Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Parking

Just finding a place to put your car—sounds so easy, but it's near the top of "things that make me crazy." A few random thoughts:
  1. You should assume the worst: schedule a full half hour for the search for a parking place. If you do better, bonanza! Don't forget to schedule time to walk from a distant parking place to your class.
  2. Never assume you can use the car to move from one class to another unless you've got a couple of hours between. (In that case, why not simply walk over to the Union and get a coffee while you read?)
  3. Be aware of special campus events that will preempt your parking, and have a backup plan. (Last year a special president's fundraiser put 1000 visitors on campus—one to a car—during a peak class time.)
  4. See if you can figure out when the peak times for parking occur. Show up during off-peak times and study while you're waiting for class.
  5. Carpool.
  6. Campus cops really do enforce the parking regulations. You can't get out of the fine.
  7. Smart people always lock their cars. Smart people don't lock the keys inside. (But if you do lock your keys in the car, call the campus cops before you call a locksmith. You might get in for less money, and you'll avoid the suspicion of car theft.)
  8. Smart people don't leave obviously-expensive junk lying in their cars, inviting thieves.
  9. Smart people find parking places that are reasonably well-lit and near civilization. Really smart people don't go back to their cars alone at night. (Your campus cops might have an escort service.)
Something to consider

The campus parking garage is filled with people who only have two years' driving experience, are late to class, and have never been in a parking garage before. They are desperate, foolish, and inept. Don't get in their way. And don't be desperate, foolish, and inept yourself.

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