Free Parking

Everything has value. Including 10'x15' slabs of concrete. There is one grocery store that I shop at a few times a week to buy items I cannot find elsewhere (as you can imagine, I've tried). When you come upon the store, the immediate parking options are street parking and the street level wing of a parking ramp. All spots just mentioned come equipped with a parking meter. Plan on $.50-$1.00 to gain admission into the store. I will admit, this was my biggest/only gripe about this store when it opened. However, I opened my eyes and started paying attention one day and guess what I found...free parking. There us a sign on the main road that is big and loud and says: "Free Parking, Turn Here"...I followed the directions and found there was another wing of the parking ramp that is not metered and designated for the store shoppers. It requires a walk up one flight of stairs, or a lightening fast ride in a clean as can be elevator. And there you have it...a few more bucks to spend on those specialty items.

On the topic of free parking, we have a Farmer's Market every Saturday during spring and summer downtown. There is lots of parking, and to not do your homework would be to think that all of the parking is in a ramp or at a meter on the street. Actually, if you are willing/able to walk about 2-3 blocks, there are blocks and blocks of free (for 2 hours) parking. You will likely have to parallel park (ooo, brings back nightmares of the 16 year old driving test), but you just saved enough to buy a jar of homemade jam.

One of my favorite free parking tricks is something I have only observed as it goes on in my neighborhood every day. Rather than drive downtown for work or school, people treat one of the side streets as their self made park and ride. They leave their car in our neighborhood for the day and hop the bus...pretty clever. The stretch that this free parking takes place is not in front of any houses, which is why I don't even blink and consider it a darn good idea.