Dobie
We do this here in Pittsburgh – and if you get caught moving someone’s chair, boy look out. You’re likely to get a lot more then just a note on your car.
Feb 21, 2010 at 4:36 pm rating: 90
#5
Andi
Wow…massive snowstorms bring out the best in everyone
If I’d spent 3 hours shoveling only to have someone park in my spot I’d probably put the shovel through one of their car windows.
Feb 21, 2010 at 4:40 pm rating: 90
#6
Andi
I would find some burley friends and move their d@%^ car – into the street but I am just a pissed off New Englander like that!
Feb 21, 2010 at 4:45 pm rating: 90
#7
tiff
I’m glad I live in San Francisco…where there is snow only far out in the distance on some inconveniently located mountains.
When it’s time to clear out the rubble from The Big One in order to park, I’ll make sure to leave some passive aggressive notes on people who go near my earthquake’d parking zones.
Feb 21, 2010 at 4:48 pm rating: 90
#8
rhombchick
Being from australia, I didn’t realise snow shoveling was such a big issue! LOL! I don’t think I ever want to go to the US in winter, or at least not have a car that needs parking….
Feb 21, 2010 at 4:49 pm rating: 90
#9
seawolf
I’m from California and lived in Chicago. It’s first come first served. It’s just ridiculous to think you own a spot on a city street because you had to remove the snow for you to drive away.
But maybe I’m the kind of asshole who would park in your spot.
Feb 21, 2010 at 4:50 pm rating: 90
#10
Gunderson
Dear Chicago resident. I’m from NY, and I’m nice enough not to take your parking spot. But I did take you up on your offer of leaving me with a free chair. Between you and your 5 neighbors, I got enough chairs for my patio set.
PS, I hope the Cubs do as well this year as they did during the last 100 years.
Feb 21, 2010 at 4:50 pm rating: 90
#11
Ethnic Avenue
Shit like this is why I live in Los Angeles.
God Bless the Left Coast.
Feb 21, 2010 at 4:51 pm rating: 90
#12
Jenny
Living in Philly, where we got 44″ of snow this week, I have to say that these note-writers are totally justified. It’s one thing to consider it in the abstract, but I’ve never seen this much snow before in my life. I haven’t driven my car in 2 weeks because the work to dig it out was too overwhelming. It still looks like a snow drift with side view mirrors. If I moved someone’s lawn chair to steal their parking spot, I would consider myself lucky if my windshield didn’t get busted in.
Feb 21, 2010 at 4:55 pm rating: 91
#13
Liz
Wow, this is a totally new concept to me. I live in Minneapolis, where we get PLENTY of snow every year, and there is no such thing as “claiming” a spot here. If you want the spot that bad, you take public transportation or a cab and leave your car there. A freaking chair to hold your spot?! I would laugh my ass off if I saw that on the street here. And then run it over and park there.
Feb 21, 2010 at 5:10 pm rating: 90
#14
Tim Kolb
I usually have to drive around at least 15 min to find a spot within 2 blocks of my apartment. I’m taking it shovelled or not.
Feb 21, 2010 at 5:13 pm rating: 90
#15
muley
I’m glad I live in Scottsdale. No snow, ever.
Feb 21, 2010 at 5:18 pm rating: 91
#16
Monique
Yeah, sorry folks. Here in Canada, where we get that much snow for EIGHT MONTHS OF THE YEAR, you learn to keep a shovel in your car. In fact, we even help our neighbours shovel! Come on, the climate is changing, there is more and more snow where there wasn’t any before, you just have to adjust.
PS: Except in Toronto… where they are the centre of the universe and call out the military to help them dig out of a snow storm. You’re not as bad as Toronto, are you?
Feb 21, 2010 at 5:23 pm rating: 90
#17
Jeff
I am also from New York and, yes, I do think I am better than everyone. Because, you see, being from a *real* city, I don’t have a car and therefore don’t have to put up with this shit. The day after a storm, the sidewalk has been cleared and I can easily walk to two blocks to the subway!
Feb 21, 2010 at 5:24 pm rating: 90
#18
Wade
And New York style pizza sucks too.
Feb 21, 2010 at 5:25 pm rating: 90
#19
Marissa
I’m with the note-writers generally; it takes hours to clear out a spot after 3-4 feet of snow, given that you’re not doing a half-assed job.
That being said, it’s illegal in D.C. to “save your spot,” so sorry, my District neighbors. If a cop catches you with a folding chair in that spot you cherish, you’re getting a ticket. So you might not want to write that note.
Feb 21, 2010 at 5:41 pm rating: 90
#20
Marie
I think it’s bullshit that people think they are entitled to a public spot..You don’t own the street!!! I live in Philly and if you’re afraid of someone taking your spot, just take the goddamn bus or the train. There were still LOTS of buses running throughout the storm, and the city trains never stopped running. The worst is in South Philly where on a perfectly fine day, people will put out chairs to claim their ‘spot’ because they feel entitled to reserve the street that they do NOT even own!! Go suck a duck you losers..take public transit if it’s such an issue!!!
Feb 21, 2010 at 5:43 pm rating: 90
#21
David
The Boston people here are at least justified, there is a law of some sorts (or mayoral doctrine) that allows you to put crap in your spot for 48 hours after a snow emergency is declared to claim it after you dig it out. And like someone else said, the people who only got notes are pretty lucky, slashing tires or broken windows is the usual retaliation. (I say this as someone who doesnt own a car)
Feb 21, 2010 at 5:44 pm rating: 90
#22
gracefultortoise
Hmmm… as a native Chicagoan, I recall times when we’d spend many hours digging cars out and try to hold spots but knew that sometimes it was an exercise in futility. The only surefire way to hold your spot is to leave your vehicle there and hop on the bus or the el. Also, it’s been illegal to try to “hold” a space using furniture for quite some time and you can get fined for attempting to do so. If you try to hold a space with a folding chair, the person removing it may very well be saving you from a hefty fine. It’s the midwest. It’s winter. It snows. Sometimes a lot. The world doesn’t stop so we gotta suck it up and deal with it.
Feb 21, 2010 at 5:45 pm rating: 90
#23
matty-wat
If I throw the word aforementioned into my note will it sound more official?
Feb 21, 2010 at 6:00 pm rating: 90
#24
anglophile
The table may not have been trash when it was put out to the curb, but it will be once I shove it out of the way with my bumper.
Feb 21, 2010 at 6:19 pm rating: 90
#25
KayOkay from Toronto
Where are the enterprising tweens and teenagers who want to make a buck by shovelling? Is that not popular in American cities?
Not that there wouldn’t still be spot stealing, but fewer adults would be doing those big 3-hour workouts.
Feb 21, 2010 at 6:27 pm rating: 90
#26
park rose
Guess maybe the eightfold* PANs are a way to the eightfold path? Maybe the eightfold path is serviced by an efficient and safe public transport option? I know this isn’t an option everywhere.
*I know we’re going to get an origami PAN on here one day.
Feb 21, 2010 at 6:37 pm rating: 90
#27
eslinger
Re: #20.1 – sleeps
I’m all ears!
Gotta say, I’m so proud of Indianapolis for keeping it classy and polite! Hoosiers represent!
And for the record, I have a driveway of sorts, but have been in the street parking situation, and never once “claimed it” as my own, no matter the weather. Get real.
Team Finders, Keepers; Losers, Weepers!
Feb 21, 2010 at 6:52 pm rating: 90
#28
Paul Tomblin
Somebody parked in my spot after I’d spent several hours shovelling it out. I poured several gallons of water on his car, and packed tons of snow over it. Unfortunately it wasn’t cold enough so he was eventually able to get his car out.
Feb 21, 2010 at 6:59 pm rating: 90
#29
AMoparGirl
I am SO glad I have a driveway!
Feb 21, 2010 at 7:02 pm rating: 90
#30
Stephanie
I live in a mid-western city, and all of this spot-saving is bullshit. If I parked in your spot, that means that I, too, had to shovel a spot in order to get my own car out and move it. In a city, it’s usually hard enough to find a parking space without people insisting that a space sit empty all day while they’re at work.
Unless you’re in the fourth grade, “quack quack spot back” just doesn’t cut it. Grow up. Everybody who lives here where it snows has to shovel. We all have to carry shovels in our trunks. We all think it sucks. If it prevents you from conducting yourself as an adult, then move where it doesn’t snow.
Feb 21, 2010 at 7:08 pm rating: 90
#31
Wordtinker doesnt smith
Mark your territory. Dogs do.
Feb 21, 2010 at 7:09 pm rating: 90
#32
Rebecca
I am so glad that we choose to pay for parking where we live. I don’t have to deal with people who have to shovel themselves out. Best money we spend!
Feb 21, 2010 at 7:13 pm rating: 90
#33
Policywank
These people are lucky they found notes on their cars. I’ve lived in two places where parking in the spot that someone else shoveled would get your tires slit, your window broken, or both if the vandal felt like they could get away with both.
Feb 21, 2010 at 7:27 pm rating: 90
#34
Alexus
It’s a public street. Get over it a-holes. Most of these comments just beg me to get a crappy car that barely runs, park it in your spot and set up cameras to catch you doing any damage to the car. You know … for evidence. For the whole willful and malicious destruction of property thing. Then all of sudden you will have bigger problems to worry about. And yes, I have applied this tactic to other situations. With great success.
Feb 21, 2010 at 7:33 pm rating: 90
#35
Manda!
Wow. I am glad I live in California where I get no snow what so ever… I don’t feel bad for never seeing snow after reading these gems!
Feb 21, 2010 at 7:41 pm rating: 90
#36
SET
If it takes you 3 hours to shovel out a parking spot, you’re doing it wrong.
Also I think it’s super unfair to assume that everyone knows these “rules”. I live in a part of Canada that gets tons of snow, and I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous.
Feb 21, 2010 at 7:52 pm rating: 90
#37
Eric
This “owning” of a PUBLIC parking spot is ridiculous. If you don’t want someone else to park there, don’t shovel the snow. If you shoveled it to “reserve” it you’re just as ridiculous. Of course, I live in CA and it never snows where I live. If you tried putting out a chair with a note saying “this is my spot” you’d be likely to get YOUR @ss kicked. First come, first serve. No matter if you shovel the snow, sweep the leaves, or camp there. Get over it, Northeasters.
Feb 21, 2010 at 8:02 pm rating: 90
#38
CourtH
I agree with the city of Boston.
It’s the responsibility of city government to plow roads so that people can drive and park, but if it falls on the citizen to shovel out a spot they should be able to hold that spot until the city is able to do its job.
Feb 21, 2010 at 8:27 pm rating: 90
#39
Dave Anthony
I’m willing to overlook the hoarders for a few days after a big snow storm, but it pisses me off when they think they still have a right to the spot TWO WEEKS LATER after all the streets have been cleared. My neighborhood in Herndon, VA still has chairs holding spots. I’m tempted to go throw them all in the dumpster.
Feb 21, 2010 at 8:32 pm rating: 90
#40
pm
Some people don’t realize that parking spots are sometimes reserved in the summer too. Some homes are so close together there are no driveways and many of the older homes have become apartments, and more people now have cars. I live where I have a huge driveway and the city plows the street where people sometimes park. But, if I cleaned away the huge hard icy pile left by the snowplow I’d expect some consideration too. What goes around comes around you know, and sometimes it gets helped around.
Feb 21, 2010 at 9:14 pm rating: 90
#41
JK
Wow! I’m glad I live in sunny California where there is no snow!
Feb 21, 2010 at 9:15 pm rating: 90
#42
PhillyGuy
I’m a lot less entertaining than most people on this thread! Overall I agree with Dave Anthony: a day or two after a massive disruptive snowstorm, when people only go out for quick runs to get beer and other essentials, holding your spot can be overlooked. I mean, nobody is really out trying to take it – they’re all inside staying warm and skipping work.
But when does it stop? Do the renters next to me who have 3 cars really get to claim 3 spots on the street? Most of the year I clean their sidewalks, plant trees on the block, and call the cops when their drunken late night parties start waking up sleeping babies and old ladies.
My vote is: you don’t own the spot unless your name is on the deed. If you don’t want to risk losing it, well…don’t leave the spot.
Feb 21, 2010 at 9:32 pm rating: 90
#43
...
Seriously. Try that chair shit in the middle of summer and see where it gets you. Just because there’s snow on the ground doesn’t mean anything.
Feb 21, 2010 at 9:53 pm rating: 90
#44
Sheena
Who takes 3 hours to clear a spot? I’ve lived in places that have plenty of snow (Alberta, Nova scotia…), it’s a 20 minute job max. It use to take less than an hour to shovel out my whole apartment building…. :/
I’d don’t see any claim to a spot on a public street. If you want a reserved spot then pay the bit extra for a place that gives that to you (give up something else to pay for it if it’s important to you). The only exception to that is maybe when it’s cold and you need to be close enough to your house to plug in your car (but then everyone just makes sure to park in front of their own house so it works out fine).
Feb 21, 2010 at 9:54 pm rating: 90
#45
Canthz_B
It doesn’t snow here in the sunny Phoenix, AZ area. But back on my old residential street in NJ, if you shoveled out the spot in front of your house, the neighbors generally respected that that was your spot.
If someone who lived on the street took your spot, you were entitled to their first born child, or their car, whichever had fewer dents.
Feb 21, 2010 at 10:07 pm rating: 90
#46
Grizzly
Ah memories. I recall shovelling out a spot for my car, then walking up the street to get mine and by the time I came back a neighbour’s visitor from across the street had taken mine.
I asked her to move it and she refused rather rudely.
So I spent the next hour calmly shovelling snow back on to her car.
Feb 21, 2010 at 10:09 pm rating: 90
#47
Canthz_B
Isn’t porking shitboxes illegal within the city limits of Boston?
I know they do that kind of thing up in Lynn, but Boston?
Feb 21, 2010 at 10:22 pm rating: 90
#48
Lisa
Aww gee, here in Buffalo we have something called snow plows.
I’d actually love to see a lawn chair mine-sies game in the hood. It would be awesome.
Feb 21, 2010 at 10:31 pm rating: 90
#49
TippingCows
I know when I lived in Medford (and a couple of other Boston suburbs), during snow emergencies you could only park on a certain side of the street (odd or even numbers). I don’t know if they still do that but it is a bitch. I didn’t mind walking five minutes to my car every morning, actually. But if you’re that concerned and it’s that competitive, just call into work. Keep the car in the spot and play video games all day or something. It’s not worth getting that upset over it.
Feb 21, 2010 at 11:00 pm rating: 90
#50
Little Miss Trouble
A guy in my building (in Chicago) uses this excuse to keep a parking spot in front of our building reserved at all times. He doesn’t even shovel the space out; he just puts chairs there and keeps them there until April.
Feb 22, 2010 at 12:13 am rating: 90
#51
Josie
I’m so glad that I don’t have to deal with this… we Vancouverites just helicopter snow in when we need it, and enjoy the fine warm weather when we don’t!!
Feb 22, 2010 at 12:45 am rating: 90
#52
Heldt
Here in Germany we
a) use in addition to the barrels/chairs a rope or even barrier tape to mark our spots.
still, we
b) usually don’t care about shoveling anything free and just park on the snow.
If you had more snow than we had here you are _really_ in trouble…
However, if you don’t tell people not to park on the spot (e.g. by taping a message on the barrel) some people that don’t know about this unwritten law and park there. Or, at least I would…
Feb 22, 2010 at 2:59 am rating: 90
#53
KIND GENTLE GUY
Thank non-existent god I live in England, not having to deal with arrogant, selfish and petty individuals. (like you C***s pointlessly moaning) This message is for anyone who feels this applies to them.
Feb 22, 2010 at 4:09 am rating: 90
#54
kevin
being from florida i have no idea about this… but just makes me more afraid to ever move up north for fear of screwing up some cultural tradition involving lawn furniture.
at the same time if i was driving along and saw chairs over and over again i’d probably assume it meant i couldn’t park there…
Feb 22, 2010 at 6:04 am rating: 90
#55
at2002
Its not that people who park in spots other people shoveled don’t *know* snow-parking-space etiquette, they don’t care about it.
I moved to a small town with street parking-no public transportation here. No one had to tell me that I shouldn’t park in a spot someone else shoveled. But, I still thought it was douchy when I saw someone leave a note on a spot-violator’s car.
Now, to start acting old-what’s wrong with kids these days? My neighbor has a 19yr old and twin 13yr old boys-he and his wife shoveled, then paid some of the enterprising day laborers to finish. Isn’t that why we have kids-legal slave labor?
Feb 22, 2010 at 6:38 am rating: 90
#56
Kelly
I have shoveled god only knows how much snow this year, and after this last snowstorm i finally managed to dig out a spot for my car right out in front of my house, when my neighbor rented a plow truck and DUMPED ALL OF THE SNOW FROM HIS DRIVEWAY INTO THE SPOT I HAD SO *DILIGENTLY* SHOVED BY HAND.
These people are lucky no one smashed said placeholders through their windshields =P
Feb 22, 2010 at 6:54 am rating: 90
#57
[c]
these notes display one of many reasons i love living in the south!
Feb 22, 2010 at 7:15 am rating: 90
#58
Canthz_B
Did they have an exhumation order from the court to “unbury” that aforementioned car?
Feb 22, 2010 at 7:48 am rating: 90
#59
hungrygrrl
My problem with ‘saving spots’- this means that all you can do is go to work and come back home. You can’t visit friends because you might be taking someone’s spot! You can’t have people over, because they might be taking someone’s spot! The horrors. It’s not the snow that makes me hate going into town (metro Boston up in here!) in the winter, its the fact that there is no where for a visitor to park.
Feb 22, 2010 at 8:12 am rating: 90
#60
K
Oh Boston. Road rage, parking rage, yankees rage… never change.
Feb 22, 2010 at 8:23 am rating: 90
#61
Dan
City folks are so fickel…
Feb 22, 2010 at 8:24 am rating: 90
#62
threeseven
Pshawwww, try to “save” yourself a spot in the parking hell that is NYC.
You shoveled this spot? Good, thanks for clearing it for me.
Feb 22, 2010 at 8:49 am rating: 90
#63
Bunnee
Down here in the South, our parking woes don’t involve snow. They involve baking, scorching sun. You know, molten-hot steering wheels that are too hot to touch, car seats that scorch the backs of your legs, etc…Prime parking spaces usually involve shade of some sort, like under a tree. If I saw a lawn chair reserving a spot in the shade, I would just wait a few minutes. It will spontaneously combust at some point, and Voila! A parking spot in the shade!
Feb 22, 2010 at 8:56 am rating: 90
#64
Ridiculous
If you want a reserved spot, pay for one. Period.
If there is a bad storm, everyone who needs to move their car on the street needs to shovel it out. If you don’t need to move your car, you can leave it there covered in snow. Therefore, there is a finite number of spots which are shoveled out. If someone parks in “your” spot, they must have shoveled out another spot someplace else. The thought of leaving spots open all day long just because someone thinks they own the street is absurd.
I live in a busy neighborhood in Queens, NY, and I shoveled out my car, left, and returned about 12 hours later. Guess what, “my” spot was taken, but I found another one a few streets over. Big deal, I had to drive around an extra 15 minutes and walk a few blocks. I sure as heck didn’t throw a temper tantrum like a 4 year old about it.
Feb 22, 2010 at 8:58 am rating: 90
#65
Southpaw
As nice as it is that they shovelled out the snow, that doesn’t magically make the spot theirs once they leave. It doesn’t matter how much time they spent on shovelling, it’s still public domain for parking and gluing a note to their car/smashing their windows/or otherwise damaging their car is still illegal and if you’re turned in for it will still land you a few thousand dollars poorer.
Feb 22, 2010 at 9:09 am rating: 90
#66
bridget
seriously? you shovel out so that you can LEAVE and get to another destination, not so you have a space to park in when you return… i have never left a shoveled out parking space and expected it to be there when i got back. i guess Virginia is just more reasonable than our neighboring states.
if you don’t like dealing with city parking, buy a house with a driveway or return to the country.
Feb 22, 2010 at 9:37 am rating: 90
#67
anon-anon
Well, this just about never happens in New York.
If you pull out of a spot, its GONE. Tough luck.
If you leave something in that spot to save it, its going to get (a) run over or (b) stolen.
Feb 22, 2010 at 9:38 am rating: 90
#68
reyna
If I spent 3 hours shoveling out one parking spot, I’d consider myself mentally retarded and stay home. Stop with the friggin hyperbole already.
Feb 22, 2010 at 9:50 am rating: 90
#69
ANgela
Can I blame this on being an American thing? In Canada either the snow plough will dig you out, or you just drive back and forth until you have ‘ploughed’ your own way out of the snow bank.
Feb 22, 2010 at 9:58 am rating: 90
#70
Jazz
How very bizarre. Here in Montreal you shovel yourself out and leave, too bad. I’ve never heard of anything like this…
Feb 22, 2010 at 10:03 am rating: 90
#71
Wednesday
@ Jugga Jugga: Whoop Whoop !!! Much Clown Love !!
Feb 22, 2010 at 10:09 am rating: 90
#72
Dutiful Daughter
We just put Gramma out on the curb with a LOT of hot strong coffee and her cane–she enjoys yelling “Git off’a my space!” at all those young whippersnappers. And it keeps her busy and out of the my hair ;).
Feb 22, 2010 at 11:06 am rating: 90
#73
llamagirl
Oh this is nothing. In Pittsburgh if you move someone’s Parking Chair and steal their spot you run the risk of your car getting vandalized or worse, re-buried… http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/22514683/detail.html
Feb 22, 2010 at 11:06 am rating: 90
#74
Candy
Surveyed my office after I read this. We live in Chicago. Every person who thinks saving the spot is ok voted for Obama. Only one guy thought it was stupid and you shouldn’t. He voted for the other guy.
Feb 22, 2010 at 11:52 am rating: 90
#75
DavidSKi
I live in Little Italy, baltimore, md where the chair thing is local neighborhood law. Ive seen flat tires (air let out, not slashed) because of some asshole moving a chair and parking in someone’s spot.
Me? Someone parks in my spot, I will rebury them and let them see how fun it is. What even more fun if the car i just reburied belongs from an out of towner, in town for a nice dinner.
Guaranteed no shovel. Enjoy!
Feb 22, 2010 at 12:25 pm rating: 90
#76
Vintage_K
I live in an “urban” area, in NJ. A couple of weeks ago, when that snowstorm finally hit us, we received 14 inches of snow. I digged out my car in approximately an hour and a half (with a smoke break included). The following morning on my way to work everyone in my neighborhood had trashcans/chairs situated in their spots where they dug out the night before. Sooooooooo, I grabbed a chair and claimed my spot. There is limited parking in my area and I wasn’t going to let another lazy asshole park there for at least the next 2 days (tops!). I do drive around with a shovel in my trunk just in case of emergencies (thankyouverymuch). Receiving tickets for placing chairs and what have you, don’t necessarily happen in my town, as snow plowers don’t really do their jobs anyway. With all that said, if you received a lovely note like one of the above, you effin’ deserved it! So spare me the drama, nobody gives a damn. Ooh and yes…bite me!
Tootles!
Feb 22, 2010 at 12:32 pm rating: 90
#77
Brian
I think I’ll just let all you assholes argue over this stupid shit and ride on past on my bike, or walk past on my way to the train station to pick up my I-Go reservation.
Feb 22, 2010 at 1:20 pm rating: 90
#78
Liosis
You are all silly. You are simply reacting to the passive-aggression in the notes. Yes, passive-aggression is bad. That does not mean that the act of taking advantage of someone’s hard work isn’t wrong. If I found a chair in the dumpster and fixed it and painted it and tied a little ribbon on it it should be obvious that it is mine. That is the same as stealing someones parking spot. It requires the same work and commitment, in fact it requires more work!
Feb 22, 2010 at 1:27 pm rating: 90
#79
S
This all makes me laugh. I’ve never seen this happen in Minneapolis, and we’ve been battling horrible parking all winter.
Even now when new parking restrictions have been placed so we can only park on one side of the street, nobody is pulling this.
Feb 22, 2010 at 1:33 pm rating: 90
#80
Matt
I’m sorry, but the great rules of “finders keepers, losers weepers” dictate that you’re sol once you leave that spot open for 4-8 hours.
Feb 22, 2010 at 1:39 pm rating: 90
#81
Jen
I live in Chicago (and i actually mean the CITY not some stupid suburb!), and i think “saving” a spot is stupid. The street (even if its infront of your house) is not YOUR property and neither is the sidewalk in front of your house! if there is a crack in the side walk…you cant fix it on your own, you need to call the city to come out and fix it. I’ve lived here my entire life…never had the luxury of a driveway or garage, and despite all that…i have NEVER EVER saved a parking spot with some thing…NEVER! And i say Shame on you! to the people who have and continue too…I hope everyones chairs, strollers, toilets, bed frames, cones and any other random object you put out to “save” your spot, gets stolen or moves it and takes your spot. There are more important things to worry about than a parking spot.
If you live somewhere w/ snow…you know what to expect. get over it and stop being a baby. If its that bad…MOVE your stupid lazy ass somewhere else!
Feb 22, 2010 at 1:39 pm rating: 90
#82
Snow Parker
Yes, the parking spot saving in Boston is fierce. This year, I finally got mad enough at someone stealing my spot that I wrote “You Jerk” on a door–with my keys.
Feb 22, 2010 at 1:56 pm rating: 90
#83
Emily
Whats with all the “if you think the spot saving is dumb then you must have a driveway?” Ive lived in Chicago for the past 3 years. I have a car and I park it on the street. Now Ive never taken anyones spot that had chairs, cones, trashcans or whatever else- but not because I think its wrong but because I dont want my car keyed. I think its pretty rude (and illegal in Chicago) to mark off your own spot. So guess what, when I come home at 7:30 at night and the only spot left on my street is your spot thats blocked off I think youre the asshole.
Feb 22, 2010 at 1:57 pm rating: 90
#84
Tom
I didn’t leave a note. I just buried the free rider with the snow that I shoveled. I feel it is fair that everyone get the opportunity to shovel snow.
Feb 22, 2010 at 2:09 pm rating: 90
#85
Janey
Haven’t these people heard of “Move your feet, lose your seat”? Same basic rule applies here.
Feb 22, 2010 at 2:18 pm rating: 90
#86
Tracy
As an overly hostile note writer in Baltimore during this past blizzard, I highly regret the things I put on paper.
Feb 22, 2010 at 2:38 pm rating: 90
#87
Al
When I lived in Chicago a couple times someone knocked on my door, asking me if I (or my roommates) had moved her bucket. I think she knocked on every door on the block, screaming and cursing all the way. For the record, we were innocent — I had an uncovered spot in the alley behind the building (it was a bitch to get out of in heavy snow, but at least in the alley people didn’t write gang signs in the snow on the back window).
Feb 22, 2010 at 2:54 pm rating: 90
#88
JMonkey78
I live in Oklahoma and we got 18 inches of snow, doesn’t sound right to me either, earlier this year. I cleaned my car off, got the doors unstuck and moved it out of the driveway, so I could clean the driveway off. I got through and it was late, so I went to bed. When I came out my neighbor had parked in my driveway, because his was covered in snow. Apparently he works nights and his sleep and energy is more valuable than mine. My wife would not let me tow him, or he would have really been wondering where his car was.
Feb 22, 2010 at 2:56 pm rating: 90
#89
JMonkey78
Did anyone else notice that Chris drove all the way home before noticing the note glued to his mirror. That to me is more alarming than the note. He drove some distance and never once checked all his mirrors. Being that this one should have been on the same side as the road, he pulled out and never even checked for oncoming traffic.
Feb 22, 2010 at 3:11 pm rating: 90
#90
noah
wow, when i lived in madison, wisconsin, nobody ever said anything about a stupid rule like that, and I wouldn’t have followed it if they had.
You shovel out a space, and then that space is yours forever? Ridiculous. I park where there’s room. If you want the space you shovel out, shovel it out right before you park.
Feb 22, 2010 at 3:14 pm rating: 90
#91
Noodle
I think it might be more of a thing where snow isn’t usually that intense. I’m from an area where snow lasts maybe two days and, while it’s there, I don’t usually have to go anywhere. Good thing, too, because my car doesn’t drive at all on ice or snow. In order to dig my car out, the area around it and behind/in front of it has to be completely snow and ice free, which sucks because I have back problems and can’t shovel for long.
Luckily, though, I haven’t had to go much anywhere during snowmaggedon, so I wasn’t too upset when someone parked in my old pristine spot. I just gathered up a couple people and rolled it on to an icy one (all the spots have a 3-inch sheet of ice on them now… worse than snow, IMO, and they won’t plow it) and it’s going to sit there until the ice melts or I absolutely have to get out again. That said, I definitely can understand why some people get so mad, especially in areas that usually don’t get this much snow where there’s zlich public transport and very little plowing. I don’t think it’s worth vandalism, though.
Feb 22, 2010 at 3:20 pm rating: 90
#92
snatchbeast
When I lived in Boston and it was bitchtastic snow weather I’d pretend it was trash day and pick up the items that people would leave in the street. Why’s there a table in the street? It must be trash day! I furnished my first apartment this way and am forever grateful. If you fear losing your spot so much, take public transportation.
The street is the street. It’s public property.
Feb 22, 2010 at 3:44 pm rating: 90
#93
Ti
Dear Everyone East of the Mississippi River (excepting Wisconsin):
There are these things called snow-plows. They are big machines that push the snow out of the road for you. It’s like magic! Start a petition, get them on your next state ballot, and vote for them. This will solve all your problems.
Signed,
The state of Colorado
P.S. Eighteen inches, D.C.? Don’t make me laugh.
Feb 22, 2010 at 4:31 pm rating: 90
#94
amii
The glued one is just an invitation for retribution. I can take cussing when I make a stoopid, but for the glued one, I’d have to leave a glued note that said, “okey dokey!”
Feb 22, 2010 at 4:42 pm rating: 90
#95
eslinger
Someone mentioned several posts up something about neighbors parking in their driveway, and others have mentioned that no one “owns” a space on a public street. That being said…
My mom had me block the front entrance to our driveway with my car because our coke-head neighbor/slum-lord kept parking there, even though it was technically our driveway (yes, my mom actually had a surveyor check to be sure). He could have had his coke-head girlfriend move her car from behind his via the back entrance of the driveway into the alley, but no, he decided to instead move my car using his car as a “plow” of sorts. What happened? I got a parking ticket for $3.00. It’s illegal for you to block YOUR OWN DRIVEWAY. >.<
The only space that we had any claim to on our street was the handicapped space that the city put directly in front of our house for my handicapped grandmother to park in. That didn't stop the local pimps, crackwhores, and other ne'er-do-wells living around us from parking there, though. And this was all year around, not just in winter. The only bright spot was in calling the cops and having the vehicles towed for parking there illegally. Passive aggressive FTW!
Feb 22, 2010 at 5:22 pm rating: 90
#96
JJ Funk
One reason why I live in Tampa.
Feb 22, 2010 at 5:43 pm rating: 90
#97
senor coconut
What is this “snow?”
Living in the tropics rules.
You may all laugh at me when another hurricane comes right at me.
Feb 22, 2010 at 6:11 pm rating: 90
#98
2fs
The Boston law does NOT say a space you shoveled out is yours for 48 hours. It says that if you mark the space, your marker needs to be removed after 48 hours: not the same thing at all. http://www.cityofboston.gov/snow/parking/
Feb 22, 2010 at 8:57 pm rating: 90
#99
Katie
What magical land is this where you get to reserve parking spot for yourself merely through the act of clearing them out? Unless you pay for them either by renting or owning the spots… I can’t see the logic.
Feb 22, 2010 at 10:58 pm rating: 90
#100
Buffy
Team Parkers. You can’t own a parking space on the street. If you have having to shovel snow so much and not having your own spot, move or make a driveway or garage to park your car in. I don’t move somewhere that does not have adequate parking for my family in the first place. It is very entitled to think you can reserve a spot indefinitely on the street which is open to everyone. I think parking chairs are stupid and while I might respect them just because I don’t want to get into a fight with people, I don’t think it is right. At the very least they could leave a note letting you know when they plan to be back on their parking chair so you will know if parking there for a short while might be okay. These assholes go out of town or to work for eight hours a day and expect no one to touch their spot that whole time. That is absurd.
Feb 23, 2010 at 5:58 am rating: 90
#101
Bossy
I live in Philadelphia and parking is definitely a commodity. However, I’ve shoveled my car out of snow and when I come back and find the spot still open, I consider it luck. I’m not entitled to a spot on the street…it is NOT my driveway even if it’s perfectly in front of my building. When I need to park again, I dig out a spot. That’s just how it is, the street belongs to no one. However, I wouldn’t park in a spot with a “chair”. Not because I think they deserve their spot for digging so much (they dug to get the car out, not to have a spot, c’mon) but because those people are crazy and I don’t want to risk coming back to a keyed car or a broken window or anything of the sort. Although I don’t want to enable them, I’d rather have my car be intact.
Feb 23, 2010 at 8:38 am rating: 90
#102
splint chesthair
I live in a small town that follows the “chairs mark my space” rule. I have a driveway now so it’s not my issue but I never really thought much of it. I always just figured if someone dug out the space, others would be respectful enough to not take it. I never saw it as people asserting rights, just reminding people to be respectful.
I will say that when I was a kid, I’d make a king’s ransom shoveling out parked-in cars. I also carried a spray bottle of red food coloring to mark the spaces with the last names of the person that paid me. Worked like a charm.
Feb 23, 2010 at 8:48 am rating: 90
#103
Michael
You know what sucks? Street parking. Whether you have to shovel or not. You’re going to get dinged. You’re going to have to dig yourself out, and sometimes in. People are going to take your spot, and you can’t do anything about it, except maybe go postal and make yourself a bigger problem than street parking. It’s just one of those sucky parts of life.
Now, if municipalities actually gave a damn, they might consider building more realistic solutions to the *parking* problem, rather than spending all that money on highway widening and reconstruction.
Feb 23, 2010 at 9:49 am rating: 90
#104
TM
Not sure what the majority is, but I don’t subscribe to the “i shoveled it, I own it” mentality. I actually complained to our management company about it.
I actually knocked over a “reserved” sign with my car last week. It felt so good.
Feb 23, 2010 at 10:56 am rating: 90
#105
Joe
I understand being mad when you shovel out a space and someone else takes it. But Amy from DC said she has the “right” to park there upon her return. I’m not sure that’s actually written in the law books of DC. Others in the comments have said they have a right to park in front of their houses. Well, it is a public street which means the public may park there if there is space available. There is no law saying you are the only one allowed to park in front of your own house. It’s nice to be able to do so, and would be nice if others respected this. But there’s really nothing you can do about it. If Ineeded a space and moved a chair to park so I could get home, I would set up my video camera to watch my car in case someone wants to get revenge and damage my car. See what the judge says about who is right and who is wrong.
Feb 23, 2010 at 10:59 am rating: 90
#106
Liz
Admittedly, I am a recent Atlanta transplant to the DC area, so for me, Snowmageddon 2k10 was shocking.
For everyone that is hating on us for not “dealing with it” properly… the actual DC area is TINY. Like, 6 miles across. With the number of buildings (businesses, homes, schools, even bus stops, etc) there are only so many places to put the snow. More realistically, nowhere. That’s why this “measly” 3 feet of snow has presented such issues.
ANYWAY, in my short time here I have already developed a solid opinion about this specific issue:
1) If you shovel yourself out, go you! But… what on earth makes you think that spot is going to be there when you get back? Clearly if someone else (specifically a neighbor) is out driving on the road, and parks in your spot when they came back, there’s a mystery spot somewhere else along your street. Just like any other day, find A spot to park in, not YOUR spot.
2) If you reserve your spot with a household item of any sort, you are an asshat looking to lose some furniture. Plain and simple. I know people that specifically look for furniture on the side of the road at times like these, and replace it with a note that says “Buy it back on CraigsList.”
3) If you write a PAN on someone’s car citing the placement of your chair, you are an infant. If the chair is gone, who’s to say that someone ELSE didn’t move/steal your chair/table/etc earlier in the day? Who’s to say that the person who parked in your spot isn’t on crutches? Who’s to say that person didn’t run out of gas and have to push their car out of the street, into an open spot? Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet can be fighting some sort of battle. Also, if you think of things this way, you will feel BETTER about yourself, not frustrated at the snowtuation.
At least, that’s how I look at it.
Feb 23, 2010 at 12:10 pm rating: 90
#107
Ryan
Oh man, the best thing to do in these situations is take the free chair, and then park somewhere else. You get some hilarious misanthrope flipping out on the next person to drive by the now empty spot and park there. And said misanthrope is down a chair (or whatever other stupidity they can think of to claim fivesies, or whatever the crap you fools call it).
Feb 23, 2010 at 12:35 pm rating: 90
#108
splint chesthair
The best solution is to bury a spike strip in the snow in the spot you shoveled. Just some hard rubber with nails driven threw and and then covered with snow. One flat is terrible, two is a disaster.
Feb 23, 2010 at 12:42 pm rating: 90
#109
abby
being from phila and living near a hospital where parking is a problem in all weather conditions, these note writers are totally justified. we had record snow fall here, and after spending HOURS digging out a spot in five feet of snow (the nearly 50″ that snowed, plus the dirty ice the plows (IF your road was plowed) pushed on top means that spot is mine. im not digging out the entire street just bc my neighbor is “too cold to dig out a spot” for himself or bc someone wants to visit aunt nancy in the hospital across the street when there is a parking garage for hospital visitors. and if you park in someones spot that is marked with a chair in my area? expect something – slashed tires, broken windshield, etc.
Feb 23, 2010 at 1:18 pm rating: 90
#110
omgwtfbbq
so it’s definitely illegal in DC to put your random shit (old chairs, other furniture, trash bins) on the street to “reserve” spaces. It becomes an issue when you need to visit an area you don’t live in, and even though everyone has their cars at work with then for the next 8 HOURS their trash cans are neatly lined up along the entire block. But I will DEFINITELY not park in one of those spots for fear of having my windshield broken. I will however, steal their furniture and set their trash cans on fire.
Feb 23, 2010 at 4:06 pm rating: 90
#111
bibberly
Yet another great reason to live in Florida. My family gives me crap about living here, but you don’t see me digging out my car to go to work. (And on the off chance that we do get snow way down here, you’d better believe that everything will be shut down and I won’t have to go anywhere anyhow.)
Feb 23, 2010 at 4:11 pm rating: 90
#112
Ti
Snow plows push the snow out of the road ONTO cars. Hence a good chunk of the problem. Thanks for playing, though.
Well, you’re obviously doing something wrong, because we in Colorado get 3-10 times as much snow as the East coast, and we don’t have these absurd parking squabbles.
Feb 23, 2010 at 4:21 pm rating: 90
#113
Cali girl
Oh good Lord. If you choose to live in a place where it friggin snows, then don’t be a baby about it. It snowed. Boohoo. You knew it would around this time of year. Don’t act surprised. Find another parking, and walk.
Feb 23, 2010 at 9:06 pm rating: 90
#114
abs
I ask where would you need to go with all that snow? We knew snow was coming so we planned ahead and went grocery shopping so we didnt have to worry about digging out our cars. In st paul finders keepers.
Feb 23, 2010 at 10:28 pm rating: 90
#115
sassfactory
LOLOL – of course Boston produces the most belligerent note of all.
Feb 24, 2010 at 12:43 am rating: 90
#116
dee
If you shovel out a spot, it does NOT mean it is yours. You do not own that spot.. it is for the public.
It is ridiculous people write notes. New Yorkers will obviously move chairs, garbage cans, etc because we know that shoveling out a spot and saving it.. is just selfish. It does not mean that we are better than you.
Shoveling out a spot is not that big of a deal people.. stop complaining.
PS. Yankees do not suck… they won the world series.
Feb 24, 2010 at 7:48 am rating: 90
#117
Sue
Wow. I think everyone complaining about snow parking must be incredibly blessed. Obviously, if this is the largest current issue in your life, you all must have so very much to be grateful for. Have your blessings become so overlooked that the inconvenience of snow would allow you to become so angry? Make a gratitude list. Realize how blessed you are. Chill.
Feb 24, 2010 at 6:11 pm rating: 90
#118
Le Fabe
OK, so I’m a few days late to the party, but I wanted to share too. I live in Capitol Hill and I actually had to work on every single day of the 3 snow storms we had this winter. I also don’t work on the Hill, so I had to drive to stupid Silver Spring. Everyone else around here works for the government and had days off. So naturally, no one digs out their cars for days, some neighbors didn’t dig them out at all and just left them there for 2 weeks until it all melted this week. Anyway, I dug my car out, which was parked in front of my house and I went to work. I come home from work at 2:30am and of course, some twat’s in “my” space. I’m annoyed but understand that it’s a public spot. I drive around for 30 minutes and find a spot that I have to spend 30 minutes digging out so I can park. Next day, same shit. This time though, I spot a “reserved” spot at 2:30am. So I gleefully toss the fucking chair into the snow bank and park my car. Thanks, stranger. In the morning, some dickhead is parked in such a way as to block me in (because of course the person didn’t bother to completely dig it out, just enough so they could pull out). Since they were technically in an illegal spot, I called 311 and got their stupid fucking car towed. It took less than 30 minutes. No P-A notes exchanged, just a couple of hostile acts…
Feb 24, 2010 at 11:28 pm rating: 90
#119
lou
I’m sorry but this is a bad tradition. If you dig out the space and go to work, this spot is supposed to just sit vacant for nine hours while probably a dozen people are supposed to just find a non reserved spot. If you continue this tradition at the very least the person taking the spot should display there cell number so they can borrow the spot and if you return give it to you, given to reason time of night. How do you claim ownership to to a communal spot that you vacate for nine hours. If your so pissed shovel them in, then turn the hose and freeze their car in a spot. If being anti social is your thing.
Feb 25, 2010 at 10:13 am rating: 90
#120
Vintage_K
This thread is like a broken record.
Feb 25, 2010 at 11:42 am rating: 90
#121
Billco
Canadian here. We have no rules about shoveling, and with 3 hours we could shovel the whole street block. We get at least a foot of snow each month, I don’t see what the big deal is.
Feb 25, 2010 at 1:56 pm rating: 90
#122
Gwennie
We lived in a very parking-scarce, non-permit neighborhood in Chicago for three years and had to park on the street. I have driven in circles for three hours trying to leave my car somewhere within a half-mile of my apartment.
And yet, I never tried to reserve a parking spot following that stupid “tradition.” Not even the weekend we got over 20 inches. Stay in it, or kiss it goodbye. (or rent a damn spot). The street does not belong to you, it is public, shared property.
Feb 25, 2010 at 5:09 pm rating: 90
#123
David
@merkin4
Boston does not have a law giving the digger “dibs” on a spot for 48 hours. The law says this: “Any ‘spacesavers’ left in on-street parking spaces that have been shoveled out must be removed 48 hours after a snow emergency has ended.”
Thinking that you temporarily own public space is ridiculous and nonsensical. I have to dig out my car when we have heavy snow, and I have no expectation of getting that spot back. Thankfully, everyone else in my neighborhood in Brooklyn feels the same way.
Feb 26, 2010 at 9:33 am rating: 90
#124
thi_avatar
If you are parked on a PUBLIC street, owned by the state or city, the only way you have a ‘right’ to a parking spot is if your car is currently in it. As soon as you move your vehicle you loose 100% of any ‘rights’ or ‘ownership’ to that spot. If you leave anything behind in on that PUBLIC street, you’re telling everyone else ‘this is something I don’t want anymore’.
Feb 26, 2010 at 12:37 pm rating: 90
#125
Jay
I own a house in a suburb of DC. Every house on my street has enough room for three cars to park in front of it. On the side streets of every block there are enough places to easily park 10 cars (if you’re having a party). In short, there’s never a reason to park in front of any house that’s not your own or the person you’re visiting…ever. The mound of snow I created when I shoveled a space for my car was 14′ high, 12′ wide, and almost 15′ long. It took 4 hours to do it. Neighborhood children were sledding off it. If you take my spot it’s either because you are too lazy to shovel out your own spot or the person you’re visiting obviously doesn’t value you. Justify your douche baggery anyway you want but we all know what you are.
For those of you that can shovel any amount of snow in 5 minutes…do you know how much snow weighs? If you’re claiming that you can move 10+ tons of snow in 5 minutes you’re just demonstrating that you’re not only an asshat but you’re a stupid asshat.
Feb 26, 2010 at 1:34 pm rating: 90
#126
Swanky
hmm… Great Stuff!! Great notes. But I don’t blame them, I must say. I was just doing research on this subject and came across a blog, http://www.snowparking.com… where you can send in photos of the junk people put out on the streets. It’s amusing.
Feb 26, 2010 at 11:08 pm rating: 90
#127
cat
Team Boston!
Feb 28, 2010 at 8:35 am rating: 90
#128
Emily
After listening to everyone talk about their cities and whether there is a right to claim a spot, I think that we need to consider a few things here. First of all I live in the suburbs and went to school in the city, my husband lived in a city for a number of years without a driveway and we also live in Massachusetts, so I feel like I have some authority on this issue.
Shoveling is back breaking work. Snow is heavy, and when its packed in it is an endless pile that never stops. When you work hard at something for a long time no matter what it is then you have a right to claim some ownership over it. I think what most people here a griping about is when you clear a space in front of your hosue. You should be able to park near where you live.
People in Minnesota need to remember that not everyone lives there and that there are different snow totals and yearly expectations differ place to place. There isnt public transportation everywhere.
If you spend time clearing out a spot then you should have a righ to it. To spend time working that hard and then to have it stolen is unacceptable. Its common courtesy to not steal someone else’s work not matter the type of work.
And the note from Boston had such a classy tone because, frankly, small city streets terrible plow jobs, and no place to put snow can get people aggravated.
Feb 28, 2010 at 11:23 pm rating: 90
#129
funkychick17
I love the city, but when it snows I am so glad I live in the suburbs with a driveway and garage! When I did live in the city, I didn’t own a car. I took the bus. Once when it had snowed 18″ and someone on my mom’s street shoveled out his space and then went out, my brother parked there late at night. The shoveler knocked on my mom’s door at 2 in the morning to ask the owner of the car (my brother) to move it out of the spot that he had shoveled. I don’t know how many other doors he had knocked on at 2 am before he got the right one! I can agree somewhat with the people who shovel the spots, but at the same time it is a public street without reserved spaces and this is the price you pay to live in the city with no private parking.
Mar 1, 2010 at 8:54 am rating: 90
#130
undrline
huh. never knew that. Moved to DC from CA, and lived there for five years, owning a car for two. It snowed every winter I was there. I never thought about people having to shovel out spots. Every parking spot was taken in the neighborhood (didn’t matter which neighborhood), and people dug their car out to leave. All those hollowed-out spots were there when we’d get back. I guess it’s because it never snowed enough in the meantime to have to be re-shoveled. If I had to come across a note trying to explain the issue to me – being clueless otherwise – I think I’d prefer the table one.
Mar 1, 2010 at 6:35 pm rating: 90
#131
Travis
Heh. I live in Georgia. If it snows, I stay home and play Xbox.
Mar 2, 2010 at 4:27 pm rating: 90
#132
Toya
After reading those notes, I’m so happy to live in Florida where the only time fights break out over parking spaces are during the week leading up to Christmas. If I did live in a place that snowed and reserving parking spots during the winter were the norm, I’d become agoraphobic from December to March.
Mar 2, 2010 at 8:39 pm rating: 90
#133
LS
I had no idea shoveling was a big issue. I actually thought that the cities took care of things like that with salt or something. Living in the South, we just stay in with hot chocolate when it snows. Everything is shut down and we get a day or two off. It’s pretty awesome.
Mar 7, 2010 at 2:38 am rating: 90
#134
Claire
this is the only time passive aggressive notes are okay….I once spent 4 hours shoveling my car out of my spot (I live in a townhouse development) got home from work at 2 in the morning, my space was filled by another car, and there were no other spaces that had been shoveled. I was exhausted, parked illegally near an empty curb,planning to move early in the morning and had to pay 80 dollars for a parking ticket, all because some asshole didn’t feel like shoveling snow. fuck that.
Mar 9, 2010 at 1:22 am rating: 90
#135
Steve K
I’ve lived in Chicago my whole life, and still am amazed by the number of a**holes who think because they spent 15 minutes (or 4 hours, but if your spending 4hours digging out a 8ft by 6ft spot you’ve got other problems) digging out a spot, are now entitled to that spot on a public street for the next 3 months. I understand it blows, and I also get annoyed that a spot I dug out is gone. But it’s not F*cking “yours”. It’s a god damned public street, maybe your entitled for that evening, or even the next, but these dipsh*t’s that think they can just keep a broom on the street all winter are out of their mind’s. You know what’s even more annoying than “your” spot being taken, is driving down a public street and there not being a single spot available, because 20 people think they are entitled to a public street’s spot, 24hrs a day 7 days a week.
Mar 10, 2010 at 2:21 pm rating: 90
#136
matt
someone’s car was lit on fire last year for taking a spot in chicago, so i guess consider yourselves lucky you only got a note?
Mar 11, 2010 at 11:48 am rating: 90
#137
jim
I grew up in Boston and it was always like this. I never left a chair or trash bin because I always thought it was a fucking stupid thing to save a spot! fuck that shit, you can’t save a fucking spot all day while you’re at work because mother nature decided to dump snow on your sorry ass.
Mar 12, 2010 at 4:44 pm rating: 90
#138
kc
*shrug.*
You poke it, you own it.
Mar 14, 2010 at 8:49 pm rating: 90
#139
Dan
living in San Diego FTW!!
Mar 15, 2010 at 7:01 pm rating: 90
#140 Old habits die…with a pout. | PassiveAggressiveNotes.com
[...] related: Can you dig it? [...]
Mar 19, 2010 at 10:39 am rating: 90
#141 Welcome to the neighborhood. You’re totally screwing it up. | PassiveAggressiveNotes.com
[...] I shoveled this spot. IT’S MINE. [...]
Sep 10, 2010 at 5:14 pm rating: 90
#142 Funniest (not necessarily passive-aggressive) notes of 2010 | PassiveAggressiveNotes.com
[...] Snowstorm street-parking etiquette [...]
Dec 31, 2010 at 6:14 pm rating: 90
#143 Slate: The ethics of winter dibs parking | ELU 24
[...] out one’s car. The penalty for disregarding this territorial marking can be anything from a passive-aggressive note to slashed tires to bodily [...]
Feb 27, 2011 at 6:16 am rating: 90
#144 The Ethics of Winter Dibs Parking | Daily News
[...] out one's car. The chastisement for except this territorial imprinting can be anything from a passive-aggressive note to slashed tires to corporeal [...]
Feb 28, 2011 at 5:10 pm rating: 90
Comments are Closed