I declined to join my friends for a happy hour last night because, well, I didn’t want to deal with the parking. Let me explain: this particular bar has a reputation for having a horrible parking situation. There isn’t enough parking (or there are too many cars, depending on your point of view)… anywhere near this bar.
Street-parking? Nope. There are rarely any open spots and the streets surrounding the restaurant is narrow, crooked, or one-way. Or all three.
Self-parking in parking lot? Nope. The restaurant’s parking lot fits maybe 30 cars. MAX. I have never ever seen an open spot in their parking lot. And that’s if I can even get in… many times the parking lot is blocked off because it’s full.
Valet parking? You’d think valet is always a sure bet. I thought that, and I was wrong. The last time I went valet was also full. So I had to find another restaurant that offered valet and get my car parked there.
Not driving? I wish. Even though I live less than 5 miles from the bar, there is a dearth of public transportation options. No one does public transit in my city. It’s too hot to walk outside, it’s not practical, and I don’t know how safe or unsafe it is.
So it’s not so much the cost of parking, as it is the headache of being stuck in a parking lot, trying to find an available valet, and the uncertainty of how long it’ll take me to battle it out until I find a place for my car. The last time I went to this bar, I had to drive around for 15 minutes before I found a valet would’d take my car. Not enough parking… such a pain.
If someone had told me that parking at this bar is a flat $15 (or even $20) and that I will always have a space, I would prefer that situation over the current one of circling, circling, getting stuck, circling, and finally finding a spot/valet. Then at least I can make a decision on whether I can afford that bar visit + parking, instead of going there and hoping for the best.
No comments:
Post a Comment